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CURIOUS     MYTHS    OF 
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S.   BARING-GOULD,   M.A 

AUTHOR  OF    "  POST-MEDI.tVAL   PREACHERS,"    ETC 


RIVINGTONS 
Hontfon,  ®]r{or)iy  antf  Cambrttfge 


[New  Edition] 


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PUBLIC   '  .:..ARV 

^STOR.  LENOX  AND 
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1  77iis  Volume  contains  all  the  Myths  published  in  the 
\  Second  Editions  of  the  two  Volumes  entitled  First  and 
•   Second  Series. 


I 


February^  1869. 


I' 


r 


Contents 


I.   THE  WANDERING  JEW 

II.   PRESTER  JOHN  

III.   THE  DIVINING  ROD 
jy.  THE  SEVEN  SLEEPERS  OF  EPHESUS 
_V.  WILLIAM  TELL  .  .  .  . 

_VI.  THE  DOG  GELLERT    .  .  .  . 

VII.  TAILED  MEN 

VIII.  ANTICHRIST  AND  POPE  JOAN   . 
IX.   THE  MAN   IN  THE  MOON 
X.   THE    MOUNTAIN  OF  VENUS 
_XI.   S.   PATRICK'S  PURGATORY 
XII.   THE  TERRESTRIAL  PARADISE   . 
XIII.   S.   GEORGE 


XIV.  S.  URSULA  AND  THE  ELEVEN  THOUSAND  VIRCUNS  317 


XV.  THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  CROSS 
XVL   SCHAMIR    .... 
XVII.  THE  PIPER  OF  HAMELN  . 
XVIII.   BISHOP  HATTO. 


PAGE 
I 

55 

93 

113 

134 

M5 
161 

190 

209 

230 

250 

266 


341 
386 

417 
447 


X  Contents, 

YAQB 

XIX.   MELUSINA 471 

XX;  THE  FORTUNATE  ISLES 524 

XXI.   SWAN-MAIDENS 561 

XXII.  THE  KNIGHT  OF  THE  SWAN      .  .  .  -579 

XXIII.  THE  SANGREAL 604 

XXIV.  THEOPHILUS 628 

APPENDIX  A.  THE  WANDERING  JEW          .          .  637 

B.  MOUNTAIN  OF  VENUS                     .  64I 

C.  PRE-CHRISTIAN  CROSSES               .  643 

D.  SHIPPING  THE  DEAD                      .  645 

E.  FATALITY  OF  NUMBERS                 .  647 


MEDIiEVAL   MYTHS 

TT  JHO  that  has  looked   on    Gustave    Dora's 
^  ^       marvellous  illustrations  to  this  wild  legend, 
can  forget  the  impression  they  made  upon  his 
imagination  ? 

I  do  not  refer  to  the  first  illustration  as  striking, 
where  the  Jewish  shoemaker  is  refusing  to  suffer  the 
cross-laden  Saviour  to  rest  a  moment  on  his  door- 
step, and  is  receiving  with  scornful  lip  the  judg- 
ment to  wander  restless  till  the  Second  Coming  of 
that  same  Redeemer.  But  I  refer  rather  to  the 
second,  which  represents  the  Jew,  after  the  lapse  of 
ages,  bowed  beneath  the  burden  of  the  curse,  worn 
with  unrelieved  toil,  wearied  with  ceaseless  travel- 
ling, trudging  onward  at  the  last  lights  of  evening, 
when  a  rayless  night  of  unabating  rain  is  creeping 

B 


.^  .....A^i- 5''" 


,,.  v'.uv^s^  v\,  moment  we  sc 

.'     "'•',    W-Vs.    ^°J 'leer's  mind.    We 

Wine  the  tragedy 
" .,     ...  »^-^'^"'"^    J  i,=.nffs  heavier  on  ws 

'^  • '  '•"        .     -^^^  ^'^^  "^""^Te  bad  taken  in  that 
>  ^"-'"-       ou  the  part  be  bad 

""■\'/.'..-'»'^''-       -uustration  more  remarkabk. 
Oo.  -^>'^''-  ' ' tmo^g^t  tbe  Alps,  at  tbe 

^"     0.    .Wv-»'  ''^ 'and  seeing  i- ^^^  ^°"- 
v.\x.  *^  tUuHit^'  ,.-«rr  scene  oi 

v'^-  '"     w  ..vV^  »v  ^l"'^-^  °\'  ,;e  sword  of  flam 
^'-^  ^"    s    ^^- ^^^"'"-rfbit^ack  from  .h 

^^-^ ;.vv--^"^"lTdeed.tbe  repose 


.^"^^'^  '^"  ,        the  trumpet  sou, 

'"^'^^KsSV.*^-^'*"' Tots  foundations. the 
''      Is*  *W.^***^^    Vthe  rents  in  its  sur 

^    ^-^^^'"T      !^^  ^«^^"«  '°'t  tl  tnusde- 
-^  ^^^^  ^^t   ^  --  *"'  ""tls  off  his  s1 


The  Wandering  Jew  S 

Strange  sights  are  around  him,  he  sees  them  not ; 
strange  sounds  assail  his  ears,  he  hears  but  one — 
the  trumpet-note  which  gives  the  signal  for  him  to 
stay  his  wanderings  and  rest  his  weary  feet 

It  is  possible  to  linger  over  those  noble  woodc|its^ 
and  learn  from  them  something  new  each  time  that 
we  study  them;  they  are  picture-poems  full  of 
latent  depths  of  thought.  And  now  let  us  to  the 
history  of  this  most  thrilling  of  all  Mediaeval 
myths. 

The  words  of  the  Gospel  contain  the  germs  out 
of  which  the  story  has  developed.  "  Verily  I  siay 
unto  you,  There  be  some  standing  here,  which  shall 
not  taste  of  death  till  they  see  the  Son  of  Man 
coming  in  His  kingdom  V'  are  our  Lord's  words, 
which  I  can  hardly  think  apply  to  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  as  commentators  explain  it  to  escape 
the  difficulty.  That  some  should  live  to  see  Jerii- 
salem  destroyed  was  not  very  surprising,  and 
hardly  needed  the  emphatic  Verily  which  Christ 
only  used  when  speaking  something  of  peculiarly 
solemn  or  mysterious  import 

Besides,  S.  Luke's  account  manifestly  refers  the 
coming  in  the  kingdom  to  the  Judgment,  for  the 

'  Matt  xvi.  28.    Mark  iz.  z. 
B  X 


4  The  Wandering  Jew 

saying  stands  as  follows :  "  Whosoever  shall  be 
ashamed  of  Me,  and  of  My  words,  of  him  shall  the 
Son  of  Man  be  ashamed,  when  He  shall  come  in 
His  own  glory,  and  in  His  Father's/and  of  the  holy 
angels.  But  I  tell  you  of  a  truth,  there  be  some 
standing  here,  which  shall  not  taste  of  death  till 
they  see  the  kingdom  of  God  *." 

There  can,  I  think,  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of 
an  unprejudiced  person,  that  the  words  of  our  Lord 
do  imply  that  some  one  or  more  of  those  then 
living  should  not  die  till  He  came  again.  I  do  not 
mean  to  insist  on  the  literal  signification,  but  I 
plead  that  it  is  compatible  with  our  Lord's  power 
to  have  fulfilled  His  words  to  the  letter.  That  the 
circumstance  is  unrecorded  in  the  Gospels  is  no 
evidence  that  it  did  not  take  place,  for  we  are 
expressly  told,  "  Many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus 
in  the  presence  of  His  disciples,  which  are  not 
written  in  this  book^;"  and  again,  "There  are  also 
many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if 
they  should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that 
even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books 
that  should  be  written  \" 

We  may  remember  also  that   mysterious  wit- 

*  Luke  ix.  26,  27.         ^  John  xx.  30.         *  John  xxi.  25. 


The  Wafidering  Jew  6 

e|    Xitsi^^  are  to  appear  in  the  last  eventful  days  of 

the  world's   history,   and   bear  testimony  to  the 

Gospel  truth  before  the  antichristian  world.     One 

of  these  has  been  often  conjectured  to  be  S.  John 

the  Evangelist,  of  whom  Christ  said  to  Peter,  "  If  I 

will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee?" 

and  the  other  has  been  variously  conjectured  to  be 

Elias,  or  Enoch,  or  our  Jew. 

The  historical  evidence  on  which  the  tale  rests 
is,  however,  too  slender,  for  us  to  admit  for  it  more 
than  the  barest  claim  to  be  more  than  myth.  The 
names  and  the  circumstances  connected  with  the 
Jew  and  his  doom  vary  in  every  account,  and  the 
only  point  upon  which  all  coincide  is  that  such  an 
individual  exists  in  an  undying  condition,  wander- 
ing over  the  face  of  the  earth,  seeking  rest  and 
finding  none. 

J  The  earliest  extant  mention  of  the  Wandering 
r  Jew,  is  to  be  found  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of 
'  the  Abbey  of  S.  Albans,  which  was  copied  and 
continued  by  Matthew  Paris.  He  records  that  in 
the  year  laaS,  "a  certain  Archbishop  of  Armenia 
Major  came  on  a  pilgrimage  to  England  to  see 
the  relics  of  the  saints,  and  visit  the  sacred  places 
in  the  kingdom,  as  he  had  done  in  others;  he 
also   produced    letters   of  recommendation  from. 


6  The  Wandering  Jew 

his  Holiness  the  Pope,  to  the  religious  men  and 
prelates  of  the  churches,  in  which  they  were  en* 
joined  to  receive  and  entertain  him  with  due  rever- 
ence and  honour.  On  his  arrival,  he  went  to  S. 
Albans,  where  he  was  received  with  all  respect  by 
the  abbot  and  monks;  at  this  place,  being  fatigued 
with  his  journey,  he  remained  some  days  to  rest 
himself  and  his  followers,  and  a  conversation  was 
commenced  between  him  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  convent,  by  means  of  their  interpreters,  during 
which  he  made  many  inquiries  concerning  the 
religion  and  religious  observances  of  this  country, 
and  related  many  strange  things  concerning  Eastern 
countries.  In  the  course  of  conversation  he  was 
asked  whether  he  had  ever  seen  or  heard  any 
thing  of  Joseph,  a  man  of  whom  there  was  much 
talk  in  the  world,  who,  when  our  Lord  suffered, 
was  present  and  spoke  to  Him,  and  who  is  still 
alive,  in  evidence  of  the  Christian  faith ;  in  reply 
to  which,  a  knight  in  his  retinue,  who  was  his 
interpreter,  replied,  speaking  in  French,  '  My  lord 
well  knows  that  man,  and  a  little  before  he  took 
his  way  to  the  western  countries,  the  said  Joseph 
ate  at  the  table  of  my  lord  the  Archbishop  in 
Armenia,  and  he  had  often  seen  and  held  converse 
with  him.'     He  was  then  asked  about  what  had 


TJie  Wandering  Jew  7 

passed  between  Christ  and  the  same  Joseph,  to 
which  he  replied,  'At  the  time  of  the  suffering  of 
Jesus  Christ,  He  was  seized  by  the  Jews,  and  led 
into  the  hall  of  judgment  before  Pilate,  the  gover- 
nor, that  He  might  be  judged  by  him  on  the 
accusation  of  the  Jews;  and  Pilate,  finding  no 
cause  for  adjudging  Him  to  death,  said  to  them, 
*Take  Him  and  judge  Him  according  to  your 
law;'  the  shouts  of  the  Jews,  however,  increasing, 
he,  at  their  request,  released  unto  them  Barabbas, 
and  delivered  Jesus  to  them  to  be  crucified.  When, 
therefore,  the  Jews  were  dragging  Jesus  forth,  and 
had  reached  the  door,  Cartaphilus,  a  porter  of  the 
hall,  in  Pilate^s  service,  as  Jesus  was  going  out  of 
the  door,  impiously  struck  Him  on  the  back  with 
his  hand,  and  said  in  mockery,  '  Go  quicker,  Jesus, 
go  quicker;  why  do  you  loiter?'  and  Jesus,  looking 
back  on  him  with  a  severe  countenance,  said  to 
him,  'I  am  going,  and  you  will  wait  till  I  return/ 
And  according  as  our  Lord  said,  this  Cartaphilus 
is  still  awaiting  His  return.  At  the  time  of  our 
Lord's  suffering  he  was  thirty  years  old,  and  when 
he  attains  the  age  of  a  hundred  years,  he  always 
returns  to  the  same  age  as  he  was  when  our  Lord 
suffered.  After  Christ's  death,  when  the  Catholic 
faith  gained  ground,  this  Cartaphilus  was  baptized 


bjr  AjKunas  f^bo  also  b^idzcd  die  Apostk  Paul), 
aad  vas  called  Joseph.     He  often  dvdls  in  both 
dhrisifMS  of  Armenia^  and  other  Eastern  ooan- 
trieSy  passcng  his  time  amidst  the  bishops  and 
ctiier  prelates  of  the  Chnich;  he  is  a  man  erf*  holy 
cooversatsoo,  and  ndigioos ;  a  man  of  few  ^roid^ 
and  tircumspcct  in  his  behaviour;  for  he  does 
not  ^>eak  at  all  unless  iriien  qoestioiied  fay  the 
bishops  and  leligioos  men ;  and  then  he  tells  of  the 
evtats  of  old  times,  and  of  the  events  which  oocnired 
at  the  suffering  and  resurrection  of  oar  Lcvd,  and 
of  the  witnesses  of  the  resurrecticMi,  namely,  those 
who  rose  widi  Christ,  and  went  into  the  holy  dty, 
and  appeared  unto  men.    He  also  tdk  of  the  creed 
of   the    Apostle^  and    of   their    separation    and 
preaching.    And  all  this  he  relates  without  smiling 
or  levity  of  conversation,  as  one  who  is  well  prac- 
tiMd  in  sorrow  and  the  fear  of  God,  alwa3rs  looking 
forward  with  fear  to  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ, 
lent  at  the  Last  Judgment  he  should  find  Him  in 
anger  whom,  when  on  His  way  to  death,  he  had 
provoked  to  just  vengeance.     Numbers  came  to 
him  from  different  parts  of  the  world,  enjoying  his 
iocicty  and  conversation ;  and  to  them,  if  they  are 
men  of  authority,  be  explains  all  doubts  on  the 
matters  on  *  * '  *'  he  is  questioned    He  refuses  all 


The  Wandering  Jew  9 

gifts  that  are  offered  to  him,  being  content  with 
slight  food  and  clothing.  He  places  his  hope  of 
salvation  on  the  fact  that  he  sinned  through  igno- 
rance, for  the  Lord  when  suffering  prayed  for  His 
enemies  in  these  words,  '  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do.' " 

Much  about  the  same  date  Philip  Mouskes, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Tournay,  wrote  his  rhymed 
chronicle  (i  242),  which  contains  a  similar  account  of 
the  Jew,  derived  from  the  same  Armenian  prelate : — 

"  Adonques  vint  un  arceveskes 
De  9a  mer,  plains  de  bonnes  t^ues 
Par  samblant,  et  fut  d'Armenie," 

and  this  man  having  visited  the  shrine  of  "St 
Tumas  de  Kantprbire,"  and  then  having  paid  his 
devotions  at ''  Mongigour  St.  Jake,"  he  went  on  to 
Cologne  to  see  the  heads  of  the  three  kings.  The 
version  told  in  the  Netherlands  much  resembled 
that  related  at  S.  Albans,  only  that  the  Jew, 
seeing  the  people  dragging  Christ  to  His  death, 

exclaims : 

"  Atend^s  moi !  g'i  vois, 
Slert  mis  le  fans  prof^te  en  crois." 


Then 


"  Le  vrais  Dieux  se  regarda, 
£t  11  a  dit  qu'e  n'i  tarda, 
Icist  ne  t'atenderont  pas, 
Mais  saces,  tu  m'atenderas.* 


10  The  Wandering  Jew 

We  hear  no  more  of  the  Wandering  Jew  till  the 
sixteenth  century,  when  we  hear  first  of  him  in  a 
casual  manner,  as  assisting  a  weaver,  Kokot,  at  the 
royal  palace  in  Bohemia  (1505),  to  find  a  treasure 
which  had  been  secreted  by  the  great-grandfather 
of  Kokot,  sixty  years  before,  at  which  time  the  Jew 
was  present.  He  then  had  the  appearance  of  being 
a  man  of  seventy  years  *. 

Curiously  enough,  we  next  hear  of  him  in  the 
East,  where  he .  is  confounded  with  the  prophet 
Elijah.  Early  in  the  century  he  appeared  to 
Fadhilah,  under  peculiar  circumstances. 

After  the  Arabs  had  captured  the  city  of  Elvan, 
Fadhilah,  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  horsemen, 
pitched  his  tents,  late  in  the  evening,  between  two 
mountains.  Fadhilah  having  begun  his  evening 
prayer  with  a  loud  voice,  heard  the  words  "  Allah 
akbar "  (God  is  great)  repeated  distinctly,  and  each 
word  of  his  prayer  was  followed  in  a  similar 
manner.  Fadhilah  not  believing  this  to  be  the 
result  of  an  echo,  was  much  astonished,  and  cried 
out,  "  O  thou  !  whether  thou  art  of  the  angel  ranks, 
or  whether  thou  art  of  some  other  order  of  spirits,  it 
is  well,  the  power  of  God  be  with  thee;  but  if  thou 

*  Gubitz,  Gesellsch.  1845,  No.  18. 


The  Wandering  Jew  11 

art  a  man,  then  let  mine  eyes  light  upon  thee, 
that  I  may  rejoice  in  thy  presence  and  society. 
Scarcely  had  he  spoken  these  words,  before  an 
aged  man  with  bald  head  stood  before  him,  hold- 
ing a  staff  in  his  hand,  and  much  resembling  a 
dervish  in  appearance.  After  having  courteously 
saluted  him,  Fadhilah  asked  the  old  man  who  he 
was.  Thereupon  the  stranger  answered,  "Bassi 
Hadhret  Issa,  I  am  here  by  command  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  has  left  me  in  this  world,  that  I  may 
live  therein  until  He  comes  a  second  time  to  earth. 
I  wait  for  this  Lord  who  is  the  Fountain  of 
Happiness,  and  in  obedience  to  His  command  I 
dwell  behind  yon  mountain."  When  Fadhilah 
heard  these  words,  he  asked  when  the  Lord  Jesus 
would  appear,  and  the  old  man  replied  that  His 
appearing  would  be  at  the  end  of  the  world,  at  the 
Last  Judgment.  But  this  only  increased  Fadhilah's 
curiosity,  so  that  he  inquired  the  signs  of  the 
approach  of  the  end  of  all  things,  whereupon  Zerib 
Bar  Elia  gave  him  an  account  of  general,  social, 
and  moral  dissolution,  which  would  be  the  climax 
of  this  world's  history  *. 

In  1547  he  was  seen  in  Europe,  if  we  are  to 
believe  the  following  narration : — 

•  Herbelot,  BibL  Orient,  ui.  p.  6o*j. 


II   • 


12  The.  Wandering  Jew 

"  Paul  von  Eitzen,  doctor  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  Bishop  of  Schleswig ',  related  as  true  for  some 
years  past,  that  when  he  was  young,  having  studied 
at  Wittemberg,  he  returned  home  to  his  parents  in 
Hamburg  in  the  winter  of  the  year  1547,  and  that 
on  the  following  Sunday,  in  church,  he  observed  a 
tall  man  with  his  hair  hanging  over  his  shoulders, 
standing  barefoot  during  the  sermon,  over  against 
the  pulpit,  listening  with  deepest  attention  to  the 
discourse,  and,  whenever  the  name  of  Jesus  was 
mentioned,  bowing  himself  profoundly  and  humbly, 
with  sighs  and  beating  of  the  breast.  He  had  no 
other  clothing  in  the  bitter  cold  of  the  winter, 
except  a  pair  of  hose  which  were  in  tatters  about 
his  feet,  and  a  coat  with  a  girdle  which  reached  to 
his  feet ;  and  his  general  appearance  was  that  of 
a  man  of  fifty  years.  And  many  people,  some  of 
high  degree  and  title,  have  seen  this  same  man  in 
England,  France,  Italy,  Hungary,  Persia,  Spain, 
Poland,  Moscow,  Lapland,  Sweden,  Denmark, 
Scotland,  and  other  places. 

"  Every  one  wondered  over  the  man.     Now  after 

'  Paul  V.  Eitzen  was  bom  Jan.  25th,  1522,  at  Hamburg ; 
in  1562  he  was  appointed  chief  preacher  for  Schleswig,  and 
died  Feb.  25th,  1598.  (Greve,  Memor.  P.  ab.  Eitzen. 
Hamb.  1744.) 


The  Wandering  Jew  18 

the  sermon,  the  said  Doctor  inquired  diligently 
where  the  stranger  was  to  be  found,  and  when  he 
had  sought  him  out,  he  inquired  of  him  privately 
whence  he  came,  and .  how  long  that  winter  he  had 
been  in  the  place.  Thereupon  he  replied  modestly, 
that  he  was  a  Jew  by  birth,  a  native  of  Jerusalem, 
by  name  Ahasverus,  by  trade  a  shoemaker ;  he  had 
been  present  at  the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  and  had 
lived  ever  since,  travelling  through  various  lands 
and  cities,  the  which  he  substantiated  by  accounts 
he  gave;    he  related  also  the  circumstances  of 
Christ's  transference  ffom  Pilate  to  Herod,  and  the 
filial  crucifixion,  together  with   other  details   not 
recorded  in  the  Evangelists  and  historians ;  he  gave 
accounts  of  the  changes  of  government  in  many 
countries,  especially  of  the  East,  through  several 
centuries,  and  moreover  he  detailed  the  labours  and 
deaths  of  the  holy  Apostles  of  Christ  most  cir- 
cumstantially. 

'*Now  when  Doctor  Paul  v.  Eitzen  heard  this 
with  profound  astonishment,  on  account  of  its 
incredible  novelty,  he  inquired  further,  in  order 
that  he  might  obtain  more  accurate  information. 
Then  the  man  answered,  that  he  had  lived  in 
Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion  of  Christ, 
whom  he  had  regarded  as  a  deceiver  of  the  people 


14  The.  Wandering  Jew 

and  a  heretic ;  he  had  seen  Him  with  his  own  eyes, 
and  had  done  his  best,  along  with  others,  to  bring 
this  deceiver,  as  he  regarded  Him,  to  justice,  and  to 
have  Him  put  out  of  the  way.  When  the  sentence 
had  been  pronounced  by  Pilate,  Christ  was  about 
to  be  dragged  past  his  house ;  then  he  ran  home, 
and  called  together  his  household  to  have  a  look  at 
Christ,  and  see  what  sort  of  a  person  He  was. 

"  This  having  been  done,  he  had  his  little  child 
on  his  arm,  and  was  standing  in  his  doorway  to 
have  a  sight  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  As,  then,  Christ  was  led  by,  bowed  under  the 
weight  of  the  heavy  cross.  He  tried  to  rest  a  little, 
and  stood  still  a  moment ;  but  the  shoemaker,  in 
zeal  and  rage,  and  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  credit 
among  the  other  Jews,  drove  the  Lord  Christ  for- 
ward, and  told  Him  to  hasten  on  His  way.  Jesus 
obeying,  looked  at  him,  and  said,  'I  shall  stand 
and  rest,  but  thou  shalt  go  till  the  last  day.'  At 
these  words  the  man  set  down  the  child ;  and 
unable  to  remain  where  he  was,  he  followed  Christ, 
and  saw  how  cruelly  He  was  crucified,  how  He 
suffered,  how  He  died.  As  soon  as  this  had 
taken  place,  it  came  upon  him  suddenly  that  he 
could  no  more  return  to  Jerusalem,  nor  see  again 
his  wife  and  child,  but  must  go  forth  into  foreign 


The  Wandering  Jew  ]  6 

ids,  one  after  another,  like  a  mournful  pflgrim. 
'Kow,  when,  years  after,  he  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
lie  found  it  ruined  and  utterly  razed,  so  that  not 
one  stone  was  left  standing  on  another ;  and  he 
could  not  recognize  former  localities. 

'*He  believes  that  it  is  God's  purpose  in  thus 
\  driving  him  about  in  miserable  life,  and  preserving 
'  him  undying,  to  present  him  before  the  Jews  at  the 
■  end,  as  a  living  token,  so  that  the  godless  and  un- 
believing may  remember  the  death  of  Christ,  and 
be  turned  to  repentance.  For  his  part  he  would 
well  rejoice  were  God  in  heaven  to  release  him  from 
this  vale  of  tears.  After  this  conversation,  Doctor 
Paul  v.  Eitzen,  along  with  the  rector  of  the  school 
of  Hamburg,  who  was  well  read  in  history,  and  a 
traveller,  questioned  him  about  events  which  had 
taken  place  in  the  East  since  the  death  of  Christ, 
and  he  was  able  to  give  them  much  information  on 
many  ancient  matters;  so  that  it  was  impossible  not 
to  be  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  story,  and  to  see 
that  what  seems  impossible  with  men  is,  after  all, 
possible  with  God. 

"  Since  the  Jew  has  had  his  life  extended,  he  has 
become  silent  and  reserved,  and  only  answers  direct 
questions.  When  invited  to  become  any  one's 
guest,  he  eats  little,  and  drinks  in  great  moderation; 


16  Tlie  Wandering  Jew 

then  hurries  on,  never  remaining  long  in  one  place. 
When  at  Hamburg,  Dantzig,  and  elsewhere  money 
has  been  offered  him,  he  never  took  more  than 
two  skillings  (4i^.)>  ^^^  ^^  onc^  distributed  it  to 
the  poor,  as  token  that  he  needed  no  money,  for 
God  would  provide  for  him,  as  he  rued  the  sins 
he  had  committed  in  ignorance. 

"  During  the  period  of  his  stay  in  Hamburg  and 
Dantzig  he  was  never  seen  to  laugh.  In  whatever 
land  he  travelled  he  spoke  its  language,  and  when 
he  spoke  Saxon,  it  was  like  a  native  Saxon.  Many 
people  came  from  different  places  to  Hamburg  and 
Dantzig  in  order  to  see  and  hear  this  man,  and 
were  convinced  that  the  providence  of  God  was 
exercised  in  this  individual  in  a  very  remarkable 
manner.  He  gladly  listened  to  God's  word,  or 
heard  it  spoken  of  always  with  great  gravity  and 
compunction,  and  he  ever  reverenced  with  sighs  the. 
pronunciation  of  the  name  of  God,  or  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  could  not  endure  to  hear  curses,  but 
whenever  he  heard  any  one  swear  by  God's  death 
or  pains,  he  waxed  indignant,  and  exclaimed,  with 
vehemence  and  with  sighs, — 'Wretched  man  and 
miserable  creature,  thus  to  misuse  the  name  of 
thy  Lord  and  God,  and  His  bitter  sufferings  and 
passion.     Hadst  thou  seen,  as  I  have,  how  heavy 


The  Wandering  Jew  17 

and  bitter  were  the  pangs  and  wounds  of  thy  Lord, 
endured  for  thee  and  for  me,  thou  wouldest  rather 
undergo  great  pain  thyself  than  thus  take  His 
sacred  name  in  vain  I' 

"  Such  is  the  account  given  to  me  by  Doctor  Paul 
von  Eitzen,  with  raany  circumstantial  proofs,  and 
corroborated  by  certain  of  my  own  old  acquaint- 
ances who  saw  this  same  individual  with  their  own 
eyes  in  Hamburg. 

"In  the  year  J575,  the  Secretary  Christopher 
Krause,  and  Master  Jacob  von  Holstein,  legates  to 
the  Court  of  Spain,  and  afterwards  sent  into  the 
Netherlands  to  pay  the  soldiers  serving  his  Majesty 
in  that  country,  related  on  their  return  home  to 
Schleswig,  and  confirmed  with  solemn  oaths,  that 
they  had  come  across  the  same  mysterious  indi- 
vidual at  Madrid  in  Spain,  in  appearance,  manner 
of  life,  habits,  clothing,  just  the  same  as  he  had 
appeared  in  Hamburg.  They  said  that  they  had 
spoken  with  him,  and  that  many  people  of  all 
classes  had  conversed  with  him,  and  found  him  to 
speak  good  Spanish.  In  the  year  1599,  in  Decem- 
ber, a  reliable  person  wrote  from  Brunswick  to 
Strasburg  that  the  same  mentioned  strange  person 
had  been  seen  alive  at  Vienna  in  Austria,  and  that 
he  had  started  for  Poland  and  Dantzig;  and  thath^ 

C 


18  Ti£  Wandaii^  Jesf 

purposed  gcdng  on  to  Moscow.    This 

vas  at  Lubeck  in  i5ci.  also  aboat  the  same  dateii 

Revel  in  livonia,  and  in  Ciacxyw  in  Pdand. 

Moscow  he  yczs  seen  of  many  and  spoken  to 

many. 

^\Vhat  thoughtful  God-fearing  persons  are 
think  of  the  said  person,  is  at  their  option.    God'j 
weeks  are  wondrous  and  past  finding  out,  and 
manifested  day  by  day,  only  to  be  revealed  jsl 
at  the  last  great  day  of  account 

^  Dated,  Revel,  August  ist^  1613. 
"D.W. 
«D. 
**  Chrysostomus  Dadolceo^ 
"Westphalu&" 

The  statement  that  the  Wandering  Jew  appeared 
in  Lubeck  in  x6oi,  does  not  tally  with  the  moit 
precise  chronicle  of  Henricus  Bangert,  which  gives ; 
— "  Die  74  Januarii  Anno  ^IDCIIL,  adnotatum  rdU 
quit  Lubecs  fuisse  Judaeum  ilium  immortalem,  qi^ 
sc  Christi  crucifixioni  interfuisse  affirmavit  *." 

In   1604,  he  seems  to  have  appeared  in  Pari& 
Rudolph  Botoreus  says  under  this  date:  ''I  fear 

*  Henr.  Bangert,  Comment  de  Ortu,  "^/ita,  et  Excesss 
ColcrL 


The  Wandering  Jew  19 

lest  I  be  accused  of  giving  ear  to  old  wives'  fables, 
if  I  insert  in  these  pages  what  is  reported  all  over 
Europe  of  the  Jew,  coeval  with  the  Saviour  Christ ; 
however,  nothing  is  more  common,  and  our  popular 
histories  have  not  scrupled  to  assert  it.  Following 
the  lead  of  those  who  wrote  our  annals,  I  may  say 
that  he  who  appeared  not  in  one  century  only,  in 
Spain,  Italy,  and  Germany,  was  also  in  this  year 
seen  and  recognized  as  the  same  individual  who 
had  appeared  in  Hamburg,  anno  MDLXVL  The 
common  people,  bold  in  spreading  reports,  relate 
many  things  of  him ;  and  this  I  allude  to,  lest  any 
thing  should  be  left  unsaid  •." 

J.  C.  Bulenger  puts  the  date  of  the  Hamburg 
visit  earlier.  "  It  was  reported  at  this  time  that  a 
Jew  of  the  time  of  Christ  was  wandering  without 
food  and  drink,  having  for  a  thousand  and  odd  years 
been  a  vagabond  and  outcast,  condemned  by  God 
to  rove,  because  he,  of  that  generation  of  vipers^ 

f     was  the  first  to  cry  out  for  the  crucifixion  of  Christ 

and  the  release  of  Barabbas  ;   and  also  because 

soon  after,  when  Christ,  panting  under  the  burden 

•  of  the  rood,  sought  to  rest  before  his  workshop  (he 

^    was  a  cobbler),  the  fellow  ordered  Him  off  with 

^  *  R.  Botoreus,  Comm.  Histor.  Hi.  p.  3,0^. 

C  2, 


20  The  Wandering  Jew 

acerbity.  Thereupon  Christ  replied :  '  Because 
thou  grudgest  Me  such  a  moment  of  rest,  I  shall 
enter  into  My  rest,  but  thou  shalt  wander  restless.' 
At  once  frantic  and  agitated  he  fled  through  the 
whole  earth,  and  on  the  same  account  to  this  day 
he  journeys  through  the  world.  It  was  this  person 
who  was  seen  in  Hamburg  in  MDLXIV.  Credat 
Judaeus  Apella !  /  did  not  see  him  or  hear  any 
thing  authentic  concerning  him  at  that  time  when 
I  was  in  Paris  \" 

A  curious  little  book*  written  against  the  quackery 
of  Paracelsus,  by  Leonard  Doldius,  a  Nurnberg 
physician,  and  translated  into  Latin  and  augmented 
by  Andreas  Libavius,  doctor  and  physician  of 
Rotenburg,  alludes  to  the  same  story,  and  gives 
the  Jew  a  new  name  nowhere  else  met  with. 
After  having  referred  to  a  report  that  Paracelsus 
was  not  dead,  but  was  seated  alive,  asleep  or 
napping,  in  his  sepulchre  at  Strasburg,  preserved 
from  death  by  some  of  his  specifics,  Libavius 
declares  that  he  would  sooner  believe  in  the  old 
man  the  Jew,  Ahasverus,  wandering  over  the  world, 
called  by  some  Buttadaeus,  and  otherwise,  again,  by 
others. 

'  J.  C.  Bulenger,  Historia  sui  Temporis,  p.  357. 
*  Praxis  Alchymiae.     Francfurti,  MDCIV.    8vo. 


The  Wandering  Jew  21 

He  is  said  to  have  appeared  in  Naumburg,  but 
the  date  is  not  given ;  he  was  noticed  in  church, 
listening  to  the  semion.  After  the  service  he  was 
questioned,  and  he  related  his  story.  On  this 
occasion  he  received  presents  from  the  burghers '. 
In  1633  he  was  again  in  Hamburg  *.  In  the  year 
1640,  two  citizens,  living  in  the  Gerberstrasse,  in 
Brussels,  were  walking  in  the  Sonian  wood,  when 
they  encountered  an  aged  man,  whose  clothes  were 
in  tatters  and  of  an  antiquated  appearance.  They 
I  invited  him  to  go  with  them  to  a  house  of  refresh- 
ment, and  he  went  with  them,  but  would  not  seat 
himself,  remaining  on  foot  to  drink.  When  he 
came  before  the  doors  with  the  two  burghers,  he 
told  them  a  great  deal,  but  they  were  mostly  stories 
of  events  which  had  happened  many  hundred  years 
before.  Hence  the  burghers  gathered  that  their 
companion  was  Isaac  Laquedem,  the  Jew  who  had 
refused  to  permit  our  Blessed  Lord  to  rest  for  a 
moment  at  his  doorstep,  and  they  left  him  full  of 
terror.  In  164a,  he  is  reported  to  have  visited 
Leipzig.  According  to  Peck's  "  History  of  Stam- 
ford," Upon  Whitsunday,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1658,  "about  six  of  the  clock,  just  after  evensong," 

*  Mittemacht,  Diss,  in  Jobaxm.  xxi  19. 
^  Mittemacht,  ut  supra. 


tt  The  Wandering  Jew 

</m.  Samuel  Wallis,  of  Stamford,  who  had  b 
loijg  wasted  with  a  lingering  consumption, 
ti^imn  by  the  fire,  reading  in  that  delectable  b 
called  ''  Abraham's  Suit  for  Sodom."  He  hear 
Unock  at  the  door ;  and,  as  his  nurse  was  abs< 
he  crawled  to  open  it  himself.  What  he  saw  th 
Samuel  shall  say  in  his  own  style : — "  I  behel 
proper,  tall,  grave  old  man.  Thus  he  said :  '  Fric 
I  pray  thee,  give  an  old  pilgrim  a  cup  of  sn 
beere !'  And  I  said,  '  Sir,  I  pray  you,  come  in  : 
welcome.'  And  he  said,  '  I  am  no  Sir,  there! 
call  me  not  Sir ;  but  come  in  I  must,  for  I  can 
pass  by  thy  doore/ 

'^ After  finishing  the  beer:  'Friend,'  he  s 
'  thou  art  not  well.'  I  said,  '  No,  truly  Sir,  I  h 
not  been  well  this  many  ycares.'  He  said,  *  "W 
is  thy  disease?'  I  said,  'A  deep  consumpt 
Sir ;  our  doctors  say,  past  cure  :  for,  truly,  I  ai 
very  poor  man,  and  not  able  to  follow  doct 
councelL*  '  Then,'  said  he,  '  I  will  tell  thee  ^a 
thou  shalt  do;  and,  by  the  help  and  power 
Almighty  God  above,  thou  shalt  be  well, 
morrow,  when  thou  risest  up,  go  into  thy  garc 
and  get  there  two  leaves  of  red  sage,  and  one 
bloodworte,  and  put  them  into  a  cup  of  thy  sr 
beere.     Drink  as  often  as  need  require,  and  w 


The  Wandering  Jew  23 

the  cup  is  empty  fill  it  again,  and  put  in  fresh 
leaves  every  fourth  day,  and  thou  shalt  see,  through 
our  Lord's  great  goodness  and  mercy,  before  twelve 
days  shall  be  past,  thy  disease  shall  be  cured  and 
thy  body  altered.'" 

After  this  simple  prescription,  WalHs  pressed 
him  to  eat :  *'  But  he  said,  *  No,  friend,  I  will  not 
eat;  the  Lord  Jesus  is  sufficient  for  me.  Very 
seldom  doe  I  drinke  any  beere  neither,  but  that 
which  comes  from  the  rocke.  So,  friend,  the  Lord 
God  be  with  thee.'" 

So  saying,  he  departed,  and  was  never  more 
heard  of;  but  the  patient  got  well  within  the 
given  time,  and  for  many  a  long  day  there  was 
war  hot  and  fierce  among  the  divines  of  Stamford, 
as  to  whether  the  stranger  was  an  angel  or  a  devil. 
His  dress  has  been  minutely  described  by  honest 
Sam.  His  coat  was  purple,  and  buttoned  down 
to  the  waist ;  "  his  britches  of  the  same  couler,  all 
new  to  see  to ;"  his  stockings  were  very  white, 
but  whether  linen  or  jersey,  deponent  knoweth 
not ;  his  beard  and  head  were  white,  and  he  had 
a  white  stick  in  his  hand.  The  day  was  rainy 
from  morning  to  night,  "  but  he  had  not  one  spot 
of  dirt  upon  his  cloathes." 

Aubrey  gives  an  almost  exactly  similar  relatiotv, 


24}  The  Wandering  Jew 

the  scene  of  which  he  places  in  the  Staffordshire 
Moorlands.  He  there  appears  in  a  "  purple  shag 
gown,"  and  prescribes  balm-leaves  *. 

On  the  i%viA  July,  1 721,  he  appeared  at  the  gates 
of  the  city  of  Munich '.  About  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  or  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth,  an  impostor  calling  himself  the 
Wandering  Jew,  attracted  attention  in  England ; 
and  was  listened  to  by  the  ignorant,  and  despised 
by  the  educated.  He  however  managed  to  thrust 
himself  into  the  notice  of  the  nobility,  who,  half  in 
jest,  half  in  curiosity,  questioned  him,  and  paid  him 
as  they  might  a  juggler.  He  declared  that  he  had 
been  an  officer  of  the  Sanhedrim,  and  that  he  had 
struck  Christ  as  He  left  the  judgment-hall  of  Pilate. 
He  remembered  all  the  Apostles,  and  described 
their  personal  appearance,  their  clothes,  and  their 
peculiarities.  He  spoke  many  languages,  claimed 
the  power  of  healing  the  sick,  and  asserted  that  he 
had  travelled  nearly  all  over  the  world.  Those  who 
heard  him  were  perplexed  by  his  familiarity  with 
foreign  tongues  and  places.  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
sent  professors  to  question  him,  and  to  discover  the 


•  Notes  and  Queries,  vol.  xii.  No.  322. 

•  Hormayr,  Taschenbuch,  1834,  p.  216. 


The  Wandering  Jew  25 

imposition,  if  any.  An  English  nobleman  con- 
versed with  him  in  Arabic.  The  mysterious 
stranger  told  his  questioner  in  that  language  that 
historical  works  were  not  to  be  relied  upon.  And 
on  being  asked  his  opinion  of  Mahomet,  he  replied 
that  he  had  been  acquainted  with  the  father  of  the 
prophet,  and  that  he  dwelt  at  Ormuz.  As  for 
Mahomet,  he  believed  him  to  have  been  a  man  of 
mtelligence ;  once  when  he  heard  the  prophet  deny 
that  Christ  was  crucified,  he  answered  abruptly  by 
f  telling  him  he  was  a  witness  to  the  truth  of 
that  event  He  related  also  that  he  was  in 
Rome  when  Nero  set  it  on  fire ;  he  had 
known  Saladin,  Tamerlane,  Bajazeth,  Eterlane, 
and  could  give  minute  details  of  the  history  of 
the  Crusades  ^ 

Whether  this  Wandering  Jew  was  found  out  in 
London  or  not,  we  cannot  tell,  but  he  shortly  after 
appeared  in  Denmark,  thence  travelled  into  Sweden, 
and  vanished. 

Some  impostors  assuming  to  be  the  mysterious 
Jew,  or  lunatics  actually  believing  themselves 
to  be  him,  appeared  in  England  in  1818,  1824, 
1830'. 

7  Calmet,  Dictionn.  de  la  Bible,  t  ii.  p.  47a. 
'  Athenaeum,  Nov.  3, 1866,  p.  561. 


«  or  Wcnitrxr 


"iiuct  irrt  lHut  yrrazrz^L.  mors  af  tie 

if'iii*;i  v^t.4*:  iia-t*  :iB  rsri-rd  "iBi:  surcj  ic  ainr  oAcr 

hv^.  w^  zrr.'ti  \\  lar^'Jjy  -riAcint  fenrYnatinB,  aad 

♦i->t  ^tv*  v;;/trvtrjCt.i:r*  of  Itr^end  has  boen  iai5ed. 

;*,   ;^^  'vt-frr-  lu^l^esttsc  by  some  that  tlic  Jew 

A;ikt/*r-t  2*,  i::  irr-r^trsc-nincatioii  of  that  lacc 
wu^^ji  i^'^:A^\,  C^sjiJfkt,  CA'cr  the  earth  nith  the 
\/!kxA  'A  '^  \/Tf/'jj^%  bkfod  upon  it,  and  one  vhich 
%x  uA  V/  y^^\  aw-ay  till  all  be  fulfilled,  not  to  be 
r^^/z^z/Jz-y*  Vy  3t^  angered  God,  till  the  times  of  the 
^t'tA,,fx  'ATI  a/yy>rrjp!i^hed.  And  yet,  probable  as 
\S*,%  %^.;/jyA'iO/n  may  seem  at  first  sight,  it  is  not 
t//  \/*:  intnuofibj'A  with  some  of  the  leading  features 
oi  til/;  tif/ry,  7  he  ^.faocmaker  becomes  a  penitent, 
aff/l  '  ;inj';>.t  (Ihrhii^n,  whibt  the  Jeviish  nation  has 
iiiiW  ih':  vt:i\  u]ffjn  its  heart;  the  wretched  wanderer 
f'vJirw^}  wottizy,  and  the  avarice  of  the  Israelite  is 
im/VTrhial 

Atjjtrdtu^f  lo  Irxral  legend,  he  is  identified  with 
the  (Mtithu-H,  or  rather  that  strange  people  are  sup- 
l^iticd  to  be  living  under  a  curse  somewhat  similar 


The  Wandering  Jew  27 

to  that  inflicted  on  Ahasverus,  because  they  refused 
shelter  to  the  Virgin  and  Child  on  their  flight  into 
Egypt'.  Another  tradition  connects  the  Jew  with 
the  wild  huntsman,  and  there  is  a  forest  at  Bretten 
in  Swabia,  which  he  is  said  to  haunt.  Popular 
superstition  attributes  to  him  there  a  purse  con- 
taining a  groschen,  which,  as  often  as  it  is  expended, 
returns  to  the  spender*. 

In  the  Harz  one  form  of  the  Wild  Huntsman 
myth  is  to  this  effect, — ^that  he  was  a  Jew  who  had 
refused  to  suffer  our  Blessed  Lord  to  drink  out  of 
a  river,  or  out  of  a  horse-trough,  but  had  contemp- 
tuously pointed  out  to  Him  the  hoof-print  of  a 
horse,  in  which  a  little  water  had  collected,  and 
had  bid  Him  quench  His  thirst  thence*. 

As  the  Wild  Huntsman  is  the  impersonification 
of  the  storm,  it  is  curious  to  find  in  parts  of  France 
that  the  sudden  roar  of  a  gale  at  night  is  attributed 
by  the  vulgar  to  the  passing  of  the  Everlasting 
Jew. 

A  Swiss  story  is,  that  he  was  seen  one  day  stand- 
ing upon  the  Matterberg,  which  is  below  the 
Matterhom,  contemplating  the  scene  with  mingled 

•  Aventinus,  Bayr.  Chronik,  viii. 

*  Meier,  Scbwabischen  Sagen,  i.  ii6. 

'  Kuhn  u.  Schwarz,  Nordd.  Sagen,  p.  499. 


28  The  Wandering  Jew 

sorrow  and  wonder.  Once  before  he  stood  on  that 
spot,  and  then  it  \i'as  the  site  of  a  flourishing  city, 
now  it  is  covered  with  gentian  and  wild  pinks. 
Once  again  will  he  revisit  the  hill,  and  that  will  be 
on  the  eve  of  Judgment 

Perhaps,  of  all  the  myths  which  originated  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  none  is  more  striking  than  that  we 
have  been  considering ;  indeed  there  is  something 
so  calculated  to  arrest  the  attention  and  to  excite 
the  imagination  in  the  outline  of  the  story,  that  it 
is  remarkable  that  we  should  find  an  interval  of 
three  centuries  elapse  between  its  first  introduction 
into  Europe  by  Matthew  Paris  and  Philip  Mouskes, 
and  its  general  acceptance  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
As  a  myth,  its  roots  lie  in  that  great  mystery  of 
human  life  which  is  an  enigma  never  solved,  and 
ever  originating  speculation. 

What  was  life?  was  it  of  necessity  limited  to 
fourscore  years,  or  could  it  be  extended  indefinitely? 
were  questions  curious  minds  never  wearied  of 
asking.  And  so  the  mythology  of  the  past  teemed 
with  legends  of  favoured  or  accursed  mortals,  who 
had  reached  beyond  the  term  of  days  set  to  most 
men.  Some  had  discovered  the  water  of  life,  the 
fountain  of  perpetual  youth,  and  were  ever  renew- 
ing their  strength.    Others  had  dared  the  power  of 


The  Wandering  Jew  29 

God,  and  were  therefore  sentenced  to  feel  the 
weight  of  His  displeasure,  without  tasting  the 
repose  of  death. 

John  the  Divine  slept  at  Ephesus,  untouched  by 
corruption,  with  the  ground  heaving  over  his  breast 
as  he  breathed,  waiting  the  summons  to  come  forth 
and  witness  against  Antichrist.  The  seven  sleepers 
reposed  in  a  cave,  and  centuries  glided  by  like  a 
watch  in  the  night.  The  monk  of  Hildesheim, 
doubting  how  with  God  a  thousand  years  could  be 
as  yesterday,  listened  to  the  melody  of  a  bird  in 
the  green  wood  during  three  minutes,  and  found 
that  in  three  minutes  three  hundred  years  had 
flown.  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  in  the  blessed  city 
of  Sarras,  draws  perpetual  life  from  the  Saint 
Graal ;  Merlin  sleeps  and  sighs  in  an  old  tree,  spell- 
bound of  Vivien.  Charlemagne  and  Barbarossa  wait, 
crowned  and  armed,  in  the  heart  of  the  mountain, 
till  the  time  comes  for  the  release  of  Fatherland 

from  despotism.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  curse 
of  a  deathless  life  has  passed  on  the  Wild  Hunts- 
man, because  he  desired  to  chase  the  red-deer  for 
evermore ;  on  the  Captain  of  the  Phantom  Ship, 
because  he  vowed  he  would  double  the  Cape 
whether  God  willed  it  or  not ;  on  the  Man  in  the 
Moon,    because    he   gathered    sticks   during    the 


80  The  Wandering  Jew 

Sabbath  rest ;  on  the  dancers  of  Kolbeck,  because 
they  desired  to  spend  eternity  in  their  mad  gam- 
bols. 

I  began  this  article  intending  to  conclude  it  with 
a  bibliographical  account  of  the  tracts,  letters, 
essays,  and  books,  written  upon  the  Wandering 
Jew ;  but  I  relinquish  my  intention  ^t  the  sight  of 
the  multitude  of  works  which  have  issued  from  the 
press  upon  the  subject;  and  this  I  do  with  less 
compunction  as  the  bibliographer  may  at  little 
trouble  and  expense  satisfy  himself,  by  perusing 
the  lists  given  by  Grasse  in  his  essay  on  the  myth, 
and  those  to  be  found  in  "Notice  historique  et 
bibliographique  sur  les  Juifs-errants :  par  G.  B." 
(Gustave  Brunet),  Paris,  Techener,  1845 ;  also  in 
the  article  by  M.  Mangin,  in  "  Causeries  et  Medita- 
tions historiques  et  litteraires,"  Paris,  Duprat,  1843  ; 
and,  lastly,  in  the  essay  by  Jacob  le  Bibliophile 
(M.  Lacroix)  in  his  "Curiosites  de  THistoire  des 
Croyances  populaires,"  Paris,  Delahays,  1859. 

Of  the  romances  of  Eugene  Sue  and  Dr.  Croly, 
founded  upon  the  legend,  the  less  said  the  better. 
The  original  legend  is  so  noble  in  its  severe  sim- 
plicity, that  none  but  a  master  mind  could  develope 
it  with  any  chance  of  success.  Nor  have  the 
poetical    attempts  upon  the  story  fared    better. 


The  Wandering  Jew  81 

3  reserved  for  the  pencil  of  Gustave  Dor^  to 
it  with  the  originality  it  merited,  and  in  a 
of  woodcuts  to  produce  at  once  a  poem,  a 
ice,  and  a  chef-d'oeuvre  of  art 


¥nstn  Jotin 


ABOUT  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  a 
rumour  circulated  through  Europe  that  there 
reigned  in  Asia  a  powerful  Christian  Emperor,  Pres- 
byter Johannes.  In  a  bloody  fight  he  had  broken 
the  power  of  the  Mussulmans,  and  was  ready  to  come 
to  the  assistance  of  the  Crusaders.  Great  was  the 
exultation  in  Europe,  for  of  late  the  news  from 
the  East  had  been  gloomy  and  depressing,  the 
power  of  the  infidel  had  increased,  overwhelming  , 
masses  of  men  had  been  brought  into  the  fidd 
against  the  chivalry  of  Christendom,  and  it  was  felt 
that  the  cross  must  yield  before  the  odious  crescent; 


Prester  John  88 

The  news  of  the  success  of  the  Priest-King 
opened  a  door  of  hope  to  the  desponding  Christian 
world  Pope  Alexander  III.  determined  at  once 
to  effect  a  union  with  this  mysterious  personage, 
and  on  the  2&7th  of  September,  1177,  wrote  him  a 
letter,  which  he  entrusted  to  his  physician,  Philip, 
to  deliver  in  person. 

Philip  started  on  his  embassy,  but  never  returned. 
The  conquests  of  Tschengis-Khan  again  attracted 
the  eyes  of  Christian  Europe  to  the  East.  The 
Mongol  hordes  were  rushing  in  upon  the  West  with 
devastating  ferocity ;  Russia,  Poland,  Hungary,  and 
the  Eastern  provinces  of  Germany,  had  succumbed, 
or  suffered  grievously;  and  the  fears  of  other 
nations  were  roused  lest  they  too  should  taste  the 
misery  of  a  Mongolian  invasion.  It  was  Gog  and 
Magc^  come  to  slaughter,  and  the  times  of  Anti- 
christ were  dawning.  But  the  battle  of  Liegnitz 
stayed  them  in  their  onward  career,  and  Europe 
was  saved. 

Pope  Innocent  IV.  determined  to  convert  these 
wild  hordes  of  barbarians,  and  subject  them  to  the 
cross  of  Christ;  he  therefore  sent  among  them  a 
number  of  Dominican  and  Franciscan  missioners, 
and  embassies  of  peace  passed  between  the  Pope, 
the  King  of  France,  and  the  Mogul  Khan. 


34  Prester  John 

The  result  of  these  communications  with  the 
East  was  that  the  travellers  learned  how  false  were 
the  prevalent  notions  of  a  mighty  Christian  empire 
existing  in  central  Asia.  Vulgar  superstition  or 
conviction  is  not,  however,  to  be  upset  by  evidence, 
and  the  locality  of  the  monarchy  was  merely  trans- 
ferred by  the  people  to  Africa,  and  they  fixed  upon 
Abyssinia,  with  a  show  of  truth,  as  the  seat  of  the 
famous  Priest-King.  However,  still  some  doubted. 
John  de  Plano-Carpini  and  Marco  Polo,  though 
they  acknowledged  the  existence  of  a  Christian 
monarch  in  Abyssinia,  yet  stoutly  maintained  as 
well  that  the  Prester  John  of  popular  belief  reigned 
in  splendour  somewhere  in  the  dim  Orient 

But  before  proceeding  with  the  history  of  this 
strange  fable,  it  will  be  well  to  extract  the  different 
accounts  given  of  the  Priest-King  and  his  realm  by 
early  writers;  and  we  shall  then  be  better  able 
to  judge  of  the  influence  the  myth  obtained  in 
Europe. 

Otto  of  Freisingen  is  the  first  author  to  mention 
the  monarchy  of  Prester  John,  with  whom  we  are 
acquainted.  Otto  wrote  a  chronicle  up  to  the  date 
1 156,  and  he  relates  that  in  1145  the  Catholic 
Bishop  of  Cabala  visited  Europe  to  lay  certain 
complaints  before  the  Pope.   He  mentioned  the  fall 


/ 


Prester  John  85 

of  Edessa,  and  also  "he  stated  that  a  few  years 
ago  a  certain  King  and  Priest  called  John,  who 
lives  on  the  further  side  of  Persia  and  Armenia  in 
the  remote  East,  and  who,  with  all  his  people,  were 
Christians;  though  belonging  to  the  Nestorian 
Church,  had  overcome  the  royal  brothers  Samiardi, 
kings  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  had  captured 
Ecbatana,  their  capital  and  residence.  The  said 
kings  had  met  with  their  Persian,  Median,  and 
Assyrian  troops,  and  had  fought  for  three  consecu- 
tive days,  each  side  having  determined  to  die 
rather  than  take  to  flight.  Prester  John,  for  so 
they  are  wont  to  call  him,  at  length  routed  the 
Persians,  and  after  a  bloody  battle,  remained 
victorious.  After  which  victory  the  said  John  was 
hastening  to  the  assistance  of  the  Church  at 
Jerusalem,  but  his  host,  on  reaching  the  Tigris, 
was  hindered  from  passing  through  a  deficiency  in 
-boats,  and  he  directed  his  march  North,  since  he 
had  heard  that  the  river  was  there  covered  with  ice. 
In  that  place  he  had  waited  many  years,  expecting 
severe  cold,  but  the  winters  having  proved  unpro- 
pitious,  and  the  severity  of  the  climate  having 
carried  off  many  soldiers,  he  had  been  forced  to 
retreat  to  his  own  land.  This  king  belongs  to  the 
family  of  the  Magi,  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  and 

D  a, 


39  Prester  John 

he  rules  over  the  very  people  formerly  governed  b)' 
the  Magi ;  moreover,  his  fame  and  his  wealth  is  so 
great,  that  he  uses  an  emerald  sceptre  only. 

"  Excited  by  the  example  of  his  ancestors,  who 
came  to  worship  Christ  in  His  cradle,  he  had  pro- 
posed to  go  to  Jerusalem,  but  had  been  impeded 
by  the  above-mentioned  causes '." 

At  the  same  time  the  story  crops  up  in  other 
quarters,  so  that  we  cannot  look  upon  Otto  as  the 
inventor  of  the  myth.  The  celebrated  Maimonides 
alludes  to  it  in  a  passage  quoted  by  Joshua  Lorki, 
a  Jewish  physician  to  Benedict  XIII.  Maimonides 
lived  from  1135 to  1204.  The  passage  is  as  follows: 
— "  It  is  evident  both  from  the  letters  of  Rambam 
(Maimonides),  whose  memory  be  blessed,  and  from 
the  narration  of  merchants  who  have  visited  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  that  at  this  time  the  root  of  our 
faith  is  to  be  found  in  the  lands  of  Babel  and 
Teman,  where  long  ago  Jerusalem  was  an  exile; 
not  reckoning  those  who  live  in  the  land  of  Paras' 
and  Madai ',  of  the  exiles  of  Schomrom,  the  number 
of  which  people  is  as  the  sand :  of  these  some  are 
still  under  the  yoke  of  Paras,  who  is  called  the 
Great-Chief  Sultan  by  the  Arabs ;  others  live  in  a 

*  Otto,  Ep.  Frising.,  lib.  vii.  c.  33. 
*  Persia.  •  Media. 


/ 


Prester  John  87 

place  under  the  yoke  of  a  strange  people 

governed  by  a  Christian  chief,  Preste-Cuan  by 
name.  With  him  they  have  made  a  compact,  and 
he  with  them ;  and  this  is  a  matter  concerning 
which  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt" 

Benjamin  of  Tudela,  another  Jew,  travelled  in 
the  East  between  the  years  1159 — 11 73,  the  last 
being  the  date  of  his  death.  He  wrote  an  account 
of  his  travels,  and  gives  in  it  some  information 
with  regard  to  a  mythical  Jew  king,  who  reigned 
in  the  utmost  splendour  over  a  realm  inhabited  by 
Jews  alone,  situate  somewhere  in  the  midst  of  a 
desert  of  vast  extent  About  this  period  there 
appeared  a  document  which  produced  intense 
excitement  throughout  Europe — a  letter,  yes!  a 
letter  from  the  mysterious  personage  himself  to 
Manuel  Comnenus,  Emperor  of  Constantinople 
(T143 — 1 1 80).  The  exact  date  of  this  extra- 
ordinary epistle  cannot  be  fixed  with  any  certainty, 
but  it  certainly  appeared  before  1241,  the  date  of 
the  conclusion  of  the  chronicle  of  Albericus  Trium 
Fontium.  This  Albericus  relates  that  in  the  year 
1 165  "Presb3^er  Joannes,  the  Indian  king,  sent 
his  wonderful  letter  to  various  Christian  princes, 
and  especially  to  Manuel  of  Constantinople,  and 
Frederic  the  Roman  Emperor.'*  Similar  letters  were 


88  Prester  John 

sent  to  Alexander  III.,  to  Louis  VII.  of  France,  and 
to  the  King  of  Portugal,  which  are  alluded  to  in 
chronicles  and  romances,  and  which  were  indeed 
turned  into  rhyme  and  sung  all  over  Europe  by 
minstrels  and  trouveres.   The  letter  is  as  follows : — 

"John,  Priest  by  the  Almighty  power  of  God 
and  the  Might  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  King  of 
Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords,  to  his  friend  Emanuel, 
Prince  of  Constantinople,  greeting,  wishing  him 
health,  prosperity,  and  the  continuance  of  Divine 
favour. 

"  Our  Majesty  has  been  informed  that  you  hold 
our  Excellency  in  love,  and  that  the  report  of  our 
greatness  has  reached  you.  Moreover  we  have 
heard  through  our  treasurer  that  you  have  been 
pleased  to  send  to  us  some  objects  of  art  and 
interest,  that  our  Exaltedness  might  be  gratified 
thereby. 

"  Being  human,  I  receive  it  in  good  part,  and  we 
have  ordered  our  treasurer  to  send  you  some  of  our 
articles  in  return. 

"  Now  we  desire  to  be  made  certain  that  you 
hold  the  right  faith,  and  in  all  things  cleave  to 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  for  we  have  heard  that  your 
court  regard  you  as  a  god,  though  we  know  that 
you  are  mortal,  and  subject  to  human  infirmitiea 


Prester  John  39 

Should  you  desire  to  learn  the  greatness 

and  excellency  of  our  Exaltedness  and  of  the  land 
subject  to  our  sceptre,  then  hear  and  believe : — I, 
Presbyter  Johannes,  the  Lord  of  Lords,  surpass  all 
under  heaven  in  virtue,  in  riches,  and  in  power ; 
seventy-two  kings  pay  us  tribute.  ...  In  the  three 
Indies  our  Magnificence  rules,  and  our  land  extends 
beyond  India,  where  rests  the  body  of  the  holy 
Apostle  Thomas;  it  reaches  towards  the  sunrise 
over  the  wastes,  and  it  trends  towards  deserted 
Babylon  near  the  tower  of  Babel.  Seventy-two 
provinces,  of  which  only  a  few  are  Christian,  serve  us. 
Each  has  its  own  king,  but  all  are  tributary  to  us. 

"  Our  land  is  the  home  of  elephants,  dromedaries, 
camels,  crocodiles,  meta-coUinarum,  cametennus, 
tensevetes,  wild  asses,  white  and  red  lions,  white 
bears,  white  merles,  crickets,  griffins,  tigers,  lamias, 
hyaenas,  wild  horses,  wild  oxen  and  wild  men,  men 
with  horns,  one-eyed,  men  with  eyes  before  and 
behind,  centaurs,  fauns,  satyrs,  pygmies,  forty-ell 
high  giants,  Cyclopses,  and  similar  women ;  it  is  the 
home,  too,  of  the  phoenix,  and  of  nearly  all  living 
animals.  We  have  some  people  subject  to  us  who 
feed  on  the  flesh  of  men  and  of  prematurely  born 
animals,  and  who  never  fear  death.  When  any  of 
these  people  die,  their  friends  and  relations  eat  him 


40  Prester  John 

ravenously^  for  they  r^^ard  it  as  a  main  duty  to 
munch  human  flesh.  Their  names  are  Gog  and 
Magog,  Anie,  Agit,  Azenach,  Fommeperi,  Befari, 
Conei-Samante,  Ag^mandri,  Vintefolei,  Casbei, 
Alanei.  These  and  similar  nations  were  shut  in 
behind  lofty  mountains  by  Alexander  the  Great, 
towards  the  North.  We  lead  them  at  our  pleasure 
against  our  foes,  and  neither  man  nor  beast  is  left 
undevoured,  if  our  Majesty  gives  the  requisite  per- 
mission. And  when  all  our  foes  are  eaten,  then  we 
return  with  our  hosts  home  again.  These  accursed 
fifteen  nations  will  burst  forth  from  the  four  quarters 
of  the  earth  at  the  end  of  the  world,  in  the 
times  of  Antichrist,  and  overrun  all  the  abodes  of 
the  Saints  as  well  as  the  great  city  Rome,  which, 
by  the  way,  we  are  prepared  to  give  to  our  son  who 
will  be  born,  along  with  all  Italy,  Germany,  the  two 
Gauls,  Britain  and  Scotland.  We  shall  also  give  him 
Spain  and  all  the  land  as  far  as  the  icy  sea.  The 
nations  to  which  I  have  alluded,  according  to  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  shall  not  stand  in  the  judg- 
ment, on  account  of  their  offensive  practices,  but 
will  be  consumed  to  ashes  by  a  fire  which  will  fall 
on  them  from  heaven. 

"  Our  land  streams  with  honey,  and  is  overflow- 
ing with  milk.     In  one  region  grows  no  poisonous 


Prester  yokn  41 

herb^  nor  does  a  querulous  frog  ever  quack  in  it,  no 
scorpion  exists,  nor  does  the  serpent  glide  amongst 
the  grass,  nor  can  any  poisonous  animals  exist  in 
it,  or  injure  any  one. 

"Among  the  heathen,  flows  through  a  certain 

province  the  river   Indus;   encircling  Paradise,  it 

spreads  its  arms  in  manifold  windings  through  the 

entire  province.      Here  are  found   the  emeralds^ 

sapphires,  carbuncles,  topazes,  chrysolites,  onyxes^ 

beryls,   sardius,  and   other  costly  stones.     Here 

grows  the  plant  Assidos,  which,  when  worn  by  any 

one,  protects  him  from  the  evil  spirit,  forcing  it  to 

state  its  business  and  name ;  consequently  the  foul 

spirits  keep  out  of  the  way  there.     In  a  certain 

land  subject  to  us,  all  kinds  of  pepper  is  gathered, 

and  is  exchanged  for  corn  and  bread,  leather  and 

cloth.  ...  At  the  foot  of  Mount  Olympus  bubbles 

up  a  spring  which  changes  its  flavour  hour  by  hour, 

night  and  day,  and  the  spring  is  scarcely  three  daysT 

journey  from  Paradise,  out  of  which  Adam  was 

driven.      If  any  one  has    tasted    thrice    of  the 

fountain,  from  that  day  he  will  feel  no  fatigue,  but 

will  as  long  as  he  lives  be  as  a  man  of  thirty  years. 

Here  are  found  the  small  stones  called  Nudiosi, 

which,  if  borne  about  the  body,  prevent  the  sight 

from  waxing  feeble,  and  restore  it  where  it  is  lost. 


42  Prester  John 

The  more  the  stone  is  looked  at,  the  keener 
becomes  the  sight.  In  our  territory  is  a  certain 
waterless  sea,  consisting  Of  tumbling  billows  of  sand 
never  at  rest.  None  have  crossed  this  sea ;  it  lacks 
water  altogether,  yet  fish  are  cast  up  upon  the 
beach  of  various  kinds,  very  tasty,  and  the  like  are 
nowhere  else  to  be  seen.  Three  days'  journey  from 
this  sea  are  mountains  from  which  rolls  down  a 
stony,  waterless  river,  which  opens  into  the  sandy 
sea.  As  soon  as  the  stream  reaches  the  sea,  its 
stones  vanish  in  it  and  are  never  seen  again.  As 
long  as  the  river  is  in  motion,  it  cannot  be  crossed  ; 
only  four  days  a  week  is  it  possible  to  traverse  it 
Between  the  sandy  sea  and  the  said  mountains,  in 
a  certain  plain  is  a  fountain  of  singular  virtue, 
which  purges  Christians  and  would-be  Christians 
from  all  transgressions.  The  water  stands  four 
inches  high  in  a  hollow  stone  shaped  like  a  mussel- 
shell.  Two  saintly  old  men  watch  by  it,  and  ask 
the  comers  whether  they  are  Christians,  or  are 
about  to  become  Christians,  then  whether  they 
desire  healing  with  all  their  hearts.  If  they  have 
answered  well,  they  are  bidden  to  lay  aside  their 
clothes,  and  to  step  into  the  mussel.  If  what  they 
said  be  true,  then  the  water  begins  to  rise  and  gush 
over  their  heads ;  thrice  does  the  water  thus  lift 


Prestcr  John  48 

itself,  and  every  one  who  has  entered  the  mussel 
leaves  it  cured  of  every  complaint 

"Near  the  wilderness  trickles  between  barren 
mountains  a  subterranean  rill,  which  can  only  by 
chance  be  reached,  for  only  occasionally  the  earth 
gapes,  and  he  who  would  descend  must  do  it  with 
precipitation,  ere  the  earth  closes  again.  All  that 
is  gathered  under  the  ground  there  is  gem  and 
precious  stone.  The  brook  pours  into  another  river, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood  obtain 
thence  abundance  of  precious  stones.  Yet  they 
never  venture  to  sell  them  without  having  first 
offered  them  to  us  for  our  private  use :  should  we 
decline  them,  they  are  at  liberty  to  dispose  of 
them  to  strangers.  Boys  there  are  trained  to 
remain  three  or  four  days  under  water,  diving 
after  the  stones. 

"  Beyond  the  stone  river  are  the  ten  tribes  of  the 
Jews,  which,  though  subject  to  their  own  kings,  are, 
for  all  that,  our  slaves  and  tributary  to  our  Majesty. 
In  one  of  our  lands,  hight  Zone,  are  worms  called 
in  our  tongue  Salamanders.  These  worms  can 
only  live  in  fire,  and  they  build  cocoons  like  silk- 
worms, which  are  unwound  by  the  ladies  of  our 
palace,  and  spun  into  cloth  and  dresses,  which  are 
worn  by  our  Exaltedness.    These  dresses  in  order 


44  Prester  John 

to  be  cleaned  and  washed  are  cast  into  flames.  •  •  \ 
When  we  go  to  war,  we  have  fourteen  golden 
bejewelled  crosses  borne  before  us  instead 
banners ;  each  of  these  crosses  is  followed  by  ip,< 
horsemen,  and  100,000  foot  soldiers  fully  arme^j 
without  reckoning  those  in  charge  of  the  luggage^ 
and  provision. 

"When  we  ride  abroad  plainly,  we  have  ai 
wooden,  unadorned  cross,  without  gold  or  geiA 
about  it,  borne  before  us,  in  order  that  we  may 
meditate  on  the  sufferings  of  Our  Lord  Jesitt  j 
Christ ;  also  a  golden  bowl  filled  with  earth,  to 
remind  us  of  that  whence  we  sprung,  and  that  to 
which  we  must  return ;  but  besides  these  there  is 
borne  a  silver  bowl  full  of  gold,  as  a  token  to  aD 
that  we  are  the  Lord  of  Lords. 

"All  riches,  such  as  are  upon  the  world,  our 
Magnificence  possesses  in  superabundance.  "V^th 
us  no  one  lies,  for  he  who  speaks  a  lie  is  thence- 
forth regarded  as  dead  ;  he  is  no  more  thought  of, 
or  honoured  by  us.  No  vice  is  tolerated  ,by  us. 
Every  year  we  undertake  a  pilgrimage,  with  retinue 
of  war,  to  the  body  of  the  holy  prophet  Daniel^ 
which  is  near  the  desolated  site  of  Babylon.  In  our 
realm  fishes  are  caught,  the  blood  of  which  dyes 
purple.    The  Amazons  and  the  Brahmins  are  sub- 


Prester  John  45 

ject  to  us.  The  palace  in  which  our  Supereminency 
resides,  is  built  after  the  pattern  of  the  castle  built 
by  the  Apostle  Thomas  for  the  Indian  king  Gundo- 
forus.  Ceilings,  joists,  and  architrave  are  of 
Sethym  wood,  the  roof  of  ebony,  which  can  never 
catch  fire.  Over  the  gable  of  the  palace  are,  at  the 
extremities,  two  golden  apples,  in  each  of  which  are 
two  carbuncles,  so  that  the  gold  may  shine  by  day, 
and  the  carbuncles  by  night.  The  greater  gates  of 
the  palace  are  of  sardius,  with  the  horn  of  the 
homed  snake  inwrought,  so  that  no  one  can  bring 
poison  within. 

"  The  other  portals  are  of  ebony.  The  windows 
are  of  crystal ;  the  tables  are  partly  of  gold,  partly 
of  amethyst,  and  the  columns  supporting  the  tables 
are  partly  of  ivory,  partly  of  amethyst  The  court 
in  which  we  watch  the  jousting  is  floored  with  onyx 
in  order  to  increase  the  courage  of  the  combatants. 
In  the  palace,  at  night,  nothing  is  burned  for  light 
but  wicks  supplied  with  balsam.  .  .  .  Before  our 
palace  stands  a  mirror,  the  ascent  to  which  consists 
of  five  and  twenty  steps  of  porphyry,  and  serpen- 
tine." After  a  description  of  the  gems  adorning  this 
mirror,  which  is  guarded  night  and  day  by  three 
thousand  armed  men,  he  explains  its  use:  ''We 


46  Prester  Jokn 

look  therein  and  behold  all  that  is  taking  plaot; 
in  every  province  and  region  subject  to  our  sceptre ; 

''  Seven  kings  watt  upon  us  monthly,  in  turn,  vifK; 
sixty-two  dukes,  t^fo  hundred  and  fifty-six  counts 
and  marquises :  and  twelve  archbishops  sit  at  taW 
with  us  on  our  right,  and  twenty  bishops  on  the 
left,  besides  the  patriarch  of  S.  Thomas^  the 
Sarmatian  Frotopope,  and  the  Archpope  of  Susai 
.  .  .  Our  lord  high  steward  is  a  primate  and  long; 
our  cup-bearer  is  an  archbishop  and  king,  our 
chamberlain  a  bishop  and  king,  our  marshal  a  Im^ 
and  abbot." 

I  may  be  spared  further  extracts  from  this  extra- 
ordinary letter,  which  proceeds  to  describe  the 
church  in  which  Prester  John  worships,  by 
enumerating  the  precious  stones  of  which  it  is 
constructed,  and  their  special  virtues. 

Whether  this  letter  was  in  circulation  before  Pope 
Alexander  A^Tote  his,  it  is  not  easy  to  deddcx 
Alexander  does  not  allude  to  it,  but  speaks  of  the 
reports  which  have  reached  him  of  the  piety  and 
the  magnificence  of  the  Priest -King.  At  the  same 
time,  there  runs  a  tone  of  bitterness  through  thi 
letter,  as  though  the  Pope  had  been  galled  at  the 
pretensions  of  this  mysterious  personage,  and  per* 


Prester  John  47 

faaps  winced  under  the  prospect  of  the  man-eaters 
overrunning  Italy,  as  suggested  by  John  the  Priest. 
The  papal  epistle  is  an  assertion  of  the  claims  of 
the  See  of  Rome  to  universal  dominion,  and  it 
assures  the  Eastern  Prince-Pope  that  his  Christian 
professions  are  worthless,  unless  he  submits  to  the 
successor  of  Peter.  "Not  every  one  that  saith 
unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,"  &c.,  quotes  the  Pope,  and 
then  explains  that  the  will  of  God  is  that  every 
monarch  and  prelate  should  eat  humble  pie  to  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff. 

Sir  John  Maundevil  gives  the  origin  of  the 
priestly  title  of  the  Eastern  despot,  in  his  curious 
book  of  travels. 

"  So  it  befelle,  that  this  emperour  cam,  with  a 
Cristene  knyght  with  him,  into  a  chirche  in  Egypt: 
and  it  was  Saterday  in  Wyttson  woke.  And  the 
bishop  made  orders.  And  he  beheld  and  listened 
the  servyse  fulle  tentyfly :  and  he  asked  the  Cristene 
knyght,  what  men  of  degree  thei  scholden  ben,  that 
the  prelate  had  before  him.  And  the  knyght  an- 
swerede  and  seyde,  that  thei  scholde  ben  prestes. 
And  then  the  emperour  seyde,  that  he  wolde  no 
longer  ben  clept  kyng  ne  emperour,  but  preest : 
and  that  he  wolde  have  the  name  of  the  first  preest, 
that  wente  out  of  the  chirche ;  and  his  name  was 


48  Prester  John 

John.    And  so  evere  more  sittiens,  he  is 
Prcstre  John." 

It  is  probable  that  the  foundation  of  the  wl 
Prester-John  myth  lay  in  the  report 
reached  Europe  of  the  wonderful  successes  of 
Nestorianism  in  the  Elast,  and  there  seems  reaaoa 
to  believe  that  the  famous  letter  given  above  waf 
a  Nestorian  fabrication.  It  certainly  looks  un- 
European  ;  the  gorgeous  imagery  is  thoroughly 
Eastern,  and  the  disparaging  tone  in  which  Rome 
is  spoken  of  could  hardly  have  been  the  expression 
of  Western  feelings.  The  letter  has  the  object  in 
view  of  exalting  the  East  in  religion  and  arts  to  an  ■ 
undue  eminence  at  the  expense  of  the  West,  and 
it  manifests  some  ignorance  of  European  geographyf 
when  it  speaks  of  the  land  extending  from  Spain 
to  the  Polar  Sea.  Moreover,  the  sites  of  the  patri- 
archates, and  the  dignity  conferred  on  that  of  S. 
Thomas  are  indications  of  a  Nestorian  bias. 

A  brief  glance  at  the  history  of  this  heretical 
Church  may  be  of  value  here,  as  showing  that  there 
really  was  a  foundation  for  the  wild  legends  con- 
cerning a  Christian  empire  in  the  East,  so  prevalent 
in  Europe.  Nestorius,  a  priest  of  Antioch  and  a 
disciple  of  S.  Chrysostom,  was  elevated  by  the 
emperor  to  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople,  and 


Prester  John  49 

in  the  year  4^8  began  to  propagate  his  heresy, 
denying  the  hypostatic  union.  The  Council  of 
Ephesus  denounced  him,  and,  in  spite  of  the 
emperor  and  court,  Nestorius  was  anathematized 
and  driven  into  exile.  His  sect  spread  through 
the  East,  and  became  a  flourishing  Church.  It 
reached  to  China,  where  the  emperor  was  all  but 
converted ;  its  missionaries  traversed  the  frozen 
tundras  of  Siberia,  preaching  their  maimed  Gospel 
to  the  wild  hordes  which  haunted  those  dreary 
wastes ;  it  faced  Buddhism  and  wrestled  with  it  for 
the  religious  supremacy  in  Thibet ;  it  established 
churches  in  Persia  and  in  Bokhara ;  it  penetrated 
India ;  it  formed  colonies  in  Ceylon,  in  Siam,  and 
in  Sumatra;  so  that  the  Catholicos  or  Pope  of 
Bc^dad  exercised  sway  more  extensive  than  that 
ever  obtained  by  the  successor  of  S.  Peter.  The 
number  of  Christians  belonging  to  that  communion 
probably  exceeded  that  of  the  members  of  the 
true  Catholic  Church  in  East  and  West.  But  the 
Nestorian  Church  was  not  founded  on  the  Rock, 
it  rested  on  Nestorius,  and  when  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  winds  blew,  and  the  floods  came,  and  beat 
upon  that  house,  it  fell,  leaving  scarce  a  fragment 
behind. 

Rubruquis  the  Franciscan,  who  in  1253  ^^'^  ^^^^ 


50  Prester  John 

on  a  mission  into  Tartary,  was  the  first  to  let  in 
a  little  light  on  the  fable.  He  writes,  "The  Catai 
dwelt  beyond  certain  mountains  across  which  I 
wandered,  and  in  a  plain  in  the  midst  of  the  moun- 
tains lived  once  an  important  Nestorian  shepherd, 
who  ruled  over  the  Nestorian  people,  called  Nay- 
man.  When  Coir-Khan  died,  the  Nestorian  people 
raised  this  man  to  be  king,  arid  called  him  King 
Johannes,  and  related  of  him  ten  times  as  much  as 
the  truth.  The  Nestorians  thereabouts  have  this 
way  with  them,  that  about  nothing  they  make  a 
great  fuss,  and  thus  they  have  got  it  noised  abroad 
that  Sartach,  Mangu-Khan,  and  Ken-Khan  were 
Christians,  simply  because  they  treated  Christians 
well,  and  showed  them  more  honour  than  other 
people.  Yet,  in  fact,  they  were  not  Christians  at 
all.  And  in  like  manner  the  story  got  about  that 
there  was  a  great  King  John.  However,  I  traversed 
his  pastures,  and  no  one  knew  any  thing  about  him, 
except  a  few  Nestorians.  In  his  pastures  lives 
Ken-Khan,  at  whose  court  was  Brother  Andrew, 
whom  I  met  on  my  way  back.  This  Johannes  had 
a  brother,  a  famous  shepherd,  named  Unc,  who 
lived  three  weeks'  journey  beyond  the  mountains 
of  Caracatais/* 

This  Unk-Khan  was  a  real  individual ;  he  lost 


Prester  John  51 

his  life  in  the  year  1203.  Kuschhik,  prince  of 
the  Nayman,  and  follower  of  Kor-Khan,  fell  in 
1 21 8. 

Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian  traveller  (1254 — 1324), 
identifies  Unk-Khan  with  Prester  John ;  he  says, 
*'  I  will  now  tell  you  of  the  deeds  of  the  Tartars, 
how  they  gained  the  mastery,  and  spread  over  the 
whole  earth.  The  Tartars  dwelt  between  Georgia 
and  Bai^u,  where  there  is  a  vast  plain  and  level 
country,  on  which  are  neither  cities  nor  forts,  but 
capital  pasturage  and  water.  They  had  no  chief 
of  their  own,  but  paid  to  Prester  Johannes  tribute. 
Of  the  greatness  of  this  Prester  Johannes,  who  was 
properly  called  Un-Khan,  the  whole  world  spake  ; 
the  Tartars  gave  him  one  of  every  ten  head  of 
cattle.  When  Prester  John  noticed  that  they  were 
increasing,  he  feared  them,  and  planned  how  he 
could  injure  them.  He  determined  therefore  to 
scatter  them,  and  he  sent  barons  to  do  this.  But 
the  Tartars  guessed  what  Prester  John  purposed 
....  and  they  went  away  into  the  wide  wastes 
of  the  North,  where  they  might  be  beyond  his 
reach."  He  then  goes  on  to  relate  how  Tschengis- 
(Jenghiz-)Khan  became  the  head  of  the  Tartars, 
and  how  he  fought  against  Prester  John,  and,  after 
a  desperate  fight,  overcame  and  slew  him. 

E  2 


* 


6*  Prester  John 

The  Syriac  Chronicle  of  the  Jacobite  Prii 
Gregoiy  Bar-Hebraeus  (bom  1226,  died  1286), 
identifies  Unk-Khan  ^-ith  Prester  John.  "In 
year  of  the  Greeks  1514,  of  the  Arabs  599  (i 
1 2027,  when  Unk-Khan,  who  is  the  Christian  King^ 
John,  ruled  over  a  stock  of  the  barbarian  Hunns^ 
called  Kergis,  Tschengys-Khan  served  him  widk 
great  zcaL  When  John  observed  the  superiority 
and  serviceableness  of  the  other,  he  envied  hiiii» 
and  plotted  to  seize  and  murder  him.  But  two 
sons  of  Unk'Khan,  having  heard  this,  told  it  to 
Tschengys,  whereupon  he  and  his  comrades  fled 
by  night  and  secreted  themselves.  Next  momiiq; 
Unk-Khan  took  possession  of  the  Tartar  tents^ 
but  found  them  empty.  Then  the  party  of 
Tschengys  fell  upon  him,  and  they  met  by  the 
spring  called  Balschunah,  and  the  ^de  of 
Tschengys  won  the  day  ;  and  the  followers  erf 
Unk-Khan  were  compelled  to  yield.  They  met 
again  several  times,  till  Unk-Khan  was  utterly 
discomfited  and  was  slain  himself,  and  his  wives^ 
sons,  and  daughters  carried  into  captivity.  Yet 
we  must  consider  that  John,  king  of  the  Kergis, 
was  not  cast  down  for  nought,  nay  rather,  because 
he  had  turned  his  heart  from  the  fear  of  Christ 
his  Lord,  who  had  exalted  him,  and  had  taken  a 


Prester  John  53 

wife  of  the  Zinish  nation,  called  Quarakhata. 
Because  he  forsook  the  religion  of  his  ancestors 
and  followed  strange  gods,  therefore  God  took  the 
government  from  him,  and  gave  it  to  one  better 
than  he,  and  whose  heart  was  right  before  God." 

Some  of  the  early  travellers,  such  as  John  de 
Plano-Carpini  and  Marco  Polo,  in  disabusing  the 
popular  mind  of  the  belief  in  Prester  John  as  a 
mighty  Asiatic  Christian  monarch,  unintentionally 
turned  the  popular  faith  in  that  individual  into 
a  new  direction.  They  spoke  of  the  black  people 
of  Abascia  in  Ethiopia,  which,  by  the  way,  they 
called  Middle  India,  as  a  great  people  subject  to 
a  Christian  monarch. 

Marco  Polo  says  that  the  true  monarch  of 
Abyssinia  is  Christ ;  but  that  it  is  governed  by 
six  kings,  three  of  whom  are  Christians  and  three 
Saracens,  and  that  they  are  in  league  with  the 
Soudan  of  Aden. 

Bishop  Jordanus,  in  his  description  of  the  world, 
accordingly  sets  down  Abyssinia  as  the  kingdom 
of  Prester  John;  and  such  was  the  popular  im- 
pression, which  was  confirmed  by  the  appearance 
at  intervals  of  ambassadors  at  European  courts 
from  the  King  of  Abyssinia.  The  discovery  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  due  partly  to  a  desire 


51  P Tester  John 

manifested  in  Portugal  to  open   communicatioi 
with  this  monarch  \  and  King  John  II.  sent  twdLJ 
men  learned  in  Oriental  languages  through  Egypt; 
to  the  court  of  Abyssinia.     The  might  and  domiri^ 
nion  of  this  prince,  who  had  replaced  the  Tartat 
chief  in  the  popular  creed  as  Prester  John,  was 
of  course  greatly  exaggerated,  and  was  supposed 
to  extend  across  Arabia  and  Asia  to  the  wall  of 
China.      The  spread   of  geographical   knowledge 
has  contracted  the  area  of  his  dominions,  and  a 
critical   acquaintance   with   history  has  exploded 
the  myth  which  invested  Unk-Khan  the  nomad 
chief  with  all  the  attributes  of  a  demigod,  uniting 
in  one  the  utmost  pretensions  of  a  Pope  and  the 
proudest  claims  of  a  monarch. 

<  Ludolfi,  Hist.  ^Ethiopica,  lib.  ii.  cap.  i,  a.  Petrus,  Petri 
filius  Lusitaniae  princeps,  M.  Pauli  Veneti  librum  (qui  de 
Indorum  rebus  multa :  speciatim  vero  de  Presbytero  Johanne 
aliqua  magnifice  scripsit)  Venetiis  secum  in  patriam  detu- 
lerat,  qui  (Chronologicis  Lusitanorum  testantibus)  praecipuam 
Johanni  Regi  ansam  dedit  Indicae  navigationis,  quam  Hen- 
ricus  Johannis  I.  filius,  patruus  ejus,  tentaverat,  prose* 
quendae,  &c. 


4 


C^e  IBtbinmg  Vititi 

FROM  the  remotest  penod  a  rod  has  been 
r^arded  as  the  symbol  of  power  ^nd  autho- 
rity, and  Holy  Scripture  employs  it  in  the  popular 
sense.    Thus  David  speaks  of  "  Thy  rod  and  Thy 
st^fi*  comforting  me;"  and  Moses  works  his  miracles 
before  Pharaoh  with  the  rod  as  emblem  of  Divine 
commission.   It  was  his  rod  which  became  a  serpent, 
which  turned  the  water  of  Egypt  into  blood,  which 
opened  the  waves  of.  the  Red  Sea  apd  restored 
them  to  their  former  level,  which  **  smote  the  rock 
of  stone  so  that  the  water  gushed  out  abundantly." 
The  rod  of  Aaron  acted  an  oracular  part  in  the 
contest  with  the  princes ;  laid  up  before  the  ark, 
it  budded  and  brought  forth  almonds.     In  this  in^ 
stance  we  have  it  no  longer  as  a  symbol  of  autho« 
rity,  but  as  a  means  of  divining  the  will  of  God. 
And  as  such  it  becanie  liable  to  abuse  ^  thus  Hosea 


66  The  Divining  Rod 

rebukes  the  chosen  people  for  practising  similar 
divinations.  "My  people  ask  counsd-  at  their 
stocks,  and  their  staff  declareth  unto  them  *." 

Long  before  this,  Jacob  had  made  a  different  use 
of  rods,  employing  them  as  a  charm  to  make 
his  father-in-law's  sheep  bear  pied  anji  spotted 
lambs. 

We  find  rabdoniancy  a  popular  form  of  divina- 
tion among  the  Greeks,  and  also  among  the 
Romans.  Cicero  in  his  "De  Officiis"  alludes  to 
it.  "  If  all  that  is  needful  for  our  nourishment  and 
support  arrives  to  us  by  means  of  some  divine  rod, 
as  people  say,  then  each  of  us,  free  from  all  care 
and  trouble,  may  give  himself  up  to  the  exclusive 
pursuit  of  study  and  science  ^" 

Probably  it  is  to  this  rod  that  Enhius  alludes  in 
the  passage  quoted  in  the  first  book  of  his  "De 
Divinatione/*  wherein  he  laughs  at  those  who 
for  a  drachma  will  teach  the  art  of  discovering 
treasures. 

According  to  Vetranius  Maurus,  Varro  left  a 
satire  on  the  "  Virgula  divina,"  which  has  not  been 
preserved.  Tacitus  tells  us  that  the  Germans 
practised  some  sort  of  divination  by  means  of  rods. 

^  Hos.  iv.  12.  *  De  Officiis,  lib.  i.  cap.  44. 


The  Divining  Rod  6  7 

"For  the  purpose  their  method  is  simple.  They 
cut  a  rod  off  some  fruit-tree  into  bits,  and  after 
having  distinguished  them  by  various  marks,  they 
cast  them  into  a  white  cloth.  .  .  .  Then  the  priest 
thrice  draws  each  piece,  and  explains  the  oracle 
according  to  the  marks'."  Ammianus  Marcellinus 
says  that  the  Alains  employed  an  osier  rod*. 

The  fourteenth  law  of  the  Prisons  ordered  that 
the  discovery  of  murders  should  be  made  by  means 
of  divining  rods  used  in  Church.  These  rods " 
should  be  laid  before  the  altar,  and  on  the  sacred 
relics,  after  which  God  was  to  be  supplicated  to 
indicate  the  culprit.  This  was  called  the  Lot  of 
rods,  or  Tan-teen,  the  Rod  of  Rods. 

But  the  middle  ages  was  the  date  of  the  full 
development  of  the  superstition,  and  the  divining 
rod  was  believed  to  have  efficacy  in  discovering 
hidden  treasures,  veins  of  precious  metal,  springs  of 
water,  thefts,  and  murders.  The  first  notice  of  its 
general  use  among  late  writers  is  in  the  "  Testa- 
mentum  Novum,"  lib.  i.  cap.  ^5,  of  Basil  Valentine, 
a  Benedictine  monk  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Basil 
speaks  of  the  general  faith  in  and  adoption  of  this 
valuable  instrument  for  the  discovery  of  metals, 

*  Tacitus,  German.,  cap.  x.        ^  Ammian.  Marcel,  xxxi.  a. 


58  The  Divining  Rod 

which  is  carried  by  workmen  in  mines,  either  iii' 
their  belts  or  in  their  caps.     He  says  that  there  are 
seven  names  by  which  this  rod  is  known,  and  to  its    \ 
excellencies  under  each  title  he  devotes  a  chapter    \ 
of  his  book.    The  names  are : — Divine  Rod,  Shinii^ 
Rod,  Leaping  Rod,  Transcendent  Rod,  Trembling. 
Rod,  Dipping  Rod,  Superior  Rod.    In  his  admirable 
treatise  on  metals,  Agricola  speaks  of  the  rod  in 
terms  of  disparagement ;  he  considers  its  use  as  a 
relic  of  ancient  magical  forms,  and  he  says  that  it 
is  only  irreligious  workmen  who  employ  it  in  their 
search  after  metals.      Goclenius,  however,   in   his 
treatise  on  the  virtue  of  plants,  stoutly  does  battle 
for  the  properties  of  the  hazel  rod.    Whereupon. 
Roberti,  a  Flemish  Jesuit,  falls  upon  him  tooth  and 
nail,  disputes  his  facts,  overwhelms  him  with  abuse, 
and   gibbets  him   for  popular  ridicule.    Andreas 
Libavius,  a  writer  I  have  already  quoted  in  my 
article  on  the  Wandering  Jew,  undertook  a  series 
of  experiments  upon  the  hazel  divining  rod,  and. 
concluded  that  there  was  truth  in  the  popular- 
belief.     The  Jesuit  Kircher  also  "experimentalized- 
several  times  on  wooden  rods  which  were  declared 
to  be  sympathetic  with  regard  to  certain  metals,  by 
placing  them  on  delicate  pivots  in  equilibrium,  but 
thev  never  turned  on  the  approach  of  metal."    (De 


The  Divining  Rod  69 

Arte  Magnetica.)  However,  a  similar  course  of 
experiments  over  water  led  him  to  attribute  to  the 
rod  the  power  of  indicating  subterranean  springs 
and  watercourses ;  "  I  would  not  affirm  it,"  he  says, 
"unless  I  had  established  the  fact  by  my  own 
experience." 

Dechales,  another  Jesuit,  author  of  a  treatise  on 
natural  springs,  and  of  a  huge  tome  entitled 
''Mundus  Mathematicus,"  declared  in  the  latter 
work,  that  no  means  of  discovering  sources  is  equal 
to  the  divining  rod ;  and  he  quotes  a  friend  of  his 
who,  with  a  hazel  rod  in  his  hand,  could  discover 
springs  with  the  utmost  precision  and  facility,  and 
could  trace  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  the  course 
of  a  subterranean  conduit.  Another  writer,  Saint- 
Romain,  in  his  "  Science  degagee  des  Chimferes  de 
r£cole,"  exclaims ;  "  Is  it  not  astonishing  to  see  a 
rod  which  is  held  firmly  in  the  hands,  bow  itself 
and  turn  visibly  in  the  direction  of  water  or  metal, 
with  more  or  less  promptitude,  according  as  the 
metal  or  the  water  are  near  or  remote  from  the 
surface!" 

In  1659  ^^  Jesuit  Gaspard  Schott  writes  that 
the  rod  is  used  in  every  town  of  Germany,  and  that 
he  had  frequent  opportunity  of  seeing  it  used  in 
the  discovery  of  hidden  treasures.     "I   searched 


60  The  Divining  Rod 

with  the  greatest  care,"  he  adds,  "  into  the  question 
whether  the  hazel  rod  had  any  sympathy  with  gold 
and  silver,  and  whether  any  natural  property  set  it 
in  motion.  In  like  manner  I  tried  whether  a  ring 
of  metal,  held  suspended  by  a  thread  in  the  midst 
of  a  tumbler,  and  which  strikes  the  hours,  is  moved 
by  any  similar  force.  I  ascertained  that  these 
effects  could  only  have  arisen  from  the  deception  of 
those  holding  the  rod  or  the  pendulum,  or,  may  be, 
from  some  diabolic  impulsion,  or,  more  likely  still, 
because  imagination  sets  the  hand  in  motion." 

The  Sieur  le  Royer,  a  lawyer  of  Rouen,  in  1674, 
published  his  "  Traite  du  B&ton  universel,"  in  which 
he  gives  an  account  of  a  trial  made  with  the  rod  in 
the  presence  of  Father  Jean  Frangois,  who  had 
ridiculed  the  operation  in  his  treatise  on  the 
science  of  waters,  published  at  Rennes  in  1655, 
and  which  succeeded  in  convincing  the  blasphe- 
mer of  the  divine  Rod.  Le  Royer  denies  to  it  the 
power  of  picking  out  criminals,  which  had  been 
popularly  attributed  to  it,  and  as  had  been  un- 
hesitatingly claimed  for  it  by  Debrio  in  his  "  Dis- 
quisitio  Magica." 

And  now  I  am  brought  to  the  extraordinary 
story  of  Jacques  Aymar,  which  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  Europe  to  the  marvellous  properties  of 


The  Divining  Rod  61 

the  divining  rod.  I  shall  give  the  history  of  this 
man  in  full,  as  such  an  account  is  rendered  neces- 
sary by  the  mutilated  versions  I  have  seen  current 
in  English  magazine  articles,  which  follow  the  lead 
of  Mrs.  Crowe,  who  narrates  the  earlier  portion  of 
this  impostor's  career,  but  says  nothing  of  his  exposi 
and  downfall. 

On  the  5th  July,  1692,  at  about  ten  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  a  wine-seller  of  Lyons  and  his  wife 
were  assassinated  in  their  cellar,  and  their  money 
carried  off.  On  the  morrow,  the  officers  of  justice 
arrived,  and  examined  the  premises.  Beside  the 
corpses,  lay  a  large  bottle  wrapped  in  straw,  and  a 
bloody  hedging  bill,  which  undoubtedly  had  been 
the  instrument  used  to  accomplish  the  murder. 
Not  a  trace  of  those  who  had  committed  the 
horrible  deed  was  to  be  found,  and  the  magis- 
trates were  quite  at  fault  as  to  the  direction  in 
which  they  should  turn  for  a  clue  to  the  murderer 
or  murderers. 

At  this  juncture  a  neighbour  reminded  the 
magistrates  of  an  incident  which  had  taken  place 
four  years  previous.  It  was  this.  In  1688  a  theft 
of  clothes  had  been  made  in  Grenoble.  In  the 
parish  of  Crdle  lived  a  man  named  Jacques  Aymar, 
supposed  to  be  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  using 


62  The  Divining  Rod  \ 

■ 

the  divining  rod.  This  man  was  sent  for.  Oil  \ 
reaching  the  spot  where  the  theft  had  been  com-  '■ 
mitted,  his  rod  moved  in  his  hand.  He  followed 
the  track  indicated  by  the  rod,  and  it  con- 
tinued to  rotate  between  his  fingers  as  long  as 
he  followed  a  certain  direction,  but  ceased  to  turn 
if  he  diverged  from  it  in  the  smallest  degree. 
Guided  by  his  rod,  Aymar  went  from  street  to 
street,  till  he  was  brought  to  a  standstill  before  the 
prison  gates.  These  could  not  be  opened  without 
leave  of  the  magistrate,  who  hastened  to  witness 
the  experiment  The  gates  Were  unlocked,  and 
Aymar,  under  the  same  guidance,  directed  his 
steps  towards  four  prisoners  lately  incarcerated. 
He  ordered  the  four  to  be  stood  in  a  line,  and  then 
he  placed  his  foot  on  that  of  the  first  The  rod 
remained  immovable.  He  passed  to  the  second, 
and  the  rod  turned  at  once.  Before  the  third 
prisoner  there  were  no  signs,  the  fourth  trembled, 
and  begged  to  be  heard.  He  owned  himself  the 
thief,  along  with  the  second,  who  also  acknow- 
ledged the  theft,  and  mentioned  the  name  of  the 
receiver  of  the  stolen  goods.  This  was  a  farmer  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Grenoble.  The  magistrate 
and  officers  visited  him  and  demanded  the  articles 
he  had  obtained.     The  farmer  denied  all  know- 


The  Divining  Rod  68 

lo^e    of  the   theft  and  all  participation  in  the 
f  "booty.     Aymar,   however,  by  means  of  his  rod, 
discovered  the  secreted  property,  and  restored  it 
to  the  persons  from  whom  it  had  been  stolen. 

On  another  occasion  Aymar  had  been  in  quest 

of  a  spring  of  water,  when  he  felt  his  rod  turn 

sharply  in  his  hand.      On  digging  at  the  spot, 

expecting  to  discover  an  abundant  source,  the  body 

of  a  murdered  woman  was  found  in  a  barrel,  with  a 

rope  twisted  round  her  neck.     The  poor  creature 

was  recognized  as  a  woman  of  the  neigbourhood 

who  had  vanished  four  months  before.    Aymar 

went  to  the  house  which  the  victim  had  inhabited, 

and  presented  his  rod  to  each   member  of  the 

household.     It  turned  upon  the  husband  of  the 

deceased,  who  at  onCe  took  to  flight. 

The  magistrates  of  Lyons,  at  their  wits'  end  how 
to  discover  the  perpetrators  of  the  double  murder 
in  the  wine-shop,  urged  the  Procureiir  du  Roi  to 
make  experiment  of  the  powers  of  Jacques  Aymar. 
The  fellow  was  sent  for,  and  he  boldly  asserted  his 
capacity  for  detecting  criminals,  if  he  were  first 
brought  to  the  spot  of  the  murder,  so  as  to  be  put 
en  rapport  with  the  murderers. 

He  was  at  once  conducted  to  the  scene  of  the 
outrage,  with  the  rod  in  his  hand.    This  remained 


64  The  Divining  Rod 

stationary  as  he  traversed  the  cellar,  till  he  reached  \ 
the  spot  where  the  body  of  the  wine-seller  had  '\ 
lain ;  then  the  stick  became  violently  agitated,  and 
the  man's  pulse  rose  as  though  he  were  in  an 
access  of  fever.  The  same  motions  and  symptoms 
manifested  themselves  when  he  reached  the  place 
where  the  second  victim  had  lain. 

Having  thus  received  his  impression,  Aymar  left 
the  cellar,  and,  guided  by  his  rod,  or  rather  by  an 
internal  instinct,  he  ascended  into  the  shop,  and 
then  stepping  into  the  street,  he  followed  from  one 
to  another,  like  a  hound  upon  the  scent,  the  track 
of  the  murderers.  It  conducted  him  into  the  court 
of  the  archiepiscopal  palace,  across  it,  and  down  to 
the  gate  of  the  Rhone.  It  was  now  evening,  and 
the  city  gates  being  all  closed,  the  quest  of  blood 
was  relinquished  for  the  night. 

Next  morning  Aymar  returned  to  the  scent 
Accompanied  by  three  officers,  he  left  the  g^te 
and  descended  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhone.  The 
rod  gave  indications  of  there  having  been  three 
involved  in  the  murder,  and  he  pursued  the  traces 
till  two  of  them  led  to  a  gardener's  cottage.  Into 
this  he  entered,  and  there  he  asserted  with  warmth, 
against  the  asseverations  of  the  proprietor  to  the 
contrary,  that  the  fugitives  had  entered  his  room. 


The  Divining  Rod  65 

kad  seated  themselves  at  his  table^  and  had  drunk 
[wine  out  of  one  of  the  bottles  which  he  indicated. 
Aymax  tested  each  of  the  household  with  his  rod^ 
to  see  if  they  had  been  in  contact  with  the  mur- 
derers.    The  rod  moved  over  the  two   children 
only,  aged  respectively  ten  and  nine  years.     These 
little  things  on  being  questioned,  answered  with 
reluctance,  that  during  their  father's  absence  on 
Sunday  morning,  against  his  express  commands, 
they  had  left  the  door  open,  and  that  two  men, 
whom  they  described,  had  come  in  suddenly  upon 
them,  and  had  seated  themselves  and  made  free 
with  the  wine  in  the  bottle  pointed  out  by  the  man 
with  the  rod.     This  first  verification  of  the  talents 
of  Jacques  Aymar  convinced  some  of  the  sceptical, 
but  the  Procurator  Gfo^ral  forbad  the  prosecution 
of  the  experiment  till  the  man  had  been  further 
tested. 

As  already  stated,  a  hedging  bill  had  been  dis- 
covered on  the  scene  of  the  murder,  smeared  with 
blood,  and  unquestionably  the  weapon  with  which 
the  crime  had  been  committed.  Three  bills  from 
the  same  maker,  and  of  precisely  the  same  descrip- 
tion, were  obtained,  and  the  four  were  taken  into  a 
garden,  and  secretly  buried  at  intervals.  Aymar 
was  then  brought,  staff  in  hand,  into  the  garden, 

F 


66  The  Divining  Rod 

and  conducted  over  the  spots  where  lay  the 
The  rod  began  to  vibrate  as  his  feet  stood  upo*1 
the  place  where  was  concealed  the  bill  which  had] 
been  used  by  the  assassins,  but  was  motionlesi 
elsewhere.  Still  unsatisfied,  the  four  bills  were 
exhumed  and  concealed  anew.  The  comptroller 
of  the  province  himself  bandaged  the  sorcerer^a 
eyes  and  led  him  by  the  hand  from  place  to  place. 
The  divining  rod  showed  no  signs  of  movement  till 
it  approached  the  blood-stained  weapon,  when  it  • 
began  to  oscillate. 

The  magistrates  were  now  so  far  satisfied  as  to 
agree  that  Jacques  Aymar  should  be  authorized 
to  follow  the  trail  of  the  murderers,  and  have  a 
company  of  archers  to  follow  him. 

Guided  by  his  rod,  Aymar  now  recommenced 
his  pursuit  He  continued  tracing  down  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rhone  till  he  came  to  half  a  league 
from  the  bridge  of  Lyons.  Here  the  footprints  of 
three  men  were  observed  in  the  sand,  as  though 
engaged  in  entering  a  boat  A  rowing  boat  was 
obtained,  and  Aymar  with  his  escort  descended 
the  river;  he  found  some  difficulty  in  following 
the  trail  upon  water,  still  he  was  able  with  a  little 
care  to  detect  it  It  brought  him  under  an  arch  of 
the  bridge  of  Vienne,  which  boats  rarely  passed 


The  Divining  Rod  67 

beneath.      This    proved   that   the  fugitives  were 
vithout  a  guide.    The  way  in  which  this  cunous 
journey   was   made  was  singular.      At   intervals 
Aymar  was  put  ashore  to  test  the  banks  w»th  his 
rod,   and   ascertain  whether    the    murderers   had 
landed.     He  discovered  the  places  where  they  had 
slept,  and  indicated  the  chairs  or  benches  on  M'hich 
they  had  sat     In  this  manner,  by  slow  degrees  he 
arrived  at  the  military  camp  of  Sablon,  between 
Vienne    and    Saint-Valier.       There    Aymar    felt 
violent  agitation,  his  cheeks  flushed,  and  his  pulse 
beat  with  rapidity.     He  penetrated  the  crowds  of 
soldiers,  but  did  not  venture  to  use  his  rod,  lest  the 
men  should  take  it  ill,  and  fall  upon  him.     He 
could  not  do  more  without  special  authority,  and 
was  constrained  to  return  to  Lyons.     The  magis- 
trates then  provided  him  with  the  requisite  powers, 
and  he  went  back  to  the  camp.    Now  he  declared 
that  the  murderers  were  not  there.     He  recom- 
menced his  pursuit,  and   descended    the    Rhone 
again  as  far  as  Beaucaire. 

On  entering  the  town  he  ascertained  by  means 
of  his  rod  that  those  whom  he  was  pursuing  had 
parted  company.  He  traversed  several  streets, 
then  crowded  on  account  of  the  annual  fair,  and 
was  brought  to  a   standstill    before    the    prison 


68  The  Divining  Rod 

doors.  One  of  the  murderers  was  within^  he 
declared,  he  would  track  the  others  afterwards. 
Having  obtained  permission  to  enter,  he  was 
brought  into  the  presence  of  fourteen  or  fifteen 
prisoners.  Amongst  these  was  a  hunchback  who 
had  only  an  hour  previously  been  incarcerated  on 
account  of  a  theft  he  had  committed  at  the  fair. 
Aymar  applied  his  rod  to  each  of  the  prisoners  m 
succession :  it  turned  upon  the  hunchback.  The 
sorcerer  ascertained  that  the  other  two  had  left  the 
town  by  a  little  path  leading  into  the  Nismes  road. 
Instead  of  following  this  track,  he  returned  to 
Lyons  with  the  hunchback  and  the  guard.  At 
Lyons  a  triumph  awaited  him.  The  hunchback 
had  hitherto  protested  his  innocence,  and  declared 
that  he  had  never  set  foot  in  Lyons.  But  as  he 
was  brought  to  that  town  by  the  ^vay  along  which 
Aymar  had  ascertained  that  he  had  left  it,  the 
fellow  was  recognized  at  the  different  houses  where 
he  had  lodged  the  night,  or  stopped  for  food.  At 
the  little  town  of  Bagnols,  he  was  confronted  with 
the  host  and  hostess  of  a  tavern  where  he  and  his 
comrades  had  slept,  and  they  swore  to  his  identity, 
and  accurately  described  his  companions :  their 
description  tallied  with  that  given  by  the  children 
of  the  gardener.     The  wretched  man  was  so  con- 


The  Divining  Rod  69 

foonded  by  this  recognition,  that  he  avowed  having 
stayed  there  a  few  days  before,  along  with  two 
Proven9als.  These  men,  he  said,  were  the  crimi- 
nals ;  he  had  been  their  servant,  and  had  only  kept 
guard  in  the  upper  room  whilst  they  committed 
the  murders  in  the  cellar. 

On  his  arrival  in  Lyons  he  was  committed  to 
prison,  and  his  trial  was  decided  o;i.    At  his  first 
interrogation  he  told  his  tale  precisely  as  he  had 
related  it  before,  with  these  additions, — the  mur- 
derers spoke  patois,  and  had  purchased  two  bills. 
At  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  all  three  had  entered 
the  wine-shop.    The  Proven9als  had  a  large  bottle 
wfapped  in  straw,  and  they  persuaded  the  publican 
and  his  wife  to  descend  with  them  into  the  cellar 
to  fill  it,  whilst  he,  the  hunchback,  acted  as  watch 
in  the  shop.     The  two  men  murdered  the  wine- 
seller    and    his  wife  with    their   bills,  and    then 
mounted  to  the  shop,  where  they  opened  the  coffer 
and  stole  from  it  130  crowns,  eight  Louis  d*ors, 
and  a  silver  belt.    The  crime  accomplished,  they 
took  refuge  in  the  court  of  a  large  house, — this  was 
the  archbishop's  palace,  indicated  by  Aymar, — and 
passed  the  night  in  it    Next  day,  early,  they  left 
Lyons,  and  only  stopped  for  a  moment  at  a  gar- 
dener's cottage.    Some  way  down  the  river,  they 


70  The  Divining  Rod 

found   a  boat  moored  to  the  bank.    This  th< 
loosed  from  its  mooring  and  entered.    They  camf  I 
ashore  at  the  spot  pointed  out  by  the  man  widi 
the  stick.    They  stayed  some  days  in  the  camp  at  ] 
Sablon,  and  then  went  on  to  Beaucaire. 

Aymar  was  now  sent  in  quest  of  the  other 
murderers.  He  resumed  their  trail  at  the  gate  of 
Beaucaire,  and  that  of  one  of  them,  after  consider- 
able  detours,  led  him  to  the  prison  doors  of 
Beaucaire,  and  he  asked  to  be  allowed  to  search 
among  the  prisoners  for  his  man.  This  time  he 
was  mistaken.  The  second  fugitive  was  not  within ; 
but  the  gaoler  affirmed  that  a  man  whom  he  de- 
scribed,— ^and  his  description  tallied  with  the  known 
appearance  of  one  of  the  Proven9als, — ^had  called 
at  the  gate  shortly  after  the  removal  of  the  hunch- 
back, to  inquire  after  him,  and  on  learning  of  his 
removal  to  Lyons,  had  hurried  off  precipitately. 
Aymar  now  followed  his  track  from  the  prison,  and 
this  brought  him  to  that  of  the  third  criminal  He 
pursued  the  double  scent  for  some  days.  But 
it  became  evident  that  the  two  culprits  had  been 
alarmed  at  what  had  transpired  in  Beaucaire,  and 
were  flying  from  France.  Aymar  traced  them  to 
the  frontier,  and  then  returned  to  Lyons. 

On  the  30tK  of'  August,  1692,  the  poor  hunch- 


The  Divining  Rod  71 

was,  according  to  sentence,  broken  on  the 
in  the  Place  des  Terreaux.  On  his  way  to 
cxBCution  he  had  to  pass  the  wine-shop.  There 
tihc  recorder  publicly  read  his  sentence,  which  had 
delivered  by  thirty  judges.  The  criminal 
and  asked  pardon  of  the  poor  wTetches  in 
murder  he  was  involved,  after  which  he 
continued  his  course  to  the  place  fixed  for  his 


It  may  be  well  here  to  give  an  account  of  the 
authorities  for  this  extraordinary  story.  There  are 
three  circumstantial  accounts,  and  numerous  letters 
written  by  the  magistrate  who  sat  during  the  trial, 
and  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  whole  transaction, 
men  honourable  and  disinterested,  upon  whose 
veracity  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  was  supposed  to 
rest  by  their  contemporaries. 

VL  Chauvin,  Doctor  of  Medicine,  published  a 
Lettre  a  Mme.  la  Marquise  de  Senozan,  sur  les 
viayens  dont  on  ^est  servipour  decouvrir  les  cofnplices 
d'un  assassinat  commis  a  Lyon,  le  5  Juillet,  1692, 
Lyons,  1692.  The  proces-verbal  of  the  Procureur 
du  Roi,  M.  de  Vanini,  is  also  extant,  and  published 
in  the  Physique  occulte  of  the  Abbe  de  Valle- 
mont. 

Pierre    Gamier,    Doctor    of    Medicine    of  the 


-  £t  _  'SI'JKIIT 


i«M 


."-:i::i:*-:.-    :c  fiir^'iiis  AjiTiir    m'  ■■"'^'^   ^^  same  .i: 


^  r  - 


I2....X. 


w  •  ^' 


AbbeBignoo 


^ « 


—  - *  v-sceriiv  cvsiiri^/  he  sivs ;  **  M. 


le  r ricure-^  c-  R-£  her^  -arhc^  bv  rx  wav,  is  ooe  of 
rbe  "sfisest  ^ni  clrrersst  z:ez  iz  ibe  wczrrv,  sent  for 
nt  £t  six  c'clici.  sue  bid  zie  c:od-.sc:ed  to  the 
sCczt  c:  rbe  ziurder.  We  fjund  ihere  iL  Grimaut; 
dfrectcr  cf  the  custccis,  vhczi  I  k=ew  to  be  a  voy 
upright  man,  and  a  J'ouiig  artomey  ranied  Besson, 
with  whom  I  am  cot  acquainted,  but  who  M.  le 
Procuretir  du  Roi  told  me  had  the  power  of  using 
the  rod  as  well  as  ^L  GrimauL  We  descended  into 
the  cellar  where  the  mmtler  had  been  committed, 
and  where  there  were  still  traces  of  blood.    Each 


The  Diuining  Rod  73 

tliat  M.  Grimaut  and  the  attorney  passed  the 
^ot  wbere  the  murder  had  been  perpetrated,  the 
lods  tliey  held  in  their  hands  b^an  to  turn,  but 
ceased  when  they  stepped  beyond  the  spot  We 
tried  experiments  for  more  than  an  hour,  as  also 
with  the  bill,  which  M.  le  Procureur  had  brought 
alai^  with  him,  and  they  were  satisfactory.  I  ob- 
served several  curious  facts  in  the  attorney.  The 
nxl  in  his  hands  was  more  violently  moved  than 
in  those  of  M.  Grimaut,  and  when  I  placed  one  of 
my  fillers  in  each  of  his  hands,  whilst  the  rod 
tamed,  I  felt  the  most  extraordinary  throbbings  of 
the  arteries  in  his  palms.  His  pulse  was  at  fever- 
heat.  He  sweated  profusely,  and  at  intervals  he 
was  compelled  to  go  into  the  court  to  obtain  fresh 
air." 

The  Sieur  Pauthot,  Dean  of  the  CoU^e  of 
Medicine  at  Lyons,  gave  his  observations  to  the 
public  as  well  Some  of  them  are  as  follows :  "  We 
b^;an  at  the  cellar  in  which  the  murder  had  been 
committed  ;  into  this  the  man  with  the  rod 
(Aymar)  shrank  from  entering,  because  he  felt 
violent  agitations  which  overcame  him  when  he 
used  the  stick  over  the  place  where  the  corpses  of 
those  who  had  been  assassinated  had  lain.  On 
entering  the  cellar,  the  rod  was  put  in  my  hands. 


7i  Tit  r^r£z£ 


'A 


and  arranged  by  tbe  rrasgyr  as  most  suitable  for 
operatioa;  I  passed  and  repassed  over  the  spot 
where  the  bodies  had  beea  iocad^  but  it  remained 
immo\'ab!e,  and  I  f<^t  no  agitatioo.  A  lady  of  rank 
and  merit,  who  was  with  os.  took  die  rod  after  me : 
she  felt  it  begin  to  move,  and  was  internally 
agitated.  Then  the  owner  of  the  rod  resumed  it, 
and,  passing  over  the  same  places,  the  stick  rotated 
^nth  such  ^-iolence  that  it  seemed  easier  to  break 
than  to  stop  it.  The  peasant  then  quitted  our 
company  to  faint  aii^ay,  as  ¥ras  his  wont  after 
similar  experiments.  I  followed  him.  He  turned 
very  pale  and  broke  into  a  profuse  perspiration, 
whilst  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  his  pulse  was 
violently  troubled  ;  indeed  the  faintness  was  so 
considerable,  that  they  were  obliged  to  dash  water 
in  his  face  and  give  him  water  to  drink  in  order  to 
bring  him  round."  He  then  describes  experiment? 
made  over  the  bloody  bill  and  others  similar,  which 
succeeded  in  the  hands  of  Aymar  and  the  lady, 
but  failed  when  he  attempted  them  himself.  Pierre 
Gamier,  physician  of  the  medical  college  of  Mont- 
pelier,  appointed  to  that  of  Lyons,  has  also 
written  an  account  of  what  he  saw,  as  mentioned 
above.  He  gives  a  curious  proof  of  Aymar's 
powers. 


The  Divining  Rod  75 

*  V.  le  Lieotenant-G&ieral  having  been  robbed 
bf  one  of  his  lackeys^  seven  or  eight  months  ago, 
and  having  lost  by  him  twent}*-five  cro^i-ns  which 
Ind  been  taken  out  of  one  of  the  cabinets  behind 
Us  library,  sent  for  Aymar,  and  asked  him  to 
disoofver  the  circumstances.  A>'Tnar  went  several 
times  round  the  chamber,  rod  in  hand,  placing  one 
foot  on  the  chairs^  on  the  various  articles  of  fumi- 
tnie,  and  on  two  bureaux  which  are  in  the  apart- 
ment, each  of  which  contains  several  drawers.  He 
fixed  on  the  very  bureau  and  the  identical  drawer 
oat  of  which  the  money  had  been  stolen.  M.  le 
Lieutenant-General  bade  him  follow  the  track  of 
the  robber.  He  did  so.  With  his  rod  he  went  out 
on  a  new  terrace,  upon  which  the  cabinet  opens^ 
thence  back  into  the  cabinet  and  up  to  the  fire,  then 
into  the  library,  and  from  thence  he  went  direct  up- 
stairs to  the  lackeys*  sleeping  apartment,  when  the 
rod  guided  him  to  one  of  the  beds,  and  turned 
over  one  side  of  the  bed,  remaining  motionless  over 
the  other.  The  lackeys  then  present  cried  out 
that  the  thief  had  slept  on  the  side  indicated  by  the 
rod,  the  bed  having  been  shared  with  another  foot- 
man, who  occupied  the  further  side."  Gamier  gives 
a  lengthy  account  of  various  experiments  he  made 
along  with  the  Lieutenant-General,  the  uncle  of  the 


^.jd  ^  rL^>xzaj^ 


y 


.Au  rn.   .^j    ..iTiui 


r,'^>     a  •   ,  (iv 


-•« -••  *4 


Gir  ~IL  ndXSCL  -"r.Himi 


iifTTt  V,  •^rr>»i';  testi  ind  Jie  broka  icwa  omaer 
""^^r/  *^^.      9'.vt  'ncles,  -v^^rs  fu^-  ht  rac  ^nfiea. 

;#  S^.'-''»  v.\t/^,r  ixMi  %%\ii  ill  rie  fctErti  arcpec  and  la 
*;':^  !^:f^h  ^^'/'^r:/*^  T>^  rvt  xade  3c  sgnsarprescacc 
^f*  ^h'*  .r,^^;*;-^,  krA  iz  'jkXi  <icrrsL7j  bcgaa  to  move 
v/^>  *h*^  vvr>/i  yiJcAfA.  He  ttss  sent  ta  QEmtEIy 
f/f  ^f,^//f^i  fi^,  \,^!xy^x:iXfjr^rA^  rfjefecf  txctrt  made 
fr»  f/r'^  p^/n/J^  fA  the  park.  He  went  romrd  the 
'//.»f/'f,  f//*"!  »r»  h^n/l,  Ttud  it  tamed  zt  spots  where  he 
.;,»»/ 1  fh^  tt^h  hvl  fyyjn  rlrawn  out  Then,  following 
Mf/'  ff/i/1^  //f  Oi/;  fhiVrf^  it  led  him  to  the  cottage  of 
**h*^  ht  Of^  fc^i^jz/rrft,  Init  did  not  move  over  any 
nt  fli*  Uui)vUUuiU  then  in  the  house.  The  keeper 
Uimtit'.U  Wrtft  ttl/frcnt,  but  arrived  late  at  night,  and 


Tie  Dmning  Rod  77 

WL  Tiraxing  ^riat  was  said,  he  Foused  Aymar  from 
kb  bed,  jiwhling  on  having  his  innocence  vindi- 
cstEiL  Tbe  dmning  rod,  however,  pronounced 
im  goil^,  and  the  poor  fellow  took  to  his 
brrify  mmdi  upon  the  principle  recommended  by 
Ifontfsqnfea  a  wfaHe  after.  Said  he,  "  If  you  are 
aonraed  of  havii^  stolen  the  towers  of  Notre-Dame, 
bolt  at  once." 

A  peasant,  taken  at  haphazard  from  the  street, 
was  brotight  to  the  sorcerer  as  one  suspected  The 
rod  turned  slightly,  and  Aymar  declared  that  the 
man  did  not  steal  the  fish,  but  ate  of  them.  A 
boy  was  then  introduced,  who  was  said  to  be  the 
keeper^s  son.  The  rod  rotated  violently  at  once. 
This  was  the  finishing  stroke,  and  Aymar  was  sent 
away  by  the  Prince  in  disgrace.  It  now  transpired 
diat  the  theft  of  fish  had  taken  place  seven  years 
before  and  the  lad  was  no  relation  of  the  keeper, 
bat  a  coontry  boy  who  had  only  been  in  Chantilly 
eight  or  ten  months.  M.  Goyonnot,  Recorder  of 
the  King^s  Council,  broke  a  window  in  his  house, 
and  sent  for  the  diviner,  to  whom  he  related  a  story 
of  his  having  been  robbed  of  valuables  during  the 
night.  Aymar  indicated  the  broken  ii-indow  as  the 
means  idiereby  the  thief  had  entered  the  house, 
and  pointed  out  the  window  by  which  he  had  left 


78  The  Divining  Rod 

\ 

it  with  the  booty.  As  no  such  robbery  had  beerf^i 
committed,  Aymar  was  turned  out  of  the  house  a#  jii 
an   impostor.     A   few  similar  cases  brought  hiflO^^ 

I 

into  such  disrepute  that  he  was  obliged  to  leava^  t 
Paris,  and  return  to  Grenoble.  i 

Some  years  after,  he  was  made  use  of  by  the  .; 
Marechal  Montrevel,  in  his  cruel  pursuit  of  the 
Camisards. 

Was  Aymar  an  impostor  from  first  to  last,  or 
did  his  pfowers  fail  him  in  Paris }  and  was  it  only 
then  that  he  had  recourse  to  fraud  ? 

Much  may  be  said  in  favour  of  either  supposi- 
tion. His  expose  at  Paris  tells  heavily  against  him, 
but  need  not  be  regarded  as  conclusive  evidence  of 
imposture  throughout  his  career.  If  he  really  did 
possess  the  powers  he  claimed,  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  these  existed  in  full  vigour  under  all 
conditions ;  and  Paris  is  a  place  most  unsuitable  for 
testing  them,  built  on  artificial  soil,  and  full  of  dis- 
turbing influences  of  every  description.  It  has 
been  remarked  with  others  who  used  the  rod,  that 
their  powers  languished  under  excitement,  and  that 
the  faculties  had  to  be  in  repose,  the  attention 
to  be  concentrated  on  the  subject  of  inquiry,  or 
the  action — nervous,  magnetic,  or  electrical,  or  what 
you  will — ^was  impeded. 


The  Divining  Rod  79 

Now  Paris,  visited  for  the  first  time  by  a  poor 
peasant,  its  saloons  open  to  him,  dazzling  him  with 
their  splendour,  and  the  novelty  of  finding  himself 
in  the  midst  of  princes,  dukes,  marquises,  and  their 
fiimilies,  not  only  may  have  agitated  the  country- 
man to  such  an  extent  as  to  deprive  him  of  his 
peculiar  faculty,  but  may  have  led  him  into  simu- 
lating what  he  felt  had  departed  from  him,  at  the 
moment  when  he  was  under  the  eyes  of  the 
grandees  of  the  Court  We  have  analogous  cases 
in  Bleton  and  Angelique  Cottin.  The  former  was  a 
hydroscope,  who  fell  into  convulsions  whenever  he 
passed  over  running  water.  This  peculiarity  was  no- 
ticed in  him  when  a  child  of  seven  years  old.  When 
brought  to  Paris,  he  failed  signally  to  detect  the 
presence  of  water  conveyed  underground  by  pipes 
and  conduits,  but  he  pretended  to  feel  the  influence 
of  water  where  there  certainly  was  none.  Angelique 
Cottin  was  a  poor  girl,  highly  charged  with  elec- 
tricity. Any  one  touching  her  received  a  violent 
shock ;  one  medical  gentleman,  having  seated  her 
on  his  knee,  was  knocked  clean  out  of  his  chair  by 
the  electric  fluid,  which  thus  exhibited  its  sense  of 
propriety.  But  the  electric  condition  of  Angelique 
became  feebler  as  she  approached  Paris,  and  failed 
her  altogether  in  the  capital 


80  The  Divining  Rod 

I  believe  that  the  imagination  is  the  principal  j 
motive  force  in  those  who  use  the  divining  rod  ;•  ^ 
but  whether  it  is  so  solely,  I  am  unable  to  decide. 
The  powers  of  nature  are  so  mysterious  and  in- 
scrutable that  we  must  be  cautious  in  limiting  them, 
under  abnormal  conditions,  to  the  ordinary  laws  of 
experience. 

The  manner  in  which  the  rod  was  used  by  certain 
persons  renders  self-deception  possible.  The  rod  is 
generally  of  hazel,  and  is  forked  like  a  Y ;  the  fore- 
fingers are  placed  against  the  diverging  arms  of  the 
rod,  and  the  elbows  are  brought  back  against  the 
side ;  thus  the  implement  is  held  in  front  of  the 
operator,  delicately  balanced  before  the  pit  of  the 
stomach  at  a  distance  of  about  eight  inches.  Now,  if 
the  pressure  of  the  balls  of  the  digits  be  in  the  least 
relaxed,  the  stalk  of  the  rod  will  naturally  fall.  It 
has  been  assumed  by  some,  that  a  restoration  of  the 
pressure  will  bring  the  stem  up  again,  pointing 
towards  the  operator,  and  a  little  further  pressure 
will  elevate  it  into  a  perpendicular  position.  A 
relaxation  of  force  will  again  lower  it,  and  thus 
the  rotation  observed  in  the  rod  be  maintained.  I 
confess  myself  unable  to  accomplish  this.  The 
lowering  of  the  leg  of  the  rod  is  easy  enough,  but 
no  efforts  of  mine  to  produce  a  revolution  on  its 


The  Divining  Rod 


81 


have  as  yet  succeeded  The  muscles  which 
|ionld  contract  the  fingers  upon  the  arms  of  the 
tfcky  pass  over  the  shoulder ;  and  it  is  worthy  of 
lemark  that  one  of  the  medical  men  who  witnessed 
Ae  experiments  made  on  Bleton  the  hydroscope, 
tacpressly  alludes  to  a  slight  rising  of  the  shoulders 
during  the  rotation  of  the  divining  rod. 

But  the  manner  of  using  the  rod  was  by  no 
means  identical  in  all  cases.  If,  in  all  cases,  it  had 
simply  been  balanced  between  the  fingers,  some 
probability  might  be  given  to  the  suggestion  above 
made,  that  the  rotation  was  always  effected  by  the 
mvoluntary  action  of  the  muscles. 


The  usual  manner  of  holding  the  rod,  however, 
precluded  such  a  possibility.  The  most  ordinary 
use  consisted  in  taking  a  forked  stick  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  palms  were  turned  upwards,  and 
the  fingers  closed  upon  the  branching  arms  of  the 
rod.  Some  required  the  normal  position  of  the 
rod  to  be  horizontal,  others  elevated  the  point, 
others  again  depressed  it. 

G 


82  Tkt  DimnKg:  Red 


If  the  implement  were  straigbt,  it  was  hdd  in  li 
similar  manner,  but  the  hands  were  faronglit  some/: 
what  together,  so  as  to  prodnce  a  sl^t  arc  in  thiB^.  - 
rod.     Some  ^o  practised  rahdomanry  sustained'  ^ 
this  species  of  rod  between    their   thnmbs    an^^ « 
forefingers,   or   else    the    thnmb   and    forefingers  * 
were  closed,  and  the  rod  rested  on  their  points,  or  ;- 

again  it  reposed  on  the  Sat  of  the  hand,  or  on  the  I 

3 

back,  the  hand  being  held  Terticalty  and  the  rod  \ 
held  in  equiiibrium. 

A  third  species  of  divining  rod  consisted  in  a 
straight  staff  cut  in  two :  one  extremity  of  the  one 
half  was  hollowed  out,  the  other  half  was  sharpened 
at  the  end,  and  this  end  was  inserted  in  the  hollow, 
and  the  pointed  stick  rotated  in  the  cavity. 

The  wav  in  which  Bleton  used  his  rod  is  thus 
minutely  described :  "  He  does  not  grasp  it,  nor 
warm  it  in  his  hands,  and  he  does  not  regard  with 
preference  a  hazel  branch  lately  cut  and  full  of  sap. 
He  places  horizontally  between  his  forefingers  a 
rod  of  any  kind  given  to  him,  or  picked  up  in  the 
road,  of  any  sort  of  wood  except  elder,  fresh  or  dry, 
not  always  forked,  but  sometimes  merely  bent  If 
it  is  straight,  it  rises  slightly  at  the  extremities  by 
little  jerks,  but  does  not  turn.  If  bent,  it  revolves 
on  its  axis  with  more  or  less  rapidity,  in  more  or 


Vim  "I^ttaMqoldicoaTraiil'lllitficmdnPbilMaibMnuUDitaMM.* 


/ 


I 


The  Divining  Rod  86 

less  time,  according  to  the  quantity  and  current  of 
the  water.  I  counted  from  thirty  to  thirty-five 
revolutions  in  a  minute,  and  afterwards  as  many  as 
eighty.  A  curious  phenomenon  is,  that  Bleton  is 
able  to  make  the  rod  turn  between  another  person's 
fingers,  even  without  seeing  it  or  touching  it,  by 
approaching  his  body  towards  it  when  his  feet 
stand  over  a  subterranean  watercourse.  It  is  true, 
however,  that  the  motion  is  much  less  strong  and 
less  continuous  in  other  fingers  than  his  own.  If 
Bleton  stood  on  his  head,  and  placed  the  rod  be- 
tween his  feet,  though  he  felt  strongly  the  pecu- 
liar sensations  produced  in  him  by  flowing  water, 
yet  the  rod  remained  stationary.  If  he  were  insu- 
lated on  glass,  silk,  or  wax,  the  sensations  were  less 
vivid,  and  the  rotation  of  the  stick  ceased." 

But  this  experiment  failed  in  Paris  under  cir- 
cumstances which  either  proved  that  Bleton's 
imagination  produced  the  movement,  or  that  his 
integrity  was  questionable.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  in  many  instances  the  action  of  the  muscles 
is  purely  involuntary,  and  is  attributable  to  the 
imagination,  so  that  the  operator  deceives  himself 
as  well  as  others. 

This  is  probably  the  explanation  of  the  story  of 
Mdlle.  Olivet,  a  young  lady  of  tender  conscience, 


86  The  Divining  Rod 

who  was  a  skilful  performer  with  the  divining  rod^  j- 
but  shrank  from  putting  her  powers  in  operation,  f- 
lest  she  should  be  indulging  in  unlawful  acts.     She   » 
consulted   the    Pere  Lebrun,   author    of   a  work   . 
already  referred  to  in  this  paper,  and  he  advised    > 
her  to  ask  God  to  withdraw  the  power  from  her,  if    i 
tb/?  exercise  of  it  was  harmful  to  her  spiritual  con- 
dition.    She  entered  into  retreat  for  two  days,  and 
prayed  with  fervour.     Then  she  made  her  commu- 
nion, asking  God  what  had  been  recommended  to 
her,  at  the  moment  when  she  received  the  Host 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  she  made  experi- 
ment with  her  rod,  and  found  that  it  would  no 
longer  operate.      The  girl  had  strong  faith  in  it 
before — a  faith  coupled  with  fear,  and  as  long  as 
that  faith  was  strong  in  her,  the  rod  moved :  now 
she  believed  that  the  faculty  was  taken  from  her ; 
and  the  power  ceased  with  the  loss  of  her  faith. 

If  the  divining  rod  is  put  in  motion  by  any  other 
force  except  the  involuntary  action  of  the  muscles, 
we  must  confine  its  powers  to  the  property  of  indi- 
cating the  presence  of  flowing  water.  There  are 
numerous  instances  of  hydroscopes  thus  detecting 
the  existence  of  a  spring  or  of  a  subterranean, 
watercourse ;  the  most  remarkably-endowed  indi- 
viduals of  this  description  are  Jean-Jacques   Pa- 


The  Divining  Rod  87 

iBngaey  bom  near  Marseilles  in  1760,  who  expe- 
nenced  a  horror  when  near  water  which  no  one 
dse  perceivecL  He  was  endowed  with  the  faculty 
of  seeing  water  through  the  gp"ound,  says  TAbb^ 
Sauri,  who  gives  his  history.  Jenny  Leslie,  a 
Scotch  g^rly  about  the  same  date  claimed  similar 
powers.  In  1790  Pennet,  a  native  of  Dauphine, 
attracted  attention  in  Italy,  but  when  carefully 
tested  by  scientific  men  in  Padua,  his  attempts  to 
discover  buried  metals  failed  ;  at  Florence  he  was 
detected  in  an  endeavour  to  find  out,  by  night, 
lAat  had  been  secreted  to  test  his  powers  on  the 
morrow.  Vincent  Amoretti  was  an  Italian,  who 
underwent  peculiar  sensations  when  brought  in 
proximity  to  water,  coal,  and  salt ;  he  was  skilful 
in  the  use  of  the  rod,  but  made  no  public  exhibi- 
tion of  his  powers. 

The  rod  is  still  employed,  I  have  heard  it  as- 
serted, by  Cornish  miners,  but  I  have  never  been 
able  to  ascertain  that  such  is  really  the  case.  The 
mining  captains  whom  I  have  questioned,  invari- 
ably repudiated  all  knowledge  of  its  use. 

In  Wiltshire,  however,  it  is  still  employed  for 
the  ptirpose  of  detecting  water.  In  the  22nd 
volume  of  the  Quarterly  Review  (p.  273,  note)  will 
be  found  a  very  strongly-attested  case,  commu- 


88  The  Divining  Rod 

nicated  to  the  writer  of  an  article  on  "Popular 
Mythology,"  by  a  friend  in  Norfolk.    A  certain 

Lady  N is  there  stated  to  have  convinced  Dr. 

Hutton  of  her  possession  of  this  mysterious  gift, 
and  to  have  by  means  of  it  indicated  to  him  the 
existence  of  a  spring  of  water  in  one  of  his  fields 
adjoining  the  Woolwich  College,  which,  in  con- 
sequence of  this  discovery,  he  was  enabled  to  sell 
to  the  College  at  a  higher  price.    This  power  of  hers 

Lady  N repeatedly  exhibited  before  credible 

witnesses,  and  the  Quarterly  Reviewer  of  that  day 
(1820)  held  the  fact  incontrovertible.  De  Quincey, 
in  two  passages*,  affirms  that  he  has  frequently 
seen  the  process  applied  with  success,  and  declares 
that,  whatever  science  or  scepticism  may  say,  most 
of  the  tea-kettles  in  the  Vale  of  Wrington,  North 
Somersetshire,  are  filled  by  rabdomancy.  In  an 
ill-watered  province  this  would  make  its  professors 
an  important  class,  though,  as  De  Quincey  allows, 
the  affinity  of  their  local  appellation  "jowsers," 
with  the  slang  verb  "  to  chouse,"  would  argue  some 
suspicion  of  the  soundness  of  their  pretensions.  In 
the  last  number  of  the  "  Monthly  Packet "  (March, 
1857),  a  curious  story  is  told  how  the  guests  at  an 

»  De  Quincey's  Collected  Works,  i.  p.  84 ;  iii.  p.  333. 


The  Divining  Rod  89 

(dd  Kentish  house  beset  a  fellow-guest,  said  to 
possess  this  power,  with  questions  how  they  were 
to  hold  the  two  forks  of  the  hazel  wand.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  show  them  with  the  double  stalk  of  a 
couple  of  twin  cherries,  the  party  being  at  dessert, 
when,  lo !  to  the  astonishment  of  himself  and  his 
questioners,  the  united  portion  curled  quite  over 
his  hand.  The  master  of  the  house  alone  knew 
&at  under  his  dining-room  floor  existed  a  strong 
spring  of  water*. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  I  have  just 
received  will  show  that  it  is  still  in  vogue  on  the 
Continent : — 

"  I  believe  the  use  of  the  divining  rod  for  dis- 
covering springs  of  water  has  by  no  means  been 
confined  to  Mediaeval  times,  for  I  was  personally 
acquainted  with  a  lady,  now  deceased,  who  has 
successfully  practised  with  it  in  this  way.  She  was 
a  very  clever  and  accomplished  woman ;  Scotch  by 
birth  and  education ;  by  no  means  credulous ; 
possibly  a  little  imaginative,  for  she  wrote  not 
unsuccessfully ;    and  of   a    remarkably  open  and 

straightforward  disposition.     Captain  C ^  her 

husband,    had   a    large   estate  in  Holstein,  near 


y 


•  Quarterly  Reviewy'No.  344,  p.  441. 


9  0  The  Divining  Rod 

Lubeck,  supporting  a  considerable  population,  and 
whether  for  the  wants  of  the  people  or  for  the 
improvement  of  the  land,  it  now  and  then  hap- 
pened that  an  additional  well  was  needed. 

"  On  one  of  these  occasions  a  man  was  sent  for 
who  made  a  regular  profession  of  finding  water  by 
the  divining  rod ;  there  happened  to  be  a  large 
party  staying  at  the  house,  and  the  whole  company 
turned  out  to  see  the  fun.  The  rod  gave  indica- 
tions in  the  usual  way,  and  water  was  ultimately 

found  at  the  spot     Mrs.  C ^  utterly  sceptical, 

took  the  rod  into  her  own  hands  to  make  experi- 
ment, believing  that  she  would  prove  the  man  an 
impostor,  and  she  said  afterwards  she  was  never 
more  frightened  in  her  life  than  when  it  began  to 
move,  on  her  walking  over  the  spring.  Several 
other  gentlemen  and  ladies  tried  it,  but  it  was  quite 
inactive  in  their  hands.  '  Well,'  said  the  host  to 
his  wife,  *  we  shall  have  no  occasion  to  send  for  the 
man  again,  as  you  are  such  an  adept.' 

"  Some  months  after  this,  water  was  wanted  in 
another  part  of  the  estate,  and  it  occurred  to  Mrs. 

C that  she  would  use  the  rod  again.     After 

some  trials,  it  again  gave  decided  indicat-.ons,  and 
a  well  was  begun  and  carried  down  a  verv  con- 
siderable depth.     At  last  she  began  to  shrink  from 


The  Divining  Rod  91 

incurring  more  expense,  but  the  labourers  had 
implicit  faith,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  per- 
severe. Very  soon  the  water  burst  up  with  such 
force  that  the  men  escaped  with  difficulty ;  and 
this  proved  afterwards  the  most  unfailing  spring 
for  miles  round. 

"You  will  take  the  above  for  what  it  is  worth  ; 
the  facts  I  have  given  are  undoubtedly  true,  what- 
ever conclu;5ions  may  be  drawn  from  them.  I  do 
not  propose  that  you  should  print  my  narrative, 
but  I  think  in  these  cases  personal  testimony,  even 
indirect,  is  more  useful  in  forming  one's  opinion 
than  a  hundred  old  volumes.     I  did  not  hear  it 

from  Mrs.  C 's  own  lips,  but  I  was  sufficiently 

acquainted  with  her  to  form  a  very  tolerable 
estimate  of  her  character,  and  my  wife,  who  has 
known  her  intimately  from  her  own  childhood,  was 
in  her  younger  days  often  staying  with  her  for 
months  together." 

I  remember  having  been  much  perplexed  by 
reading  a  series  of  experiments  made  with  a  pen- 
dulous ring  over  metals,  by  a  Mr.  Mayo  ;  he  ascer- 
tained that  it  oscillated  in  various  directions  under 
peculiar  circumstances,  when  suspended  by  a  thread 
over  the  ball  of  the  thumb.  I  instituted  a  series  of 
experiments,  and  was  surprised  to  find  the  ring 


92  The  Divining  Rod 

vibrate  in  an  unaccountable  manner  in  opposite 
directions  over  different  metals.  On  consideration, 
I  closed  my  eyes  whilst  the  ring  was  oscillating 
over  gold,  and  on  opening  them  I  found  that  it 
had  become  stationary.  I  got  a  friend  to  change 
the  metals  whilst  I  was  blindfolded — ^the  ring  no 
longer  vibrated.  I  was  thus  enabled  to  judge  of 
the  involuntary  action  of  muscles,  quite  sufficient 
to  have  deceived  an  eminent  medical  man  like 
Mr.  Mayo,  and  to  have  perplexed  me  till  I  suc- 
ceeded in  solving  the  mystery'. 


7  A  similar  series  of  experiments  was  undertaken,  as  I 
learned  afterwards,  by  M.  Chevreuil  in  Paris,  with  similar 
results. 


(Tie  S>t\>tn  SfUtftx^  ot  (Sp^$m^ 

/^NE  of  the  most  picturesque  myths  of  ancient 
^^  days,  is  that  which  forms  the  subject  of  this 
article.  It  is  thus  told  by  Jacques  de  Voragine  in 
his  "  Legenda  Aurea :" — 

"The  seven  sleepers  were  natives  of  Ephesus. 
The  Emperor  Decius,  who  persecuted  the  Chris- 
tians, having  come  to  Ephesus,  ordered  the  erection 
of  temples  in  the  city,  that  all  might  come  and 
sacrifice  before  him,  and  he  commanded  that  the 
Christians  should  be  sought  out  and  given  their 
choice,  either  to  worship  the  idols,  or  to  die.  So 
great  was  the  consternation  in  the  city,  that  the 
friend  denounced  his  friend,  the  father  his  son,  and 
the  son  his  father. 

"Now  there  were  in  Ephesus  seven  Christians, 
Maximian,  Malchus,  Marcian,  Dionysius,  John, 
Serapion,  and  Constantine  by  name.     These  re- 


94      ^        The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Eplusiis 

fused  to  sacrifice  to  the  idols,  and  remained  in 
their  houses  praying  and  fasting.  They  were 
accused  before  Decius,  and  they  confessed  them- 
selves to  be  Christians.  However,  the  emperor 
gave  them  a  little  time  to  consider  what  line  they 
would  adopt  They  took  advantage  of  this  re- 
prieve to  dispense  their  goods  among  the  poor,  and 
then  they  retired,  all  seven,  to  Mount  Celion,  where 
they  determined  to  conceal  themselves. 

"  One  of  their  number,  Malchus,  in  the  disguise 
of  a  physician,  went  to  the  town  to  obtain  victuals. 
Decius,  who  had  been  absent  from  Ephesus  for  a 
little  while,  returned,  and  gave  orders  for  the  seven 
to  be  sought.  Malchus,  having  escaped  from  the 
town,  fled,  full  of  fear,  to  his  comrades,  and  told 
them  of  the  emperor's  fury.  They  were  much 
alarmed ;  and  Malchus  handed  them  the  loaves  he 
had  bought,  bidding  them  eat,  that,  fortified  by  the 
food,  they  might  have  courage  in  the  time  of  trial. 
They  ate,  and  then,  as  they  sat  weeping  and  speak- 
ing to  one  another,  by  the  will  of  God  they  fell 
asleep. 

"  The  Pagans  sought  every  where,  but  could  not 
find  them,  and  Decius  was  greatly  irritated  at  their 
escape.  He  had  their  parents  brought  before  him, 
and  threatened  thenx  with  death  if  they  did  not 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Eplusus  95 

reveal  the  place  of  concealment;  but  they  could 
only  answer  that  the  seven  young  men  had  distri- 
buted their  goods  to  the  poor,  and  that  they  were 
quite  ignorant  as  to  their  whereabouts. 

"  Decius,  thinking  it  possible  that  they  might  be 
hiding  in  a  cavern,  blocked  up  the  mouth  with 
stones,  that  they  might  perish  of  hunger. 

"  Three  hundred  and  sixty  years  passed,  and  in 
the  thirtieth  year  of  the  reign  of  Theodosius,  there 
broke  forth  a  heresy  denying  the  resurrection  of 

the  dead 

"  Now,  it  happened  that  an  Ephesian  was  building 
a  stable  on  the  side  of  Mount  Celion,  and  finding  a 
pile  of  stones  handy,  he  took  them  for  his  edifice, 
and  thus  opened  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  Then  the 
seven  sleepers  awoke,  and  it  was  to  them  as  if  they 
had  slept  but  a  single  night  They  began  to  ask 
Malchus  what  decision  Decius  had  given  concerning 
them. 

" '  He  is  going  to  hunt  us  down,  so  as  to  force 
us  to  sacrifice  to  the  idols,'  was  his  reply.  '  God 
knows,'  replied  Maximian,  'we  shall  never  do 
that.'  Then  exhorting  his  companions,  he  urged 
Malchus  to  go  back  to  the  town  to  buy  some  more 
bread,  and  at  the  same  time  to  obtain  fresh  infor- 
mation.   Malchus  took  five   coins  and   left    the 


96  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

cavern.  On  seeing  the  stones,  he  was  filled  with 
astonishment;  however,  he  went  on  towards  the 
city  ;  but  what  was  his  bewilderment,  on  approach- 
ing the  gate,  to  see  over  it  a  cross !  He  went  to 
another  gate,  and  there  he  beheld  the  same  sacred 
sign  ;  and  so  he  observed  it  over  each  gate  of  the 
city.  He  believed  that  he  was  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  a  dream.  Then  he  entered  Ephesus, 
rubbing  his  eyes,  and  he  walked  to  a  baker's  shop. 
He  heard  people  using  our  Lord's  name,  and  he 
was  the  more  peq^lexed,  *  Yesterday,  no  one  dared 
pronounce  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  now  it  is  on 
every  one's  lips.  Wonderful!  I  can  hardly  believe 
myself  to  be  in  Ephesus.*  He  asked  a  passer-by 
the  name  of  the  cit}-,  and  on  being  told  it  was 
Ephesus,  he  was  thunderstruck.  Now  he  entered 
a  baker  s  shop,  and  laid  down  his  money.  The 
baker,  examining  the  coin,  inquired  whether  he  had 
found  a  treasure,  and  began  to  whisper  to  some 
others  in  the  shop.  The  youth,  thinking  that  he 
was  discovered,  and  that  they  were  about  to  con- 
duct him  to  the  emperor,  implored  them  to  let 
him  alone,  offering  to  leave  loa\-es  and  money  if  he 
might  onl}'  be  suffered  to  escape.  But  the  shop- 
men, seizing  him,  said :  *  Whoever  you  are,  you 
have  found  a  treasure ;  show  us  where  it  is,  that  we 


/ 


TAe  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  97 

nay  share  it  with  you,  and  then  we  will  hide  you.' 
Halchus  was  too  frightened  to  answer.  So  they 
pot  a  rope  round  his  neck,  and  drew  him 
dnough  the  streets  into  the  market-place.  The 
news  soon  spread  that  the  young  man  had  dis- 
covered a  great  treasure,  and  there  was  presently  a 
vast  crowd  about  him.  He  stoutly  protested  his 
innocence.  No  one  recognized  him,  and  his  ^y^s 
«ranging  over  the  faces  which  surrounded  him,  could 
not  see  one  which  he  had  known,  or  which  was  in 
the  slightest  d^^ee  familiar  to  him. 

"S.  Martin,  the  bishop,  and  Antipater,  the  gover- 
nor, having  heard  of  the  excitement,  ordered  the 
young  man  to  be  brought  before  them,  along  with 
the  bakers. 

"The  bishop  and  the  governor  asked  him  where 
he  had  found  the  treasure,  and  he  replied  that  he 
had  found  none,  but  that  the  few  coins  were  from 
his  own  purse.  He  was  next  asked  whence  he 
came.  He  replied  that  1^  was  a  native  of  Ephesus, 
*  if  this  be  Ephesus.' 

" '  Send  for  your  relations — your  parents,  if  they 
live  here,*  ordered  the  governor. 

"'They  live  here  certainly,'  replied  the  youth; 
and  he  mentioned  their  names.  No  such  names 
were  known  in  the    town.      Then  the  governor 

H 


imixcrr:*!  urii  S7i=irj--3ern=x  ji=3S\  unf  s  as  €)Id  as 
dn?  jta^'iTiiing  i£  "^Tif  ?=^!r  if  D^ems.  zad  it  s 
utteriTr  ^rr"T'^^^  inr  •mTrfcrrr  'Mi^jr  ?  Db  yea  dunk 
^  imtx**;  zn  rre  iiif  TTffT  snf  s^jescf  Ephcsns? 
Bei:e*<n?  z:^  I  sisZ.  thtV^  jrni  snfgr  tftp  9crerftics 
«3t  rie  ]srir  ttjcs  tthi  ^ollw  wjcg  irott  SEiade  die 

•**  I  'jnpirx^  jzn^'  cried  y^VfrtSy  'ni  the  name 
v>f  Gcc,  az5TF*r  =c  s.  f^r  cdcscbgc^  and  thai  I  will 
answer  ycci?!  Wliere  is  die  EmpcEor  Dednsgoae 
to?' 

''The  bishop  ai^swered,  'My  soo,  there  is  no 
emperor  cf  that  name;  he  who  was  thus  called 
died  long  ago/ 

''  Malchus  replied,  'All  I  hear  perplexes  me  mc^e 
and  more.  Follow  me,  and  I  will  show  yoa  my 
comrades  who  fled  with  me  into  a  cave  of  Mount 
Cdiion,  only  yesterday,  t«  escape  the  cruelty  of 
IVcius.     I  will  lead  you  to  them.* 

**  The  bishop  turned  to  the  governor.  '  The  hand 
v>4,'  God  is  here/  he  said.  Then  they  followed,  and 
^  ^r^Nit  crowd  after  them.  And  Malchus  entered 
tiixC  into  the  cavern  to  his  companions,  and  the 

^  This  calculation  is  sadly  inaccurate. 


Tlr  Severn  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  99 

afkcr  him.  .  .  .  And  there  they  saw  the 
seated  in  the  cave,  with  their  faces  fresh 
bfoomii^  as  roses ;  so  all  fell  down  and  glori- 
ied    God.      The  bishop  and  the  governor  sent 
■olioe  to  Theodosins,  and  he  hurried  to  EphesusL 
An  die  inhabitants  met  him  and  conducted  him  to 
&e   cavern.    As  soon  as  the  saints  beheld  the 
cmpcioi,  their  faces  shone  like  the  sun,  and  the 
cmpeior  gave  thanks  unto  God,   and   embraced 
Ihcm,  and  said,  'I  see  3roUy  as  though  I  saw  the 
Saviour  restoring  Lazarusw'      Maximian    replied, 
'Bdieve  us !  for  the  faith's  sake,  God  has  resusci- 
tated us  before  the  great  resurrection  day,  in  order 
ttat  you  may  believe  firmly  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead.     For  as  the  child  is  in  its  mother's  womb 
living  and  not  suffering,  so  have  we  lived  without 
suffering,  fast  asleep.'    And  having  thus  spoken, 
diey  bowed  their  heads,  and  their  souls  returned  to 
their  Maker.    The  emperor,  rising,  bent  over  them 
and  embraced  them  weeping.     He  gave  orders  for 
golden  reliquaries  to  be  made^  but  that  night  they 
appeared  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  said  that  hitherto 
they  had  slept  in  the  earth,  and  that  in  the  earth  they 
desired  to  sleep  on  till  God  should  raise  them  again.'* 
Such  is  the  beautiful  story.     It  seems  to  have 
travelled  to  us  from  the  East    Jacobus  Sarugiensis 

H  % 


4^^^V^^ 


100  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

a  Mesopotamian  bishop,  in  the  fifth  or  sixth  cen- 
tury,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  to  commit  it  to 
writing.  Gregory  of  Tours  (De  Glor.  Mart.  i.  9) 
was  perhaps  the  first  to  introduce  it  to  Europe. 
Dionysius  of  Antioch  (ninth  century)  told  the  story 
in  Syrian,  and  Photius  of  Constantinople  repro- 
duced  it,  with  the  remark  that  Mahomet  hacj 
adopted  it  into  the  Koran.  Metaphrastus  alludes 
to  it  as  well ;  in  the  tenth  century  Eutychius  in- 
serted it  in  his  annals  of  Arabia ;  it  is  found  in  the 
Coptic  and  the  Maronite  books,  and  several  early 
historians,  as  Paulus  Diaconus,  Nicephorus,  &c^ 
have  inserted  it  in  their  works. 

William  of  Malmesbury  tells  us  a  strange  story 
concerning  these  sleepers.  He  says,  that  King 
Edward  the  Confessor  sat,  during  the  Easter 
festival,  wearing  his  royal  crown  at  dinner,  in  his 
palace  of  Westminster,  surrounded  by  his  bishops 
and  nobles.  During  the  banquet  the  king,  instead 
of  indulging  in  meat  and  drink,  mused  upon  divine 
things,  and  sat  long  immersed  in  thought  Sud- 
denly, to  the  astonishment  of  all  present,  he  burst 
out  laughing.  After  dinner,  when  he  retired  to  his 
bedchamber  to  divest  himself  of  his  robes,  three  of 
his  nobles.  Earl  Harold,  who  was  afterwards  king, 
and  an  abbot  and  a  bishop,  followed  him,  an<J 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  101 

asked  the  reason  of  his  rare  mirth.     "  I  saw/'  said 

the  pious  monarch,   "things  most  wonderful    to 

behold,  and  therefore  did  I  not  laugh  without  a 

reason."     They  entreated  him  to  explain;    and 

after  musing  for  a  while,  he  informed  them  that 

the  Seven   Sleepers  of  Ephesus,  who  had  been 

slumbering    two    hundred  years  in  a  cavern   of 

Mount  Celion,  lying  always  on  their  right  sides, 

had  of  a  sudden,  turned  themselves  over  on  their 

left  sides ;   that  by  heavenly  favour  he  had  seen 

them  thus  turn  themselves,  and  at  the  sight  he  had 

been  constrained  to  laugh.    And  as  Harold  and 

the  abbot  and  bishop  marvelled  at  his  words,  the 

king  related  to  them    the    story  of  the    Seven 

Sleepers,  with  the  shape  and  proportion  of  their 

several  bodies,  which  wonderful  things  no  man  had 

as  yet  committed  to  writing ;  nay,  he  spake  of  the 

Ephesian  sleepers,  as  though  he  had  always  dwelt 

with  them.     Earl  Harold,  on  hearing  this,  got 

ready  a  knight,  a  clerk  and  a  monk,  who  were 

forthwith  sent  to  the  emperor  at  Constantinople, 

with  letters  and  presents  from  King  Edward.     By 

the  emperor  these  messengers  were  forwarded  to 

Ephesus  with  letters  to  the  Bishop,  commanding 

him  to  admit  the  three  Englishmen  into  the  cavern 

of  the  sleepers.    And,  lo !  it  fell  out  even  as  the 


102  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

king  had  seen  in  vision;  For  the  Ephesians  declared 
that  they  knew  from  their  forefathers  that  the 
Seven  had  ever  lain  on  their  right  sides ;  but  on 
the  entry  of  the  Englishmen  into  the  cave,  th^ 
were  all  found  lying  on  their  left  sides.  And  this 
was  a  warning  of  the  miseries  which  were  to  befall 
Christendom  through  the  inroads  of  the  Saracens, 
Turks  and  Tartars  For  whenever  sorrow  threatens, 
the  Sleepers  turn  on  their  sides. 

A  poem  on  the  Seven  Sleepers  was  composed 
by  a  trouvere  named  Chardri,  and  is  mentioned 
by  M.  Fr.  Michel  in  his  "  Rapports  au  Ministre  de 
rinstruction  Public ;"  a  German  poem  on  the  same 
subject,  of  the  thirteenth  century,  in  935  verses,  has 
been  published  by  M.  Karajan  ;  and  the  Spanish 
poet,  Augustin  Morreto,  composed  a  drama  on  it, 
entitled  "  Los  Siete  Durmientes,"  which  is  inserted 
in  the  19th  volume  of  the  rare  work,  "Comedias 
Nuevas  Escogidas  de  los  Mejores  Ingenios ;"  last, 
and  not  least,  it  has  formed  the  subject  of  a  poem 
by  the  late  Dr.  Neale. 

Mahomet  has  somewhat  improved  on  the  story. 
He  has  made  the  Sleepers  prophecy  his  coming, 
and  he  has  given  them  a  dog  named  Kratim,  or 
Kratimer,  which  sleeps  with  them,  and  which  is 
endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy. 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  1-03 

As  a  special  favour  this  dog  is  to  be  one  of  the 
ten  animals  to  be  admitted  into  his  paradise,  the 
others  being  Jonah's  whale,  Solomon's  ant,  Ish- 
mael's  ram,  Abraham's  calf,  the  Queen  of  Sheba's 
ass,  the  prophet  Salech's  camel,  Moses'  ox,  Belkis' 
cuckoo,  and  Mahomet's  ass. 

It  was  perhaps  too  much  for  the  Seven  Sleepers 
to  asl^  that  their  bodies  should  be  left  to  rest  in 
earth.  In  ages  when  saintly  relics  were  valued 
above  gold  and  precious  stones,  their  request  was 
sure  to  be  shelved ;  and  so  we  find  that  their 
remains  were  conveyed  to  Marseilles  in  a  large 
stone  sarcophagus,  which  is  still  exhibited  in  S. 
Victor's  Church,  In  the  Musseum  Victorium  at 
Rome  is  a  curious  and  ancient  representation  of 
them  in  a  cement  of  sulphur  and  plaster.  Their 
names  are  engraved  beside  them,  together  with 
certain  attributes.  Near  Constantine  and  John  are 
two  clubs,  near  Maximian  a  knotty  club,  near 
Malchus  and  Martinian  two  axes,  near  Serapion  a 
burning  torch,  and  near  Danesius  or  Dionysius  a 
great  nail,  such  as  those  spoken  of  by  Horace 
(Lib.  I,  Od.  3)  and  S.  Paulinus  (Nat  9,  or  Carm.  ^4) 
as  having  been  used  for  torture. 

In  this  group  of  figures,  the  seven  are  repre- 
sented  as  young,  without  beards,  and  indeed  in 


104  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

ancient  martyrologies  they  are  frequently  called 
boys. 

It  has  been  inferred  from  this  curious  plaster 
representation,  that  the  seven  may  have  suffered 
under  Decius,  A.D.  250,  and  have  been  buried  in 
the  afore-mentioned  cave ;  whilst  the  discovery  and 
translation  of  their  relics  under  Theodosius,  in  479, 
may  have  given  rise  to  the  fable.  And  this  I  think 
probable  enough.  The  story  of  long  sleepers  and 
the  number  seven  connected  with  it  is  ancient 
enough,  and  dates  from  heathen  mythology. 

Like  many  another  ancient  myth,  it  was  laid 
hold  of  by  Christian  hands  and  baptized. 

Pliny  relates  the  story  of  Epimenides  the  epic 
poet,  who,  when  tending  his  sheep  one  hot  day, 
wearied  and  oppressed  wiih  slumber,  retreated 
into  a  cave,  where  he  fell  asleep.  After  fifty-seven 
years  he  awoke,  and  found  every  thing  changed. 
His  brother,  whom  he  had  left  a  stripling,  was 
now  a  hoary  man. 

Epimenides  was  reckoned  one  of  the  seven  sages 
by  those  who  exclude  Periander.  He  flourished 
in  the  time  of  Solon.  After  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine,  he  was  revered 
»8  a  God,  and  honoured  especially  by  the  Athe- 


*    The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  105 

story  is  a  version  of  the  older  legend  of  the 
perpetual  sleep  of  the  shepherd  Endymion,  who 
was  thus  preserved  in  unfading  youth  and  beauty 
by  Jupiter. 

According  to  an  Arabic  legend,  S.  George  thrice 
rose  from  his  grave,  and  was  thrice  slain. 

In  Scandinavian  mythology  we  have  Siegfrid  or 
Sigurd  thus  resting,  and  awaiting  his  call  to  come 
forth  and  fight  Charlemagne  sleeps  in  the  Oden- 
berg  in  Hess,  or  in  the  Untersberg  near  Salzburg, 
seated  on  his  throne,  with  his  crown  on  his  head 
and  his  sword  at  his  side,  waiting  till  the  times  of 
Antichrist  are  fulfilled,  when  he  will  wake  and 
burst  forth  to  avenge  the  blood  of  the  saints. 
Og^er  the  Dane,  or  Olger  Dansk,  will  in  like 
manner  shake  off  his  slumber  and  come  forth  from 
the  dream-land  of  Avallon  to  avenge  the  right — oh 
that  he  had  shown  himself  in  the  Schleswig- 
Holstein  war ! 

Well  do  I  remember,  as  a  child,  contemplating 
with  wondering  awe  the  great  Kyffhauserberg  in 
Thuringia,  for  therein,  I  was  told,  slept  Frederic 
Baibarossa  and  his  six  knights.  A  shepherd  once 
penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  mountain  by  a 
cave,  and  discovered  therein  a  hall  where  sat  the 
Emperor  at  a  stone  table,  and  his  red  beard  had 


106  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Epltesus  •  ' 

grown  through  the  slab.  At  the  tread  of  the  : 
shepherd,  Frederic  awoke  from  his  slumber,  and  . 
asked,  "Do  the  ravens  still  fly  over  the  moun*  : 
tains  ?" 

"  Sire !  they  do." 

"  Then  we  must  sleep  another  hundred  years." 

But  when  his  beard  has  wound  itself  thrice 
round  the  table,  then  will  the  Emperor  awake  with 
his  knights,  and  rush  forth  to  release  Germany  from 
its  bondage,  and  exalt  it  to  the  first  place  among 
the  kingdoms  of  Europe. 

In  Switzerland  slumber  three  Tells  at  Riitli 
near  the  Vierwaldstatter-see,  waiting  for  the  hour 
of  their  country's  direst  need.  A  shepherd  crept 
into  the  cave  where  they  rest  The  third  Tell  rose 
and  asked  the  time.  "  Noon,"  replied  the  shepherd 
lad.  "  The  time  is  not  yet  come,"  said  Tell,  and 
lay  down  again. 

In  Scotland,  beneath  the  Eildon  hills,  sleeps 
Thomas  of  Erceldoune ;  the  murdered  French  who 
fell  in  the  Sicilian  Vespers  at  Palermo,  are  also 
slumbering  till  the  time  is  come  when  they  may 
wake  to  avenge  themselves.  When  Constantinople 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Turks,  a  priest  was 
celebrating  the  sacred  mysteries  at  the  great  silver 
altar  of  S,  Sophia.     The  celebrant  cried  to  God  to 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephestis  107 

protect  the  sacred  host  from  profanation.  Then 
the  wall  opened,  and  he  entered,  bearing  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  It  closed  on  him,  and  there  he  is 
sleeping  with  his  head  bowed  before  the  Body  of 
Our  Lord,  waiting  till  the  Turk  is  cast  out  of 
Constantinople,  and  S.  Sophia  is  released  from  its 
profanation.     God  speed  the  time  ! 

In  Bohemia  sleep  three  miners  deep  in  the  heart 
of  the  Kuttenberg.  In  North  America,  Ripp  Van 
Winkle  passed  twenty  years  slumbering  in  the 
Katskill  mountains.  In  Spain,  Boabdil  el  Chico, 
the  last  Arab  king  of  Granada,  is  said  to  lie  spell- 
bound in  the  mountains  close  to  the  Alhambra. 
In  Arabia,  the  prophet  Elijah  waits  till  he  is  called 
forth  in  the  days  of  Antichrist.  In  Ireland,  Brian 
Boroimhe  slumbers,  waiting  till  a  Fenian  insurrec- 
tion promising  action  and  not  talk  summons  him 
to  his  country's  aid.  In  Wales,  the  legend  of 
Arthur  still  dreaming  through  a  long  sleep  in 
Avillon,  has  not  died  out  In  Servia,  Knez  Lazar, 
who  fell  in  battle  against  the  Turks  in  the  fight  of 
Kossowa,  in  1389,  is  expected  to  re-appear  one  day. 
A  similar  hope  of  the  return  of  James  IV.  lasted 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years  after  Flodden  was 
fought.  In  Portugal  it  is  believed  that  Sebas- 
tian, the  chivalrous  young  monarch  who  did  his 


108  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

best  to  ruin  his  country  by  his  rash  invasion  tX 
Morocco,  is  sleeping  somewhere,  but  he  will  wake 
again  to  be  his  country's  deliverer  in  the  hour  of 
need.  Olaf  Tryggvason  is  waiting  a  similar  occa- 
sion in  Norway.  Even  Napoleon  Bonaparte  is 
believed  among  some  of  the  French  peasantry  to 
be  sleeping  on  in  a  like  manner. 

S.  Hippolytus  relates  that  S.  John  the  Divine  is 
slumbering  at  Ephesus,  and  Sir  John  Mandeville 
relates  the  circumstances  as  follows :  "  From 
Pathmos  men  gone  unto  Ephesim,  a  fair  citee  and 
nyghe  to  the  see.  And  there  dyede  Seynte  Johne, 
and  was  buryed  behynde  the  highe  Awtiere,  in  a 
toumbe.  And  there  is  a  faire  chirche.  For 
Christene  mene  weren  wont  to  holden  that  place 
alweyes.  And  in  the  tombe  of  Seynt  John  is 
noughte  but  manna,  that  is  clept  Aungeles  mete. 
For  his  body  was  translated  into  Paradys.  And 
Turkes  holden  now  alle  that  place  and  the 
citee  and  the  Chirche.  And  all  Asie  the  lesse  is 
yclept  Turkye.  And  ye  shalle  undrestond,  that 
Seynt  Johne  bid  make  his  grave  there  in  his  Lyf, 
and  leyd  himself  there-inne  all  quyk.  And  there- 
fore somme  men  seyn,  that  he  dyed  noughte,  but 
that  he  resteth  there  till  the  Day  of  Doom.  And 
forsoothe  there  is  a  gret  marveule :  For  men  may 


f 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  109 

there  the  erthe  of  the  tombe  apertly  many 
tymes  steren  and  moven,  as  there  weren  quykke 
ihinges  undre."  The  connexion  of  this  legend  of 
S.  John  with  Ephesus  may  have  had  something  to 
do  with  turning  the  seven  martyrs  of  that  city  into 
seven  sleepers. 

The  annals  of  Iceland  relate  that  in  1403,  a  Finn 
of  the  name  of  Fethmingr,  living  in  Halogaland,  in 
the  North  of  Norway,  happening  to  enter  a  cave, 
fell  asleep,  and  woke  not  for  three  whole  years, 
lying  with  his  bow  and  arrows  at  his  side,  un- 
touched by  bird  or  beast 

There  certainly  are  authentic  accounts  of  persons 
having  slept  for  an  extraordinary  length  of  time, 
but  I  shall  not  mention  any,  as  I  believe  the  l^end 
we  are  considering,  not  to  have  been  an  exaggera- 
tion of  facts,  but  a  Christianized  myth  of  paganism. 
The  fact  of  the  number  seven  being  so  prominent 
in  many  of  the  tales,  seems  to  lead  to  this  con- 
clusion* Barbarossa  changes  his  position  every 
seven  years.  Charlemagne  starts  in  his  chair  at 
similar  intervals.  Olger  Dansk  stamps  his  iron 
mace  on  the  floor  once  every  seven  years.  Olaf 
Redbeard  in  Sweden  uncloses  his  eyes  at  precisely 
the  same  distances  of  time. 

I    believe  that  the  mythological  core  of  this 


110  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus 

picturesque  legend  is  the  repose  of  the  earth 
through  the  seven  winter  months.  In  the  North 
Frederic  and  Charlemagne  certainly  replace  Odin. 

The  German  and  Scandinavian  still  heathen 
legends  represent  the  heroes  as  about  to  issue 
forth  for  the  defence  of  Fatherland  in  the  hour  of 
direst  need.  The  converted  and  Christianized  tale 
brings  the  martyr  youths  forth  in  the  hour  when  a 
heresy  is  afflicting  the  Church,  that  they  may 
destroy  the  heresy  by  their  witness  to  the  truth  of 
the  Resurrection. 

If  there  is  something  majestic  in  the  heathen 
myth,  there  is  singular  grace  and  beauty  in  the 
Christian  tale,  teaching  as  it  does  such  a  glorious 
doctrine;  but  it  is  surpassed  in  delicacy  by  the 
modem  form  which  the  same  myth  has  as- 
sumed— a  form  which  is  a  real  transformation, 
leaving  the  doctrine  taught  the  same.  It  has 
been  made  into  a  romance  by  Hoffman,  and  is 
versified  by  Trinius.  I  may  perhaps  be  allowed 
to  translate  with  some  freedom  the  poem  of  the 
latter : — 


In  an  ancient  shaft  of  Falum, 

Year  by  year  a  body  lay, 
God-preserved,  as  though  a  treasure^ 

Kept  unto  the  waking  day. 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  EphesHS  111 

Not  die  tprmoil,  nor  the  passions, 

Of  die  busj  worid  o^eriiead, 
Soonds  of  war,  or  peace  rejoicings, 

Could  disturb  die  placid  dead. 

Once  a  yoodiful  miner,  whistling, 

Hew'd  the  chamber,  now  his  tomb, 
Crash !  the  reeky  fragments  tumbled. 

Closed  him  in  abysmal  gloom. 

Sixty  years  pass'd  by,  ere  miners 

Toiling,  hundred  fathoms  deep. 
Broke  upon  the  shaft  where  rested 

That  poor  miner  in  his  sleep. 

As  the  gold-grains  lie  untarnished 

In  the  dingy  soil  and  sand. 
Till  they  gleam  and  flicker,  stainless. 

In  the  digger's  sifting  hand ; 

As  the  gem  in  virgin  brilliance 

Rests,  till  ushered  into  day ; — 
So  iminjured,  uncorrupted, 

Fresh  and  fair  the  body  lay. 

And  the  miners  bore  it  upward, 

Laid  it  in  the  yellow  sun. 
Up,  from  out  the  neighboring  houses. 

Fast  the  curious  peasants  run. 

"  Who  is  he  V*  with  eyes  they  question  . 

"  Who  is  he  V*  they  ask  aloud  : 
Hush  !  a  wizen'd  hag  comes  hobbling. 

Panting  through  the  wond'ring  crowd. 


112  The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Epkesus 

Oh !  the  cry — ^half  joy,  half  sorrow — 
As  she  flings  her  at  his  side, 

"  John  1  the  sweetheart  of  my  girlhood. 
Here  am  I,  am  I,  thy  bride. 

"  Time  on  thee  has  left  no  traces. 
Death  from  wear  has  shielded  thee  ; 

I  am  aged,  worn,  and  wasted. 
Oh  !  what  life  has  done  to  me  !  '^ 

Then,  his  smooth  unfurrow'd  forehead 
Kiss'd  that  ancient  withered  crone ; 

And  the  Death  which  had  divided, 
Now  united  them  m  one. 


SSiaUam  CHI 

T   SUPPOSE  that  most  people  regard  the  story 
-*■     of  Tell  and  the  apple  as  an  historical  event ; 
and  with  corresponding  interest,  when  they  under- 
take the  regular  Swiss  round,  visit  the  market- 
place of  Altorf,  where  is  pointed  out  the  site  of  the 
lime-tree  to  which  TelFs  child  was  bound,   and 
contemplate  the  plaster  statue  which  is  asserted 
to  mark  the  spot  where  Tell  stood  to  take  aim. 
Once,  moreover,  there  stood   another  monument 
erected  near  Lucerne  in  commemoration  of  this 
event,   a  wooden  obelisk,   painted    to    look    like 
granite,    surmounted    by    a    rosy-cheeked    apple 
transfixed  by  a  golden  arrow.     This  gingerbread 
memorial  of  bad  taste   has  perished,  struck  by 
lightning.      We  shall  in  the  following  pages  de- 
moUsh  the  very  story   which  that  erection  was 

intended  to  commemorate. 

I 


114  WUliam  Tell 

It  is  one  of  the  painful  duties  of  the  antiquarian 
to  dispel  many  a  popular  belief,  and  to  probe  the 
groundlessness  of  many  a  historical  statement 
The  antiquarian  is  sometimes  disposed  to  ask  with 
Pilate,  "  What  is  truth  ? "  when  he  finds  historical 
facts  crumbling  beneath  his  touch  into  mythological 
fables ;  and  he  soon  learns  to  doubt  and  question 
the  most  emphatic  declarations  of,  and  claims  to, 
reliability. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  in  his  prison,  was  composing 
the  second  volume  of  his  histoty  of  the  world. 
Leaning  on  the  sill  of  his  window,  he  meditated  on 
;the  duties  of  the  historian  to  mankind,  when  sud- 
denly his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  disturbance 
in  the  court-yard  before  his  cell  He  saw  one  man 
strike  another  whom  he  supposed  by  his  dress  to 
be  an  officer ;  the  latter  at  once  drew  his  sword 
and  ran  the  former  through  the  body.  The 
wounded  man  felled  his  adversary  with  a  stick, 
and  then  sank  upon  the  pavement  At  this  junc- 
ture the  guard  came  up  and  carried  off  the  officer 
insensible,  and  then  the  corpse  of  the  man  who  had 
been  run  through. 

Next  day  Raleigh  was  visited  by  an  intimate 
friend,  to  whom  he  related  the  circumstances  of 
the  quarrel  and   its  issue.     To  his  astonishment. 


Wmiam  Tell  116 

ik  friend  unhesitatingly  declared  that  the  prisoner 
lad  mistaken  the  whole  series  of  incidents  which 
lad  passed  before  his  eyes. 

The  supposed  officer  was  not  an  officer  at  all, 
but  the  servant  of  a  foreign  ambassador ;  it  was  he 
idio  had  dealt  the  first  blow ;  he  had  not  drawn 
lus  sword,  but  the  other  had  snatched  it  from  his 
side,  and  had  run  him  through  the  body  before 
any  one  could  interfere;  whereupon  a  stranger 
from  among  the  crowd  knocked  the  murderer  down 
with  his  stick,  and  some  of  the  foreigners  belonging 
to  the  ambassador's  retinue  carried  off  the  corpse. 
The  friend  of  Raleigh  added  that  government  haa 
ordered  the  arrest  and  immediate  trial  of  the  mur- 
derer, as  the  man  assassinated  was  one  of  the 
principal  servants  of  the  Spanish  ambassador. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Raleigh,  "  but  I  cannot  have 
been  deceived  as  you  suppose,  for  I  was  eye-witness 
to  the  events  which  took  place  under  my  own 
window,  and  the  man  fell  there  on  that  spot 
where  you  see  a  paving-stone  standing  up  above 
the  rest." 

"  My  dear  Raleigh,"  replied  his  friend,  "  I  was 
sitting  on  that  stone 'when  the  fray  took  place, 
and  I  received  this  slight  scratch  on  my  cheek  in 
snatching  the  sword  from  the  murderer,  and  upon 

I  2 


116  William  Tell 

my  word  of  honour,  you  have  been  deceived  upon 
every  particular.'* 

Sir  Walter,  when  alone,  took  up  the  second 
volume  of  his  history,  which  was  in  MS.,  and  con- 
templating it,  thought — "  If  I  cannot  believe  my 
own  eyes,  how  can  I  be  assured  of  the  truth  of  a 
tithe  of  the  events  which  happened  ages  before  I 
was  bom  ? "  and  he  flung  the  manuscript  into  the 
fire*. 

Now  I  think  that  I  can  show  that  the  story  of 
William  Tell  and  the  apple  is  as  fabulous  as — ^what 
shall  I  say } — many  another  historical  event 

It  is  almost  too  well  known  to  need  repetition. 

In  the  year  1307,  Gessler,  Vogt  of  the  Emperor 
Albert  of  Hapsburg,  set  a  hat  on  a  pole,  as  symbol 
of  imperial  power,  and  ordered  every  one  whd 
passed  by  to  do  obeisance  towards  it  A  moun- 
taineer of  the  name,  of  Tell  boldly  traversed  the 
space  before  it  without  saluting  the  abhorred 
BymboL  By  Gessler's  command  he  was  at  once 
seized  and  brought  before  him.  As  Tell  was 
known  to  be  an  expert  archer,  he  was  ordered,  by 

*  This  anecdote  is  taken  from  the  yournal  de  Paris ^  May, 
1787;  which  derived  it  from  "Letters  on  Literature,  by 
Robert  Heron"  (i.e.  John  Pinkerton,  F,A.S.),  1785.  But 
whence  did  Pinkerton  obtain  it  ? 


William  TeU  117 

way  of  punishment^  to  shoot  an  apple  off  the  head 
of  his  own  son.  Finding  remonstrance  vain,  he 
submitted.  The  apple  was  placed  on  the  child's 
head.  Tell  bent  his  bow,  the  arrow  sped,  and  apple 
and  arrow  fell  together  to  the  ground.  But  the 
Vogt  noticed  that  Tell,  before  shooting,  had  stuck 
another  arrow  into  his  belt,  and  he  inquired  the 
reason. 

"It  was  for  you,"  replied  the  sturdy  archer. 
"Had  I  shot  my  child,  know  that  it  would  not 
have  missed  your  heart" 

This  event,  observe,  took  place  in  the  beginning 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  But  Saxo  Gramma- 
ticus,  a  Danish  writer  of  the  twelfth  century,  tells 
the  story  of  a  hero  of  his  own  country,  who  lived 
in  the  tenth  century.  He  relates  the  incident  in 
horrible  style  as  follows : — 

"Nor  ought  what  follows  to  be  enveloped  in 
silence.  Toki,  who  had  for  some  time  been  in  the 
king's  service,  had  by  his  deeds,  surpassing  those  of 
his  comrades,  made  enemies  of  his  virtues.  One 
day,  when  he  had  drunk  too  much,  he  boasted  to 
those  who  sat  at  table  with  him,  that  his  skill  in 
archery  was  such,  that  with  the  first  shot  of  an 
arrow  he  could  hit  the  smallest  apple  set  on  the 
top  of  a  stick  at  a  considerable  distance.     His 


"l-   - 


Vuuam  Tell 

^.t:-:-^  :his,  lost  no  time  in  conveying 
IV-    .i.^  rj  the  king  (Harald  Bluetooth). 
..  >L   :'isc?  cf  this  monarch  soon  trans- 
.  .ctr^x"^  of  the  father  to  the  jeopardy 
.    X-  ,^rcered  the  dearest  pledge  of  his 
. .  .s-     1    'uicc  of  the  stick,  from  whom,  if 
.^.     .   .i:c  boast  did  not  at  his  first  shot 
.  .     !c  -i^k^e,  he  should  with  his  head  pay 
..  .^     1    uving  made  an  idle  boast.     The 
....     '.c  'iing  urged  the  soldier  to  do  this 
,  X  .^    lucti  more  than  he  had  undertaken, 
..^  .1:5^  licitices  of  the  others  having  taken 
^,     *   .%on.b  spoken  when   he  was  hardly 
.>  <cii  J*  the  boy  was  led  forth,  Toki 
^  ^livMishcd  him  to  receive  the  whir  of 
.V  ^':i!inly  as  possible,  with   attentive 
.  »  NvC  moving  his  head,  lest  by  a  slight 
.     N   X\ly  he  should  frustrate  the  expe- 
•,.i  -^ot- tried  skill.     He  also  made  him 
Scs  Mvfc  towards  him,  lest  he  should  be 
^    'V  si^rht  of  the   arrow.     Then   he 
^ivHfcst  nvm  his  quiver,  and  the  very 
>,x   ^'ivV  the  proposed   mark.      Toki 
vn   fVc  king  why  he  had   taken  so 
y.^    nfif«^=5!i  out  of  his   quiver,   when   he 
.^^-  Nit  one  trial  with  his  bow;  'That  I 


i  V 


WiUiam  TeU  119 

might  avenge  on  thee/  he  replied,  *the  error  of 
flie  first,  by  the  points  of  the  others,  lest  my  inno- 
cence mig^t  happen  to  be  afflicted,  and  thy  in- 
justice go  unpunished*  ** 

The  same  incident  is  told  of  Egil,  brother  of  the 
mydiical  Velundr,  in  the  Saga  of  Thidrik. 

In  Norwegian  history  also  it  appears  with  varia- 
tions again  and  again.  It  is  told  of  King  Olaf  the 
Saint  (d.  1030),  that,  desiring  the  conversion  of  a 
brave  heathen  named  Eindridi,  he  competed  with 
him  in  various  athletic  sports ;  he  swam  with  him, 
wrestled,  and  then  shot  with  him.  The  king  dared 
Eindridi  to  strike  a  writing-tablet  from  off  his  son's 
head  with  an  arrow.  Eindridi  prepared  to  attempt 
the  difficult  shot  The  king  bade  two  men  bind* 
the  eyes  of  the  child  and  hold  the  napkin,  so  that 
he  might  not  move  when  he  heard  the  whistle  of 
the  arrow.  The  king  aimed  first,  and  the  arrow 
grazed  the  lad's  head.  Eindridi  then  prepared  to 
shoot,  but  the  mother  of  the  boy  interfered,  and 
persuaded  the  king  to  abandon  this  dangerous  test 
of  skill  In  this  version  also,  Eindridi  is  prepared 
to  revenge  himself  on  the  king,  should  the  child  be 
injured. 

But  a  closer  approximation  still  to  the  Tell  myth 
is  found  in  the  life  of  Hemingr,  another  Norse 


120  William  Tell 

archer  who  was  challenged  by  King  Harald^ 
Sigurd's  son  (d.  1066).     The  story  is  thus  told  : — 

"  The  island  was  densely  overgrown  with  wood, 
and  the  people  went  into  the  forest.  The  king 
took  a  spear  and  set  it  with  its  point  in  the  soil, 
then  he  laid  an  arrow  on  the  string  and  shot  up 
into  the  air.  The  arrow  turned  in  the  air  and  came 
down  upon  the  spear-shaft  and  stood  up  in  it 
Hemingr  took  another  arrow  and  shot  up  ;  his  was 
lost  to  sight  for  some  while,  but  it  came  back  and 
pierced  the  nick  of  the  king's  arrow. ....  Then 
the  king  took  a  knife  and  stuck  it  into  an  oak  ;  he 
next  drew  his  bow  and  planted  an  arrow  in  the 
haft  of  the  knife.  Thereupon  Hemingr  took  his 
arrows.  The  king  stood  by  him  and  said,  '  They 
are  all  inlaid  with  gold,  you  are  a  capital  workman.* 
Hemingr  answered, '  They  are  not  my  manufacture, 
but  are  presents.*  He  shot,  and  his  arrow  cleft 
the  haft,  and  the  point  entered  the  socket  of  the 
blade. 

" '  We  must  have  a  keener  contest,*  said  the  king, 
taking  an  arrow  and  flushing  with  anger ;  then  he 
laid  the  arrow  on  the  string  and  drew  his  bow  to 
the  farthest,  so  that  the  horns  were  nearly  brought 
to  meet  Away  flashed  the  arrow,  and  pierced  a 
tender  twig.    All  said  that  this  was  a  most  asto- 


WUliam  Tell  121 

nishii^  feat  of  dexterity.  But  Hemingr  shot  from 
a  greater  distance,  and  split  a  hazel  nut  All  were 
astonished  to  see  this.  Then  said  the  king,  *  Take 
a  not  and  set  it  on  the  head  of  your  brother  Bjom, 
and  aim  at  it  from  precisely  the  same  distance.  If 
you  miss  the  mark,  then  your  life  goes.' 

"Hemingr  answered,  *Sire,  my  life  is  at  your 
disposal,  but  I  will  not  adventure  that  shot'  Then 
cmt  spake  Bjom,  '  Shoot,  brother,  rather  than  die 
yourself.'  Hemingr  said,  '  Have  you  the  pluck  to 
stand  quite  still  without  shrinking?'  'I  will  do 
my  best,'  said  Bjom.  'Then  let  the  king  stand 
by,'  said  Hemingr, '  and  let  him  see  whether  I  touch 
the  nut' 

"The  king  agreed,  and  bade  Oddr  Ufeig's  son  stand 
by  Bjom,  and  see  that  the  shot  was  fair.  Hemingr 
then  went  to  the  spot  fixed  for  him  by  the  king, 
and  signed  himself  with  the  cross,  saying,  '  God  be 
my  witness  that  I  had  rather  die  myself  than 
injure  my  brother  Bjom;  let  all  the  blame  rest 
on  King  Harald.' 

"Then  Hemingr  flung  his  spear.  The  spear 
went  straight  to  the  mark,  and  passed  between  the 
nut  and  the  crown  of  the  lad,  who  was  not  in  the 
least  injured.  It  flew  further,  and  stopped  not  till 
it  fell 


122  WiUiam  Tell 

"Then  the  king  came  up  and  asked  Oddr  what 
he  thought  about  the  shot." 

Years  after,  this  risk  was  revenged  upon  the 
hard-hearted  monarch.  In  Ae  battle  of  Stamford- 
bridge  an  arrow  from  a  skilled  archer  penetrated  the 
windpipe  of  the  king,  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  sped, 
observes  the  Saga  writer,  from  the  bow  of  Hemingr, 
then  in  the  service  of  the  English  monarch. 

The  story  is  related  somewhat  differently  in  the 
Faroe  Isles,  and  is  told  of  Geyti,  Aslak's  son.  The 
same  Harald  asks  his  men  if  they  know  who  is  his 
match  in  strength.  "  Yes,"  they  reply,  "  there  is  a 
peasant's  son  in  the  uplands,  Geyti,  son  of  Aslak, 
who  is  the  strongest  of  men."  Forth  goes  the  king, 
and  at  last  rides  up  to  the  house  of  Aslak.  "And 
where  is  your  youngest  son  ?" 

"Alas!  alas!  he  lies  under  the  green  sod  of 
Kolrin  kirkgarth."  "  Come,  then,  and  show  me 
his  corpse,  old  man,  that  I  may  judge  whether  he 
was  as  stout  of  limb  as  men  say." 

The  father  puts  the  king  off  with  the  excuse  that 
among  so  many  dead  it  would  be  hard  to  find  his 
boy.  So  the  king  rides  away  over  the  heath.  He 
meets  a  stately  man  returning  from  the  chase,  with 
a  bow  over  his  shoulder.  "And  who  art  thou, 
friend?"     "Geyti,  Aslak's  son."     The  dead  man, 


WiUiam  Tell  123 

■  Aort,  alive  and  well  The  king  tells  him  he  has 
Ikaid  of  his  prowess,  and  is  come  to  match  his 
Itfiei^th  with  him.  So  Geyti  and  the  king  try  a 
mnming-match. 

The  king  swims  well,  but  Geyti  swims  better, 
and  in  the  end  gives  the  monarch  such  a  ducking, 
tiiat  he  is  borne  to  his  house  devoid  of  sense  and 
BK^on.  Harald  swallows  his  anger,  as  he  had 
swallowed  the  water,  and  bids  Geyti  shoot  a  hazel 
nut  from  off  his  brother's  head.  Aslak's  son  con- 
sents, and  invites  the  king  into  the  forest  to  witness 
his  dexterity. 

"  On  the  string  the  shaft  he  laid, 
And  God  hath  heard  his  prayer ; 
He  shot  the  little  nut  away, 
Nor  hurt  the  lad  a  hair." 

Next  day  the  king  sends  for  the  skilful  bowman : 

"  List  thee,  Geyti,  Aslak's  son, 
And  truly  tell  to  me. 
Wherefore  hadst  thou  arrows  twain 
In  the  wood  yestreen  with  thee  ?" 

The  bowman  replies : 

"  Therefore  had  I  arrows  twain 
Yestreen  in  the  wood  with  me, 
Had  I  but  hurt  my  brother  dear. 
The  other  had  pierced  thee  ^." 

'  Oxonian  in  Iceland,  p.  15. 


124  William  Tell 

A  very  similar  tale  is  told  also  in  the  celebrated 
Malleus  Maleficarum  of  a  man  named  Puncher, 
with  this  difference,  that  a  coin  is  placed  on  the 
lad's  head  instead  of  an  apple  or  a  nut  The 
person  who  had  dared  Puncher  to  the  test  of  skill, 
inquires  the  use  of  the  second  arrow  in  his  belt,  and 
receives  the  usual  answer,  that  if  the  first  arrow 
had  missed  the  coin,  the  second  would  have  trans- 
fixed a  certain  heart  which  was  destitute  of  natural 
feeling. 

We  have,  moreover,  our  English  version  of  the 
same  story  in  the  venerable  ballad  of  William  of 
Cloudsley. 

The  Finn  ethnologist  Gastrin  obtained  the  fol- 
lowing tale  in  the  Finnish  village  of  Uhtuwa  : — 

A  fight  took  place  between  some  freebooters  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Alajarwi.  The 
robbers  plundered  every  house,  and  carried  off 
amongst  their  captives  an  old  man.  As  they  pro- 
ceeded with  their  spoils  along  the  strand  of  the 
lake,  a  lad  of  twelve  years  old  appeared  from 
among  the  reeds  on  the  opposite  bank,  armed  with 
a  bow,  and  amply  provided  with  arrows ;  he 
threatened  to  shoot  down  the  captors  unless  the 
old  man,  his  father,  were  restored  to  him.  The 
robbers    mockingly  replied,   that   the   aged   man 


f 


WiUiam  Tell  125 


loold  be  given  to  him,  if  he  could  shoot  an  apple 
tf  his  liead.  The  boy  accepted  the  challenge,  and 
IttL  successfully  accomplishing  it  the  surrender  of 
fhe  venerable  captive  was  made. 

Farid-XJddin    Attar  was    a    Persian    dealer   in 

perfumes,  bom  in  the  year  1119.     He  one  day  was 

so  impressed  with  the  sight  of  a  dervish,  that  he 

sold   bis    possessions  and   followed   righteousness. 

He   composed  the  poem   Mantic   Uttair,   or  the 

language    of  birds.      Observe,   the   Persian  Attar 

lived  at  the  same  time  as  the  Danish  Saxo,  and 

long  before  the  birth  of  Tell.     Curiously  enough 

we  find  a  trace  of  the  Tell  myth  in  the  pages  of 

his  poem.    According  to  him,  however,  the  king 

shoots  the  apple  from  the  head  of  a  beloved  page, 

and   the   lad  dies  from  sheer  fright,  though  the 

arrow  does  not  even  graze  his  skin. 

The  coincidence  of  finding  so  many  versions  of 
the  same  story  scattered  through  countries  as 
remote  as  Persia  and  Iceland,  Switzerland  and 
Denmark,  proves  I  think  that  it  can  in  no  way  be 
regarded  as  history,  but  is  rather  one  of  the 
numerous  household  myths  common  to  the  whole 
stock  of  Aryan  nations.  Probably,  some  one  more 
acquainted  with  Sanskrit  literature  than  myself, 
and  with  better  access  to  its  unpublished  stores  of 


126  William  Tell  T- 

fable  and  legend,  will  some  day  light  on  an  cajUjj^i 
Indian  tale  corresponding  to  that  so  prevalei|^ii' 
among  other  branches  of  the  same  family.  Th^^j;^ 
coincidence  of  the  Tell  myth  being  discovered^:: 
among  the  Finns  is  attributable  to  Russian  or"r 
Swedish  influence.  I  do  not  regard  it  as  %  ^ 
primeval  Turanian,  but  as  an  Aryan  story,  which«.  : 
like  an  erratic  block,  is  found  deposited  on  foreign  \^ 

9 

soil  far  from  the  mountain  whence  it  was  torn. 

Mythologists  will,  I  suppose,  consider  the  myth 
to  represent  the  manifestation  of  some  natural 
phenomena,  and  the  individuals  of  the  story 
to  be  impersonifications  of  natural  forces.  Most 
primeval  stories  were  thus  constructed,  and  their 
origin  is  traceable  enough.  In  Thorn-rose,  for 
instance,  who  can  fail  to  see  the  earth  goddess  re- 
presented by  the  sleeping  beauty  in  her  long  winter 
slumber,  only  returning  to  life  when  kissed  by  the 
golden-haired  sun-god  Phoebus  or  Baldur  ?  But  the 
Tell  myth  has  not  its  signification  thus  painted  on 
the  surface,  and  though  it  is  possible  that  Gessler 
or  Harald  may  be  the  power  of  evil  and  darkness, 
and  the  bold  archer  the  storm-cloud  with  his 
arrow  of  lightning  and  his  iris  bow,  bent  against 
the  sun,  which  is  resting  like  a  coin  or  a  golden 
apple  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon,  yet  we  have  no 


WiUiam  Tell  127 

Iparantee  that  such  an  interpretation  is  not  an 
oierstraining  of  a  theory. 

In  these  ps^es  and  elsewhere  I  have  shown  how 
iMne  of  the  ancient  myths  related  by  the  whole 
Aiyan  family  of  nations  are  reducible  to  allegori- 
cal explanations  of  certain  well-known  natural 
{dienomena  ;  but  I  must  protest  against  the  manner 
h,  which  our  German  friends  fasten  rapaciously 
upon  every  atom  of  history,  sacred  and  profane, 
and  demonstrate  all  heroes  to  represent  the  sun, 
all  villains  to  be  the  demons  of  night  or  winter ;  all 
sticks  and  spears  and  arrows  to  be  the  lightning, 
all  cows  and  sheep  and  dragons  and  swans  to  be 
clouds. 

In  a  work  on  the  superstition  of  Werewolves,  I 
have  entered  into  this  subject  with  some  fulness, 
and  am  quite  prepared  to  admit  the  premises  upon 
which  m)rthologists  construct  their  theories ;  at  the 
same  time  I  am  not  disposed  to  run  to  the  ex- 
travagant lengths  reached  by  some  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  German  scholars.  A  wholesome 
warning  to  these  gentlemen  was  given  some  years 
ago  by  an  ingenious  French  ecclesiastic,  who  wrote 
the  following  argument  to  prove  that  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  was  a  mythological  character.  Arch- 
bishop Whately's  "  Historic  Doubts  "  was  grounded 


128  William  Tell 

on  a  totally  different  line  of  aigument ;  I  subjoin, 
the  other,  as  a  curiosity  and  as  a  caution. 

Napoleon  is,  says  the  writer,  an  impersonifica^ 
tion  of  the  sun. 

1.  Between  the  name  Napoleon  and  Apollo, 
or  Apoleon,  the  god  of  the  sun,  there  is  but 
a  trifling  difference ;  indeed  the  seeming  difference 
is  lessened,  if  we  take  the  spelling  of  his  name 
from  the  column  of  the  Place  Venddme,  where 
it  stands  Neapoled  But  this  syllable  Ne  prefixed, 
to  the  name  of  the  sun-god  is  of  importance ;  like 
the  rest  of  the  name  it  is  of  Greek  origin,  and  is 
vr^  or  vav,  a  particle  of  affirmation,  as  though  in- 
dicating Napoleon  as  the  very  true  Apollo,  or 
sun. 

His  other  name,  Bonaparte,  makes  this  apparent 
connexion  between  the  French  hero  and  the 
luminary  of  the  firmament  conclusively  certain. 
The  day  has  its  two  parts,  the  good  and  luminous 
portion,  and  that  which  is  bad  and  dark.  To  the 
sun  belongs  the  good  part,  to  the  moon  and  stars 
belongs  the  bad  portion.  It  is  therefore  natural 
that  Apollo  or  N^-Apole6n  should  receive  the 
surname  of  Bonaparte. 

2.  Apollo  was  born  in  Delos,  a  Mediterranean 
island ;  Napoleon  in  Corsica,  an  island  in  the  same 


William  Tell  129 

to  Pausanias,  Apollo  was  an 
Egyptian  deity ;  and  in  the  mythological  history 
of  the  fabulous  Napoleon  we  find  the  hero  in 
Egjrpt,  regarded  by  the  inhabitants  with  venera- 
tion, and  receiving  their  homage. 

3.  The    mother    of   Napoleon  was  said  to  be 

Letitia,  "which  signifies  joy,  and  is  an  impersonifi- 

cation    of  the  dawn  of  light  dispensing  joy  and 

gladness  to  all  creation.     Letitia  is  no  other  than 

the  break  of  day,  which  in  a  manner  brings  the 

sun  into  the  world,  and  "  with  rosy  fingers  opes  the 

gates  of  Day."      It  is  significant  that  the  Greek 

name  for  the  mother  of  Apollo  was  Leto.     From 

this   the   Romans  made  the  name  Latona  which 

they  gave  to  his  mother.    But  Lcsto  is  the  unused 

form  of  the  verb  Uetor,  and  signified  to  inspire  joy ; 

it  is  from  this  unused  form  that  the  substantive 

Letitia  is  derived.    The  identity,  then,  of  the  mother 

of  Napoleon  with  the  Greek  Leto  and  the  Latin 

Latona,  is  established  conclusively. 

4.  According  to  the  popular  story,  this  son  of 
Letitia  had  three  sisters,  and  was  it  not  the  same 
with  the  Greek  deity,  who  had  the  three  Graces  ? 

5.  The  modem  Gallic  Apollo  had  four  brothers. 
It  is  impossible  not  to  discern  here  the  anthropo-. 
morphosis  of  the  four  seasons.     But,  it  will  be 

K 


ISO  WiUiam  Tell 

objected,  the  seasons  should  be  females.  Here  the 
French  language  interposes;  for  in  French  the 
seasons  are  masculine,  with  the  exception  of  autumn, 
upon  the  gender  of  which  grammarians  are  un- 
decided, whilst  Autumnus  in  Latin  is  not  more 
feminine  than  the  other  seasons.  This  difficulty  is 
therefore  trifling,  and  what  follows  removes  all 
shadow  of  doubt. 

Of  the  four  brothers  of  Napoleon,  three  are  said 
to  have  been  kings,  and  these  of  course  are,  Spring 
reigning  over  the  flowers,  Summer  reigning  over  . 
the  harvest,  Autumn  holding  sway  over  the  fruits. 
And  as  these  three  seasons  owe  all  to  the  powerful 
influence  of  the  Sun,  we  are  told  in  the  popular 
myth  that  the  three  brothers  of  Napoleon  drew 
their  authority  from  him,  and  received  from  him 
their  kingdoms.  But  if  it  be  added  that,  of  the 
four  brothers  of  Napoleon,  one  was  not  a  king,  that 
wtts  because  he  is  the  impersonification  of  Winter, 
\V'hich  has  no  reign  over  any  thing.  If  however  it 
be  asserted,  in  contradiction,  that  the  winter  has  an 
C4upire,  he  will  be  given  the  principality  over  snows 
,ui  J  frosts,  which,  in  the  dreary  season  of  the  year, 
\\  \\xX\A\  the  face  of  the  earth.  Well !  the  fourth 
luv^hv^r  of  Napoleon  is  thus  invested  by  popular 
U*^vUtii*i>*^  commonly  called  history,  with  a  vain  prin- 


i 


William  Tell  181 

l^lity  accorded  to  him  in  the  decline  of  the  power 
ff  Napoleon.  The  principality  was  that  of  Canino, 
a  name  derived  from  cani,  or  the  whitened  hairs 
of  a  frozen  old  age, — ^true  emblem  of  winter.  To 
Ac  eyes  of  poets,  the  forests  covering  the  hills  are 
dieir  hair,  and  when  winter  frosts  them,  they 
lepresent  the  snowy  locks  of  a  decrepit  nature  in 

I 

the  old  age  of  the  year : 

*^  Cum  gelidus  crescit  canis  in  montibus  humor.'' 

•  Consequently  the  Prince  of  Canino  is  an  impersoni- 
fication  of  winter; — ^winter  whose  reign  begins 
when  the  kingdoms  of  the  three  fine  seasons  are 
.passed  from  them,  and  when  the  sun  is  driven 
from  his  power  by  the  children  of  the  North,*  as 
the  poets  call  the  boreal  winds.  This  is  the  origin 
of  the  fabulous  invasion  of  France  by  the  allied 
armies  of  the  North.  The  story  relates  that  these 
invaders — the  northern  gales — banished  the  many- 
coloured  flag,  and  replaced  it  by  a  white  standard. 
This  too  is  a  graceful,  but,  at  the  same  time,  purely 
fabulous  account  of  the  Northern  winds  driving  all 
the  brilliant  colours  from  the  face  of  the  soil,  to 
replace  them  by  the  snowy  sheet 

6.  Napoleon  is  said  to  have  had  two  wives.    It  is 
well  known  that  the  classic  fable  gave  two  also  to 

K  2 


132  William  Tell 

Apollo.  These  two  were  the  moon  and  the  earth. 
Plutarch  asserts  that  the  Greeks  gave  the  moon  to 
Apollo  for  wife,  whilst  the  Egyptians  attributed  to 
him  the  earth.  By  the  moon  he  had  no  posterity, 
but  by  the  other  he  had  one  son  only,  the  little 
Horus.  This  is  an  Egyptian  allegory  representing 
the  fruits  of  agriculture  produced  by  the  earth  ferti- 
lized by  the  Sun.  The  pretended  son  of  the  fabu- 
lous Napoleon  is  said  to  have  been  born  on  the  20th 
of  March,  the  season  of  the  spring  equinox,  when 
agriculture  is  assuming  its  greatest  period  of  activity. 

7.  Napoleon  is  said  to  have  released  France  from 
the  devastating  scourge  which  terrorized  over  the 
country,  the  hydra  of  the  revolution,  as  it  was 
popularly  called.  Who  cannot  see  in  this  a  Gallic 
version  of  the  Greek  legend  of  Apollo  releasing 
Hellas  from  the  terrible  Python }  The  very  name 
revolution^  derived  from  the  Latin  verb  revolvo, 
is  indicative  of  the  coils  of  a  serpent  like  the 
Python. 

8.  The  famous  hero  of  the  19th  century  had,  it 
is  asserted,  twelve  Marshals  at  the  head  of  his 
armies,  and  four  who  were  stationary  and  inactive. 
The  twelve  first,  as  may  be  seen  at  once,  are  the 
signs  of  the  zodiac,  marching  under  the  orders  of  the 
sun  Napoleon,  and  each  commanding  a  division  of 


WiUtam  Tell  133 

the  innumerable   host  of  stars,  which  are  parted 
into  twelve  portions,  corresponding  to  the  twelve 
agns.       As    for   the  four  stationary   officers,  im- 
movable in  the  midst  of  general  motion,  they  are 
the  cardinal  i)oints. 

9.  It  is  currently  reported  that  the  chief  of  these 

brilliant  armies,  after  having  gloriously  traversed 

the  Southern  kingdoms,  penetrated  the  North,  and 

was  there  unable  to  maintain  his  sway.     This  too 

represents  the  course  of  the  Sun,  which  assumes 

its  greatest  power  in  the  South,  but  after  the  spring 

eqvdnox   seeks  to  reach  the  North,  and   after  a 

three  months'  march  towards  the  boreal  regions,  is 

driven  back  upon  his  traces,  following  the  sign  of 

Cancer,  a  sign  given  to  represent  the  retrogression 

of  the  sun  in  that  portion  of  the  sphere.     It  is  on 

this  that  the  story  of  the  march  of  Napoleon  towards 

Moscow,  and  his  humbling  retreat,  is  founded. 

10.  Finally,  the  sun  rises  in  the  East  and  sets  in 
the  Western  sea.  The  poets  picture  him  rising  out 
of  the  waters  in  the  East,  and  setting  in  the  ocean 
after  his  twelve  hours*  reign  in  the  sky.  Such  is  the 
history  of  Napoleon  coming  from  his  Mediterranean 
isle,  holding  the  reins  of  government  for  twelVe 
years,  and  finally  disappearing  in  the  mysterious 
regions  of  the  gpreat  Atlantic. 


Cfie  IBos  dtWnt 

HAVING  demolished  the  story  of  the  famous 
shot  of  William  Tell,  I  proceed  to  the 
destruction  of  another  article  of  popular  belie£ 

Who  that  has  visited  Snowdon  has  not  seen  the 
grave  of  Llewellyn's  faithful  hound  Gellert,  and 
been  told  by  the  guide  the  touching  story  of  the 
death  of  the  noble  animal  ?  How  can  we  doubt  the 
facts,  seeing  that  the  place,  Beth-Gellert,  is  named 
after  the  dog,  and  that  the  grave  is  still  visible? 
But  unfortunately  for  the  truth  of  the  legend,  its 
pedigree  can  be  traced  with  the  utmost  precision. 

The  story  is  as  follows : — 

The  Welsh  Prince  Llewellyn  had  a  noble  deer- 
hound,  Gellert,  whom  he  trusted  to  watch  the  cradle 
of  his  baby  son  whilst  he  himself  was  absent 

One  day,  on  his  return,  to  his  intense  horror,  he 
beheld  the  cradle  empty  and  upset,  the  clothes 


The  Dog  Gellert  135 

dabbled  -with  blood,  and  Gellert's  mouth  dripping 

with  gore.      Concluding  hastily  that  the  hound  had 

proved    unfaithful,  had   fallen  on  the  child   and 

devoured   it, — in  a  paroxysm  of  rage  the  prince 

drew  his   svrord  and  slew  the  dog.    Next  instant 

the  cry  of  the  babe  from  behind  the  cradle  showed 

him  that  the  child  was  uninjured,  and,  on  looking 

further,  Llewellyn  discovered  the  body  of  a  huge 

wolf,  which  had  entered  the  house  to  seize  and 

devour  the  child,  but  which  had  been  kept  off  and 

killed  by  the  brave  dog  Gellert 

In  his  self-reproach  and  grief,  the  prince  erected 
a  stately  monument  to  Gellert,  and  called  the 
place  where  he  was  buried  after  the  poor  hound's 
name. 

Now,  I  find  in  Russia  precisely  the  same  story 
told,  with  just  the  same  appearance  of  truth,  of  a 
Czar  Piras.  In  Germany  it  appears  with  consider- 
able variations.  A  man  determines  on  slaying  his 
old  dog  Sultan,  and  consults  with  his  wife  how  this 
is  to  be  effected.  Sultan  overhears  the  conversa- 
tion, and  complains  bitterly  to  the  wolf,  who 
suggests  an  ingenious  plan  by  which  the  master 
may  be  induced  to  spare  his  dog.  Next  day, 
when  the  man  is  going  to  his  work,  the  wolf 
undertakes  to  carry  off  the  child  from  its  cradle. 


136  The  Dog  Gellert 

Sultan  is  to  attack  him  and  rescue  the  infant.  The 
plan  succeeds  admirably,  and  the  dog  spends  his 
remaining  years  in  comfort.     (Grimm,  K.  M.  48.) 

But  there  is  a  story  in  closer  conformity  to  that 
of  Gellert  among  the  French  collections  of  fabliaux 
made  by  Le  Grand  d'Aussy  and  Edel^stand  du 
Meril.  It  became  popular  through  the  "Gesta 
Romanorum,"  a  collection  of  tales  made  by  the 
monks  for  harmless  reading,  in  the  fourteenth 
century. 

In  the  "  Gesta  "  the  tale  is  told  as  follows : — 
"  Folliculus,  a  knight,  was  fond  of  hunting  and 
tournaments.  He  had  an  only  son,  for  whom 
three  nurses  were  provided.  Next  to  this  child,  he 
loved  his  falcon  and  his  greyhound.  It  happened 
one  day  that  he  was  called  to  a  tournament,  whither 
his  wife  and  domestics  went  also,  leaving  the  child 
in  the  cradle,  the  greyhound  lying  by  him,  and  the 
falcon  on  his  perch.  A  serpent  that  inhabited  a 
hole  near  the  castle,  taking  advantage  of  the  pro- 
found silence  that  reigned,  crept  from  his  habita- 
tion, and  advanced  towards  the  cradle  to  devour 
the  child.  The  falcon  perceiving  the  danger,  flut- 
tered with  his  wings  till  he  awoke  the  dog,  who 
instantly  attacked  the  invader,  and  after  a  fierce 
conflict,  in  which  he  was  sorely  wounded,  killed 


The  Dog  GelUrt  137 

him.  He  then  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  lick  and 
heal  his  wounds.  When  the  nurses  returned,  they 
found  the  cradle  overturned,  the  child  thrown  out, 
and  the  ground  covered  with  blood,  as  was  also 
the  dog,  who  they  immediately  concluded  had 
kiUed  the  child. 

"  Terrified  at  the  idea  of  meeting  the  anger  of 
the  parents,  they  determined  to  escape;  but  in 
their  flight  fell  in  with  their  mistress,  to  whom  they 
were  compelled  to  relate  the  supposed  murder  of 
the  child  by  the  greyhound.  The  knight  soon 
arrived  to  hear  the  sad  story,  and,  maddened  with 
fury,  rushed  forward  to  the  spot.  The  poor  wounded 
and  faithful  animal  made  an  effort  to  rise  and  wel- 
come his  master  with  his  accustomed  fondness,  but 
the  enraged  knight  received  him  on  the  point  of 
his  sword,  and  he  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground.  On 
examination  of  the  cradle,  the  infant  was  found  alive, 
and  unhurt,  with  the  dead  serpent  lying  by  him. 
The  knight  now  perceived  what  had  happened, 
lamented  bitterly  over  his  faithful  dog,  and  blamed 
himself  for  having  too  hastily  depended  on  the 
words  of  his  wife.  Abandoning  the  profession 
of  arms,  he  broke  his  lance  in  pieces,  and  vowed  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  days  in  peace." 


Suit  .:nusing,  and 

plir  .    rrjinated  with 

rci  r  gallant  Welsh- 

But  the  good 
of  .  :ftheirown,ex- 

n.  -r  :hey  relate,  and 

;.  ^"  like  many  others 

I  :  I  foreign  source. 

L. liters,  and  in  the 

.  '..  so  that  it  must 

.  Mediaeval  Europe. 

.   'A'ise   Masters  are 

;:!<.  the  Kalilah  and 

.-V.V-  about  A.D.  1250, 

•  X  Kylile  and  Dimne, 

-  N  .i::d  Hebrew  works 

.. .    -\^.    That  of  Rabbi 

.  •  Arabic  version  made 

.V  -rury,  whilst  Simeon 

•,  Persian  Kalilah  and 

..    .    xa'.ilah  and  Dimnah 

\  •  <.  it  was  in  turn  a 

^    ^.v  •.  V,;::tschatantra,  made 

xv.'v  the  story  runs  as 


The  Dog  Gellert  139 

A  Brahmin  named  Devasaman  had  a  wife,  who 

gave   birth  to  a  son,  and  also  to  an  ichneumon. 

She  loved   both  her  children  dearly,  giving  them 

alike  the  breast,  and  anointing  them  alike  with 

salves.     But  she  feared  the  ichneumon  might  not 

love  his  brother. 

One  day,  having  laid  her  boy  in  bed,  she  took 
up  the  water  jar,  and  said  to  her  husband,  "  Hear 
me,  master !  I  am  going  to  the  tank  to  fetch  water. 
Whilst  I  am  absent  watch  the  boy,  lest  he  gets 
injured  by  the  ichneumon."    After  she  had  left  the 
house,  the  Brahmin  went  forth  begging,  leaving  the 
house  empty.     In  crept  a  black  snake,  and  at- 
tempted to  bite  the  child ;  but  the  ichneumon 
rushed  at  it,  and  tore  it  in  pieces.    Then  proud  of 
its  achievement,  it  sallied  forth,  all  bloody,  to  meet 
its  mother.    She,  seeing  the  creature  stained  with 
blood,  concluded,  with  feminine  precipitance,  that  it 
had  fallen  on  the  baby  and  killed  it,  and  she  flung 
her  water  jar  at  it  and  slew  it     Only  on  her  return 
home  did  she  ascertain  her  mistake. 

The  same  story  is  also  told  in  the  Hitopadesa 
(iv.  13),  but  the  animal  is  an  otter,  not  an  ich- 
neumon. In  the  Arabic  version  a  weasel  takes 
the  place  of  the  ichneumon. 

The  Buddist  missionaries  carried  the  story  into 


140  The  Dog  Gelleri 

Mongolia,  and  in  the  Mongolian  Uligerun,  which  -, 
is  a  translation  of  the  Tibetian  Dsanglun,  the  - 
story  reappears  with  the  pole-cat  as  the  brave  and  - 
suffering  defender  of  the  child. 

Stanislaus  Julien,  the  great  Chinese  scholar,  has 
discovered  the  same  tale  in  the  Chinese  work 
entitled,  "The  Forest  of  Pearls  from  the  Garden 
of  the  Law."  This  work  dates  from  668 ;  and  in 
it  the  creature  is  an  ichneumon. 

In  the  Persian  Sindibad-nameh,  is  the  same  tale, 
but  the  faithful  animal  is  a  cat.  In  Sandabar  and 
Syntipas  it  has  become  a  dogl  Through  the 
influence  of  Sandabar  on  the  Hebrew  translation 
of  the  Kalilah  and  Dimnah,  the  ichneumon  is  also 
replaced  by  a  dog. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  Gellert  legend ;  it  is 
an  introduction  into  Europe  from  India,  every  step 
of  its  transmission  being  clearly  demonstrable. 
From  the  Gesta  Romanorum  it  passed  into  a 
popular  tale  throughout  Europe,  and  in  different 
countries  it  was,  like  the  Tell  myth,  localized  and 
individualized.  Many  a  Welsh  story,  such  as  those 
contained  in  the  Mabinogion,  are  as  easily  traced 
to  an  Eastern  origin. 

But  every  story  has  its  root.  The  root  of  the 
Gellert  tale  is  this :  A  man  forms  an  alliance  of 


The  Dog  Gellert  141 

nendsliip  ivith  a  beast  or  bird.  The  dumb  animal 
enders  him  a  signal  service.  He  misunderstands 
ie  act,  and  kills  his  preserver. 

We  have  tracked  this  myth  under  the  Gellert 

form   from   India  to  Wales ;   but  under  another 

form  it  is  the  property  of  the  whole  Aryan  family* 

and  forms  a  portion  of  the  traditional  lore  of  all 

nations  sprung  from  that  stock. 

Thence  arose  the  classic  fable  of  the  peasant, 

who,  as  he  slept,  was  bitten  by  a  fly.     He  awoke, 

and  in  a  rage  killed  the  insect     When  too  late  he 

observed  that  the  little  creature  had  aroused  him 

that  he  might  avoid  a  snake  which  lay  coiled  up 

near  his  pillow. 

In  the  Anvar-i-Suhaili  is  the  following  kindred 
tale.  A  king  had  a  falcon.  One  day,  whilst 
hunting,  he  filled  a  goblet  with  water  dropping 
from  a  rock.  As  he  put  the  vessel  to  his  lips,  his 
falcon  dashed  upon  it,  and  upset  it  with  its  wings. 
The  king,  in  a  fury,  slew  the  bird,  and  then  dis- 
covered that  the  water  dripped  from  the  jaws  of  a 
serpent  of  the  most  poisonous  description. 

This  story,  with  some  variations,  occurs  in  iEsop, 
iElian,  and  Apthonius.  In  the  Greek  fable,  a 
peasant  liberates  an  eagle  from  the  clutches  of  a 
dragon.    The  dragon  spirts  poison  into  the  water 


142  The  Dog  Gellert 

which  the  peasant  is  about  to  drink,  without 
observing  what  the  monster  had  done.  The 
grateful  eagle  upsets  the  goblet  with  his  wings. 

The  story  appears  in  Egypt  under  a  whimsical 
form.  A  Wali  once  smashed  a  pot  full  of  herbs 
which  a  cook  had  prepared.  The  exasperated 
cook  thrashed  the  well-intentioned  but  unfortunate 
Wali  within  an  inch  of  his  life,  and  when  he 
returned,  exhausted  with  his  efforts  at  belabouring 
the  man,  to  examine  the  broken  pot,  he  discovered 
amongst  the  herbs  a  poisonous  snake. 

How  many  brothers,  sisters,  uncles,  aunts,  and 
cousins  of  all  degrees  a  little  story  has !  And  how 
few  of  the  tales  we  listen  to  can  lay  any  claim  to 
originality.?  There  is  scarcely  a  story  which  I 
hear,  which  I  cannot  connect  with  some  family  of 
myths,  and  whose  pedigree  I  cannot  ascertain  with 
more  or  less  precision.  Shakespeare  drew  the 
plots  of  his  plays  from  Boccaccio  or  Straparola ; 
but  these  Italians  did  not  invent  the  tales  they 
lent  to  the  English  dramatist  King  Lear  does 
not  originate  with  Geoffry  of  Monmouth,  but  comes 
from  early  Indian  stores  of  fable,  whence  also  are 
derived  the  Merchant  of  Venice  and  the  pound  of 
flesh,  aye  !  and  the  very  incident  of  the  three  caskets. 

But  who  would  credit  it,  were  it  not  proved  by 


The  Dog  Gellert  143 

conclusive  facts,  that  Johnny  Sands  is  the  inhe- 
ritance of  the  whole  Aryan  family  of  nations,  and 
that  Peeping  Tom  of  Coventry  peeped  in  India 
and  on  the  Tartar  steppes  ages  before  Lady 
Godiva  was  born  ? 

If  you  listen  to  Traviata  at  the  opera,  you  have 
set  before  you  a  tale  which  has  lasted  for  centuries, 
and  which  was  perhaps  born  in  India. 

If  you  read  in  classic  fable  of  Orpheus  charm- 
ing woods  and  meadows,  beasts  and  birds,  with  his 
magic  lyre,  you  remember  to  have  seen  the  same 
fable  related  in  the  Kalewala  of  the  Finnish  Wai- 
nomainen,  and  in  the  Kaleopoeg  of  the  Esthonian 
Kalewa. 

If  you  take  up  English  history  and  read  of 
William  the  Conqueror  slipping  as  he  landed  on 
British  soil,  and  kissing  the  earth,  saying  he  had 
come  to  greet  and  claim  his  own,  you  remember 
that  the  same  story  is  told  of  Napoleon  in  Egypt,  of 
King  Olaf  Harald's  son  in  Norway,  and  in  classic 
history  of  Junius  Brutus  on  his  return  from  the  oracle. 

A  little  while  ago  I  cut  out  of  a  Sussex  news- 
paper, a  story  purporting  to  be  the  relation  of  a 
&ct  which  had  taken  place  at  a  fixed  date  in 
Lewes.  This  was  the  story.  A  tyrannical  husband 
locked  the  door  against  his  wife,  who  was  out 


144  The  Dog  Gellert 

having  tea  with  a  neighbour,  gossiping  and  scandal- 
mongering;  when  she  applied  for  admittance,  he 
pretended  not  to  know  her.  She  threatened  to 
jump  into  the  well  unless  he  opened  the  door. 

The  man,  not  supposing  that  she  would  carry  her 
threat  into  execution,  declined,  alleging  that  he 
was  in  bed,  and  the  night  was  chilly;  besides 
which  he  entirely  disclaimed  all  acquaintance  with 
the  lady  who  besought  admittance. 

The  wife  then  flung  a  log  into  a  well,  and 
secreted  herself  behind  the  door.  The  man  hearing 
the  splash,  fancied  that  his  good  lady  was  really 
in  the  deeps,  and  forth  he  darted  in  his  nocturnal 
costume,  which  was  of  the  lightest,  to  ascertain 
whether  his  deliverance  was  complete.  At  once 
the  lady  darted  into  the  house,  locked  the  door, 
and  on  the  husband  pleading  for  admittance,  she 
declared  most  solemnly  from  the  window  that  she 
did  not  know  him. 

Now  this  story,  I  can  positively  assert,  unless 
the  events  of  this  world  move  in  a  circle,  did  not 
happen  in  Lewes,  or  any  other  Sussex  town. 

It  was  told  in  the  Gesta  Romanorum  six 
hundred  years  ago,  and  it  was  told,  may  be,  as 
many  hundred  years  before  in  India,  for  it  is  still 
to  be  found  in  Sanskrit  collections  of  tales. 


T  WELL  remember  having  it  impressed  upon 
-*•  me  by  a  Devonshire  nurse,  as  a  little  child, 
that  all  Comishmen  were  born  with  tails ;  and  it 
was  long  before  I  could  overcome  the  prejudice 
thus  early  implanted  in  my  breast  against  my 
Comubian  neighbours.  I  looked  upon  those  who 
dwelt  across  the  Tamar  as  "uncanny,"  as  being 
scarcely  to  be  classed  with  Christian  people,  and 
certainly  not  to  be  freely  associated  with  by  tail- 
less Devonians.  I  think  my  eyes  were  first  opened 
to  the  fact  that  I  had  been  deceived,  by  a  worthy 

bookseller  of  L ,  with  whom  I  had  contracted 

a  warm  friendship,  he  having  at  sundry  times  con- 
tributed pictures  to  my  scrap-book.  I  remember 
one  day  resolving  to  broach  the  delicate  subject 

L 


146  Tailed  Men 

with   my  tailed   friend,  whom    I   liked,   notwith-  ;^ 
standing  his  caudal  appendage. 

"  Mr.  X ^  is  it  true  that  you  are  a  Cornish-    . 

man?" 

"Yes,  my  little  man;  bom  and  bred  in  the 
West  country." 

"  I  like  you  very  much  ; — but — have  you  really 
got  a  tail.?" 

When  the  bookseller  had  recovered  from  the 
astonishment  which  I  had  produced  by  my  ques- 
tion, he  stoutly  repudiated  the  charge. 

"  But  you  are  a  Cornishman  ?*' 

"  To  be  sure  I  am." 

"  And  all  Comishmen  have  tails." 

I  believe  I  satisfied  my  own  mind  that  the  good 
man  had  sat  his  off,  and  my  nurse  assured  me  that 
such  was  the  case  with  those  of  sedentary  habits. 

It  is  curious  that  Devonshire  superstition  should 
attribute  the  tail  to  Comishmen,  for  it  was  asserted 
of  certain  men  of  Kent  in  olden  times,  and  was 
referred  to  Divine  vengeance  upon  them  for  having 
insulted  S.  Thomas  a  Becket,  if  we  may  believe 
Polydore  Vergil  "  There  were  some,"  he  says, 
'*to  whom  it  seemed  that  the  king's  secret  wish 
was,  that  Thomas  should  be  got  rid  of  He, 
indeed,  as  one  accounted  to  be  an  enemy  of  the 


Tailed  Men  147 

Idng*^  pers6n,  was  already  regarded  with  so  little 
lespccty  nay,  was  treated  with  so  much  contempt, 
that  when  he  came  to  Strood,  which  village  is 
atuated   on  the  Medway,  the  river  that  washes 
Rochester,  the  inhabitants  of  the  place,  being  eager 
to  show  some  mark  of  contumely  to  the  prelate  in 
his  disgrace,  did  not  scruple  to  cut  off  the  tail  of 
•the   horse   on  which  he  was  riding;   but   by  this 
profane  and  inhospitable  act  they  covered   them- 
selves with  eternal  reproach,  for  it   so  happened 
after  this,  by  the  will  of  God,  that  all  the  offspring 
born  from  the  men  who  had  done  this  thing,  were 
bom  with  tails  like  brute  animals.     But  this  mark 
of  infamy,  which  formerly  was  every  where  noto- 
rious, has  disappeared  with  the  extinction  of  the 
race  whose  fathers  perpetrated  this  deed." 

John  Bale,  the  zealous  reformer,  and  Bishop  of 
Ossory  in  Edward  VI.*s  time,  refers  to  this  story, 
and  also  mentions  a  variation  of  the  scene  and 
cause  of  this  ignoble  punishment.  He  writes, 
quoting  his  authorities,  "  John  Capgrave  and  Alex- 
ander of  Esseby  sayth,  that  for  castynge  of  fyshe 
tayles  at  thys  Augustyne,  Dorsettshyre  men  had 
tayles  ever  after.  But  Polydorus  applieth  it  unto 
Kentish  men  at  Stroud,  by  Rochester,  for  cuttinge 
of   Thomas    Beckefs    horse's    tail.      Thus    hath 

L  z 


148  Tailed  Men 

England  in  all  other  land  a  perpetual  infamy  of  ^ 
tayles  by  theye  wrytten  legendes  of  lyes,  yet  can 
they  not  well  tell  where  to  bestowe  them  truely." 
Bale,  a  fierce  and  unsparing  reformer,  and  one  who 
stinted  not  hard  words,  applying  to  the  inventors 
of  these  legends  an  epithet  more  strong  than 
elegant,  says,  "  In  the  legends  of  their  sanctified 
sorcerers  they  have  diffamed  the  English  posterity 
with  tails,  as  has  been  showed  afore.  That  an 
Englyshman  now  cannot  travayle  in  another  land 
by  way  of  marchandyse  or  any  other  honest  occu- 
pyinge,  but  it  is  most  contumeliously  thrown  in 
his  tethe  that  all  Englyshmen  have  tails.  That 
uncomely  note  and  report  have  the  nation  gotten, 
without  recover,  by  these  laisy  and  idle  lubbers, 
the  monkes  and  the  priestes,  which  could  find  no 
matters  to  advance  their  canonized  gains  by,  or 
their  saintes,  as  they  call  them,  but  manifest  lies 
and  knaveries  \" 

Andrew   Marvel    also    makes   mention  of  this 
strange  judgment  in  his  Loyal  Scot: — 

**  But  who  considers  right  will  find  indeed, 
Tis  Holy  Island  ports  us,  not  the  T^*eed. 
Nothing  but  clergy  could  us  two  sedude, 
No  Scotch  was  e>'er  like  a  bishop's  feud. 


*  "Actes  of  English  Votaries.* 


Tailed  Men  149 

All  Litanys  in  this  have  wanted  faith, 
There's  no— Deliver  us  from  a  Bishop*  s  wrath. 
Never  shall  Calvin  pardon'd  be  for  sales, 
Never  for  Bumefs  sake,  the  Lauderdales ; 
For  Becket's  sake,  Kent  always  shall  have  tails.'' 

Bailey  in  his  Dictionary,  under  the  head  of 
**  Kentish  longtails,"  endeavours  to  shift  the  charge 
to  Dorsetshire ;  and  Lambarde,  in  his  "  Perambula- 
tion of  Kent,"  is  equally  sensitive  on  the  subject 
Vieyra,  the  famous  Portuguese  preacher,  says  that 
Satan  was  tail-less  till  his  fall,  when  that  appendage 
grew  to  him  "as  an  outward  and  visible  token  that 
he  had  lost  the  rank  of  an  angel,  and  was  fallen  to 
the  level  of  a  brute  ^" 

It  may  be  remembered  that  Lord  Monboddo,  a 
Scotch  judge  of  last  century,  and  a  philosopher 
of  some  repute,  though  of  great  eccentricity,  stoutly 
maintained  the  theory  that  man  ought  to  have  a 
tail,  that  the  tail  is  a  desideratum^  and  that  the 
abrupt  termination  of  the  spine  without  caudal 
elongation  is  a  sad  blemish  in  the  organization  of 
man.  The  tail,  the  point  in  which  man  is  inferior 
to  the  brute,  what  a  delicate  index  of  the  mind  it 
is !  how  it  expresses  the  passions  of  love  and  hate, 
how  nicely  it  gives  token  of  the  feelings  of  joy  or 

'  Quarterly  Review,  No.  244,  p.  446, 


150  Tailed  Men 

fear  which  animate  the  soul !  But  Lord  Mon- 
boddo  did  not  consider  that  what  the  tail  is  to  the 
brute,  that  the  eye  is  to  man ;  the  lack  of  one 
member  is  supplied  by  the  other.  I  can  tell  a 
proud  man  by  his  eye  just  as  truly  as  if  he  stalked 
past  one  with  erect  tail,  and  anger  is  as  plainly 
depicted  in  the  human  eye  as  in  the  bottle-brush 
tail  of  a  cat.  I  know  a  sneak  by  his  cowering 
glance,  though  he  has  not  a  tail  between  his  legs, 
and  pleasure  is  evident  in  the  laughing  eye,  without 
there  being  any  necessity  for  a  wagging  brush  to 
express  it. 

Dr.  Johnson  paid  a  visit  to  the  judge,  and 
knocked  on  the  head  his  theory,  that  men  ought  to 
have  tails,  and  actually  were  born  with  them 
occasionally,  for,  said  he,  "  Of  a  standing  fact,  sir, 
there  ought  to  be  no  controversy ;  if  there  are  men 
with  tails,  catch  a  homo  caudatiis!'  And,  "  It  is  a 
pity  to  see  Lord  Monboddo  publish  such  notions 
as  he  has  done ;  a  man  of  sense,  and  of  so  much 
elegant  learning.  There  would  be  little  in  a 
fool  doing  it ;  we  should  only  laugh ;  but,  when  a 
wise  man  does  it,  we  are  sorry.  Other  people  have 
strange  notions,  but  they  conceal  them.  If  they 
have  tails,  they  hide  them  ;  but  Monboddo  is  as 
jealous  of  his  tail  as  a  squirrel."     And  yet  Johnson 


Tailed  Men  161 

seems  to  have  been  tickled  with  the  idea,  and  to 

have  been  amused  with  the  notion  of  an  appendage 

fike   a   tail  being  regarded  as  the  complement  of 

human  perfection^    It  may  be  remembered  how 

Johnson    made    the   acquaintance  of  the  young 

Laird  of  Col,  during  his  Highland  tour,  and  how 

pleased  he  was  with  him.     "  Col,"  says  he,  '*  is  a 

noble  animal   He  is  as  complete  an  islander  as  the 

mind  can  figure.    He  is  a  farmer,  a  sailor,  a  hunter, 

a  fisher :  he  will  run  you  down  a  dog ;  if  any  man 

has  a  taily  it  is  CoL"    And  notwithstanding  all  his 

aversion  to  puns,  the  great  Doctor  was  fain  to  yield 

to  human  weakness  on  one  occasion,  under  the 

influence  of  the  mirth  which  Monboddo's  name 

seems  to  have  excited.    Johnson  writes  to  Mrs. 

Thrale  of  a  party  he  had  met  one  night,  which  he 

thus  enumerates ;  "  There  were  Smelt,  and  the 

Bishop  of  S.  Asaph,  who  comes  to  every  place ; 

and  Sir  Joshua,  and  Lord  Monboddo,  and  ladies 

out  of  tale^ 

There  is  a  Polish  story  of  a  witch  who  made 
a  girdle  of  human  skin  and  laid  it  across  the 
threshold  of  a  door  where  a  marriage-feast  was  being 
held.  On  the  bridal  pair  stepping  across  the  girdle 
they  were  transformed  into  wolves.  Three  years 
after  the  witch  sought  them  out,  and  cast  over 


152  Tailed  Mefi 

them  dresses  of  fur  with  the  hair  turned  outward, 
whereupon  they  recovered  their  human  forms,  but, 
unfortunately,  the  dress  cast  over  the  bridegroom 
was  too  scanty,  and  did  not  extend  over  his  tail,  so 
that,  when  he  was  restored  to  his  former  condition, 
he  retained  his  lupine  caudal  appendage,  and  this 
became  hereditary  in  his.  family ;  so  that  all  Poles 
with  tails  are  lineal  descendants  of  the  ancestor  to 
whom  this  little  misfortune  happened.  John  Struys, 
a  Dutch  traveller,  who  visited  the  isle  of  Formosa 
in  1677,  gives  a  curious  story  which  is  worth  tran- 
scribing. 

"  Before  I  visited  this  island,"  he  writes,  "  I  had 
often  heard  tell  that  there  were  men  who  had  long 
tails  like  brute  beasts ;  .but  I  had  never  been  able 
to  believe  it,  and  I  regarded  it  as  a  thing  so  alien 
to  our  nature,  that  I  should  now  have  difficulty  in 
accepting  it,  if  my  own  senses  had  not  removed 
from  me  every  pretence  for  doubting  the  fact,  by 
the  following  strange  adventure : — The  inhabitants 
of  Formosa  being  used  to  see  us,  were  in  the  habit 
of  receiving  us  on  terms  which  left  nothing  to 
apprehend  on  either  side ;  so  that,  although  mere 
foreigners,  we  always  believed  ourselves  in  safety, 
and  had  grown  familiar  enough  to  ramble  at  large 
without  an  escort,  when  grave  experience  taught  us 


Tailed  Men  15& 

that,  in  so  doing,  we  were  hazarding  too  much.    As 
some  of  our  party  were  one  day  taking  a  stroll,  one 
of  them  had  occasion  to  withdraw  about  a  stone's 
throw  from  the  rest,  who  being  at  the   moment 
engaged    in    an    eager    conversation,    proceeded 
without  heeding  the  disappearance  of  their  com- 
panion.    After  a  while,  however,  his  absence  was 
observed,  and  the  party  paused,  thinking  he  would 
rejoin  them.     They  waited  some  time,  but  at  last, 
tired  of  the  delay,  they  returned  in  the  direction  of 
the  spot  where  they  remembered  to  have  seen  him 
last     Arriving  there,  they  were  horrified  to  find 
his  mangled  body  lying  on  the  ground,  though  the 
nature  of  the  lacerations  showed  that  he  had  not  had 
to  suffer  long  ere  death  released  him.    Whilst  some 
remained  to  watch  the  dead  body,  others  went  off 
in  search  of  the  murderer,  and  these  had  not  gone 
far,   when  they  came    upon   a  man   of   peculiar 
appearance,  who,  finding  himself  enclosed  by  the 
exploring  party,  so  as  to  make  escape  from  them 
impossible,  began  to  foam  with  rage,  and  by  cries 
and  wild  gesticulations  to  intimate  that  he  would 
make  any  one  repent  the  attempt  who  should  venture 
to  meddle  with  him.   The  fierceness  of  his  despera- 
tion for  a  time  kept  our  people  at  bay,  but  as  his  fury 
gradually  subsided,  they  gathered  more  closely 


152 


them  dresses  •- 

iT*  then  soon 

whereupon  t1;. 

.5  Tf  who  had 

unfortunate!'. . 

rjc  learn  from 

was  too  sea  I.. 

;  ne  crime  was 

that,  when  i:. 

.^t  v:di  impunity, 

he  retainc'J 

.^aences,  it  was 

became  he 

:«  \as  tied  up  to  a 

with  tails 

^iirs  hours  before  the 

whom  thi. 

:   vas  then  that   I 

a  Dutch 

^;^;»c  :o  see.    He  had  a 

in  1677, 

..vered  with  red  hair. 

scribing 

.,.    Wlien  he  saw  the 

"Be! 

.^.*  seated  among    the 

often  1' 

is-i-red  us  that  his  tail 

tails  r 

..-  2Ui  all  the  inhabitants 

to  be! 

fc  sKd,  where  they  then 

to  or 

*  ..i. -s^ri'PPendagesV' 

accc . 

.^  .nur.r.  .-^fcorted  that,  between 

froi! 

.^•v«£nia,  were  tailed  an- 

the- 

^   .|c  natives  Niam-niams; 

of 

>^v4i?^  on  his  return  from 

of 

<iv:l  ***5  ^  common  report, 

a- 

,^^  .n»i  long  arms,  low  and 

f 

.    .  ^  erect  ears,  and  slim 

\' 


.^-  i?«t  fw>'« "  A"-  ^^50. 


Tailed  Mm  155 

Mr.  Harrison,  in  his  ''  Highlands  of  Ethiopia," 
alludes  to  the  common  belief  among  the  Abys- 
smians,  in  a  pig^y  race  of  this  nature. 

MM.  Arnault  and  Vayssiere,  travellers  in  the 
same  country,  in  1850,  brought  the  subject  before 
Ae  Academy  of  Sciences. 

In  1851  M.  de  Castelnau  gave  additional  details 
relative  to  an  expedition  against  these  tailed  men. 
"The  Niam-niams,"  he  says,  "were  sleeping  in  the 
sun:  the  Haoussas  approached,  and,  falling  on 
them,  massacred  them  to  the  last  man.  They  had 
all  of  them  tails  forty  centimetres  long,  and  from 
two  to  three  in  diameter.  This  organ  is  smooth. 
Among  the  corpses  were  those  of  several  women, 
who  were  deformed  in  the  same  manner.  In  all 
other  particulars,  the  men  were  precisely  like  all 
other  negroes.  They  are  of  a  deep  black,  their 
teeth  are  polished,  their  bodies  not  tattooed.  They 
are  armed  with  clubs  and  javelins;  in  war  they 
utter  piercing  cries.  They  cultivate  rice,  maize, 
and  other  grain.  They  are  fine-looking  men,  and 
their  hair  is  not  frizzled." 

M.  d'Abbadie,  another  Abyssinian  traveller, 
writing  in  185a,  gives  the  following  account  from 
the  lips  of  an  Abyssinian  priest  "  At  the  distance 
of  fifteen  days'  journey  south  of  Herrar,  is  a  place 


156  Tailed  Men 

where  all  the  men  have  tails,  the  length  of  a  palm, 
covered  with  hair,  and  situated  at  the  extremity  of 
the  spine.  The  females  of  that  country  are  very 
beautiful  and  are  tailless.  I  have  seen  some  fifteen 
of  these  people  at  Besberah,  and  I  am  positive  that 
the  tail  is  natural." 

It  will  be  observed  that  there  is  a  discrepancy 
between  the  accounts  of  M.  de  Castelnau  and 
M.  d'Abbadie.  The  former  accords  tails  to  the 
ladies,  whilst  the  latter  denies  them.  According  to 
the  former  the  tail  is  smooth,  according  to  the 
latter  it  is  covered  with  hair. 

Dr.  Wolf  has  improved  on  this  in  his  "  Travels 
and  Adventures,"  Vol.  II.  1861.  "There  are  men 
and  women  in  Abyssinia  with  tails  like  dogs  and 
horses." — "Wolf  heard  also  from  a  great  many 
Abyssinians  and  Armenians  (and  Wolf  is  convinced 
of  the  truth  of  it),  that  there  are  near  Narea  in 
Abyssinia,  people — men  and  women — ^with  large 
tails,  with  which  they  are  able  to  knock  down  a 
horse,  and  there  are  also  such  people  near  China." 
And  in  a  note,  "  In  the  College  of  Surgeons  at 
Dublin  may  still  be  seen  a  human  skeleton,  with  a 
tail  seven  inches  long!  There  are  many  known 
instances  of  this  elongation  of  the  caudal  vertebra, 
as  in  the  Poonangs  in  Borneo." 


Tailed  Mei\  157 

But  the  most  interesting  and  circumstantial 
"account  of  the  Niam-niams  is  that  given  by 
Dr.  Hubsch,  physician  to  the  hospitals  of  Con- 
stantinople. "It  was  in  1852,"  says  he,  "that  I 
saw  for  the  first  time  a  tailed  negrcss.  I  was 
struck  with  this  phenomenon,  and  I  questioned  her 
master,  a  slave  dealer.  I  learned  from  him  that 
there  exists  a  tribe  called  Niam-niam,  occupying 
the  interior  of  Africa.  All  the  members  of  this 
tribe  bear  the  caudal  appendage,  and,  as  Oriental 
imagination  is  given  to  exaggeration,  I  was  assured 
that  the  tails  sometimes  attained  the  length  of  two 
feet  That  which  I  observed  was  smooth  and 
hairless.  It  was  about  two  inches  long,  and  ter- 
minated in  a  point.  This  woman  was  as  black  as 
ebony,  her  hair  was  frizzled,  her  teeth  white,  large, 
and  planted  in  sockets  which  inclined  considerably 
outward ;  her  four  canine  teeth  were  filed,  her 
eyes  bloodshot  She  ate  meat  raw,  her  clothes 
fidgeted  her,  her  intellect  was  on  a  par  with  that 
of  others  of  her  condition. 

"  Her  master  had  been  unable,  during  six  months, 
to  sell  her,  notwithstanding  the  low  figure  at  which 
he  would  have  disposed  of  her;  the  abhorrence 
with  which  she  was  regarded  was  not  attributed  to 
her  tail,  but  to  the  partiality,  which  she  was  unable 


158  Tailed  Men 

to  conceal,   for  human  flesh.      Her  tribe   fed   on 
the  flesh  of  the  prisoners  taken  from   the   neigh-  , 
bouring  tribes,  with  whom  they  were  constantly  at 
war. 

"As  soon  as  one  of  the  tribe  dies,  his  relations, 
instead  of  burying  him,  cut  him  up .  and  regale 
themselves  upon  his  remains ;  consequently  there 
are  no  cemeteries  in  this  land.  They  do  not  all  of 
them  lead  a  wandering  life,  but  many  of  them  con- 
struct hovels  of  the  branches  of  trees.  They  make 
for  themselves  weapons  of  war  and  of  agriculture ; 
they  cultivate  maize  and  wheat,  and  keep  cattle. 
The  Niam-niams  have  a  language  of  their  own,  of 
an  entirely  primitive  character,  though  containing 
an  infusion  of  Arabic  words. 

'*  They  live  in  a  state  of  complete  nudity,  and 
seek  only  to  satisfy  their  brute  appetites.  There  is 
among  them  an  utter  disregard  for  morality,  incest 
and  adultery  being  common.  The  strongest  among 
them  becomes  the  chief  of  the  tribe ;  and  it  is  he 
who  apportions  the  shares  of  the  booty  obtained  in 
war.  It  is  hard  to  say  whether  they  have  any 
religion;  but  in  all  probability  they  have  none, 
as  they  readily  adopt  any  one  which  they  are 
taught 

"It  is  difficult  to  tame  them  altogether;   their 


TaOed  Men  159 

fflstinct  iicnpelling  them  constantly  to  seek  for 
Inunan  flesh ;  and  instances  are  related  of  slaves 
iriio  have  massacred  and  eaten  the  children  con- 
fided to  their  charge. 

"I  have  seen  a  man  of  the  same  race,  who 
had  a  tail  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  covered 
with  a  few  hairs.  He  appeared  to  be  thirty- 
five  years  old;  he  was  robust,  well  built,  of  an 
ebon  blackness,  and  had  the  same  peculiar  forma- 
tion of  jaw  noticed  above,  that  is  to  say,  the  tooth 
sockets  were  inclined  outwards.  Their  four  canine 
teeth  are  filed  down,  to  diminish  their  power  of 
mastication. 

"  I  know  also,  at  Constantinople,  the  son  of  a 
physician,  aged  two  years,  who  was  bom  with  a 
tail  an  inch  long ;  he  belonged  to  the  white  Cau- 
casian race.  One  of  his  grandfathers  possessed  the 
same  appendage.  This  phenomenon  is  r^arded 
generally  in  the  East  as  a  sign  of  great  brute 
force." 

About  ten  years  ago,  a  newspaper  paragraph 
recorded  the  birth  of  a  boy  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
provided  with  a  tail  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter 
long.  It  was  asserted  that  the  child  when  sucking 
wagged  this  stump  as  token  of  pleasure. 

According  to  a  North- American  Indian  tradition 


..  .  -  i.n 

:---:ij1Iv   with   tails,  tails 

::L*iy.      These  tails  were 

.jjmod  them  with  paint, 

■.•!  rhe  world  was  at  peace, 

7    .:n known.      Men  became 

'.[^xer,  and   He  found  it 

'.'jir  serenity    by    sending 

:*:^'.i:  teach  them  humility, 

V  their  dependence  on  the 

•  J  .r.nputated  their  tails,  and 

;,  -nirra   fashioned   women — 

.  .s  retain  traces  of  their  origin, 

:v.iiling  after  the  men,  frisky 

..  .tv:  all  this  testimony  in  favour 
.'.!C!i.  I  profess  myself  dubious ; 
;  ^    when  a  ho7no  caudatiis  has 
cx^:!  to  me. 

'xc..  N.  American  Indians,  iii.  175, 


FROM  the  earliest  ages  of  the  Church,  the 
advent  of  the  Man  of  Sin  has  been  looked 
forward  to  with  terror,  and  the  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture relating  to  him  have  been  studied  with  solemn 
awe,  lest  that  day  of  wrath  should  come  upon  the 
Church  unawares.  As  events  in  the  world's  history 
took  place  which  seemed  to  be  indications  of  the 
approach  of  Antichrist,  a  great  horror  fell  upon 
men's  minds,  and  their  imaginations  conjured  up 
myths  which  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  which 
were  implicitly  believed. 

Before  speaking  of  these  strange  tales  which  pro- 
duced such  an  effect  on  the  minds  of  men  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  it  will  be  well  briefly  to  examine  the 
opinions  of  divines  of  the  early  ages  on  the  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  connected  with  the  coming  of 
the  last  great  persecutor  of  the  Church.    Antichrist 

M 


16^  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

was  believed  by  most  ancient  writers  to  be  destined 
to  arise  out  of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  a  belief  founded 
on  the  prediction  of  Jacob,  "  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent 
by  the  way,  an  adder  in  the  path  "  (conf  Jeremiah 
viii.  1 6),  and  on  the  exclamation  of  the  dying 
patriarch,  when  looking  on  his  son  Dan,  "  I  have 
waited  for  Thy  Salvation,  O  Lord,"  as  though  the 
long-suffering  of  God  had  borne  long  with  that 
tribe,  but  in  vain,  and  it  was  to  be  extinguished 
without  hope.  This,  indeed,  is  implied  in  the 
sealing  of  the  servants  of  God  in  their  foreheads 
(Revelation  vii.),  when  twelve  thousand  out  of 
every  tribe,  except  Dan,  were  seen  by  S.  John 
to  receive  the  seal  of  adoption,  whilst  of  the  tribe 
of  Dan  not  one  was  sealed,  as  though  it,  to  a  man, 
had  apostatized. 

Opinions  as  to  the  nature  of  Antichrist  were 
divided.  Some  held  that  he  was  to  be  a  devil  in 
phantom  body,  and  of  this  number  was  Hippolytus. 
Others  again  believed  that  he  would  be  an  incarnate 
demon,  true  man  and  true  devil ;  in  fearful  and 
diabolical  parody  of  the  Incarnation  of  our  Lord. 
A  third  view  was  that  he  would  be  merely  a  des- 
perately wicked  man,  acting  upon  diabolic  inspira- 
tions, just  as  the  saints  act  upon  divine  inspirations. 
S.  John  Damascene  expressly  asserts  that  he  will 


A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan  163 

not  be  an  incarnate  demon,  but  a  devilish  man,  for 
he  says,  "  Not  as  Christ  assumed  humanity,  so  will 
the  devil  become  human,  but  the  Man  will  receive 
all  the  inspiration  of  Satan,  and  will  suffer  the  devil 
to  take  up  his  abode  within  him."     In  this  manner. 
Antichrist  could  have  many  forerunners,  and  so  S. 
Jerome   and   S.  Augustine   saw  an  Antichrist   in 
Nero,  not  the  Antichrist,  but  one  of  those  of  whom 
the  Apostle  speaks — "  Even  now  are  there  many 
Antichrists."      Thus    also    every    enemy    of   the 
faith,   such  as  Diocletian,  Julian,  and   Mahomet, 
has  been  regarded  as  a  precursor  of  the  Arch- 
persecutor,  who  was  expected  to  sum  up  in  him- 
self the  cruelty  of  a  Nero  or  Diocletian,  the  show 
of  virtue  of  a  Julian,  and  the  spiritual  pride  of  a 
Mahomet. 

From  infancy  the  evil  one  is  to  take  possession 
of  Antichrist,  and  to  train  him  for  his  office,  instil- 
ling into  him  cunning,  cruelty,  and  pride.  His 
doctrine  will  be — not  downright  infidelity,  but  a 
"show  of  godliness,"  whilst  "denying  the  power 
thereof,"  i.e.  the  miraculous  origin  and  divine 
authority  of  Christianity.  He  will  sow  doubts  of 
our  Lord's  manifestation  "in  the  flesh,"  he  will 
allow  Christ  to  be  an  excellent  Man,  capable  of 
teaching  the  most  exalted  truths,  and  inculcating 

M  % 


164  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

the  purest  morality,  yet  Himself  fallible  and  carried 
away  by  fanaticism. 

In  the  end,  however.  Antichrist  will  "exalt 
himself  to  sit  as  God  in  the  temple  of  God,^*  and 
become  "the  abomination  of  desolation  standing 
in  the  holy  place."  At  the  same  time  there  is 
to  be  an  awful  alliance  struck  between  himself, 
the  impersonification  of  the  world-power,  and  the 
Church  of  God  ;  some  high  pontiff  of  which,  or  the 
episcopacy  in  general,  will  enter  into  league  with 
the  unbelieving  State  to  oppress  the  very  elect  It 
is  a  strange  instance  of  religionary  virulence  which 
makes  some  detect  the  Pope  of  Rome  in  the 
Man  of  Sin,  the  Harlot,  the  Beast,  and  the 
Priest  going  before  it.  The  Man  of  Sin  and  the 
Beast  are  unmistakably  identical,  and  refer  to 
an  Antichristian  world-power;  whilst  the  Harlot 
and  the  Priest  are  symbols  of  an  apostasy  in  the 
Church.  There  is  nothing  Roman  in  this,  but 
something  very  much  the  opposite. 

How  the  Abomination  of  Desolation  can  be  con- 
sidered as  set  up  in  a  Church  where  every  sanc- 
tuary is  adorned  with  all  that  can  draw  the  heart 
to  the  Crucified,  and  raise  the  thoughts  to  the 
imposing  ritual  of  heaven,  is  a  puzzle  to  me.  To 
the  man  uninitiated  in  the  law  that  Revelation  is 


A  ntichfist  and  Pope  Joan  165 

to  be  interpreted  by  contraries,  it  would  seem  more 
like  the  Abomination  of  Desolation  in  the  Holy 
Place  if  he  entered  a  Scotch  Presbyterian,  or  a 
Dutch  Calvinist,  place  of  worship.  Rome  does  not 
fight  against  the  Daily  Sacrifice,  and  endeavour  to 
abolish  it ;  that  has  been  rather  the  labour  of  so- 
called  Church  Reformers,  who  with  the  suppression 
of  the  doctrine  of  Eucharistic  Sacrifice  and  Sacra- 
mental Adoration  have  well  nigh  obliterated  all 
notion  of  worship  to  be  addressed  to  the  God-Man. 
Rome  does  not  deny  the  power  of  the  godliness  of 
which  she  makes  show,  but  insists  on  that  power 
with  no  broken  accents.  It  is  rather  in  other  com- 
munities, where  authority  is  flung  aside,  and  any 
man  is  permitted  to  believe  or  reject  what  he  likes, 
that  we  must  look  for  the  leaven  of  the  Antichris- 
tian  spirit  at  work.  However,  this  is  not  a  ques- 
tion into  which  we  care  to  enter,  our  province  is 
myth  not  theology. 

In  the  time  of  Antichrist,  we  are  told  by  ancient 
Commentators,  the  Church  will  be  divided  :  one 
portion  will  hold  to  the  world-power,  the  other  will 
seek  out  the  old  paths,  and  cling  to  the  only  true 
Guide.  The  high  places  will  be  filled  with  un- 
believers in  the  Incarnation,  and  the  Church  will 
be  in  a  condition  of  the  utmost  spiritual,  degrada- 


166  A  ntickrist  and  Pope  Joan 

tion,  but  enjoying  the  highest  State  patronage. 
The  religion  in  favour  will  be  one  of  morality,  but 
not  of  dogma ;  and  the  Man  of  Sin  will  be  able  to 
promulgate  his  doctrine,  according  to  S.  Anselm, 
through  his  great  eloquence  and  wisdom,  his  vast 
learning  and  mightiness  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
which  he  will  wrest  to  the  overthrowing  of  dogma. 
He  will  be  liberal  in  bribes,  for  he  will  be  of  un- 
bounded wealth  ;  he  will  be  capable  of  performing 
great  "signs  and  wonders,"  so  as  "to  deceive — ^the 
very  elect ;"  and  at  the  last,  he  will  tear  the  moral 
veil  from  his  countenance,  and  a  monster  of  impiety 
and  cruelty,  he  will  inaugurate  that  awful  persecu- 
tion, which  is  to  last  for  three  years  and  a  half,  and 
to  excel  in  horror  all  the  persecutions  that  have 
gone  before. 

In  that  terrible  season  of  confusion  faith  will  be 
all  but  extinguished.  "When  the  Son  of  Man 
Cometh  shall  He  find  faith  on  the  earth  ?"  asks  our 
Blessed  Lord,  as  though  expecting  the  answer.  No ; 
and  then,  says  Marchantius,  the  vessel  of  the 
Church  will  disappear  in  the  foam  of  that  boiling 
deep  of  infidelity,  and  be  hidden  in  the  blackness 
of  that  storm  of  destruction  which  sweeps  over  the 
earth.  The  sun  shall  "  be  darkened,  and  the  moon 
shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 


.  Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  167 

lieaven  ;**  the  sun  of  faith  shall  have  gone  out ;  the 
moon,  the  Church,  shall  not  give  her  light,  being 
tamed  into  blood,  through  stress  of  persecution ; 
and  the  stars,  the  great  ecclesiastical  dignitaries, 
shall  fall  into  apostasy.  But  still  the  Church  will 
remain  unwrecked,  she  will  weather  the  storm  ;  still 
will  she  come  forth  "  beautiful  as  the  moon,  terrible 
as  an  army  with  banners;"  for  after  the  lapse  of 
those  three  and  a  half  years,  Christ  will  descend  to 
avenge  the  blood  of  the  saints,  by  destroying  Anti- 
christ and  the  world-power. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Scriptural  doctrine 
of  Antichrist  as  held  by  the  Early  and  Mediaeval 
Church.  Let  us  now  see  to  what  Myths  it  gave 
rise  among  the  vulgar  and  the  imaginative.  Rabanus 
Maurus,  in  his  work  on  the  life  of  Antichrist,  gives 
a  full  account  of  the  miracles  he  will  perform  ;  he 
tells  us  that  the  Man-fiend  will  heal  the  sick,  raise 
the  dead,  restore  sight  to  the  blind,  hearing  to  the 
deaf,  speech  to  the  dumb ;  he  will  raise  storms  and 
calm  them,  will  remove  mountains,  make  trees 
flourish  or  wither  at  a  word.  He  will  rebuild  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  make  the  Holy  City  the 
great  capital  of  the  world.  Popular  opinion  added 
that  his  vast  wealth  would-be  obtained  from  hidden 
treasures,  which  are  now  being  concealed  by  the 


168  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

demons  for  his  use.  Various  possessed  persons, 
when  interrogated,  announced  that  such  was  the 
case,  and  that  the  amount  of  buried  gold  was  vast. 
"  In  the  year  1599,"  says  Canon  Moreau,  a  con- 
temporary historian,  "a  rumour  circulated  with 
prodigious  rapidity  through  Europe,  that  Anti- 
christ had  been  bom  at  Babylon,  and  that  already 
the  Jews  of  that  part  were  hurrying  to  receive  and 
recognize  him  as  their  Messiah.  The  news  came 
from  Italy  and  Germany,  and  extended  to  Spain, 
England,  and  other  Western  kingdoms,  troubling 
many  people,  even  the  most  discreet ;  however  the 
learned  gave  it  no  credence,  saying  that  the  signs 
predicted  in  Scripture  to  precede  that  event  were 
not  yet  accomplished,  and  among  other  that  the 
Roman  empire  was  not  yet  abolished.  .  .  .  Others 
said  that,  as  for  the  signs,  the  majority  had  already 
appeared  to  the  best  of  their  knowledge,  and  with 
regard  to  the  rest,  they  might  have  taken  place  in 
distant  regions  without  their  having  been  made 
known  to  them ;  that  the  Roman  empire  existed 
but  in  name,  and  that  the  interpretation  of  the 
passage  on  which  its  destruction  was  predicted, 
might  be  incorrect :  that  for  many  centuries,  the 
most  learned  and  pious  had  believed  in  the  near 
approach  of  Antichrist,  some  believing  that  he  had 


A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan  169 

already  come,  on  account  of  the  persecutions  which 
had  fallen  on  the  Christians  ;  others  on  account  of 
fires,  or  eclipses,  or  earthquakes.  .  .  .  Every  one 
was  in  excitement ;  some  declared  that  the  news 
must  be  correct,  others  believed  nothing  about  it, 
and  the  agitation  became  so  excessive,  that  Henry 
IV.,  who  was  then  on  the  throne,  was  compelled  by 
edict  to  forbid  any  mention  of  the  subject." 

The  report  spoken  of  by  Moreau  gained  addi- 
tional confirmation  from  the  announcement  made 
by  an  exorcised  demoniac,  that  in  1600,  the  Man  of 
Sin  had  been  born  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris 
of  a  Jewess,  named  Blanchefleure,  who  had  con- 
ceived by  Satan.  The  child  had  been  baptized  at 
the  Sabbath  of  Sorcerers ;  and  a  witch,  under  tor- 
ture, acknowledged  that  she  had  rocked  the  infant 
Antichrist  on  her  knees,  and  she  averred  that  he 
had  claws  on  his  feet,  wore  no  shoes,  and  spoke  all 
languages. 

In  1623  appeared  the  following  startling  an- 
nouncement, which  obtained  an  immense  circula- 
tion among  the  lower  orders  :  "  We,  brothers  of  the 
Order  of  S.  John  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  isle  of  Malta, 
have  received  letters  from  our  spies,  who  are  en- 
gaged in  our  service  in  the  country  of  Babylon, 
now  possessed  by  the  Grand  Turk  ;    by  the  which 


170  Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

letters  we  are  advertised,  that,  on  the  ist  of 
May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1623,  a  child 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Bourydot,  otherwise 
called  Calka,  near  Babylon,  of  the  which  child 
the  mother  is  a  very  aged  woman  of  race  un- 
known, called  Fort-Juda :  of  the  father  nothing 
is  known.  The  child  is  dusky,  has  pleasant  mouth 
and  eyes,  teeth  pointed  like  those  of  a  cat,  ears 
large,  stature  by  no  means  exceeding  that  of  other 
children  ;  the  said  child,  incontinent  on  his  birth, 
walked  and  talked  perfectly  well.  His  speech  is 
comprehended  by  every  one,  admonishing  the 
people  that  he  is  the  true  Messiah,  and  the  son  of 
God,  and  that  in  him  all  must  believe.  Our  spies 
also  swear  and  protest  that  they  have  seen  the  said 
child  with  their  own  eyes  ;  and  they  add,  that,  on 
the  occasion  of  his  nativity,  there  appeared  mar- 
vellous signs  in  heaven,  for  at  full  noon  the  sun  lost 
its  brightness,  and  was  for  some  time  obscured." 
This  is  followed  by  a  list  of  other  signs  appear- 
ing, the  most  remarkable  being  a  swarm  of  flying 
serpents,  and  a  shower  of  precious  stones. 

According  to  Sebastian  Michaeliz,  in  his  history 
of  the  possessed  of  Flanders,  on  the  authority  of 
the  exorcised  demons,  we  learn  that  Antichrist  is 
to  be  a  son  of  Beelzebub,  who  will  accompany  his 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  171 

t)&pring  under  the  form  of  a  bird,  with  four  feet 
and  a  bull's  head ;  that  he  will  torture  Christians 
with  the  same  tortures  with  which  the  lost  souls  are 
racked  ;  that  he  will  be  able  to  fly,  speak  all  lan- 
guages, and  will  have  any  number  of  names. 

We  find  that  Antichrist  is  known  to  the  Mussul- 
mans as  well  as  to  Christians.  Lane,  in  his  edition 
of  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  gives  some  curious  details 
on  Moslem  ideas  regarding  him.  According  to 
these,  Antichrist  will  overrun  the  earth,  mounted  on 
an  ass,  and  followed  by  40,000  Jews ;  his  empire 
will  last  forty  days,  whereof  the  first  day  will  be  a 
year  long,  the  duration  of  the  second  will  be  a 
month,  that  of  the  third  a  week,  the  others  being  of 
their  usual  length.  He  will  devastate  the  whole 
world,  leaving  Mecca  and  Medina  alone  in  security, 
as  these  holy  cities  will  be  guarded  by  angelic 
legions.  Christ  at  last  will  descend  to  earth,  and 
in  a  great  battle  will  destroy  the  Man-devil. 

Several  writers  of  different  denominations,  no 
less  superstitious  than  the  common  people,  con- 
nected the  apparition  of  Antichrist  with  the  fable 
of  Pope  Joan,  which  obtained  such  general 
credence  at  one  time,  but  which  modern  criticism 
has  at  length  succeeded  in  excluding  from  his- 
tory. 


172  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

The  earliest  writer  supposed  to  mention  Pope 
Joan  is  Anastasius  the  Librarian,  a  contemporary 
(d.  886) ;  next  to  him  is  Marianus  Scotus,  who  in 
his  chronicle  inserts  the  following  passage :  "  A.D. 
854,  Lotharii  14,  Joanna,  a  woman,  succeeded  Leo, 
and  reigned  two  years,  five  months,  and  four  days." 
Marianus  Scotus  died  A.D.  1086.  The  same  story 
is  inserted  in  the  valuable  chronicle  of  Sigebert  de 
Gemblours  (d.  5th  Oct.  1112) :  "  It  is  reported  that 
this  John  was  a  female,  and  that  she  conceived  by 
one  of  her  servants.  The  Pope,  becoming  preg- 
nant, gave  birth  to  a  child,  wherefore  some  do  not 
number  her  among  the  Pontiffs,"  Hence  the  story 
spread  among  the  mediaeval  chroniclers,  who  were 
great  plagiarists.  Otto  of  Frisingen  and  Gotfrid  of 
Viterbo  mention  the  Lady-Pope  in  their  histories, 
and  Martin  Polonus  gives  details  as  follows  :  "  After 
Leo  IV.  John  Anglus,  a  native  of  Metz,  reigned  two 
years,  five  months,  and  four  days.  And  the  pontifi- 
cate was  vacant  for  a  month.  He  died  in  Rome. 
He  is  related  to  have  been  a  female,  and,  when  a 
girl,  to  have  accompanied  her  sweetheart  in  male 
costume  to  Athens  ;  there  she  advanced  in  various 
sciences,  and  none  could  be  found  to  equal  her. 
So,  after  haviiig  studied  for  three  years  in  Rome, 
she  had  great  masters  for  her  pupils  and  hearers. 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  1 73 

And  when  there  arose  a  high  opinion  in  the  city  of 
her  virtue  and  knowledge,  she  was  unanimously 
dected  Pope.  But  during  her  papacy  she  became 
b  the  family  way  by  a  familiar.  Not  knowing  the 
time  of  birth,  as  she  was  on  her  way  from  S. 
Peter's  to  the  Lateran  she  had  a  painful  delivery, 
between  the  Coliseum  and  S.  Clement's  Church, 
in  the  street.  Having  died  after,  it  is  said  that  she 
was  buried  on  the  spot,  and  therefore  the  Lord 
Pope  always  turns  aside  from  that  way,  and  it  is 
supposed  by  some,  out  of  detestation  for  what  hap- 
pened there.  Nor  on  that  account  is  she  placed  in 
the  catalogue  of  the  Holy  Pontiffs,  not  only  on 
account  of  her  sex,  but  also  because  of  the  horrible- 
ness  of  the  circumstance." 

Certainly  a  story  at  all  scandalous  crescit  eundo. 

William  Ocham  alludes  to  the  story,  Thomas 
de  Elmham  (1422)  quaintly  observes,  "A.D.  855. 
Joannes.  Iste  non  computatus.  Foemina  fuit ;"  and 
John  Huss,  only  too  happy  to  believe  it,  provides  the 
lady  with  a  name,  and  asserts  that  she  was  bap- 
tized Agnes,  or,  as  he  will  have  it  with  a  strong 
aspirate,  Hagnes.  Others,  however,  insist  upon  her 
name  having  been  Gilberta,  and  some  stout  Ger- 
mans, not  relishing  the  notion  of  her  being  a 
daughter  of  Fatherland,  palm  her  off  on  England. 


174  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  yoan 

As  soon  as  we  arrive  at  Reformation  times  the 
German  and  French  Protestants  fasten  on  the  story 
with  the  utmost  avidity,  and  add  sweet  little 
touches  of  their  own,  and  draw  conclusions  galling 
enough  to  the  Roman  See,  illustrating  their 
accounts  with  wood  engravings  vigorous  and 
graphic,  but  hardly  decent.  One  of  these  repre- 
sents the  event  in  a  peculiarly  startling  manner. 
The  procession  of  bishops  with  the  Host  and  tapers 
is  sweeping  along,  when  suddenly  the  cross-bearer 
before  the  triple-crowned  and  vested  Pope  starts 
aside  to  witness  the  unexpected  arrival.  This 
engraving,  which  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to 
reproduce,  is  in  a  curious  little  book,  entitled 
"  Puerperium  Johannis  Papae  8,  1530." 

The  following  jingling  record  of  the  event  is  from 
the  Rhythmical  Vitae  Pontificum  of  Gulielmus 
Jacobus  of  Egmonden,  a  work  never  printed.  This 
fragment  is  preserved  in  "WolfSi  Lectionum  Me- 
morabilium  centenarii,  XVI. :" 

"  Priusquam  reconditur  Sergius,  vocatur 
Ad  summam,  qui  dicitur  Johannes,  huic  addatur 
Anglicus,  Moguntia  iste  procreatur. 
Qui,  ut  dat  sententia,  foeminis  aptatur 
Sexu  :  quod  sequentia  monstrant,  breviatur, 
Haec  vox  :  nam  prolixius  chronica  procedunt 
Ista,  de  qua  brevius  dicta  minus  laedunt. 


A ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan  175 

Huic  erat  amasius,  ut  scriptores  crcdunt 
Patria  relinquitur  Moguntia,  Graecorum 
Studios^  petitur  schola.     P6st  doctorum 
Haec  doctrix  efficitur  Romae  legens  :_horum 
Haec  auditu  fungi tur  loquens.     Hinc  prostrate 
Summo  haec  eligitur :  sexu  exaltato 
Quandoque  negligitur.     Fatur  quod  haec  nato 
Per  servum  conficitur.    Tempore  gignendi 
Ad  processum  equus  scanditur,  vice  flendi, 
Papa  cadit,  panditur  improbis  ridendi 
Norma,  puer  nascitur  in  vico  dementis, 
Colossoeum  jungitur.     Corpus  parentis 
In  eodem  traditur  sepulturae  gentis, 
Faturque  scriptoribus,  quod  Papa  praefato, 
Vico  senioribus  transiens  amato 
Congruo  ductoribus  sequitur  negato 
Loco,  quo  Ecclesia  partu  denigratur, 
Quamvis  inter  spacia  Pontificum  ponatur, 
Propter  sexiun." 

Stephen  Blanch,  in  his  "  Urbis  Romae  Mirabilia," 
says  that  an  angel  of  heaven  appeared  to  Joan 
before  the  event,  and  asked  her  to  choose  whether 
she  should  prefer  burning  eternally  in  hell,  or 
having  her  confinement  in  public  ;  with  sense  which 
does  her  credit,  she  chose  the  latter.  The  Protes- 
tant writers  were  not  satisfied  that  the  father  of 
the  unhappy  baby  should  have  been  a  servant : 
some  made  him  a  Cardinal,  and  others  the  devil 
himself  According  to  an  eminent  Dutch  minister, 
it  is  immaterial  whether  the  child  be  fathered  on 
Satan  or  a  monk :  at  all  events,  the  former  took  a 


176  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan  '^ 

lively  interest  in  the  youthful  Antichrist,  and,  on  - 
the  occasion   of  his   birth,   was    seen  and   heard 
fluttering  overhead,  crowing  and   chanting  in   an 
unmusical  voice  the   Sibyline  verses  announcing 
the  birth  of  the  Arch-persecutor : — 

"  Papa  pater  patnim,  Papissae  pandito  partum 
Et  tibi  tunc  eadem  de  corpore  quando  recedam!" 

which  lines,  as  being  perhaps  the  only  ones  known 
to  be  of  diabolic  composition,  are  deserving  of  pre- 
servation. 

The  Reformers,  in  order  to  reconcile  dates,  were 
put  to  the  somewhat  perplexing  necessity  of 
moving  Pope  Joan  to  their  own  times,  or  else  of 
giving  to  the  youthful  Antichrist  an  age  of  seven 
hundred  years. 

It  must  be  allowed  that  the  accouofiement  of  a 
Pope  in  full  pontificals,  during  a  solemn  procession, 
was  a  prodigy  not  likely  to  occur  more  than  once 
in  the  world's  history,  and  was  certain  to  be  of 
momentous  import. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  curious  woodcut  repro- 
duced as  frontispiece  from  Baptista  Mantuanus, 
that  he  consigned  Pope  Joan  to  the  jaws  of  hell, 
notwithstanding  her  choice.  The  verses  accom- 
panying this  picture  are : 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  Yll 

"  Hie  pendebat  adbuc  sexum  mentita  virile 
Foemina,  cui  triplici  Phrygiam  diadcmate  mitram 
Extollebat  apex :  et  pontificalis  adulter." 

It  need  hardly  be  stated  that  the  whole  story  of 
Pope  Joan  is  fabulous,  and  rests  on  not  the  slightest 
Kstorical  foundation.  It  was  probably  a  Greek 
invention  to  throw  discredit  on  the  papal  hierarchy, 
first  circulated  more  than  two  hundred  years  after 
the  date  of  the  supposed  Pope.  Even  Martin 
Polonus  (a.D.  1282),  who  is  the  first  to  give  the 
details,  does  so  merely  on  popular  report. 

The  great  champions  of  the  myth  were  the  Pro- 
testants of  the  sixteenth   century,  who  were  tho- 
roughly  unscrupulous    in   distorting    history   and 
suppressing  facts,  so  long  as  they  could   make  a 
point     A  paper  war  was  waged  upon  the  subject, 
and  finally  the  whole  story  was  proved  conclusively 
^to    be    utterly   destitute   of   historical    truth.     A 
melancholy  example  of  the  blindness  of  party  feel- 
ing and  prejudice  is  seen  in  Mosheim,  who  assumes 
the  truth  of  the  ridiculous  story,  and  gravely  inserts 
it  in  his  "  Ecclesiastical  History."     "  Between  Leo 
IV.,  who  died  855,  and  Benedict  III.,  a  woman,  who 
concealed  her  sex  and  assumed  the  name  of  John, 
it  is  said,  opened  her  way  to  the  Pontifical  throne 
by   her  learning  and   genius,   and   governed  the 

N 


178  A  niichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

Church  for  a  time.  She  is  commonly  called  the 
Papess  Joan.  During  the  five  subsequent  centuries 
the  witnesses  to  this  extraordinary  event  are  without 
number;  nor  did  any  one,  prior  to  the  Reforma- 
tion by  Luther,  regard  the  thing  as  either  in- 
credible or  disgraceful  to  the  Church."  Such  are 
Mosheim's  words,  and  I  give  them  as  a  specimens 
of  the  credit  which  is  due  to  his  opinion.  The 
"  Ecclesiastical  History  "  he  wrote  is  full  of  perver- 
sions of  the  plainest  facts,  and  that  under  our 
tiotice  is  but  one  out. of  many.  "During  the  five 
centuries  after  her  reign,"  he  says,  "the  witnesses 
to  the  story  are  innumerable."  Now  for  two 
centuries  there  is  not  an  allusion  to  be  found  to 
the  events.  The  only  passage  which  can  be  found 
is  a  universally  acknowledged  interpolation  of  the 
"  Lives  of  the  Popes,"  by  Anastasius  Bibliothe- 
carius,  and  this  interpolation  is  stated  in  the  first 
printed  edition  by  Busaeus,  Mogunt.  1602,  to  be 
only  found  in  two  MS.  copies. 

Mosheim  is  false  again  in  asserting  that  no  one 
prior  to  the  Reformation  regarded  the  thing  as 
either  incredible  or  disgraceful.  This  is  but  of  a 
piece  with  his  disregard  for  truth,  whenever  he  can 
hit  the  Catholic  Church  hard.  Bart.  Platina,  in 
his  "Lives  of  the  Popes,"  written  before  Luther 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  179 

was  born,  after  relating  the  story,  says,  "These 
things  which  I  relate  are  popular  reports,  but 
derived  from  uncertain  and  obscure  authors,  which 
I  have  therefore  inserted  briefly  and  baldly,  lest  I 
should  seem  to  omit  obstinately  and  pertinaciously 
what  most  people  assert."  Thus  the  facts  were 
justly  doubted  by  Platina  on  the  legitimate  grounds 
that  they  rested  on  popular  gossip,  and  not  on 
reliable  history.  Anastasius  the  Librarian,  con- 
temporary of  the  alleged  circumstance,  is  the 
first  cited   as   evidence   to  there  having  been   a 

•  Papess.  This  testimony  is  however  open  to  serious 
objection.  The  MSS.  of  the  works  of  Anastasius  do 
not  uniformly  contain  the  fable.  Panvini,  who  wrote 
additions  to  Platina,  De  vitis  Romanorum  Ponti- 
ficum,  assures  us  that  "in  old  books  of  the  lives 
of  the  Popes,  written  by  Damasus,  by  the 
Librarian,  and  by  Pandulph  de  Pisa,  there  is  no 
mention  of  this  woman :  only  on  the  margin, 
betwixt  Leo  IV.  and  Benedict  III.,  this  fable  has 
been  found  inserted  by  a  later  writer,  in  characters 
altogether  distinct  from  the  text." 

Blondel,  the  great  Protestant  writer,  who  ruined 
the  case  of  the  Decretals,  says  that  he  examined  a 

3IS.  of  Anastasius  in  the  Royal  Library  at  Paris, 
and  found  the  story  of  Pope  Joan  inserted  in  such 

N  2 


180  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

a  manner  as  to  convince  him  that  it  was  a  late 
interpolation.  He  says ',  "  Having  read  and  re- 
read it,  I  found  that  the  elogium  of  the  pretended 
Papess  is  taken  from  the  words  of  Martinus  Polo- 
nus,  penitenciary  to  Innocent  IV.,  and  Arch- 
bishop of  Cosenza,an  author  four  hundred  years  later 
than  Anastasius,  and  much  more  given  to  all  these 
kinds  of  fables."  His  reasons  for  so  thinking  are, 
that  the  style  is  not  that  of  the  Librarian,  but 
similar  to  that  of  Martin  Polonus ;  also  that  the  in- 
sertion interferes  with  the  text  of  the  chronicle,  and 
bears  evidence  of  clumsy  piecing.  "  In  the  elogium^ 
of  Leo  IV.  and  Benedict  III.,  as  given  to  us  in  the 
manuscript  of  the  Bibliotheque  Royale,  swelled  with 
the  romanceof  the  Papess,  the  same  expressions  occur 
as  in  the  Mayence  edition  ;  whence  it  follows  that 
(according  to  the  intention  of  Anastasius,  violated 
by  the  rashness  of  those  who  have  mingled  with  it 
their  idle  dreams)  it  is  absolutely  impossible  that 
any  one  could  have  been  Pope  between  Leo  IV. 
and  Benedict  III.,  for  he  says  ; — 'After  the  prelate 
Leo  was  withdrawn  from  this  world,  at  once  (mox) 
all  the  clergy,  the  nobles,  and  people  of  Rome 
hastened  to  elect  Benedict ;    and  at  once  (illico) 

^  Familier  eclaircissement  de  la  question,  &c.     Amster- 
dam, 1647-9. 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  181 

they  sought  him,  praying  in  the  Titular  Church  of 
S.  Callixtus,  and  having  seated  him  on  the  ponti- 
fical throne,  and  signed  the  decree  of  his  election, 
they  sent  him  to  the  very-invincible  Augusti  Lo- 
thair  and  Louis,  and  the  first  of  these  died  on 
39  September,  855,  just  seventy-four  days  after  the 
death  of  Pope  Leo/  " 

Bayle  in  his  Dictionnaire  historique  et  critique, 
under  the  article  Papesse  Jeanne,  says  :  "  Is  it  not 
true  that  if  we  found  in  a  manuscript  a  statement 
that  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  XL  died  in  the  year 
1637,  and  that  at  once  he  was  succeeded  by 
Ferdinand  III.,  and  that  Charles  VL  succeeded 
Ferdinand  IL,  and  held  the  throne  for  two  years, 
after  which  Ferdinand  III.,  was  elected  Emperor, 
jwe  should  say  that  the  same  writer  could  not  have 
made  both  statements,  and  that  we  were  neces- 
sitated to  attribute  to  copyists  without  judgment 
the  statements  which  do  not  correspond  ?  Would 
not  the  man  be  a  fool  who  related  that  Innocent  X. 
having  died,  he  was  promptly  given  as  successor 
Alexander  VII.,  and  that  Innocent  XL  was  Pope 
unmediately  after  Innocent  X.,  and  sat  for  two 
years  and  more,  and  that  Alexander  VI  I.  succeeded 
him  ?  Anastasius  Bibliothecarius  must  have  com- 
mitted a  like  extravagance,  if  he  was  the  author  of 


/ 


1 82  Antichrist  and  Pope  jfikin 

what  occurs  in  the  MSS.  of  his  work  which  mention 
the  Papess.  We  however  conclude  that  the  state- 
ment concerning  this  woman  was  an  insertion  of  a 
later  hand." 

Sarran,  a  zealous  and  learned  Protestant,  formed 
the  same  opinion  of  the  Pope-Joan  fable,  and  he 
gives  as  his  reason  for  believing  it  not  to  have 
stood  in  the  original  copies  of  Anastasius,  that  it  is 
there  inserted  with  the  words,  "  It  is  said  that,"  or 
"we  are  assured  that,"  expressions  inconsistent 
with  the  fact  that  Anastasius  was  a  contemporary 
resident  in  Rome '. 

Marianus  Scotus,  the  next  authority  cited  for  the 
story  of  Pope  Joan,  died  in  1086.  He  was  a  monk 
of  S.  Martin  of  Cologne,  then  of  Fulda,  and  lastly, 
of  S.  Alban's,  at  Metz.  How  could  he  have 
obtained  reliable  information,  or  seen  documents 
upon  which  to  ground  the  assertion  ?  The  words 
in  which  the  tale  is  alluded  to  in  his  Chronicle  vary 
in  different  MSS.,  in  some  the  fact  is  asserted 
plainly  ;  in  others,  it  is  founded  on  an  tit  asseritur; 
and  other  MS.  copies  have  not  the  passage  in 
them  at  all.  This  looks  as  though  the  Pope-Joan 
passage  were  an  interpolation.  Next  to  Marianus 
Scotus  comes  Sigebert  de  Gemblours,  who  died 
=*  Sarran,  Epist.  cii.,  Utrecht,  1697. 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  183 

\i%      We  have    evidence    conclusive    that    his 

^■Qironicle  has  been  tampered  with  in  this  particular. 

althe  Gremblours  MS.,  which  was  either  written  by 

[S^bert  himself,  or  was  a  copy  made  from  his, 

odf  does  not  allude  to  Pope  Joan.     Several  other  early 

^1  copies    have    not    the    passage.      Guillaume    de 

Nang^ac,  who  wrote  a  Chronicle  to  the  year  1302, 

tninsGribed,  and  absorbed  into  his  work,  the  more 

ancient  chronicle  of  Sigebert     The  copy  used  by 

Gruillaume  de  Nangiac  must  have  been  without 

the  disputed  pan^raph,  for  it  is  not  to  be  found  in* 

his  work.     We  are  therefore   reduced   to   Martin 

Polonus  (d.  1279),  placing  more  than  four  centuries 

between  him  and  the  event  he  records. 

The  historical  discrepancies  are  sufficiently  glaring 
to  make  the  story  more  than  questionable. 

Leo  IV.  died  on  the  17th  July,  855  ;  and  Benedict 
III.  was  consecrated  on  the  ist  September  in 
the  same  year;  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  insert 
between  their  pontificates  a  reign  of  two  years,  five 
months,  and  four  days.  It  is,  however,  true  that 
there  was  an  antipope  elected  upon  the  death  of 
Leo,  at  the  instance  of  the  Emperor  Louis,  but  his 
name  was  Anastasius.  This  man  possessed  himself 
of  the  palace  of  the  Popes,  and  obtained  the  incar- 
ceration of  Benedict      However,  his    supporters 


184  Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

almost  immediately  deserted  him,  and  Benedict 
assumed  the  pontificate.  The  reign  of  Benedict 
was  only  for  two  years  and  a  half,  so  that 
Anastasius  cannot  be  the  supposed  Joan ;  nor  do 
we  hear  of  any  charge  brought  against  him  to  the 
effect  of  his  being  a  woman.  But  the  stout  parti- 
sans of  the  Pope-Joan  tale  assert,  on  the  authority 
of  the  "  Annales  Augustani ',"  and  some  other,  but 
late  authorities,  that  the  female  Pope  was  John  VIIL, 
who  consecrated  Louis  II.  of  France,  and  Ethelwolf 
of  England.  Here,  again  is  confusion.  Ethelwolf 
sent  Alfred  to  Rome  in  853,  and  the  youth  received 
regal  unction  from  the  hands  of  Leo  IV.  In  855 
Ethelwolf  visited  Rome,  it  is  true,  but  was  not  con- 
secrated by  the  existing  Pope,  whilst  Charles  the 
Bald  was  anointed  by  John  VIIL  in  875.  John 
VIIL  was  a  Roman,  son  of  Gundus,  and  an  arch- 
deacon of  the  Eternal  City.  He  assumed  the  triple 
crown  in  872,  and  reigned  till  December  18th,  88!Z. 
John  took  an  active  part  in  the  troubles  of  the 
Church  under  the  incursions  of  the  Sarasins,  and 
325  letters  of  his  are  extant,  addressed  to  the  princes 
and  prelates  of  his  day. 

Any  one  desirous  of  pursuing  this  examination 

*  These  Annals  were  written  in  1 135« 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  185 

into  the  untenable  nature  of  the  story  may  find  an 
excellent  summary  of  the  arguments  used  on  both 
sides  in  Gieseler,  "  Lehrbuch,"  &c.,  Cunningham's 
trans.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  20,  21,  or  in  Bayle,  "  Dictionnaire/' 
tom.  iii.  art.  Papesse. 

The  arguments  in  favour  of  the  myth  may  be 
seen  in  Spanheim,  "Exercit.  de  Papa  Foemina." 
Opp.  tom.  ii.  p.  577,  or  in  Lenfant,  "  Histoire  de 
la  Papesse  Jeanne,"  La  Haye,  1736,  3  vols.  lamo. 

The  arguments  on  the  other  side  may  be  had  in 
"AUatii  Confutatio  Fabulae  de  Johanna  Papissa," 
Colon.  1645;  ^^  ^^  Quien,  "Oriens  Christianus,"  tom. 
iii.  p.  777  ;  and  in  the  pages  of  the  Lutheran  Hue- 
mann,  '*  Sylloge  Diss.  Sacras."  tom.  i.  par.  ii.  p.  ^^7, ; 
and  Blondel,  "Familier  ^claircissement  de  la 
question,  si  une  femme  a  et6  assise  au  sifege  papal 
de  Rome."    Amsterdam,  1647-9. 

The  final  development  of  this  extraordinary 
story,  under  the  delicate  fingers  of  the  German  and 
French  Protestant  controversialists,  may  not  prove 
uninteresting, 

Joan  was  the  daughter  of  an  English  missionary, 
who  left  England  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
recently  converted  Saxons.  She  was  born  at 
Engelheim,  and  according  to  different  authors  she 
was  christened  Agnes,  Gerberta,  Joanna,  Margaret, 


186  A  ntichrist  and  Pope  Joan  "^ 

Isabel,  Dorothy,  or  Jutt — the  last  must  have  beeiral:'-^ 
nickname  surely !  She  early  distinguished  her-.. :: 
self  for  genius  and  love  of  letters.  A  young  monk-.  '. 
of  Fulda  having  conceived  for  her  a  violent  passioiv  ^ 
which  she  returned  with  ardour,  she  deserted  her 
parents,  dressed  herself  in  male  attire^  and  in  the 
sacred  precincts  of  Fulda  divided  her  affections  be- 
tween the  youthful  monk  and  the  musty  books  of  the 
monastic  library.  Not  satisfied  with  the  restraints 
of  conventual  life,  nor  finding  the  library  sufficiently 
well  provided  with  books  of  abstruse  science,  she 
eloped  with  her  young  man,  and  after  visiting 
England,  France,  and  Italy,  she  brought  him  to 
Athens,  where  she  addicted  herself  with  unflagging 
devotion  to  her  literary  pursuits.  Wearied  out  by 
his  journey,  the  monk  expired  in  the  arms  of  the 
blue-stocking  who  had  influenced  his  life  for  evil, 
and  the  young  lady  of  so  many  aliases  was  for  a 
while  inconsolable.  She  left  Athens  and  repaired 
to  Rome.  There  she  opened  a  school,  and  acquired 
such  a  reputation  for  learning  and  feigned  sanctity 
that,  on  the  death  of  Leo  IV.,  she  was  unanimously 
elected  Pope.  For  two  years  and  five  months, 
under  the  name  of  John  VIII.,  she  filled  the  papal 
chair  with  reputation,  no  one  suspecting  her  sex. 
But  having  taken  a  fancy  to  one  of  the  cardinal?, 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  187 

t^hiin  she  became  pregnant.  At  length  arrived 
fte  time  of  Rogation  processions.  Whilst  passing 
Ihe  street  between  the  amphitheatre  and  S.  Cle- 
ment's, she  was  seized  with  violent  pains,  fell  to  the 
ground  amidst  the  crowd,  and  whilst  her  attendants 
ministered  to  her,  was  delivered  of  a  son.  Some 
say  the  child  and  mother  died  on  the  spot,  some 
that  she  survived  but  was  incarcerated,  some  that 
the  child  was  spirited  away  to  be  the  Antichrist  of 
the  last  days.  A  marble  monument  representing 
the  papess  with  her  baby  was  erected  on  the  spot, 
which  was  declared  to  be  accursed  to  all  ages. 

I  have  little  doubt  myself  that  Pope  Joan  is  an 
impersonification  of  the  great  whore  of  Revelation, 
seated  on  the  seven  hills,  and  is  the  popular  expres- 
ysion  of  the  idea  prevalent  from  the  twelfth  to  the 
sixteenth  centuries,  that  the  mystery  of  iniquity 
was  somehow  working  in  the  papal  court.  The 
scandal  of  the  Antipopes,  the  utter  worldliness 
I  and  pride  of  others,  the  spiritual  fornication  with 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  along  with  the  words  of 
Revelation  prophesying  the  advent  of  an  adulterous 
woman  who  should  rule  over  the  imperial  city,  and 
her  connexion  with  Antichrist,  crystallized  into  this 
curious  myth,  much  as  the  floating  uncertainty  as 
to  the  signification  of  our  Lord's  words,  "  There  be 


188  Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan 

some  standing  here  which  shall  not  taste  of  death 
till  they  see  the  kingdom  of  God,"  condensed  into 
'the  myth  of  the  Wandering  Jew. 

The  literature  connected  with  Antichrist  is 
voluminous.  I  need  only  specify  some  of  the  most 
curious  works  which  have  appeared  on  the  subject. 
S.  Hippolytus  and  Rabanus  Maurus  have  been 
already  alluded  to.  Commodianus  wrote  "  Carmen 
Apologeticum  adversus  Gentes,"  which  has  been 
published  by  Dom  Pitra  in  his  "  Spicilegium  Soles- 
mense,"  with  an  introduction  containing  Jewish  and 
Christian  traditions  relating  to  Antichrist.  "De 
Turpissima  Conceptione,  Nativitate,  et  aliis  Prae- 
sagiis  Diaboliciis  illius  Turpissimi  Hominis  Anti- 
christi,"  is  the  title  of  a  strange  little  volume  pub- 
lished by  Lenoir  in  A.D.  1500,  containing  rude  yet 
characteristic  woodcuts,  representing  the  birth,  life, 
and  death  of  the  Man  of  Sin,  each  picture  accom- 
panied by  French  verses  in  explanation.  An 
equally  remarkable  illustrated  work  on  Antichrist 
is  the  famous  "  Liber  de  Antichristo,"  a  blockbook 
of  an  early  date.  It  is  in  twenty-seven  folios,  and 
is  excessively  rare.  Dibdin  has  reproduced  three 
of  the  plates  in  his  "Bibliotheca  Spenseriana," 
and  Falckenstein  has  given  full  details  of  the  work 
his  "  Geschichte  der  Buchdruckerkunst." 


Antichrist  and  Pope  Joan  189 

There  is  an  Easter  miracIe-pIay  of  the  twelfth 
century,  still  extant,  the  subject  of  which  is  the 
"  Life  and  Death  of  Antichrist."  More  curious  still 
is  the  "  Farce  de  T Antichrist  et  de  trois  femmes,"  a 
composition  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  that 
mysterious  personage  occupied  all  brains.  The 
farce  consists  in  a  scene  at  a  fish-stall,  with  three 
good  ladies  quarrelling  over  some  fish.  Antichrist 
steps  in — for  no  particular  reason  that  one  can  see 
—upsets  fish  and  fish-women,  sets  them  fighting, 
and  skips  off  the  stage.  The  best  book  on  Anti- 
christ, and  that  most  full  of  learning  and  judgment, 
is  Malvenda*s  great  work  in  two  folio  volumes,  "  De 
Antichristo,  libri  xii."     Lyons,  1647. 

For  the  fable  of  the  Pope  Joan,  see  J.  Lenfant, 
*'  Histoire  de  la  Papesse  Jeanne."  La  Haye,  1736, 
7,  vols.  i2mo.  "Allatii  Confutatio  Fabulae  de 
Johanna  Papissa."     Colon.  1645. 


Cti  ^an  in  f^e  ^oon 


"PVERY  one  knows  that  the  moon  is  inhabited 
-* — '  by  a  man  ivith  a  bundle  of  sticks  on  his 
back,  who  has  been  exiled  thither  for  many  centu- 
ries, and  who  is  so  far  off  that  he  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  Death. 

He  has   once  visited  this  earth,  if  the  nursery 
rhyme  is  to  be  credited,  when  it  asserts  that — 

"The  Man  in  the  Moon 
Came  down  too  soon. 
And  asked  his  way  to  Norwich ;" 

but  whether  he  ever  reached  that  city,  the  same 

authority  does  not  state. 


The  Man  in  t/ie  Moon  191 

The  story  as  told  by  nurses  is,  that  this  man  was 
found  by  Moses  gathering  sticks  on  a  Sabbath,  and 
that,  for  this  crime,  he  was  doomed  to  reside  in  the 
moon  till  the  end  of  all  things ;  and  they  refer  to 
Numbers  xv.  3:2 — 36 : 

"And  while  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  the 
wilderness,  they  found  a  man  that  gathered  sticks 
upon  the  sabbath  day.  And  they  that  found  him 
gathering  sticks  brought  him  unto  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  unto  all  the  congregation.  And  they 
put  him  in  ward,  because  it  was  not  declared  what 
should  be  done  to  him.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  The  man  shall  be  surely  put  to  death :  all 
the  congregation  shall  stone  him  with  stones  with- 
out the  camp.  And  all  the  congregation  brought 
him  without  the  camp,  and  stoned  him  with  stones 
till  he  died." 

Of  course,  in  the  sacred  writings  there  is  no 
allusion  to  the  moon. 

The  German  tale  is  as  follows : — 
Ages  ago  there  went  one  Sunday  morning  an 
old  man  into  the  wood  to  hew  sticks.  He  cut  a 
faggot  and  slung  it  on  a  stout  staff,  cast  it  over 
his  shoulder,  and  began  to  trudge  home  with  his 
burden.  On  his  way  he  met  a  handsome  man  in 
Sunday  suit,  walking  towards  the   Church;  this 


192  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

man  stopped  and  asked  the  faggot-bearer,  "Do 
you  know  that  this  is  Sunday  on  earth,  when  all 
must  rest  from  their  labours  ? " 

"  Sunday  on  earth,  or  Monday  in  heaven,  it  is  all 
one  to  me  !"  laughed  the  wood-cutter. 

"  Then  bear  your  bundle  for  ever,"  answered  the 
stranger ;  "  and  as  you  value  not  Sunday  on  earth, 
yours  shall  be  a  perpetual  Moon-day  in  heaven ; 
and  you  shall  stand  for  eternity  in  the  moon,  a 
warning  to  all  Sabbath-breakers."  Thereupon  the 
stranger  vanished,  and  the  man  was  caught  up  with 
his  stock  and  his  faggot  into  the  moon,  where  he 
stands  yet. 

The  superstition  seems  to  be  old  in  Germany,  for 
the  full  moon  is  spoken  of  as  wadel^  or  wedel,  a 
faggot.  Tobler  relates  the  story  thus  :  "  An  arma 
ma  ket  alawel  am  Sonnti  holz  ufglesa.  Do  hedem 
der  liebe  Gott  dwahl  gloh,  ob  er  lieber  wott  ider 
sonn  verbrenna  oder  im  mo  verfriira,  do  wilier  lieber 
inn  mo  ihi.  Dromm  siedma  no  jetz  an  ma  im  mo 
inna,  wenns  wedel  ist.  Er  hed  a  piischeli  uffem 
rogga  *."  That  is  to  say,  he  was  given  the  choice  of 
burning  in  the  sun,  or  of  freezing  in  the  moon  ;  he 
chose  the  latter ;  and  now  at  full  moon  he  is  to  be 

*  Tobler,  Appenz.  Sprachsbuch,  20. 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  198 

«en  seated  with  his  bundle  of  faggots  on  his 
iack. 

In  Schaumburg-lippe ",  the  story  goes,  that  a 
man  and  a  woman  stand  in  the  moon,  the  man 
because  he  strewed  brambles  and  thorns  on  the 
church  path,  so  as  to  hinder  people  from  attending 
Mass  on  Sunday  morning ;  the  woman  because  she 
made  butter  on  that  day.  The  man  carries  his 
bundle  of  thorns,  the  woman  her  butter-tub.  A 
similar  tale  is  told  in  Swabia  and  in  Marken. 
Fischart'  says  that  there  "is  to  be  seen  in  the 
moon  a  mannikin  who  stole  wood,"  and  Praetorius, 
in  his  description  of  the  world  *,  that  "  superstitious 
people  assert  that  the  black  flecks  in  the  moon  are 
a  man  who  gathered  wood  on  a  Sabbath,  and  is 
therefore  turned  into  stone." 

At  the  time  when  wishing  was  of  avail,  say  the 
North  Frisians,  a  man,  one  Christmas  eve,  stole 
cabbages  from  his  neighbour's  garden.  When  just 
in  the  act  of  walking  off  with  his  load,  he  was 
perceived  by  the  people,  who  conjured  him  up 
into  the  moon.  There  he  stands  in  the  full  moon 
to  be  seen  by  every  body,  bearing  his  load  of 
cabbages  to  all  eternity.      Every    Christmas    eve 

»  Wolf,  Zeitschrift  far  Deut.  Myth.  i.  168. 

'  Fischart,  Garg.  130.  *  Praetorius,  L  447. 

O 


194  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

he  IS  said  to  turn  round  once.  Others  say 
that  he  stole  willow  bows,  which  he  must  bear  for 
ever. 

In  Silt,  the  story  goes  that  he  was  a  sheep-stealer, 
who  enticed  sheep  to  him  with  a  bundle  of  cab- 
bages, until,  as  an  everlasting  warning  to  others, 
he  was  placed  in  the  moon,  where  he  constantly 
holds  in  his  hand  a  bundle  of  these  vegetables. 

The  people  of  Rantum  say  that  he  is  a  giant, 
who  at  the  time  of  the  flow  stands  in  a  stooping 
posture,  because  he  is  then  taking  up  water,  which 
he  pours  out  on  the  earth,  and  thereby  causes  high 
tide ;  but  at  the  time  of  the  ebb  he  stands  erect, 
and  rests  from  his  labour,  when  the  water  can  sub- 
side again*. 

The  Dutch  household  myth  is,  that  the  unhappy 
man  was  caught  stealing  vegetables.  Dante  calls 
him  Cain : — 


"...  Now  doth  Cain  with  fork  of  thorns  confine. 
On  either  hemisphere,  touching  the  wave 
Beneath  the  towers  of  Seville.    Yesternight 
The  moon  was  round." — Hell,  cant.  xx. 


•  Thorpe's  "  Mythology  and  Popular  Traditions,"  voL  iiL 
P-57- 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  195 

And  again, 

"...  Tell,  I  pray  thee,  whence  the  gloomy  spots 
Upon  this  body,  which  below  on  earth 
Give  rise  to  talk  of  Cain  in  fabling  quaint  ?" 

Paradise^  cant  iii 

Chaucer,  in  the  "  Testament  of  Cresside,"  adverts^ 
to  the  man  in  the  moon,  and  attributes  to  him  the 
same  idea  of  theft.  Of  Lady  Cynthia,  or  the  moon, 
he  says : — 

**  Her  gite  was  gray  and  full  of  spottis  blake, 
And  on  her  brest  a  chorle  painted  ful  even, 
Bering  a  bush-of  thomis  on  his  backe, 
Whiche  for  his  theft  might  clime  so  ner  the  heaven.** 

Ritson,  among  his  "Ancient  Songs,"  gives  one 
extracted  from  a  manuscript  attributed  by  Mr. 
Wright  to  the  period  of  Edward  I.,  on  the  Man  in 
the  Moon ;  but  in  very  obscure  language.  The  first 
verse,  altered  into  more  modern  orthography,  runs 
as  follows : — 

''  Man  in  the  Moon  stand  and  stit. 

On  his  bot-fork  his  burden  he  beareth, 

It  is  much  wonder  that  he  do  na  doun  slit, 

For  doubt  lest  he  fall  he  shudd'reth  and  shivereth. 
***** 

"  When  the  frost  freezes  must  chill  he  bide. 
The  thorns  be  keen  his  attire  so  teareth, 
Nis  no  wight  in  the  world  there  wot  when  he  syt, 
Ne  bote  it  by  the  hedge  what  weeds  he  weareth.** 

O  % 


196  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

Alexander  Necham,  or  Nequam,  a  writer  of  the 
twelfth  century,  in  commenting  on  the  dispersed 

•      •     • 

shadows  in  the  moon,  thus  alludes  to  the  Vulgar 

belief: — " Nonne  novisti  quid  vulgus vocet  rusticum 

in  luna  portantem  spinas  ?  Unde  quidam  vulgariter 

loquens  ait : — 

"  Rusticus  in  Luna, 
Quern  sarcina  deprimit  una 
Monstrat  per  opinas 
Nulli  prodesse  rapinasV' 

which  may  be  translated  thus:  "Do  you  know 
what  they  call  the  rustic  in  the  moon,  who  carries 
the  faggot  of  sticks  ?  So  that  one  vulgarly  speak- 
ing says : — 

"  See  the  rustic  in  the  Moon, 
How  his  bundle  weighs  him  down ; 
Thus  his  sticks  the  truth  reveal 
It  never  profits  man  to  steal" 

Shakspeare  refers  to  the  same  individual  in  his 
"  Midsummer  Night's  Dream."  Quince  the  car- 
penter, giving  directions  for  the  performance  of  the 
play  of  "  Pyramus  and  Thisbe,"  orders :  "  One 
must  come  in  with  a  bush  of  thorns  and  a  lantern, 
and  say  he  comes  in  to  disfigure,  or  to  present,  the 
person  of  Moonshine."  And  the  enacter  of  this 
part  says,  "All  I  have  to  say  is,  to  tell  you  that  the 

^  Alex.  Neckam,  De  Naturis  Rerum.    Ed.  Wright,  p.  xviii. 


The  Man  iti  the  Moon  197 

[jmtem  is  the  moon ;  I  the  man  in  the  moon ;  this 
ftom-bush  my  thorn-bush ;  and  this  dog  my  dog." 
Also  "  Tempest/'  Act  a,  Scene  % : — 

^  CaL  Hast  thou  not  dropt  from  heav'n  ? 

*^Steph.  Out  o*  th'  moon,  J  do  assure  thee.  I  was  the  man 
ia  th'  moon  when  time  was. 

*^  CaL  I  have  seen  thee  in  her ;  and  I  do  adore  thee.  My 
mistress  show'd  me  thee,  and  thy  dog,  and  thy  bush.'' 

The  dog  I  have  myself  had  pointed  out  to  me  by 
an  old  Devonshire  cfone.     If  popular  superstition 

places  a  dog  in  the  moon,  it  puts  a  lamb  in  the 

-  -  •  .  ...  .       , 

sun ;  for  in  the  same  county  it  is  said  that  those 
who  see  the  sun  rise  on  Easter-day  may  behold  in 
the  orb  the  lamb  and  flag. 

I  believe  this  idea  of  locating  animals  in  the  two 
great  luminaries  of  heaven  to  be  very  ancient,  and 
to  be  a  relic  of  a  primeval  superstition  of  the  Aryan 
race. 

# 

There  is  an  ancient  pictorial  representation  of 
our  friend  the  Sabbath-breaker  in  GyfTyn  Church, 
near  Conway.  The  roof  of  the  chancel  is  divided 
into  compartments,  in  four  of  which  are  the  Evan- 
gelistic symbols,  rudely,  yet  effectively  painted. 
Besides  these  symbols  is  del/meated  in  each  com- 
partment an  orb  of  heaven.  The  sun^  the  moon, 
and  two  stars,  are  placed  at  the  feet  of  the  Angel, 


19S  Tlie  Mail  in  the  Moon 

the  Bull,  the  Lion,  and  the  Eagle.    The  represen- 
tation of  the  moon  is  as  below ;  m  the  disk  is  the 


conventional  man  with  his  bundle  of  sticks,  but 
without  the  dt^.  There  is  also  a  curious  seal 
appended  to  a  deed  preserved  in  the  Record  Office, 


dated  the  9th  year  of  Edward  the  Third  (1355), 
bearing  the  man  in  the  moon  as  Its  device.     The 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  199 

iced  is  one  of  conveyance  of  a  messuage^  barn,  and 
fair  acres  of  ground,  in  the  parish  of  Kingston-on- 
Thames,  from  Walter  de  Grendesse,  clerk,  to  Mar- 
garet his  motl^er.  On  the  seal  we  see  the  man 
carrying  his  sticks,  and  the  moon  surrounds  him. 
There  are  also  a  couple  of  stars  added,  perhaps  to 
show  that  he  is  in  the  sky.  The  legend  on  the  seal 
reads: — 

"  Te  Waltere  docebo 

cur  spinas  phebo 

gero," 

which  may  be  translated,  "  I  will  teach  thee,  Walter, 
why  I  carry  thorns  in  the  moon." 

The  carved  wooden  sign  of  the  "Man  in  the 
Moon,"  in  Wych  Street,  Strand,  a  rare  example  of 
the  suspended  signs  now  to  be  found  built  into  the 
wall,  must  not  pass  unnoticed.  Other  items  con- 
nected with  lunar  mythology  must  be  only  briefly 
alluded  to.  According  to  the  classic  tale  the 
figure  in  the  moon  is  probably  Endymion,  be- 
loved of  Selene,  and  held  by  her  passionately  to 
her  bosom.  The  Egyptian  representations  of  the 
moon  with  a  figure  in  the  disk,  represent  the 
little  Horus  in  the  womb  of  his  mother  Isis. 
Plutarch  wrote  a  tract  on  the  Face  in  the  Moon. 


200  The  Man  in  tlie  Moon 

Clemens  Alexandrinus  tells  us  the  face  is  that  of  i*-^ 
Sibyl'.  •  >: 

The  general  superstition  with  r^ard  to  the  spots  '- 
in  the  moon  may  briefly  be  summed  up  thus :  A,  < 
man  is  located  in  the  moon ;  he  is  a  thief  or  Sab-  : 
bath-breaker  ;  he  has  a  pole  over  his  shoulder,  \ 
from  which  is  suspended  a  bundle  of  sticks  or  : 
thorns.  In  some  places  a  woman  is  believed  ta  '■ 
accompany  him,  and  she  has  a  butter-tub  with  her ; 
in  other  localities  she  is  replaced  by  a  dog. 

The  belief  in  the  Moon-man  seems  to  exist 
among  the  natives  of  British  Columbia ;  for  I  read 
in  one  of  Mr.  Duncan's  letters  to  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society: — "  One  very  dark  night  I  was  told 
that  there  was  a  moon  to  see  on  the  beach.  On 
going  to  see,  there  was  an  illuminated  disk,  with 
the  figure  of  a  man  upon  it  The  water  was  then 
very  low,  and  one  of  the  conjuring  parties  had  lit 
up  this  disk  at  the  water's  edge.  They  had  made  it 
of  wax  with  great  exactness,  and  presently  it  was 
at  fulL  It  was  an  imposing  sight  Nothing  could 
be  seen  around  it;  but  the  Indians  suppose  that 


^  Qemens  Alex.  Strom.  I. 

*  Hebd,  in  his  charming  poem  on  the  Man  in  the  Mocm 
in  ^Allemanische  Gedichte,^  makes  him  both  thief  and 
Sabbath-breaker. 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  201 

the  medicine  party  are  then  holding  converse  with 
the  man  in  the  moon.  .  .  .  After  a  short  time  the 
moon  wajied  away,  and  the  conjuring  party  returned 
whoopii^  to  their  house/' 

Now  let  us  turn  to  Scandinavian  mythology,  and 
see  what  we  learn  from  that  source. 

M&ni,  the  moon,  stole  two  children  from  their 
parents,  and  carried  them  up  to  heaven.  Their 
names  were  Hjuki  and  BiL  They  had  been  draw- 
ing water  from  the  well  B)a'gir,  in  the  bucket  Soegr, 
suspended  from  the  pole  Simul,  which  they  bore 
upon  their  shoulders.  These  children,  pole,  and 
bucket,  were  placed  in  heaven,  "  where  they  could 
be  seen  from  earth."  This  refers  undoubtedly  to 
the  spots  in  the  moon,  and  so  the  Swedish  peasantry 
explain  these  spots  to  this  day,  as  representing  a 
boy  and  a  girl  bearing  a  pail  of  water  between 
them.  Are  we  not  reminded  at  once  of  our  nursery 
rhyme — 

"  Jack  and  Jill  went  up  a  hill 
To  fetch  a  pail  of  water ; 
Jack  fell  down,  and  broke  his  crown, 
And  Jill  came  tumbling  after  V^ 

This  verse,  which  to  us  seems  at  first  sight  non- 
sense, I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  has  a  high 
antiquity,  and  refers  to  the  Eddaic  Hjuki  and  Bil. 


202  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

The  names  indicate  as  much.  Hjuki,  in  Norse, 
would  be  pronounced  Juki,  which  would  readily 
become  Jack ;  and  Bil,  for  the  sake  of  euphony,  and 
in  order  to  give  a  female  name  to  one  of  the 
children,  would  become  Jill. 

The  fall  of  Jack,  and  the  subsequent  fall  of  Jill, 
simply  represent  the  vanishing  of  one  moon-spot 
after  another,  as  the  moon  wanes. 

But  the  old  Norse  myth  had  a  deeper  significa- 
tion than  merely  an  explanation  of  the  moon-spots* 

Hjuki  is  derived  from  the  verb  jakka,  to  heap  or 
pile  together,  to  assemble  and  increase;  and  Bil 
from  bila,  to  break  up  or  dissolve.  Hjuki  and  Bil, 
therefore,  signify  nothing  more  than  the  waxing 
and  waning  of  the  moon,  and  the  water  they  are 
represented  as  bearing  signifies  the  fact  that  the 
rainfall  depends  on  the  phases  of  the  moon. 
Waxing  and  waning  were  individualized,  and  the 
meteorological  fact  of  the  connexion  of  the  rain 
with  the  moon  was  represented  by  tjie  children  as 
water-bearers. 

But  though  Jack  and  Jill  became  by  degrees 
dissevered  in  the  popular  mind  from  the  moon,  the 
original  myth  went  through  a  fresh  phase,  and 
exists  still  under  a  new  form.  The  Norse  supersti- 
tion attributed  theft  to  the  moon  and  the  vulgar 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  203 

soon  began  to  believe  that  the  figure  they  saw  in 
the  moon  was  the  thief.  The  lunar  specks  certainly 
may  be  made  to  resemble  one  figure,  but  only  a 
lively  imagination  can  discern  two.  The  girl  soon 
dropped  out  of  popular  mythology,  the  boy  oldened 
into  a  venerable  man,  he  retained  his  pole,  and  the 
bucket  was  transformed  into  the  thing  he  had 
stolen — ^sticks  or  vegetables.  The  theft  was  in  some 
places  exchanged  for  Sabbath-breaking,  especially 
among  those  in  Protestant  countries  who  were 
acquainted  with  the  Bible  story  of  the  stick- 
gatherer. 

The  Indian  superstition  is  worth  examining,  be- 
cause of  the  connexion  existing  between  Indian 
and  European  mythology,  on  account  of  our  be- 
longing to  the  same  Aryan  stock. 

According  to  a  Buddhist  legend,  S4kyamunni 
himself,  in  one  of  his  earlier  stages  of  existence, 
was  a  hare,  and  lived  in  friendship  with  a  fox  and 
an  ape.  In  order  to  test  the  virtue  of  the  Bod- 
hisattwa,  Indra  came  to  the  friends,  in  the  form  of 
an  old  man  asking  for  food.  Hare,  ape,  and  fox 
went  forth  in  quest  of  victuals  for  their  guest.  The 
two  latter  returned  from  their  foraging  expedition 
successful,  but  the  hare  had  found  nothing.  Then, 
rather  than  that  he  should  treat  the  old  man  with 


204  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

inhospitality,  the  hare  had  a  fire  kindlied,  and  cast 
himself  into  the  flames,  that  he  might  himself 
become  food  for  his  guest.  In  reward  for  this  act 
of  self-sacrifice,  Indra  carried  the  hare  to  heaven/ 
and  placed  him  in  the  moon  \ 

Here  we  have  an  old  man  and  a  hare  in  con- 
nexion with  the  lunar  planet,  just  as  in  Shakspeare 
we  have  a  faggot-bearer  and  a  dog. 

The  fable  rests  upon  the  name  of  the  moon  in 
Sanskrit,  9a9in,  or  "  that  marked  with  the  hare ;" 
but  whether  the  belief  in  the  spots  taking  the  shape 
of  a  hare  gave  the  name  9a9in  to  the  moon,  or  the 
lunar  name  5a9in  originated  the  belief,  it  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  say. 

Grounded  upon  this  myth  is  the  curious  story  of 
"  The  Hare  and  the  Elephant,"  in  the  "  Pantscha- 
tantra,"  an  ancient  collection  of  Sanskrit  fables.  It 
will  be  found  as  the  first  tale  in  the  third  book.  I 
have  room  only  for  an  outline  of  the  story. 

THE  CRAFTY  HARE. 

In  a  certain  forest  lived  a  mighty  elephant,  king 
of  a  herd.  Toothy  by  name.    On  a  certain  occasion 

'  "M^moires  .  .  .  par  HjouenThsang,traduitsdu  Chinois 
par  Stanislas  Julien,"  L  375.  Upham,  "  Sacred  Books  of 
Ceylon,"  iii.  309. 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  205 

there  was  a  long  drought,  so  that  pools,  tanks, 
swampSy  and  lakes  were  dried  up.  Then  the  ele- 
phants sent  out  exploring  parties  in  search  of  water. 
A  young  one  discovered  an  extensive  lake  sur- 
rounded with  trees,  and  teeming  with  water-fowl. 
It  went  by  the  name  of  the  Moon-lake.  The 
elephants,  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  having  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  water,  marched  off  to  the 
spot,  and  found  their  most  sanguine  hopes  realized. 
Round  about  the  lake,  in  the  sandy  soil,  were 
innumerable  hare  warrens,  and  as  the  herd  of 
elephants  trampled  on  the  ground,  the  hares  were 
severely  injured,  their  homes  broken  down,  their 
heads,  legs,  and  backs  crushed  beneath  the  pon- 
derous feet  of  the  monsters  of  the  forest.  As  soon 
as  the  herd  had  withdrawn,  the  hares  assembled, 
some  halting,  some  dripping  with  blood,  some 
bearing  the  corpses  of  their  cherished  infants,  some 
with  piteous  tales  of  ruination  in  their  houses,  all 
with  tears  streaming  from  their  eyes,  and  wailing 
forth,  "Alas,  we  are  lost !  The  elephant-herd  will 
return,  for  there  is  no  water  elsewhere,  and  that  will 
be  the  death  of  all  of  us.'* 

But  the  wise  and  prudent  Longear  volunteered 
to  drive  the  herd  away,  and  he  succeeded  in  this 
manner:    Longear  went  to    the    elephants,   and 


S0(  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

luvtng  singled  out  their  king,  he  addressed  him  as  - 
i^>Uows : — 

**  Ha,  ha !  bad  elephant !  what  brings  you  with 
$uch  thoughtless   frivolity  to  this   strange  lake?    - 
back  with  you  at  once !" 

When  the  king  of  the  elephants  heard  this,  he 
asked  in  astonishment,  "  Pray  who  are  you  ?" 

"  I,"  replied  Longear,  "  I  am  Vidschajadatta  by 
name,  the  hare  who  resides  in  the  Moon.  Now  am 
I  sent  by  his  Excellency  the  Moon  as  an  ambas- 
sador to  you.  I  speak  to  you  in  the  name  of  the 
Moon." 

"  Ahem !  Hare,"  said  the  elephant,  somewhat 
staggered,  "and  what  message  have  you  brought 
me  from  his  Excellency  the  Moon  V 

"  You  have  this  day  injured  several  hares.  Are 
you  not  aware  that  they  are  the  subjects  of  me } 
If  you  value  your  life,  venture  not  near  the  lake 
ugain.  Break  my  command,  and  I  shall  withdraw 
my  beams  from  you  at  night,  and  your  bodies  will 
be  consumed  with  perpetual  sun." 

The  elephant  after  a  short  meditation  said, 
**  Friend !  it  is  true  that  I  have  acted  against  the 
lights  of  the  excellent  Majesty  of  the  Moon.  I 
xit^vHild  wish  to  make  an  apology ;  how  can  I  do 


The  Man  in  the  Moon  207 

The  hare  replied,  "  Come  along  with  me,  and  I 
will  show  you." 

The  elephant  asked,  "  Where  is  his  Excellency 
at  present  ?*' 

The  other  replied,  "He  is  now  in  the  lake, 
hearing  the  complaints  of  the  maimed  hares." 

"  If  that  be  the  case,"  said  the  elephant  humbly, 
"bring  me  to  my  lord,  that  I  may  tender  him  my 
submission." 

So  the  hare  conducted  the  king  of  the  elephants 
to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  showed  him  the  re- 
flexion of  the  moon  in  the  water,  saying,  "  There 
stands  our  lord  in  the  midst  of  the  water,  plunged 
in  meditation;  reverence  him  with  devotion,  and 
then  depart  with  speed." 

Thereupon  the  elephant  poked  his  proboscis  into 
the  water,  and  muttered  a  fervent  prayer.  By  so 
doing  he  set  the  water  in  agitation,  so  that  the 
reflection  of  the  moon  was  all  of  a  quiver. 

"Look!"  exclaimed  the  hare,  "his  Majesty  is 
trembling  with  rage  at  you  !" 

"  Why  is  his  supreme  Excellency  enraged  with 
me  ?"  asked  the  elephant. 

"Because  you  have  set  the  water  in  motion. 
Worship  him,  and  then  be  off!" 

The  elephant  let  his  ears  droop,  bowed  his  great 


208  The  Man  in  the  Moon 

head  to  the  earth,  and  after  having  expressed  in 
suitable  terms  his  regret  for  having  annoyed  the 
Moon  and  the  hare  dwelling  in  it,  he  vowed  never 
to  trouble  the  Moon-lake  again.  Then  he  departed, 
and  the  hares  have  ever  since  lived  there  unmo- 
lested. 


Cte  Mountain  of  Vtnw 

RAGGED,  bald,  and  desolate,  as  though  a  curse 
rested  upon  it,  rises  the  Horselberg  out  of 
the  rich  and  populous  land  between  Eisenach  and 
Gotha,  looking,  from  a  distance,  like  a  huge  stone 
sarcophagus — a  sarcophagus  in  which  rests  in  magi- 
cal slumber,  till  the  end  of  all  things,  a  mysterious 
world  of  wonders. 

High  up  on  the  north-west  flank  of  the  mountain, 
in  a  precipitous  wall  of  rock,  opens  a  cavern,  called 
the  Horselloch,  from  the  depths  of  which  issues  a 
muffled  roar  of  water,  as  though  a  subterraneous 
stream  were  rushing  over  rapidly-whirling  mill- 
wheels.  "When  I  have  stood  alone  on  the  ridge 
of  the  mountain,"  says  Bechstein,  "after  having 
sought  the  chasm  in  vain,  I  have  heard  a  mighty 
rush,  like  that  of  falling  water,  beneath  my  feet, 
and  after  scrambling  down  the  scarp,  have  found 

P 


210  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

myself — how,  I  never  knew — in  front  of  the  cave.'* 
("  Sagenschatz  des  Thiiringes-landes,"  1835.) 

In  ancient  days,  according  to  the  Thiiringian 
Chronicles,  bitter  cries  and  long-drawn  moans 
were  heard  issuing  from  this  cavern  ;  and  at  night 
wild  shrieks,  and  the  burst  of  diabolical  laughter 
would  ring  out  from  it  over  the  vale,  and  fill  the 
inhabitants  with  terror.  It  was  supposed  that  this 
hole  gave  admittance  to  Purgatory;  and  the 
popular  but  faulty  derivation  of  Horsel  was  Hore^ 
die  Seele,  Hark,  the  Souls ! 

But  another  popular  belief  respecting  this  moun- 
tain was,  that  in  it  Venus,  the  pagan  Goddess  of 
Love,  held  her  court  in  all  the  pomp  and  revelry  of 
heathendom ;  and  there  were  not  a  few  who 
declared  that  they  had  seen  fair  forms  of  female 
beauty  beckoning  them  from  the  mouth  of  the 
chasm,  and  that  they  had  heard  dulcet  strains  of 
music  well  up  from  the  abyss  above  the  thunder  of 
the  falling,  unseen  torrent.  Charmed  by  the  music, 
and  allured  by  the  spectral  forms,  various  indivi- 
duals had  entered  the  cave,  and  none  had  returned 
except  the  Tanhauser,  of  whom  more  anon.  Still 
does  the  Horselberg  go  by  the  name  of  the  Venus- 
berg,  a  name  frequently  used  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
but  without  its  locality  being  always  defined. 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  211 

"In   1398,  at  mid-day,  there  appeared  suddenly 
llhree  great   fires  in  the  air,  which  presently  ran 
together    into    one  globe  of  flame,  parted    again 
and   finally   sank  into  the  Hiirselberg,"  says  the 
Thoringian  Chronicle. 
And  now  for  the  story  of  Tanhauser. 
A  French  knight  was  riding  over  the  beauteous 
meadoivs  in  the  Horsel  vale  on  his  way  to  Wart- 
burg,  "where  the  Landgrave  Hermann  was  holding 
a  gathering  of  minstrels,  who  were  to  contend  in 
song  for  a  prize. 

Tanhauser  was  st  famous  minnesinger,  and  all 
his  lays  were  of  love  and  of  women,  for  his  heart 
was  full  of  passion,  and  that  not  of  the  purest  and 
noblest  description. 

It  was  towards  dusk  that  he  passed  the  cliff  in 
which  is  the  Horselloch,  and  as  he  rode  by,  he  saw 
a  white  glimmering  figure   of  matchless  beauty 

(standing  before  him,  and  beckoning  him  to  her. 
He  knew  her  at  once,  by  her  attributes  and  by 
her  superhuman  perfection,  to  be  none  other  than 
Venus.  As  she  spake  to  him  the  sweetest  strains 
of  music  floated  in  'the  air,  a  soft  roseate  light 
glowed  around  her,  and  nymphs  of  exquisite  loveli- 
ness scattered  roses  at  her  feet.  A  thrill  of  passion 
ran   through  the  veins  of  the  minnesinger;  and, 

P  % 


\ 


212  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

leaving  his  horse,  he  followed  the  apparition.  It 
led  him  up  the  mountain  to  the  cave,  and  as  it 
went  flowers  bloomed  upon  the  soil,  and  a  radiant 
track  was  left  for  Tanhauser  to  follow.  He  entered 
the  cavern,  and  descended  to  the  palace  of  Venus 
in  the  heart  of  the  mountain. 

Seven  years  of  revelry  and  debauch  were  passed, 
and  the  minstrel's  heart  began  to  feel  a  strange 
void.  The  beauty,  the  magnificence,  the  variety, 
of  the  scenes  in  the  pagan  goddess's  home,  and  all 
its  heathenish  pleasures,  palled  upon  him,  and  he 
yearned  for  the  pure  fresh  breezes  of  earth,  one 
look  up  at  the  dark  night  sky  spangled  with  stars, 
one  glimpse  of  simple  mountain  flowers,  one  tinkle 
of  sheep-bells.  At  the  same  time  his  conscience 
began  to  reproach  him,  and  he  longed  to  make  his 
peace  with  God.  In  vain  did  he  entreat  Venus  to 
permit  him  to  depart,  and  it  was  only  when  in  the 
bitterness  of  his  grief  he  called  upon  the  Virgin- 
Mother,  that  a  rift  in  the  mountain-side  appeared 
to  him,  and  he  stood  again  above  ground. 

How  sweet  was  the  morning  air,  balmy  with  the 
scent  of  hay,  as  it  rolled  up  the  mountain  to  him, 
and  fanned  his  haggard  cheek  !  How  delightful  to 
him  was  the  cushion  of  moss  and  scanty  grass  after 
the  downy  couches  of  the  palace  of  revelry  below  ! 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  213 

le  plucked  the  little  heather-bells  and  held  them 
lefore  liim  ;  the  tears  rolled  from  his  eyes,  and 
noistened  his  thin  and  wasted  hands.  He  looked 
ip  at  the  soft  blue  sky  and  the  newly-risen  sun, 
and  his  heart  overflowed.  What  were  the  golden 
jewel-incrusted,  lamp-lit  vaults  beneath  to  that 
pure  dome  of  God's  building  ! 

The  chime  of  a  village  church  struck  sweetly  on 

his  ear,  satiated  with  Bacchanalian  songs ;  and  he 

hurried    down  the  mountain  to  the  church  which 

called  him.     There  he  made  his  confession,  but  the 

priest,  horror-struck  at  his  recital,  dared  not  give 

him  absolution,   but  passed  him   on   to  another. 

And  so  he  went  from  one  to  another,  till  at  last  he 

was  referred  to  the  Pope  himself.    To  the  Pope  he 

went.     Urban   IV.  then    occupied    the    chair    of 

S.  Peter.    To  him  Tanhauser  related  the  sickening 

story  of  his    guilt,  and    prayed    for    absolution. 

Urban  was  a  hard  and  stem  man,  and  shocked  at 

the  immensity  of  the  sin,  he  thrust  the  penitent 

indignantly  from  him,  exclaiming,  "  Guilt  such  as 

thine  can  never,  never  be  remitted.    Sooner  shall 

this  staff  in  my  hand  grow  green  and  blossom,  thaa 

that  God  should  pardon  thee  !" 

Then  Tanhauser,  full  of  despair,  and  with  his 

i     soul  darkened,  went  away,  and   returned  to   the 


£14  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

only  asylum  open  to  him,  the  Venusberg.  But  lo ! 
three  days  after  he  had  gone,  Urban  discovered 
that  his  pastoral  staff  had  put  forth  buds,  and  had 
burst  into  flower.  Then  he  sent  messengers  after 
Tanhauser,  and  they  reached  the  Horsel  vale  to 
hear  that  a  wayworn  man,  with  haggard  brow  and 
bowed  head,  had  just  entered  the  Horselloch. 
Since  then  the  Tanhauser  has  not  been  seen\ 

Such  is  the  sad  yet  beautiful  story  of  Tanhauser. 
It  is  a  very  ancient  myth  Christianized,  a  wide- 
spread tradition  localized.  Originally  heathen,  it 
has  been  transformed,  and  has  acquired  new  beauty 
by  an  infusion  of  Christianity.  Scattered  over 
Europe,  it  exists  in  various  forms,  but  in  none  so 
graceful  as  that  attached  to  the  Horselberg.  There 
are,  however,  other  Venusbei^s  in  Germany:  as, 
for  instance,  in  Swabia,  near  Waldsee;  another 
near  Ufhausen,  at  no  great  distance  from  Freiburg 
(the  same  story  is  told  of  this  Venusberg  as  of  the 
Horselberg) ;  in  Saxony  there  is  a  Venusberg  not 
far  from  Wolkenstein.  Paracelsus  speaks  of  a 
Venusberg  in  Italy,  referring  to  that  in  which 
iEneas  Sylvius  (Ep.   i6)  says  Venus  or  a  Sibyl 

1  Proetorius,  Blocksberg,  Leipzig,  1668.  Grimm,  Deutsche 
Sagen,  Berlin,  1866,  I.  p.  214.  Bechstein,  Thuringische 
Marchenschatz,  1835. 


The  Mmntain  of  Vinus  215 

Rsides,  occupying  a  cavern,  and  assuming  once  a 
week  the  form  of  a  serpent   Geiler  v.  Keysersperg, 
a  quaint    old    preacher  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
speaks  of  the  witches  assembh'ng  on  the  Venus 
bergy  but  does  not  say  where  it  is. 

The  story,  either  in  prose  or  verse,  has  often  been 
printed.  Some  of  the  earliest  editions  are  the 
following : — 

"Das   Lied  von  deni   Danhewser."    Niirnberg, 

without  date;  the  same,  Niirnberg,  1515. — "Das 

Lyedt  v.  d.  Thanheuser."    Leyptzk,  15:10. — "  Das 

Lied   V.   d.   Danheiiser,"  reprinted  by  Bechstein, 

1835. — ^**Das  Lied  vom  edlen  Tanheuser,   Mons 

Veneris."    Frankfort,  1614 ;  Leipzig,  1668. — "Twe 

lede  volgen  Dat  erste  vam  Danhiisser."    Without 

date. — "Van  heer  Danielken."    Tantwerpen,  1544. 

— ^A  Danish  version  in  "Nyerup,  Danske  Viser," 

No.  VIII. 

Let  us  now  see  some  of  the  forms  which  this  re- 
markable myth  assumed  in  other  countries.  Every 
popular  tale  has  its  root,  a  root  which  may  be 
traced  among  different  countries,  and  though  the 
accidents  of  the  story  may  vary,  yet  the  substance 
remains  unaltered.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
common  people  never  invent  new  story-radicals 
any  more  than  we  invent  new  word-roots,  and  this 


216  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

is  perfectly  true.*  The  same  story-root  remains, 
but  it  is  varied  according  to  the  temperament  of 
the  narrator  or  the  exigencies  of  localization.  The 
story rroot  of  the  Venusberg  is  this : — 

The  underground  folk  seek  union  with  human 
beings. 

a.  A  man  is  enticed  into  their  abode,  where  he 
unites  with  a  woman  of  the  underground 
race. 

^,  He  desires  to  revisit  the  earth,  and  escapes; 

7.  He  returns  again  to  the  region  below. 

Now  there  is  scarcely  a  collection  of  folk-lore 
which. does  not  contain  a  story  founded  on  this 
root.  It  appears  in  every  branch  of  the  Aryan 
family,  and  examples  might  be  quoted  from 
Modern  Greek,  Albanian,  Neapolitan,  French, 
German,  Danish,  Norwegian  and  Swedish,  Ice- 
landic, Scotch,  Welsh,  and  other  collections  of 
popular  tales.  I  have  only  space  to  mention 
some. 

There  is  a  Norse  Thattr  of  a  certain  Helgi 
Thorir's  son,  which  is,  in  its  present  form,  a  pro- 
duction of  the  fourteenth  century.  Helgi  and  his 
brother  Thorstein  went  a  cruise  to  Finnmark,  or 
Lapland.  They  reached  a  ness,  and  found  the 
land   covered   with   forest      Helgi   explored   this 


The  Mountain  of  Vcttus  217 

brest,   and  lighted  suddenly  on  a  party  of  red- 
dressed  "women  riding  upon  red  horses.      These 
ladies   were    beautiful    and    of   Troll  race.     One 
surpassed  the  others  in  beauty,  and  she  was  their 
mistress.      They  erected  a  tent  and  prepared  a 
feast.      Helgi  observed  that  all  their  vessels  were 
of  silver .  and  gold.    The  lady,  who  named  herself 
Ingibjorg,   advanced  towards  the  Norseman,  and 
invited  him  to  live  with  her.     He  feasted  and  lived 
with  the  Trolls  for  three  days,  and  then  returned 
to  his  ship,  bringing  with  him  two  chests  of  silver 
and  gold,  which   Ingibjorg  had  given  him.     He 
had  been  forbidden  to  mention  where  he  had  been 
and  with  whom,  so  he  told  no  one  whence  he  had 
obtained   the  chests.     The  ships  sailed,  and  he 
returned  home. 

One  winter's  night  Helgi  was  fetched  away  from 
home,  in  the  midst  of  a  furious  storm,  by  two 
mysterious  horsemen,  and  no  one  was  able  to 
ascertain  for  many  years  what  had  become  of  him, 
till  the  prayers  of  the  king,  Olaf,  obtained  his 
release,  and  then  he  was  restored  to  his  father  and 
brother,  but  he  was  thenceforth  blind.  All  the  time 
of  his  absence  he  had  been  with  the  red-vested 
lady  in  her  mysterious  abode  of  Gloesisvellir. 
The  Scotch  story  of  Thomas  of  Ercildoune  is  the 


218  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

same  story.  Thomas  met  with  a  strange  lady,  of 
elfin  race,  beneath  Eildon  Tree,  who  led  him  into 
the  underground  land,  where  he  remained  with  her 
for  seven  years.  He  then  returned  to  earth,  still, 
however,  remaining  bound  to  come  to  his  royal 
mistress  whenever  she  should  summon  him.  Ac- 
cordingly, while  Thomas  was  making  merry  with 
his  friends  in  the  Tower  of  Ercildoune,  a  person 
came  running  in,  and  told,  with  marks  of  fear  and 
astonishment,  that  a  hart  and  a  hind  had  left  the 
neighbouring  forest,  and  were  parading  the  street 
of  the  village.  Thomas  instantly  arose,  left  his 
house,  and  followed  the  animals  into  the  forest, 
from  which  he  never  returned.  According  to 
popular  belief,  he  still  "  drees  his  weird  "  in  Fairy 
Land,  and  is  one  day  expected  to  revisit  earth. 
(Scott,  "  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Borden")  Com- 
pare with  this  the  ancient  ballad  of  Tamlane. 

Debes  relates  that  "it  happened  a  good  while 
since,  when  the  burghers  of  Bergen  had  the  com- 
merce of  the  Faroe  Isles,  that  there  was  a  man  in 
Serraade,  called  Jonas  Soideman,  who  was  kept  by 
the  spirits  in  a  mountain  during  the  space  of  seven 
years,  and  at  length  came  out,  but  lived  after- 
wards in  great  distress  and  fear,  lest  they  should 
again    take   him   away ;    wherefore  people  were 


The  Mountain  of  Vetius  219 

oliged  to  -watch  him  in  the  night."  The  same 
athor  mentions  another  young  man  who  had  been 
arried  avray,  and  after  his  return  was  removed  a 
ccond  time,  upon  the  eve  of  his  marriage. 

Gervase     of    Tilbury  says  that   "in   Catalonia 

there  is   a  lofty  mountain,  named  Cavagum,  at  the 

foot  of  vrhich  runs  a  river  with  golden  sands,  in  the 

vicinity  of  which  there  are  likewise  silver  mines. 

This    mountain  is  steep,  and  almost  inaccessible. 

On  its  top,  which  is  always  covered  with  ice  and 

snow,  is  a  black  and  bottomless  lake,  into  which  if 

a  stone  be  cast,  a  tempest  suddenly  arises;  and 

near    this   lake  is  the  portal    of  the    palace    of 

demons."     He  then  tells  how  a  young  damsel  was 

spirited  in  tliere  and  spent  seven  years  with  the 

mountain  spirits.     On  her  return  to  earth  she  was 

thin  and  withered,  with  wandering  eyes,  and  almost 

bereft  of  understanding. 

A  Swedish  story  is  to  this  effect  A  young  man 
was  on  his  way  to  his  bride,  when  he  was  allured 
into  a  mountain  by  a  beautiful  elfin  woman.  With 
her  he  lived  forty  years,  which  passed  as  an  hour ; 
on  his  return  to  earth  all  his  old  friends  and  relations 
were  dead,  or  had  forgotten  him,  and  finding  no  rest 
there,  he  returned  to  his  mountain  elf-land. 

In  Pomerania,  a  labourer's  son,  John  Dietrich  of 


220  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

Rambin,  is  said  to  have  spent  twelve  years  in  the 
underground  land.  When  about  eight  years  old 
he  was  sent  to  spend  a  summer  with  his  uncle,  a 
farmer  in  Rodenkirchen.  Here  John  had  to  keep 
cows  with  other  boys,  and  they  used  to  drive  them 
to  graze  about  the  Nine-hills.  There  was  an  old 
cowherd,  Klas  Starkwolt,  who  used  to  join  the 
boys,  and  tell  them  stories  of  the  underground 
people  who  dwelt  in  a  glorious  land  beneath  the 
Nine-hills.  These  tales  John  swallowed  eagerly, 
and  could  think  of  little  else.  One  Midsummer 
day  he  ran  to  the  hills,  and  laid  himself  down  on 
the  top  of  one  of  them,  where,  according  to  Klas, 
the  little  people  were  wont  to  dance.  John  lay 
quite  still  from  ten  till  twelve  at  night  At  last  a 
distant  tower-clock  tolled  midnight  Instantly  the 
hill  was  covered  with  the  little  people,  dancing  and 
tossing  their  caps  about  One  of  these  fell  near 
John :  he  caught  it,  and  set  it  on  his  head.  By  the 
acquisition  of  this  cap  he  had  obtained  power  over 
the  elves.  When  the  cock  began  to  crow,  a  bright 
glass  point  appeared  on  the  hill-top,  and  opened. 
John  and  the  people  descended,  and  he  found  himself 
in  a  land  of  wonder.  He  found  that  there  were  in 
that  place  the  most  beautiful  walks,  in  which  he 
might  ramble  along  for  miles  in  all  directions  with- 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  221 

out  ever  finding  an  end  of  them,  so  immensely 
hrge  was  the  hill  that  the  little  people  lived  in; 
and  yet  outwardly  it  seemed  but  a  little  hill,  with 
a  few  bushes  and  trees  growing  on  it  It  was 
extraordinary  that,  between  the  meads  and  fields, 
which  were  thick  sown  with  hills  and  lakes  and 
islands,  and  ornamented  with  trees  and  flowers  in 
the  greatest  variety,  there  ran,  as  it  were,  small 
lanes,  through  which,  as  through  crystal  rocks,  one 
was  obliged  to  pass  to  come  to  any  new  place ; 
and  the  single  meads  and  fields  were  often  a  mile 
long,  and  the  flowers  were  so  brilliant  and  so  fragrant, 
and  the  song  of  the  numerous  birds  so  sweet,  that 
John  had  never  seen  any  thing  on  earth  at  all  like 
it  There  was  a  breeze,  and  yet  one  did  not  feel 
the  wind ;  it  was  quite  clear  and  bright,  and  yet 
there  was  no  heat,  no  sun,  no  moon ;  the  waves 
dashed  about,  but  there  was  no  danger;  and  the 
most  beautiful  little  barks  and  canoes  came,  like 
white  swans,  when  one  wanted  to  cross  the  water, 
and  went  backwards  and  forwards  of  themselves. 
Whence  all  this  came  no  one  knew,  nor  could  his 
servant  tell  any  thing  about  it ;  but  one  thing  John 
saw  plainly,  which  was,  that  the  large  carbuncles 
and  diamonds  that  were  set  in  the  roof  and  walls 
gave  light  instead  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars. 


Htr;  ' -.1.'.  :':«' i  i  "_~li  niiier.  Elizabeth  Krab- 
zjz.  ijii;jiztr  ;:"  i:±  =:^i_:=rir  :c  Ranbin,  who  had 
ic-=-  s^ir.it i  i-^rir  zy  zzt  linle  recple  a  few  years 
be:':r*  J":':!!:  mi  s-i-e  5.:«:::  frrzied  an  attachment^ 
azi  — tre  ~:-:  ::  -rxl^i  ::^±dier.     Oz  o-e  of  their 

tlev  jieari  iie  rr;-:r:rj:  ::"  a  ccck.  At  the  sound, 
tit  re:ztr:'=r3r.:e  ::"  ej.r:J:  rstumed  to  them,  and 
thrv  felt  3.  iriire  :"Ci  z::re  t-  be  cz  Christian  land. 
'■  Zver/ tJiiz'  i:"r.  here, "  saii  Elizabeth,  "is  beau- 
t-ful,  ar-i  the  little  f:ll<  are  kind,  bur  there  is  not 
pure  p'.taiure  here.  Even.-  ni^ht  I  dream  of  my 
father  and  mcther,  and  cf  cur  churchyard;  and  I 
cannot  ;^-o  tD  the  He  use  of  Gcd,  and  worship  Him 
as  a  Christian  should  :  for  this  is  no  Christian  life  we 
lead  &j\vr.  here,  but  a  delusive,  half-heathen  one." 

John,  ho-Acver,  could  not  release  Elizabeth  from 
the  pov/cr  of  the  underground  folk  till  he  found  a 
toad,  the  sight  and  smell  of  which  was  so  repulsive 
to  them,  that  they  readily  complied  with  every 
request  of  John,  on  condition  he  should  bury  the 

le  girl  escaped,  taking  with  them 

jewels,  to  such  an  amount,  that 

made.     They  were,  of  course, 

in  bought  up  half  the  island  of 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  223 

Rfigen,  ivas  ennobled,  built  and  endowed  the  pre- 
sent church  of  Rambin,  and  became  the  founder  of 
a  powerful  family.  To  the  altar  of  Rambin  he  gave 
some  of  the  cups  and  plates  of  gold  made  by  the 
undei^round  people,  and  his  own  and  Elizabeth's 
glass  shoes  which  they  had  worn  in  the  mount. 
But  these  were  taken  away  in  the  time  of  Charles 
XII.  of  Sweden,  when  the  Russians  came  on  the 
island,  and  the  Cossacks  plundered  the  churches*. 

In  the  year  1520,  there  lived  at  Basle,  in  Switzer- 
land, a  tailor's  son,  named  I-eonarA  He  entered  a 
cave  which  penetrated  far  into  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  holding  a  consecrated  taper  in  his  hand. 
He  came  to  an  enchanted  land,  where  was  a  beau- 
tiful woman  wearing  a  golden  crown,  but  from  her 
waist  downwards  she  was  a  serpent  She  gave 
him  gold  and  silver,  and  entreated  him  to  kiss  her 
three  times.  He  complied  twice,  but  the  writhing 
of  her  tail  so  horrified  him,  that  he  fled  without 
giving  her  the  third  kiss.  Afterwards  he  prowled 
about  the  mountains,  seeking  the  entrance  to  the 
cave,  filled  with  a  craving  for  the  society  of  the 
lady,  but  he  never  could  find  it  again*. 

*  Keightley's  Fairy  Mythology,  i860,  p.  178. 
'  Komemann,  Mons  Veneris,  c.  34.    Proetorius,  Weltbe* 
schreibung,  p.  661. 


^24  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

There  is  a  curious  story  told  by  Fordun  in  lus 
"  Scotichronicon,"  by  Matthew  of  Westminster  in 
his  Chronicle,  and  by  Roger  of  Wendover  in  his 
"  Flowers  of  History,"  which  has  some  interest  in 
connexion  with  the  legend  of  the  Tanhauser.  They 
relate  that  in  the  year  1050,  a  youth  of  noble  birth 
had  been  married  in  Rome,  and  during  the  nuptial 
feast,  being  engaged  in  a  game  of  ball,  he  took  off 
his  wedding-ring,  and  placed  it  on  the  finger  of  a 
statue  of  Venus.  When  he  wished  to  resume  it,  he 
found  that  the  stony  hand  had  become  clenched, 
so  that  it  was  impossible  to  remove  the  ring. 
Thenceforth  he  was  haunted  by  the  Goddess  Venus, 
who  constantly  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  Embrace  me  ; 
I  am  Venus,  whom  you  have  wedded  ;  I  will  never 
restore  your  ring."  However,  by  the  assistance  of 
a  priest,  she  was  at  length  forced  to  give  it  up  to 
its  rightful  owner. 

This  story  occurs  also  in  Vincent  of  Beauvais, 
whose  version  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix*. 
Caesarius  of  Heisterboch  has  also  a  story  bear- 
ing a  relation  to  that  of  Venus  and  the  ring. 
A  certain  Clerk  Phillip,  a  great  necromancer, 
took   some   Swabian    and   Bavarian   youths  to  a 

"•  Appendix  B.  Vincent  Bellov.  I.  36,  Spec.  Historiale. 
Antonini  Summa  Histor.  P.  II.,  tit  16. 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  225 

lonely  spot  in  a  field,  where,  at  their  desire,  he 
proceeded  to  perform  incantations.  First  he  drew 
a  circle  round  them  with  his  sword,  and  warned 
them  on  no  consideration  to  leave  the  ring.  Then 
retiring  from  them  a  little  space  he  began  his  incan- 
tations, and  suddenly  there  appeared  around  the 
youths  a  multitude  of  armed  men,  brandishing 
weapons,  and  daring  them  to  fight.  The  demons, 
failing  to  draw  them  by  this  means  from  their 
enchanted  circle,  vanished,  and  then  there  was  seen 
a  company  of  beautiful  damsels,  dancing  about  the 
ring,  and  by  their  attitudes  alluring  the  youths 
towards  them.  One  of  these,  exceeding  the  others 
in  beauty  and  grace,  singled  out  a  youth,  and 
dancing  before  him,  extended  to  him  a  ring  of 
gold,  casting  languishing  glances  towards  him,  and 
by  all  means  in  her  power  endeavouring  to  attract 
his  attention,  and  kindle  his  passion.  The  young 
man,  unable  any  longer  to  resist,  put  forth  his 
finger  beyond  the  circle  to  the  ring,  and  the 
apparition  at  once  drew  him  towards  her  and 
vanished  along  with  him.  However,  after  much 
trouble,  the  necromancer  was  able  to  recover  him 
from  the  embraces  of  the  evil  spirit*. 

•  Csesarius  Heister.    V.  4. 


226  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

Another  mediaeval  story  is  founded  on  the  siame 
myth,  but  purified  and  Christianized.  A  knight  is 
playing  at  ball,  and  incommoded  by  his  ring.  He 
therefore  removes  it,  and  places  it  for  safety  on 
the  finger  of  a  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 
On  seeking  it  again  he  finds  the  hand  of  the  figure 
clasped,  and  he  is  unable  to  recover  his  ring. 
Whereupon  the  knight  renounces  the  world,  and  as 
the  betrothed  of  the  Virgin  enters  a  monastery*. 

The  incident  of  the  ring  in  connexion  with  the 
ancient  goddess  is  certainly  taken  from  the  old 
religion  of  the  Teutonic  and  Scandinavian  peoples. 
Freyja  was  represented  in  her  temples  holding  a 
ring  in  her  hand ;  so  was  Thorgerda  Horgabruda. 
The  Faereyinga  Saga  relates  an  event  in  the  life  of 
the  Faroese  hero,  Sigmund  Brestesson,  which  is  to 
the  point  "They  (Earl  Hakon  and  Sigmund) 
went  to  the  temple,  and  the  earl  fell  on  the  ground 
before  her  statue,  and  there  he  lay  long.  The 
statue  was  richly  dressed,  and  had  a  heavy  gold 
ring  on  the  arm.  And  the  earl  stood  up  and 
touched  the  ring,  and  tried  to  remove  it,  but  could 
not ;  and  it  seemed  to  Sigmund  as  though  she 
frowned.     Then  the  earl  said,  '  She  is  not  pleased 

•  Wolf,  Beitrage  z.  deut  Myth.  Gottingen,  1857,  II.,  p.  257. 


The  Mountain  of  Venus  227 

Hth  thee,  Sigmund  I  and  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
Aall  be  able  to  reconcile  you;  but  that  shall  be 
Ae  token  of  her  favour,  if  she  gives  us  the  ring, 
iduch  she  has  in  her  hand'  Then  the  earl  took 
mnch  silver,  and  laid  it  on  the  footstool  before 
her ;  and  again  he  iBiung  himself  prostrate  before 
her,  and  Sigfmund  noticed  that  he  wept  profusely. 
And  when  he  stood  up  he  took  the  ring,  and  she 
let  go  of  it  Then  the  earl  gave  it  to  Sigmund, 
'  and  said,  '  I  give  thee  this  ring  to  thy  weal,  never 
part  with  it'  And  Sigmund  promised  he  would 
not'."  This  ring  is  the  death  of  the  Faroese  chief. 
In  after  years,  King  Olaf,  who  converts  him  to 
Christianity,  knowing  that  this  gold  ring  is  a  relic 
of  Paganism,  asks  Sigmund  to  give  it  him.  The 
chief  refuses,  and  the  king  angrily  pronounces  a 
warning  that  it  will  be  the  cause  of  his  death. 
And  his  word  falls  true,  for  Sigmund  is  murdered 
in  his  sleep  for  the  sake  of  the  ring. 

Unquestionably  the  Venus  of  the  Horselberg,  of 
Basle,  of  the  Eildon  Hill,  that  of  whom  Fordun, 
Vincent,  and  Caesarius  relate  such  weird  tales,  is 
the  ancient  goddess  Holda,  or  Thorgerda ;  a  con- 


I 


7  Faereyinga  Saga.    Copenhagen,  1833,  p.  103 ;  and  Torn- 
manna  Sogur,  II.,  cap.  184. 

Q  « 


228  The  Mountain  of  Venus 

elusion  to  which  the  stories  of  the  ring  naturally 
lead  us. 

The  classic  legend  of  Ulysses  held  captive  for 
eight  years  by  the  nymph  Calypso  in  the  island  of 
Ogygia,  and  again  for  one  year  by  the  enchantress 
Circe,  contains  the  root  of  the  same  story  of  the 
Tanhauser. 

What  may  have  been  the  significance  of  the 
primeval  story-radical  it  is  impossible  for  us  now  to 
ascertain ;  but  the  legend,  as  it  shaped  itself  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  is  certainly  indicative  of  the  struggle 
between  the  new  and  the  old  faith. 

We  see  thinly  veiled  in  Tanhauser,  the  story  of 
a  man.  Christian  in  name,  but  heathen  at  heart, 
allured  by  the  attractions  of  Paganism,  which  seems 
to  satisfy  his  poetic  instincts,  and  which  gives  full 
rein  to  his  passions.  But  these  excesses  pall  on 
him  after  a  while,  and  the  religion  of  sensuality 
leaves  a  great  void  in  his  breast. 

He  turns  to  Christianity,  and  at  first  it  seems  to 
promise  all  that  he  requires.  But  alas !  he  is 
repelled  by  its  ministers.  On  all  sides  he  is  met  by 
practice  widely  at  variance  with  profession.  Pride, 
worldliness,  want  of  sympathy,  exist  among  those 
who  should  be  the  foremost  to  guide,  sustain,  and 
receive  him.     All  the  warm  springs  which  gushed 


*The  Mountain/)/  Venus 


229 


qi  in  his  broken  heart  are  choked,  his  softened 
ipirit  is  hardened  again,  and  he  returns  in  despair 
to  bury  his  sorrows,  and  drown  his  anxieties,  in  the 
lAebauchery  of  his  former  creed. 

A  sad  picture,  but  doubtless  one  very  true. 


\ 


5«  $attfcft^0  ¥ursatots 

IN  that  charming  mediaeval  romance,  Fortunatus 
and  his  Sons,  which,  by  the  way,  is  a  treasury 
of  Popular  Mythology,  is  an  account  of  a  visit  paid 
by  the  favoured  youth  to  that  cave  of  mystery  in 
Lough  Derg,  the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick. 

Fortunatus,  we  are  told,  had  heard  in  his  travels 
of  how  two  days'  journey  from  the  town,  Valdric, 
in  Ireland,  was  a  town,  Vernic,  where  was  the 
entrance  to  the  Purgatory ;  so  thither  he  went  with 
many  servants.  He  found  a  great  abbey,  and 
behind  the  altar  of  the  church  a  door,  which  led 
into  the  dark  cave  which  is  called  the  Purgatory 
of  S.  Patrick.  In  order  to  enter  it,  leave  had  to 
be  obtained  from  the  abbot ;  consequently,  Leo- 
pold, servant  to  Fortunatus,  betook  himself  to  that 
worthy,  and  made  known  to  him  that  a  nobleman 
from  Cyprus  desired  to  enter  the  mysterious  cavern. 


S.  Patrick's  Purgatory  281 

The  abbot  at  once  requested  Leopold  to  bring  his 
master  to  supper  with  him.  Fortunatus  bought  a 
large  jar  of  wine,  and  sent  it  as  a  present  to  the 
monastery,  and  followed  at  the  meal  time. 

"Venerable  sir!"  said  Fortunatus,  "  I  understand 
the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick  is  here ;  is  it  so  ?'* 

The  abbot  replied,  "  It  is  so  indeed.  Many 
hundred  years  ago,  this  place,  where  stand  the 
abbey  and  the  town,  was  a  howling  wilderness. 
Not  far  off,  however,  lived  a  venerable  hermit, 
Patrick  by  name,  who  often  sought  the  desert  for 
the  purpose  of  therein  exercising  his  austerities. 
One  day  he  lighted  on  this  cave,  which  is  of  vast 
extent  He  entered  it,  and  wandering  on  in  the 
dark,  lost  his  way,  so  that  he  could  no  more  find 
how  to  return  to  the  light  of  day.  After  long  ram- 
blings  through  the  gloomy  passages,  he  fell  on  his 
knees,  and  besought  Almighty  God,  if  it  were  His 
will,  to  deliver  him  from  the  great  peril  wherein  he 
lay.  Whilst  Patrick  thus  prayed,  he  was  ware  of 
piteous  cries  issuing  from  the  depths  of  the  cave, 
just  such  as  would  be  the  waitings  of  souls  in 
purgatory.  The  hermit  rose  from  his  orison,  and 
by  God's  mercy  found  his  way  back  to  the  surface, 
and  from  that  day  exercised  greater  austerities, 
and  after  his  death  he  was  numbered  with  the 


232  5.  Patricks  Purgatory 

saints.  Pious  people,  who  had  heard  the  stoiy  of 
Patrick's  adventure  in  the  cave,  built  this  cloister 
on  the  site." 

Then  Fortunatus  asked  whether  all  who  ventured 
into  the  place  heard  likewise  the  howls  of  the  tor- 
mented souls. 

The  abbot  replied,  "  Some  have  affirmed  that 
they  have  heard  a  bitter  crying  and  piping  therein ; 
whilst  others  have  heard  and  seen  nothing.  No 
one,  however,  has  penetrated,  as  yet,  to  the  furthest 
limits  of  the  cavern." 

Fortunatus  then  asked  permission  to  enter,  and 
the  abbot  cheerfully  consented,  only  stipulating 
that  his  guest  should  keep  near  the  entrance,  and 
not  ramble  too  far,  as  some  who  had  ventured  in 
had  never  returned. 

Next  day,  early,  Fortunatus  received  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  with  his  trusty  Leopold ;  the  door 
of  the  Purgatory  was  unlocked,  each  was  pro- 
vided with  a  taper,  and  then  with  the  blessing  of 
the  abbot  they  were  left  in  total  darkness,  and  the 
door  bolted  behind  them.  Both  wandered  on  in 
the  cave,  hearing  faintly  the  chanting  of  the  monks 
in  the  church,  till  the  sound  died  away.  They 
traversed  several  passages,  lost  their  way,  their 
candles   burned   out,   and   they  sat  down   in  de- 


5'.  Patricks  Purgatory  233 

ipair  on  the  ground,  a  prey  to  hunger,  thirst,  and 
fear. 

The  monks  waited  in  the  church  hour  after  hour ; 
and  the  visitors  of  the  Purgatory  had  not  returned 
Day  declined,  vespers  were  sung,  and  still  there 
was  no  sign  of  the  two  who  in  the  morning  had 
passed  from  the  church  into  the  cave.     Then  the 
servants  of  Fortunatus  began  to  exhibit  anger,  and 
to  insist  on  their  master  being  restored  to  them. 
The  abbot  was  frightened,  and  sent  for  an  old  man 
who  had  once  penetrated  far  into  the  cave,  with  a 
ball  of  twine,  the  end  attached  to  the  door  handle. 
This  man  volunteered  to  seek  Fortunatus,  and  pro- 
videntially his  search  was  successful.      After  this 
the  abbot  refused  permission  to  any  one  to  visit 
the  cave. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  lived  Henry  of  Saltrey, 
who  wrote  a  history  of  the  visit  of  a  Knight  Owen 
to  the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick,  which  gained  im- 
mense popularity.  Henry  was  a  monk  of  the 
Benedictine  Abbey  of  Saltrey,  in  Huntingdonshire, 
and  received  his  story  from  Gilbert,  Abbot  of 
Louth,  who  is  said  by  some  to  have  also  published 
a  written  account  of  the  extraordinary  visions  of 
Owen\    This  account  was  soon  translated  into 

>  Biograph.  Brit.  Lit;  Anglo-Norm.  Period,  p.  321. 


284  .S*.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

other  languages,  and  spread  the  fable  through 
mediaeval  Europe.  It  was  this  work  of  Henry  of 
Saltrey  which  first  made  known  the  virtues  of  the 
mysterious  cave  of  Lough  Derg.  Marie  of  France 
translated  it  into  French  metre,  but  hers  was  not 
the  only  version  in  that  tongue ;  in  English  there 
are  two  versions.  In  one  of  these,  "  Owayne  Miles," 
H.  S.  Cotton.  Calig.  A.  ii.,  fol.  89,  the  origin  of  the 
purgatory  is  thus  described : — 

"  Holy  byschoppes  some  tyme  ther  were, 
That  tawgte  me  of  Goddes  lore. 
In  Irlonde  preched  Seyn  Patryke, 
In  that  londe  was  non  hym  lyke  : 
He  prechede  Goddes  worde  full  wyde, 
And  tolde  men  what  shuUde  betyde. 
Fyrste  he  preched  of  Heven  blysse, 
Who  ever  go  thyder  may  ryght  nowgt  mysse : 
Sethen  he  preched  of  Hell  pyne, 
Howe  wo  them  ys  that  cometh  therinne : 
And  then  he  preched  of  purgatory, 
As  he  fonde  in  hisstory, 
But  yet  the  folke  of  the  contr^ 
Beleved  not  that  hit  mygth  be  ; 
And  seyed,  but  gyf  hit  were  so, 
That  eny  non  myth  hyraself  go, 
And  se  alle  that,  and  come  ageyn, 
Then  wolde  they  beleve  fayn." 

Vexed  at  the  obstinacy  of  his  hearers,  S.  Patrick 
besought  the  Almighty  to  make  the  truth  manifest 
to  the  unbelievers ;  whereupon 


5.  PdtricKs  Purgatory  286 

f  God  spakke  to  Saynt  Patryke  tho 
By  nam,  and  badde  hym  with  Hym  go : 
He  ladde  hym  ynte  a  wyldemesse, 
"Wher  was  no  reste  more  ne  lesse, 
And  shewed  that  he  might  se 
Inte  the  erthe  a  pryv^  entr^ : 

Hit  was  yn  a  depe  dyches  ende. 

•What  mon,'  He  sayde,  *  that  wylle  hereyn  wende, 

And  dwelle  theryn  a  day  and  a  nyght. 

And  hold  his  byleve  and  ryght, 

And  come  ageyn  that  he  ne  dwelle, 

Mony  a  mervayle  he  may  of  telle. 

And  alle  tho  that  doth  thys  pylgrymage, 

I  shalle  hem  graimt  fpr  her  wage, 

Whether  he  be  sqwyer  or  knave, 

Other  purgatorye  shalle  he  non  have.'" 

Thereupon  S.  Patrick,  "he  ne  stynte  ner  day  ne 
night,"  till  he  had  built  there  a  "  fayr  abbey,"  and 
stocked  it  with  pious  canons.  Then  he  made  a 
door  to  the  cave,  and  locked  the  door,  and  gave  the 
key  to  the  keeping  of  the  prior*.  The  Knight 
Owain,  who  had  served  under  King  Stephen,  had 
lived  a  life  of  violence  and  dissolution ;  but  filled 
with  repentance,  he  sought  by  way  of  penance  S. 
Patrick's  Purgatory.  Fifteen  days  he  spent  in 
preliminary  devotions  and  alms-deeds,  and  then  he 
heard  mass,  was  washed  with  holy  water,  received 
the  Holy  Sacrament,  and  followed  the  sacred  relics 

«  Wright,  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory,  p.  65. 


2S6  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

in  procession,  whilst  the  priests  sang  for  him  the 
Litany,  "as  lowde  as  they  mygth  crye."  Then 
Sir  Owain  was  locked  in  the  cave,  and  he  groped 
his  \f2Y  onward  in  darkness,  till  he  reached  a 
glimmering  light ;  this  brightened,  and  he  came 
out  into  an  underground  land,  where  was  a  great 
hall  and  cloister,  in  which  were  men  with  shaven 
heads  and  white  garments.  These  men  informed 
the  knight  how  he  was  to  protect  himself  against 
the  assaults  of  evil  spirits.  After  having  received 
this  instruction,  he  heard  "'grete  dynn,"  and 

**  Then  come  ther  develes  on  every  syde, 
Wykked  gostes,  I  wote,  fro  Helle, 
So  mony  that  no  tonge  mygte  telle : 
They  fylled  the  hows  yn  two  rowes  ; 
Some  grenned  on  hym  and  some  mad  mowes.'' 

He  then  visits  the  different  places  of  torment 
In  one,  the  souls  are  nailed  to  the  ground  with 
glowing  hot  brazen  nails;  in  another,  they  are 
fastened  to  the  soil  by  their  hair,  and  are  bitten 
by  fiery  reptiles.  In  another,  again,  they  are  hung 
over  fires  by  those  members  which  had  sinned, 
whilst  others  are  roasted  on  spits.  In  one  place 
wcic  pits  in  which  were  molten  metals.  In  these 
jmw  were  men  and  women,  some  up  to  their  chins, 
\aUvMH  t\^  their  breasts,  others  to  their  hams.     The 


5*.  Patrick's  Purgatory  237 

kmght  iKras  pushed  by  the  devils  into  one  of  these 
pits,  and  was  dreadfully  scalded,  but  he  cried  to 
the  Saviour,  and  escaped.     Then  he  visited  a  lake 
where  souls  were  tormented  with  great  cold ;  and 
a  river  of  pitch,  which  he  crossed  on  a  frail  and 
narrow  bridge.     Beyond  this  bridge  was  a  wall  of 
glass,  in  which  opened  a  beautiful  gate,  which  con- 
ducted into  Paradise.     This  place  so  delighted  him 
that  he  would  fain  have  remained  in  it  had  he  been 
suffered,   but  he  was  bidden  return  to  earth  and 
finish   there  his  penitence.     He  was  put  into  a 
shorter  and  pleasanter  way  back  to  the  cave  than 
that  by  which  he  had  come  ;  and  the  prior  found 
the  knight  next  morning  at  the  door,  waiting  to  be 
let  out,  and  full  of  his  adventures.     He  afterwards 
went   on  a  pilgrimage  to  the   Holy  Land,  and 
ended  his  life  in  piety.     "  Explycit  Owayne'." 

Marie's  translation  is  in  three  thousand  verses ; 
Legrand  d'Aussy  has  given  the  analysis  of  it  in  his 
"  Fabliaux,"  tom.  iv. 

Giraldus  Cambrensis,  in  his  topography  of  Ire- 
land, alludes  to  the  Purgatory.  He  places  the 
island  of  Lough  Derg  among  one  of  the  marvels  of 
the  country.    According  to  him  it  is  divided  into 

»  Wright,  Op.  cit,  cap.  iii. 


238  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

two  parts,  whereof  one  is  fair  and  agreeable,  and 
contains  a  church,  whilst  the  other  is  rough  and 
uncultivated,  and  a  favourite  haunt  of  devils.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  island,  he  adds,  there  were 
nine  caves,  in  any  one  of  which,  if  a  person  were 
bold  enough  to  pass  the  night,  he  would  be  so 
tormented  by  the  demons,  that  he  would  be  fortu- 
nate if  he  escaped  with  life;  and  he  says,  it  is 
reported  that  a  night  so  spent  relieved  the  sufferer 
from  having  to  undergo  the  torments  of  purgatory 
hereafter*. 

In  the  ancient  Office  of  S.  Patrick  occurred  the 
following  verse : — 

"  Hie  est  doctor  benevolus, 
Hibernicorum  apostolus, 
Cui  loca  purgatoria 
Ostendit  Dei  gratia.** 

Joscelin,  in  his  life  of  the  saint,  repeats  the  fable. 
Henry  de  Knyghton,  in  his  history,  however, 
asserts  that  it  was  not  the  Apostle  of  Ireland,  but 
an  abbot  Patrick,  to  whom  the  revelation  of  purga- 
tory was  made ;  and  John  of  Brompton  says  the 
same.  Alexander  Neckham  calls  it  S.  Brandan's 
Purgatory.     Caesar  of  Heisterbach,  in  the  begin- 

<  Girald.  Gambr.  Topog.  Hiberniae,  cap.  v. 


5.  Patricks  Purgatory  230 

ning  of  the  13th  century,  says,  "  If  any  one  doubt 
of  purgatory,  let  him  go  to  Scotland  (1.  e.  Ireland), 
and  enter  the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick,  and  his 
doubts  will  be  dispelled*."  "This  recommenda- 
tion," says  Mr.  Wright,  in  his  interesting  and  all 
but  exhaustive  essay  on  the  myth,  "  was  frequently 
acted  upon  in  that,  and  particularly  in  the  follow- 
ing century,  when  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  Europe, 
some  of  them  men  of  rank  and  wealth,  repaired  to 
this  abode  of  superstition.  On  the  patent  rolls  in 
the  Tower  of  London,  under  the  year  1358,  we 
have  an  instance  of  testimonials  given  by  the  king 
(Edward  III.)  on  the  same  day,  to  two  distinguished 
foreigners,  one  a  noble  Hungarian,  the  other  a 
Lombard,  Nicholas  de  Beccariis,  of  their  having 
faithfully  performed  this  pilgrimage.  And  still 
later,  in  1397,  we  find  King  Richard  11.  granting 
a  safe  conduct  to  visit  the  same  place,  to  Raymond, 
Viscount  of  Perilhos,  knight  of  Rhodes,  and  cham- 
berlain of  the  King  of  France,  with  twenty  men 
and  thirty  horses.  Raymond  de  Perilhos,  on  his 
return  to  his  native  country,  wrote  a  narrative  of 
what  he  had  seen,  in  the  dialect  of  the  Limousan, 


'  Caesar.  Heist.  De  Miraculis   sui    Temporis,    lib.  xii., 
cap.  38.    Ap.  Wright. 


240  5.  Patrick's  Purgatory  1 

of  which  a  Latin  version  was  printed  by  0*Sull6»'^ 
van,  in  his  '  Historia  Catholica  Iberniae*/"  'K's^ 

This  work  is  simply  the  story  of  Owain  slightly"^? 
altered.  .'ii' 

Froissart  tells  us  of  a  conversation  he  bad  with'-: 
one  Sir  William  Lisle,  who  had  been  in  the  Purga-  fe 
tory.     "  I  asked  him  of  what  sort  was  the  cave  that  % 
is  in  Ireland,  called  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory,  and  if  \ 
that  were  true  which  was  related  of  it     He  replied    : 
that  there  certainly  was  such  a  cave,  for  he  and    ' 
another  English  knight  had  been  there  whilst  the 
king  was  at  Dublin,  and  said  that  they  entered  the 
cave,  and  were  shut  in  as  the  sun  set,  and  that 
they  remained   there  all  night,  and  left  it   next 
morning  at  sunrise.     And  then  I  asked  if  he  had 
seen   the  strange  sights    and    visions  spoken  of. 
Then  he  said  that  when  he  and  his  companion  had 
passed  the  gate  of  the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick,  that 
they  had  descended  as  though  into  a  cellar,  and 
that  a  hot  vapour  rose  towards  them,    and    so 
affected  their  heads,  that  they  were  obliged  to  sit 
down  on  the  stone  steps.     And  after  sitting  there 
awhile  they  felt    heavy  with   sleep,   and   so   fell 
asleep,  and  slept  all  night     Then  I  asked  if  they 

•  Wright,  Op.  cit.,  p.  135. 


S.  Patricks  Purgatory  241 

knew  where  they  were  in  their  sleep,  and  what  scJrt 
flf  dreams  they  had  had ;  be  answered  that  they 
Lad  been  oppressed  with  many  fancies  and  wonder- 
fiil  dreams,  different  from  those  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  in  their  chambers ;  and  in  the  morning 
when  they  went  out,  in  a  short  while  they  had 
dean  forgotten  their  dreams  and  visions;  where- 
fiare  he  concluded  that  the  whole  matter  was 
fancy." 

The  next  to  give  us  an  account  of  his  descent 
into  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory,  is  William  Staunton  of 
Durham,  who  went  down  into  the  cave  on  the 
Friday  next  after  the  feast  of  Holyrood,  in  the 
year  1409.  Mr.  Wright  has  quoted  the  greater 
portion  of  his  vision  from  a  manuscript  in  the 
British  Museum ;  I  have  only  room  for  a  few  ex- 
I  tracts,  which  I  shall  modernize,  as  the  original 
f  spelling  is  somewhat  perplexing. 

"  I  was  put  in  by  the  Prior  of  S.  Matthew,  of  the 
same  Purgatory,  with  procession  and  devout  prayers 
of  the  prior,  and  the  convent  gave  me  an  orison  to 
bless  me  with,  and  to  write  the  first  word  in  my 
forehead,  the  which  prayer  is  this,  '  Jhesu  Christe, 
Fili  Dei  vivi,  miserere  mihi  peccatori.*  And  th^ 
prior  taught  me  to  say  this  prayer  when  any  spirit 
good  or  evil,  appeared  unto  me,  or  when  I  heard 

R 


242  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

any  noise  that  I  should  be  afraid  of."  When  left 
in  the  cave,  William  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed  that 
he  saw  coming  to  him  S.  John  of  Bridlington  and 
S.  Ive,  who  undertook  to  conduct  him  through  the 
scenes  of  mystery.  After  they  had  proceeded  a 
while,  William  was  found  to  be  guilty  of  a  trespass 
against  Holy  Church,  of  which  he  had  to  be  purged 
before  he  could  proceed  much  further.  Of  this 
trespass  he  was  accused  by  his  sister  who  appeared 
in  the  way.  "I  make  my  complaint  unto  you 
against  my  brother  that  here  standeth ;  for  this 
man  that  standeth  hereby  loved  me,  and  I  loved 
him,  and  either  of  us  would  have  had  the  other  ac- 
cording to  God's  law,  as  Holy  Church  teaches,  and 
I  should  have  gotten  of  me  three  souls  to  God,  but 
my  brother  hindered  us  from  marrying."  S.  John 
of  Bridlington  then  turned  to  William,  and  asked 
him  why  he  did  not  allow  the  two  who  loved  one 
another  to  be  married.  "I  tell  thee  there  is  no 
man  that  hindereth  man  or  woman  from  being 
united  in  the  bond  of  God,  though  the  man  be  a 
shepherd  and  all  his  ancestors,  and  the  woman 
be  come  of  kings  or  of  emperors,  or  if  the  man 
be  come  of  never  so  high  kin,  and  the  woman  of 
never  so  low  kin,  if  they  love  one  another,  but  he 
sinneth  in  Holy  Church  against  God  and  his  deed. 


S.  Patrick's  Purgatory  243 

and  therefore  he  shall  have  much  pain  and  tribula- 
tions." Being  assoiled  of  this  crying  sin,  S.  John 
takes  William  to  a  fire  "  grete  and  styngkyng,"  in 
which  he  sees  people  burning  in  their  gay  clothes. 
"  I  saw  some  with  collars  of  gold  about  their  necks, 
and  some  of  silver,  and  some  men  I  saw  with  gay 
girdles  of  silver  and  gold,  and  harnessed  with  horns 
about  their  necks,  some  with  no  jagges  on  their 
clothes,  than  whole  cloth,  others  full  of  jingles  and 
bells  of  silver  all  over  set,  and  some  with  long 
pokes  on  their  sleeves,  and  women  with  gowns 
trailing  behind  them  a  long  space,  and  some  with 
chaplets  on  their  heads  of  gold  and  pearls  and 
other  precious  stones.  And  I  looked  on  him  that 
I  saw  first  in  pain,  and  saw  the  collars,  and  gay 
girdles,  and  baldrics  burning,  and  the  fiends  dragging 
him  by  two  fingermits.  And  I  saw  the  jagges  that 
men  were  clothed  in  turn  all  to  adders,  to  dragons, 
and  to  toads,  and  'many  other  orrible  bestes' 
sucking  them,  and  biting  them,  and  stinging  them 
with  all  their  might,  and  through  every  jingle  I 
saw  fiends  smite  burning  nails  of  fire  into  their 
flesh.  I  also  saw  fiends  drawing  down  the  skin  of 
their  shoulders  like  to  pokes,  and  cutting  them  off, 
and  drawing  them  to  the  heads  of  those  they  cut 
them  from,  all  burning  as  fire.    And  then  I  saw 

R  z 


244  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

the  women  that  had  side  trails  behind  them,  and 
the  side  trails  cut  off  by  the  fiends  and  burned  on 
their  head ;  and  some  took  of  the  cutting  all 
burning  and  stopped  therewith  their  mouths,  their 
noses,  and  their  ears.  I  saw  also  their  gay  chap- 
lets  of  gold  and  pearls  and  precious  stones,  turned 
into  nails  of  iron,  burning,  and  fiends  with  burning 
hammers  smiting  them  into  their  heads."  These 
were  proud  and  vain  people.  Then  he  saw  another  - 
fire,  where  the  fiends  were  putting  out  people's 
eyes,  and  pouring  molten  brass  and  lead  into  the 
sockets,  and  tearing  off  their  arms,  and  the  nails  of 
their  feet  and  hands,  and  soldering  them  on  ag^in. 
This  was  the  doom  of  swearers.  William  saw 
other  fires  wherein  the  devils  were  executing  tor- 
tures varied  and  horrible  on  their  unfortunate 
victims.     We  need  follow  him  no  further. 

At  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  Purga- 
tory in  Lough  Derg  was  destroyed,  by  orders  of 
the  pope,  on  hearing  the  report  of  a  monk  of 
Eymstadt  in  Holland,  who  had  visited  it,  and  had 
satisfied  himself  that  there  was  nothing  in  it  more 
remarkable  than  in  any  ordinary  cavern.  The 
Purgatory  was  closed  on  S.  Patrick's  day,  1497 ; 
but  the  belief  in  it  was  not  so  speedily  banished 
from  popular  superstition.     Calderon  made  it  the 


S.  Patricias  Purgatory  245 

subject  of  one  of  his  dramas ;  and  it  became  the 

subject  of  numerous  popular  chap-books  in  France 

and  Spain,  where  during  last  century  it  occupied 

in  the  religious  belief  of  the  people  precisely  the 

same  position  which  is  assumed  by  the  marvellous 

visions   of  heaven  and  hell  sold  by  hawkers  in 

England  at  the  present  day,  one  of  which,  probably 

founded  on  the  old  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory  legend, 

I  purchased  the  other  day,  and  found  it  to  be  a 

publication  of  very  modern  date. 

.Unquestionably,  the  story  of  S.  Patrick's  Purga- 
tory is  founded  on  the  ancient  Hell-descents  pre- 
valent in  all  heathen  nations ;  Herakles,  Orpheus, 
Odysseus,  in  Greek  Mythology,  .Eneas,  in  Roman, 
descend  to  the  nether  world,  and  behold  sights  very 
similar  to  those  described  in  the  Christian  legends 
just  quoted.  Among  the  Finns,  Wainomoinen 
goes  down  into  Pohjola,  the  land  of  darkness  and 
fear;  and  the  Esths  tell  of  Kalewa  plunging  into  a 
mysterious  cave  which  led  him  to  the  abode  of  the 
foul  fiend,  where  he  visited  his  various  courts,  and 
whence  he  ravished  his  daughters.  A  still  more 
striking  myth  is  that  of  the  ancient  Quiches,  con- 
tained in  their  sacred  book,  the  Popol-Vuh ;  in 
which  the  land  of  Xibalba  contains  mansions  nearly 
as  unpleasant  as  the  fields  and  lakes  of  S.  Patrick's 


246  5.  Patricks  Purgatory 

Purgatory.  One  is  the  house  of  gloom,  another  of 
men  with  sharp  swords,  another  of  heat,  one  of 
cold,  one  of  the  mansions  is  haunted  by  blood- 
sucking bats,  another  is  the  den  of  ferocious  tigers'. 
Odin,  in  Northern  Mythology,  has  mansions  of  cold 
and  heat®;  and  Hell's  abode  is  thus  described: — 
"  In  Niflheim  she  possesses  a  habitation  protected 
by  exceedingly  high  walls  and  strongly  barred 
gates.  Her  hall  is  called  Elvidnir;  Hunger  is 
her  table;  Starvation,  her  knife;  Delay,  her  man; 
Slowness,  her  maid ;  Precipice,  her  threshold ; 
Care,  her  bed ;  and  Burning  Anguish  forms  the 
hangings  of  her  apartment'."  Into  this  the  au- 
thor of  the  Solarliod,  in  the  Elder  Edda,  is 
supposed  to  have  descended.  This  curious  poem 
is  attributed  by  some  to  Soemund  the  Wise 
(d.  1 131),  and  is  certainly  not  later.  The  com- 
position exhibits  a  strange  mixture  of  Chris- 
tianity and  Heathenism,  whence  it  would  seem 
that  the  poet's  own  religion  was  in  a  transition 
state : — 


'  Popul-Vuh :  Brasseur  de  Boubourg,  Paris,  1861 ;  lib.  ii. 

7—14. 
*  Hrolf  s  Saga  Kr4ka,  cap.  39 ;   in  Fomm.  Sogur  I.,  pp. 

77-79. 
»  Prose  Edda,  c  33, 


5*.  Patrick's  Purgatory  247 

^  39.  The  son  I  saw,  true  star  of  day. 

Sink  in  its  roaring  home ;  but  Hell's  grated  doors 
On  the  other  side  I  heard  heavily  creaking. 
51.  In  the  Norn's  seat  nine  days  sat  I, 
Thence  was  I  mounted  on  a  horse : 
There  the  giantess's  sun  shone  grimly 
Throug[h  the  dripping  clouds  of  heaven. 
53.-  Without  and  within,  I  seemed  to  traverse 
All  the  seven  nether  worlds  ;  up  and  down, 
I  sought  an  easier  way 
Where  I  might  have  the  readiest  paths." 


He  comes  to  a  torrent  about  which  flew  "scorched 
birds,  which  were  souls,  numerous  as  flies."  Then 
the  wind  dies  away,  and  he  comes  to  a  land  where 
the  waters  do  not  flow.  There  false-faced  women 
grind  earth  for  food. 


^  58.  Gory  stones  these  dark  women 

Tiuned  sorrowfully ;  out  of  their  breasts 

Hung  bleeding  hearts,  faint  with  much  affliction." 


He  saw  men  with  faces  bloody,  and  heathen 
stars  above  their  heads,  painted  with  deadly  cha- 
racters; men  who  had  envied  others  had  bloody 
runes  cut  in  their  breasts.  Covetous  men  went  to 
Castle  Covetous  dragging  weights  of  lead,  mur- 
derers were  consumed  by  venomous  serpents, 
sabbath-breakers  were  nailed  by  their  hands  to 


248  S.  Patrick's  Purgatory 

hot  stones.  Proud  men  were  wrapped  in  flame, 
slanderers  had  their  eyes  plucked  out  by  Hell's 
ravens. 

"  68.  All  the  horrors  thou  wilt  not  get  to  know 
Which  Hell's  inmates  suffer. 
Pleasant  sins  end  in  painful  penalties  : 
Pains  ever  follow  pleasured" 

Among  the  Greeks  a  descent  into  the  cave  of 
Trophonius  occupied  much  the  same  place  in  their 
popular  Mysticism  that  the  Purgatory  of  S.  Patrick 
assumed  among  Christians.  Lustral  rites,  some- 
what  similar,  preceded  the  descent,  and  the  results 
were  not  unlike  ^ 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  myth  of  S.  Pa- 
trick's Purgatory  originated  among  the  Kelts,  and 
the  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  In  ancient  Keltic 
Mythology  the  nether  world  was  divided  into  three 
circles,  corresponding  with  Purgatory,  Hell,  and 
Heaven ;  and  over  Hell  was  cast  a  bridge,  very 
narrow,  which  souls  were  obliged  to  traverse  if 
they  hoped  to  reach  the  mansions  of  light.  This 
was — 

"  The  Brig  o'  Dread,  na  brader  than  a  thread." 
And  the  Purgatory  under  consideration  is  a  reflex 

*  Edda  of  Scemund,  tr.  by  Thorpe,  Part  I.,  p.  117. 

^  Pausanias,  ix.  c.  39 — 40>  and  Plutarch.,  De  genio  Socrat. 


5.  Patricks  Purgatory  249 

of  old  Druidic  teaching.  Thus  in  an  ancient  Breton 
ballad  Tina  passes  through  the  lake  of  pain,  on 
which  float  the  dead,  white  robed,  in  little  boats. 
She  then  wades  through  valleys  of  blood'. 

As  this  myth  has  been  exhaustively  treated  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Wright  (S.  Patrick's  Purgatory;  by 
T.  Wright,  London,  1844),  it  shall  detain  us  no 
longer.  I  differ  from  him,  however,  as  to  its  origin. 
He  attributes  it  to  monkish  greed ;  but  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  asserting  that  it  is  an  example  of  the 
persistency  of  heathen  myths,  colouring  and  in- 
fluencing Mediaeval  Christianity.  We  will  only 
refer  the  reader  for  additional  information  to  the 
Purgatoire  de  Saint  Patrice;  legende  du  xiii*  Steele, 
184a;  a  reprint  by  M.  Prosper  Tarb^  of  a  MS. 
in  the  library  at  Rheims ;  a  Memoire  by  M.  Paul 
Lacroix  in  the  Melanges  historiques,  published  by 
M.  Champollion  Figeac,  voL  iii. ;  the  poem  of 
Marie  de  France  in  the  edition  of  her  works,  Paris, 
1820,  vol.  ii. ;  an  Histoire  de  la  Vie  et  du  Purga- 
taire  de  S,  Patrice^  par  R.  P.  Fran9ois  Bouillon, 
O.  S.  F.,  Paris,  1651,  Rouen,  1696 ;  and  also  Le 
Monde  EncltantS,  par  M.  Ferdinand  Denys,  Paris, 
1845,  pp.  157—174- 

'  Lehrbuch  der  Religionsgeschichte :  Band  III.,  Die 
Kelten,  p.  29. 


THE  exact  position  of  Eden^  and  its  present 
condition^  does  not  seem  to  have  occupied 
the  minds  of  our  Anglo-Saxon  ancestors,  nor  to 
have  given  rise  among  them  to  wild  speculations. 

The  map  of  the  tenth  century  in  the  British 
Museum,  accompanying  the  Periegesis  of  Friscian, 
is  far  more  correct  than  the  generality  of  maps 
which  we  find  in  MSS.  at  a  later  period;  and 
Paradise  does  not  occupy  the  place  of  Cochin 
China,  or  the  isles  of  Japan,  as  it  did  later,  after 
that  the  fabulous  voyage  of  S.  Brandan  had 
become  popular  in  the  eleventh  century  \    The 

1  S.  Brandan  was  an  Irish  monk,  living  at  the  dose  of  the 
sixth  century  ;  he  founded  the  Monastery  of  Qonfert,  and  Is 
commemorated  on  May  i6.  His  voyage  seems  to  be  founded 
on  that  of  Sinbad,  and  is  full  of  absurdities.  It  has  been 
republished  by  M.  Jubinal  from  MSS.  in  the  Biblioth^ue 
du  Roi,  Paris,  8vo.,  1836 ;  the  earliest  printed  English  edition 
is  that  of  Wynk)-n  de  Worde,  London,  151 6. 


Tlu  Terrestrial  Paradise  251 

$ite,  however,  had  been  already  indicated  by 
Cosmas,  who  wrote  in  the  seventh  century,  and 
had  been  specified  by  him  as  occupying  a  con- 
tinent east  of  China,  beyond  the  ocean,  and  still 
f  watered  by  the  four  great  rivers  Pison,  Gihon, 
^  Hiddekel,  and  Euphrates,  which  sprang  from  sub- 
terranean canals.  In  a  map  of  the  ninth  century, 
preserved  in  the  Strasbourg  Library,  the  terrestrial 
Paradise  is,  however,  on  the  Continent,  placed  at 
the  extreme  east  of  Asia  ;  in  fact,  is  situated  in  the 
Celestial  Empire.  It  occupies  the  same  position 
in  a  Turin  MS.,  and  also  in  a  map  accompanying 
a  commentary  on  the  Apocalypse  in  the  British 
Museum. 

According  to  the  fictitious  letter  of  Prester  John 
to  the  Emperor  Emanuel  Comnenus,  Paradise  was 
situated  close  to — ^within  three  days'  journey  of — 
his  own  territories,  but  where  those  territories  were, 
is  not  distinctly  specified. 

"  The  river  Indus,  which  issues  out  of  Paradise," 
writes  the  mythical  king,  "  flows  among  the  plains, 
through  a  certain  province,  and  it  expands,  em- 
bracing the  whole  province  with  its  various  wind- 
ings: there  are  found  emeralds,  sapphires,  car- 
buncles, topazes,  chrysolites,  onyx,  beryl,  sardius, 
and  many  other  precious  stones.    There  too  grows 


25a  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

the  plant  called  Asbestos."  A  wonderful  fountain, 
moreover,  breaks  out  at  the  roots  of  Olympus,  a 
mountain  in  Prester  John's  domain,  and  "from 
hour  to  hour,  and  day  by  day,  the  taste  of  this 
fountain  varies ;  and  its  source  is  hardly  three 
days'  journey  from  Paradise,  from  which  Adam 
was  expelled.  If  any  man  drinks  thrice  of  this 
spring,  he  will  from  that  day  feel  no  infirmity,  and 
he  will,  as  long  as  he  lives,  appear  of  the  age  of 
thirty."  This  Olympus  is  a  corruption  of  Alumbo, 
which  is  no  other  than  Columbo  in  Ceylon,  as  is 
abundantly  evident  from  Sir  John  Mandeville's 
Travels,  though  this  important  fountain  has  es- 
caped the  observation  of  Sir  Emmerson  Tennant 

"  Toward  the  heed  of  that  forest  (he  writes)  is  the 
cytee  of  Polombe,  and  above  the  city  is  a  great 
mountayne,  also  clept  Polombe.  And  of  that 
mount,  the  Cytee  hathe  his  name.  And  at  the 
foot  of  that  Mount  is  a  fayr  welle  and  a  gret, 
that  hathe  odour  and  savour  of  all  spices  ;  and  at 
every  hour  of  the  day,  he  chaungethe  his  odour 
and  his  savour  dyversely.  And  whoso  drynkethe 
3  times  fasting  of  that  watre  of  that  welle,  he  is 
hool  of  alle  maner  sykenesse,  that  he  hathe.  And 
thei  that  duellen  there  and  drynken  often  of  that 
welle,  thei  nevere  han  sykenesse,  and  thei  semen  alle 


Tlie  Terrestrial  Paradise .  253 

weys  yonge.  I  have  dronken  there  of  3  or  4  sithes ; 
and  zit,  methinkethe,  I  fare  the  better.  Some  men 
clepen  it  the  Welle  of  Youthe :  for  thei  that  often 
drynken  thereat,  semen  alle  weys  yongly,  and 
lyven  withouten  sykenesse.  And  men  seyn,  that 
that  welle  comethe  out  of  Paradys  :  and  therefore 
it  is  so  vertuous." 

Gautier  de  Metz,  in  his  poem  on  the  "Image 
du  Monde,"  written  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
places  the  terrestrial  Paradise  in  an  unapproachable 
r^on  of  Asia,  surrounded  by  flames,  and  having 
an  armed  angel  to  guard  the  only  gate. 
.  .  Lambertus  Floridus,  in  a  MS.  of  the  twelfth 
century,  preserved  in  the  Imperial  Library  in 
Paris,  describes  it  as  "  Paradisus  insula  in  oceano 
in  oriente :"  and  in  the  map  accompanying  it. 
Paradise  is  represented  as  an  island,  a  little  south 
east  of  Asia,  surrounded  by  rays,  and  at  some 
distance  from  the  mainland ;  and  in  another  MS. 
of  the  same  library — a  mediaeval  encyclopaedia — 
under  the  word  Paradisus  is  a  passage  which  states 
that  in  the  centre  of  Paradise  is  a  fountain  which 
waters  the  garden — that  in  fact  described  by 
Prester  John,  and  that  of  which  story-telling  Sir 
John  Mandeville  declared  he  had  "  dronken  3  or  4 
sithes."    Close  to  this  fountain  is  the  Tree  of  Life. 


254  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

The  temperature  of  the  country  is  equable ;  neither 
frosts  nor  burning  heats  destroy  the  vegetation. 
The  four  rivers  already  mentioned  rise  in  it 
Paradise  is,  however,  inaccessible  to  the  traveller, 
on  account  of  the  wall  of  fire  which  surrounds  it 

Paludanus  relates  in  his  "  Thesaurus  Novus,"  of 
course  on  incontrovertible  authority,  that  Alexander 
the  Great  was  full  of  desire  to  see  the  terrestrial 
Paradise,  and  that  he  undertook  his  wars  in  the 
East  for  the  express  purpose  of  reaching  it,  and 
obtaining  admission  into  it  He  states  that  on  his 
nearing  Eden  an  old  man  was  captured  in  a  ravine 
by  some  of  Alexander's  soldiers,  and  they  were 
about  to  conduct  him  to  their  monarch,  when  the 
venerable  man  said,  "  Go  and  announce  to  Alex- 
ander that  it  is  in  vain  he  seeks  Paradise;  his 
efforts  will  be  perfectly  fruitless,  for  the  way  of 
Paradise  is  the  way  of  humility,  a  way  of  which  he 
knows  nothing.  Take  this  stone  and  give  it  to  Alex- 
ander, and  say  to  him,  '  From  this  stone  learn  what 
you  must  think  of  yourself.'  "  Now  this  stone  was 
of  great  value  and  excessively  heavy,  outweighing 
and  excelling  in  value  all  other  gems,  but  when 
reduced  to  powder  it  was  as  light  as  a  tuft  of  hay, 
and  as  worthless.  By  which  token  the  mysterious 
old  man    meant,  that  Alexander  alive  was  the 


The  Terrestrial  Paradise  255 

greatest  of  monarchs^  but  Alexander  dead  would 
be  a  thing  of  nought 

That  strangest  of  mediaeval  preachers,  Meffreth, 
nrfio  got  into  trouble  by  denying  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  his  second 
sermon  for  the  Third  Sunday  in  Advent,  discusses 
the  locality  of  the  terrestrial  Paradise,  and  claims 
S.  Basil  and  S.  Ambrose  as  his  authorities  for 
stating  that  it  is  situated  on  the  top  of  a  very  lofty 
mountain  in  Eastern  Asia ;  so  lofty  indeed  is  the 
mountain,  that  the  waters  of  the  four  rivers  fall  in 
cascade  down  to  a  lake  at  its  foot,  with  such  a  roar 
that  the  natives  who  live  on  the  shores  of  the  lake 
are  stone-deaf  MefTreth  also  explains  the  escape 
of  Paradise  from  submergence  at  the  Deluge,  on 
the  same  grounds  as  does  the  Master  of  Sentences 
(lib.  2,  dist  17,  c.  5),  by  the  mountain  being  so 
very  high  that  the  waters  which  rose  over  Ararat 
were  only  able  to  wash  its  base. 

A  manuscript  in  the  British  Museum  tells  us 
that  "  Paradise  is  neither  in  heaven  nor  on  earth. 
The  book  says  that  Noah's  flood  was  forty  fathoms 
high,  over  the  highest  hills  that  are  on  earth  ;  and 
Paradise  is  forty  fathoms  higher  than  Noah's  flood 
was,  and  it  hangeth  between  heaven  and  earth 
wonderfully,   cis  the  ruler  of  all  things  made  it 


256  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

And  it  is  perfectly  level  both  in  length  and  breadth. 
There  is  neither  hollow  nor  hill ;  nor  is  there  frost 
nor  snow,  hail  nor  rain;  but  there  is  fons  vitae,  that 
is,  the  well  of  life.     When  the  calends  of  January- 
commence,  then  floweth  the  well  so  beautifully  and 
so  gently,  and  no  deeper  than  man  may  wet  his 
finger  on  the  front,  over  all  that  land.     And  so 
likewise  each  month,  once  when  the  month  comes 
in  the  well  begins  to  flow.     And  there  is  the  copse 
of  wood,  which  is  called  Radion  Saltus,  where  each 
tree  is  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  so  high,  that  no 
earthly  man  ever  saw  so  high,  or  can  say  of  what 
kind  they  are.     And  there  never  falleth  leaf  off, 
for  they  are  evergreen,  beautiful,  and  pleasant,  full 
of  happiness.     Paradise  is  upright  on  the  eastern 
part  of  this  world.     There   is  neither  heat  nor 
hunger,   nor  is  there  ever  night,  but  always  day. 
The  sun  there  shineth  seven  times  brighter  than  on 
this  earth.     Therein  dwell  innumerable  angels  of 
God  with  the  holy  souls  till  doomsday.     Therein 
dwelleth  a  beautiful  bird  called  Phoenix ;  he  is  large 
and  grand,  as  the  Mighty  One  formed  him  ;  he  is 
the  lord  over  all  birds."— (MS.  Cotton.  Vespas.  D. 
xiv.,  fol.  1^3.) 

The  monk  who  incited  S.  Brandan  to  undertake 
his  mythical  voyage  told  him  that  he  had  sailed 


The  Terrestrial  Paradise  257 

doe  east  from  Ireland,  and  had  come  at  last  to 
Paradise,  which  was  an  island  full  of  joy  and  mirth, 
and  the  earth  as  bright  as  the  sun,  and  it  was  a 
glorious  sight ;  and  the  half-year  he  was  there 
slipped  by  as  a  few  moments.  On  his  return  to 
the  abbey,  his  garments  were  still  fragrant  with 
the  odours  of  Paradise.  Brandan  also  arrived  at 
the  same  island,  and  with  his  companions  traversed 
it  for  the  space  of  forty  days  without  meeting  any 
one,  till  he  came  to  a  broad  river,  on  the  banks  of 
which  stood  a  young  man,  who  told  him  that  this 
stream  divided  the  world  in  twain ;  and  that  none 
living  might  cross  it 

In  a  MS.  volume  in  the  library  of  Corpus  ChristL 
College,  Cambridge,  is  a  map  of  the  world,  dating 
from  the  twelfth  century,  whereon  Paradise  is 
figured  as  an  island  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Ganges,  which  flows  into  the  ocean  somewhere 
about  where  the  Amour  in  reality  empties  itself. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  poem,  "  De  Phcenice,"  in  the 
Exeter  book,  a  translation  of  the  work  of  the 
Pseudo-Lactantius,  asserts : — 

"  I  have  heard  tell 
That  there  is  far  hence 
In  eastern  parts 
A  land  most  noble, 
Amongst  men  renowned. 


233  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

That  tract  of  earth  is  not 
Over  mid  earth 
Fellow  to  many 
Peopled  lands ; 
But  it  is  withdrawn 
Through  the  Creator's  might 
From  wicked  doers. 
Beauteous  is  all  the  plain, 
With  delights  blessed. 
With  the  sweetest 
Of  earth's  odours." 

And  then  it  rambles  on  in  description  of  its 
delights,  which  may  be  imagined  without  further 
quotation. 

The  Hereford  map  of  the  thirteenth  century 
represents  the  terrestrial  Paradise  as  a  circular 
island  near  India,  cut  off  from  the  continent  not 
only  by  the  sea,  but  also  by  a  battlemented  wall, 
with  a  gateway  to  the  west 

Rupert  of  Duytz  regards  it  as  having  been 
situated  in  Armenia.  Radulphus  Highden,  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  relying  on  the  authority  of 
S,  Basil  and  S.  Isidore  of  Seville,  places  Eden  in 
un  inaccessible  region  of  Oriental  Asia ;  and  this 
was  also  the  opinion  of  Philostorgus.  Hugo  de 
S,  Victor,  in  his  book  "  De  Situ  Terrarum,"  ex- 
juvsses  himself  thus : — "  Paradise  is  a  spot  in  the 
V^iicat  productive  of  all  kinds  of  woods  and  pomi- 


The  Terrestrial  Parcuiise  259 

ferous  trees.  It  contains  the  Tree  of  Life :  there  \% 
neither  cold  nor  heat  there,  but  perpetual  equable 
temperature.  It  contains  a  fountain  which  flows 
forth  in  four  rivers." 

Rabanus  Maurus,  with  more  discretion,  says  : — 
**Many  folk  want  to  make  out  that  the  site  of 
Paradise  is  in  the  east  of  the  earth,  though  cut  off 
by  the  longest  intervening  space  of  ocean  or 
earth  from  all  regions  which  man  now  inhabits. 
Consequently,  the  waters  of  the  Deluge,  which 
covered  the  highest  points  of  the  surface  of  our  orb, 
were  unable  to  reach  it.  However,  whether  it  be 
there,  or  whether  it  be  any  where  else,  God  knows ; 
but  that  there  was  such  a  spot  once,  and  that  it 
was  on  earth,  that  is  certain." 

Jacques  de  Vitry  ("  Historia  Orientalis"),  Gervais 
of  Tilbury,  in  his  "Otia  Imperalia,"  and  many 
others,  hold  the  same  views  as  to  the  site  of 
Paradise  that  were  entertained  by  Hugo  de  S. 
Victor. 

Jourdain  de  Severac,  monk  and  traveller  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century,  places  the 
terrestrial  Paradise  in  the  "Third  India;"  that  is 
to  say,  in  trans-Gangic  India. 

Leonardo  Dati,  a  Florentine  poet  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  composed  a  geographical  treatise  in  verse, 

S  % 


260  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

entitled  "Delia  Sfera ;"  and  it  is  in  Asia  that  he 
locates  the  garden  : — 

"  Asia  ^  le  prima  parte  dove  1*  huomo 
Sendo  innocente  stava  in  Paradiso.'' 

But  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  account  of  the 
terrestrial  Paradise  ever  furnished,  is  that  of  the 
"Eireks  Saga  Vidforla,"  an  Icelandic  narrative  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  giving  the  adventures  of  a 
certain  Norwegian,  named  Eirek,  who  had  vowed, 
whilst  a  heathen,  that  he  would  explore  the  fabulous 
Deathless  Land  of  pagan  Scandinavian  mythology. 
The  romance  is  possibly  a  Christian  recension  of  an 
ancient  heathen  myth  ;  and  Paradise  has  taken  the 
place  in  it  of  Gloesisvellir. 

According  to  the  majority  of  the  MSS.  the  story 
purports  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  religious  novel ; 
but  one  audacious  copyist  has  ventured  to  assert 
that  it  is  all  fact,  and  that  the  details  are  taken 
down  from  the  lips  of  those  who  heard  them  from 
Eirek  himself.     The  account  is  briefly  this  : — 

Eirek  was  a  son  of  Thrand,  king  of  Drontheim, 
and  having  taken  upon  him  a  vow  to  explore  the 
Deathless  Land,  he  went  to  Denmark,  where  he 
picked  up  a  friend  of  the  same  name  as  himself. 
They  then  went  to  Constantinople,  and  called  upon 


The  Terrestrial  Paradise  261 

the  Emperor,  who  held  a  long  conversation  with 
them,  which  is  duly  reported,  relative  to  the  truths 
of  Christianity  and  the  site  of  the  Deathless  Land, 
which,  he  assures  them,  is  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  Paradise. 

"The  world,"  said  the  monarch,  who  had  not 
forgotten  his  geography  since  he  left  school,  "is 
precisely  180,000  stages  round  (about  1,000,000 
English  miles),  and  it  is  not  propped  up  on  posts — 
not  a  bit ! — it  is  supported  by  the  power  of  God  ; 
and  the  distance  between  earth  and  heaven  is 
100,045  miles  (another  MS.  reads  938a  miles — the 
difference  is  immaterial) ;  and  round  about  the 
earth  is  a  big  sea  called  Ocean."  "And  what's  to 
the  south  of  the  earth?"  asked  Eirek.  "  Oh !  there 
is  the  end  of  the  world,  and  that  is  India."  "  And 
pray  where  am  I  to  find  the  Deathless  Land  ?" 
"  Paradise,  I  suppose  you  mean, — lies  slightly  east 
of  India." 

Having  obtained  this  information,  the  two 
Eireks  started,  furnished  with  letters  from  the 
Greek  Emperor. 

They  traversed  Syria,  and  took  ship — probably 
at  Balsora  ;  then,  reaching  India,  they  proceeded 
on  their  journey  on  horseback,  till  they  came  to  a 
dense  forest,  the  gloom  of  which  was  so  great. 


262  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

through  the  interlacing  of  the  boughs,  that  even  by- 
day  the  stars  could  be  observed  twinkling,  as  though 
they  were  seen  from  the  bottom  of  a  well. 

On  emerging  from  the  forest,  the  two  Eireks 
came  upon  a  strait,  separating  them  from  a  beauti- 
ful land,  which  was  unmistakably  Paradise ;  and 
the  Danish  Eirek,  intent  on  displaying  his  Scrip- 
tural knowledge,  pronounced  the  strait  to  be  the 
river  Pison.  This  was  crossed  by  a  stone  bridge^ 
guarded  by  a  dragon. 

The  Danish  Eirek,  deterred  by  the  prospect  of 
an  encounter  with  this  monster,  refused  to  advance, 
and  even  endeavoured  to  persuade  his  friend  to 
give  up  the  attempt  to  enter  Paradise  as  hopeless, 
after  that  they  had  come  within  sight  of  the 
favoured  land.  But  the  Norseman  deliberately 
walked,  sword  in  hand,  into  the  maw  of  the  dragon, 
and  next  moment,  to  his  infinite  surprise  and  de- 
light, found  himself  liberated  from  the  gloom  of  the 
monster's  interior,  and  safely  placed  in  Paradise. 

"  The  land  was  most  beautiful,  and  the  grass  as 
gorgeous  as  purple ;  it  was  studded  with  flowers, 
and  was  traversed  by  honey  rills.  The  land  was 
extensive  and  level,  so  that  there  was  not  to  be 
seen  mountain  or  hill,  and  the  sun  shone  cloydless 
without  night  and  darkness  ;   the  calm  of  the  air 


The  Terrestrial  Paradise  2C3 

was  greats  and  there  was  but  a  feeble  murmur  of 
wind,  and  that  which  there  was,  breathed  redolent 
with  the  odour  of  blossoms."  After  a  short  walk, 
Eirek  observed  what  certainly  must  have  been  a 
remarkable  object,  namely,  a  tower  or  steeple  self- 
suspended  in  the  air,  without  any  support  whatever, 
though  access  might  be  had  to  it  by  means  of  a 
slender  ladder.  By  this  Eirek  ascended  into  a  loft 
of  the  tower,  and  found  there  an  excellent  cold 
collation  prepared  for  him.  After  having  partaken 
of  this  he  wept  to  sleep,  and  in  vision  beheld  and 
conversed  with  his  guardian  angel,  who  promised 
to  conduct  him  back  to  his  fatherland,  but  to  come 
for  him  again,  and  fetch  him  away  from  it  for  ever 
at  the  expiration  of  the  tenth  year  after  his  return 
to  Drontheim. 

Eirek  then  retraced  his  steps  to  India,  unmolested 
by  the  dragon,  which  did  not  affect  any  surprise  at 
having  to  disgorge  him,  and,  indeed,  which  seems 
to  have  been,  notwithstanding  his  looks,  but  a 
harmless  and  passive  dragon. 

After  a  tedious  journey  of  seven  years,  Eirek 
reached  his  native  land,  where  he  related  his  adven- 
tures, to  the  confusion  of  the  heathen,  and  to  the 
delight  and  edification  of  the  faithful.  "And  in 
the  tenth  year,  and  at  break  of  day,  as  Eirek  went 


264  The  Terrestrial  Paradise 

to  prayer,  God's  Spirit  caught  him  away,  and  he 
was  never  seen  again  in  this  world :  so  here  ends 
all  we  have  to  say  of  hlm^" 

The  Saga,  of  which  I  have  given  the  merest  out- 
line, is  certainly  striking,  and  contains  some  beauti- 
ful passages.  It  follows  the  commonly-received 
opinion  which  identified  Paradise  with  Ceylon; 
and,  indeed,  an  earlier  Icelandic  work,  the  "  Rym- 
begla,"  indicates  the  locality  of  the  terrestrial  Para- 
dise as  being  near  India,  for  it  speaks  of  the  Ganges 
as  taking  its  rise  in  the  mountains  of  Eden.  It  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  curious  history  of  Eirek,  is  a 
translation,  with  modifications,  of  a  Keltic  romance. 
I  form  this  opinion  from  the  introduction  of  the 
bridge  over  which  Eirek  has  to  pass,  and  the  mar- 
velous house  suspended  in  air,  which  is  an  item 
peculiar  to  the  Paradise  of  Druidical  Mythology. 

Later  than  the  fifteenth  century,  we  find  no 
theories  propounded  concerning  the  terrestrial 
Paradise,  though  there  are  many  treatises  on  the 
presumed  situation  of  the  ancient  Eden.  At 
Madrid  was  published  a  poem  on  the  subject, 
entitled  "Patriana  decas,"  in  1629.  ^^  ^^^^  G-  C. 
Kirchmayer,  a  Wittemberg  professor,  composed  a 

^  Compare  with  this  the  death  of  Sir  Galahad  in  the 
**  Morte  d'Arthur"  of  Sir  Thomas  Malory. 


The  Terrestrial  Paradise  265 

thoughtful  dissertation,  "De  Paradiso,"  which  he 
inserted  in  his  "Deliciae  iEstivae."  Fr.  Arnoulx 
wrote  a  work  on  Paradise  in  1665,  full  of  the 
grossest  absurdities.  In  j666  appeared  Carver's 
"  Discourse  on  the  Terrestrian  Paradise."  Bochart 
composed  a  tract  on  the  subject ;  Huet  wrote  on  it 
also,  and  his  work  passed  through  seven  editions, 
the  last  dated  from  Amsterdam,  1701.  The  Pere 
Hardouin  composed  a  "  Nouveau  Traits  de  la  Situ- 
ation du  Paradis  Terrestre,"  La  Haye,  1730.  An 
Armenian  work  on  the  rivers  of  Paradise  was 
translated  by  M.  Saint  Martin  in  181 9;  and  in 
184a  Sir  W.  Ouseley  read  a  paper  on  the  situation 
of  Eden,  before  the  Literary  Society  in  London* 


A  MORE  interesting  task  for  the  comparative 
mythologist  can  hardly  be  found,  than  the 
analysis  of  the  legends  attaching  to  this  celebrated 
soldier-martyr ; — interesting,  because  these  legends 
contain  almost  unaltered  representative  myths  of 
the  Semitic  and  Aryan  peoples,  and  myths  which 
may  be  traced  with  certainty  to  their  respective 
roots. 

The  popular  traditions  current  relating  to  the 
Cappadocian  martyr  are  distinct  in  the  East  and 
the  West,  and  are  alike  sacred  myths  of  faded 
creeds,  absorbed  into  the  newer  faith,  and  re- 
coloured.  On  dealing  with  these  myths,  we  are 
necessarily  drawn  into  the  discussion  as  to  whether 
such  a  person  as  S.  George  existed,  and  if  he  did 
exist,  whether  he  were  a  Catholic  or  a  heretic 
Eusebius  says  (EccL  Hist  B.  viiL  c  5),  "Imme- 


5.  George  207 

lately  on  the  first  promulgation  of  the  edict  (of 

Diocletian),  a  certain  man  of  no  mean  origin,  but 

highly  esteemed  for  his  temporal  dignities,  as  soon 

as  the  decree  was  published  against  the  Churches 

in  Nicomedia,  stimulated  by  a  divine  zeal,  and 

excited  by  an  ardent  faith,  took  it  as  it  was  openly 

placed   and  posted  up  for  public  inspection,  and 

tore  it  to  pieces  as  a  most  profane  and  wicked 

act     This,  too,  was  done  when  two  of  the  Ca?sars 

were  in  the  city,  the  first  of  whom  was  the  eldest 

and  chief  of  all,  and  the  other  held  the  fourth  grade 

of  the  imperial  dignity  after  him.     But  this  man,  as 

the  first  that  was  distinguished  there  in  this  manner, 

after  enduring  what  was  likely  to  follow  an  act  so 

daring,  preserved  his  mind  calm  and  serene  until 

the  moment  when  his  spirit  fled." 

This  martyr,  whose  name  Eusebius  does  not  give, 
has  been  generally  supposed  to  be  S.  George,  and 
if  so,  this  is  nearly  all  we  know  authentic  concern- 
ing him.  But  popular  as  a  saint  he  unquestionably 
was,  from  a  very  early  age.  He  is  believed  to  have 
suffered  at  Nicomedia  in  303,  and  his  worship  was 
soon  extended  through  Phoenicia,  Palestine,  and 
the  whole  East.  In  the  seventh  century  he  had  two 
Churches  in  Rome ;  in  Gaul  he  was  honoured  in  the 
fifth  century.     In  an  article  contributed  to  the 


268  5.  George 

Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature  \ 
Mr.  Hogg  speaks  of  a  Greek  inscription  copied 
from  a  very  ancient  church,  originally  a  heathen 
temple  at  Ezra,  in  Syria,  dated  A.D.  346,  in  which 
S.  George  is  spoken  of  as  a  holy  martyr.  This  is 
important  testimony,  as  at  this  very  time  was 
living  the  other  George,  the  Alexandrian  bishop, 
(d.  ofii)  with  whom  the  Saint  is  sometimes  con- 
founded. 

The  earliest  acts  quoted  by  the  BoUandists,  are 
in  Greek,  and  belong  to  the  sixth  century;  they  are 
fabulous.  Beside  these,  are  some  Latin  acts,  said 
to  have  been  composed  by  PasikrAs,  the  servant  of 
the  martyr,  which  belong  to  the  eighth  century,  and 
which  are  certainly  translations  of  an  earlier  work 
than  the  Greek  acts  printed  by  the  BoUandists. 
These  are  also  apocryphal.  Consequently  we 
know  of  S.  George  little,  except  that  there  was  such 
a  martyr,  that  he  was  a  native  of  Lydda,  but 
brought  up  in  Cappadocia,  that  he  entered  the 
Roman  army  and  suffered  a  cruel  death  for  Christ. 
That  his  death  was  one  of  great  cruelty,  is  rendered 
probable  by  the  manner  in  which  his  biographers 
dilate  on  his  tortures,  all  agreeing  to  represent  them 
as  excessive. 

*  Second  Series,  vol.  vii.  pt.  i. 


S.  George  2C9 

The  first  to  question  the  reverence  shown  for  S. 
George  was  Calvin^  who  says  *  Nil  eos  Christo  reli- 
quum  facere  qui  pro  nihilo  ducunt  ejus  intercessio- 
Dem,  nisi  accedant  Geoi^ius  aut  Hippolitus,  aut 
similes  larvae,*      Dr.  Reynolds  follows  in  the  wake, 
and  identifies  the  martyr  with  the  Arian  Bishop  of 
Alexandria.    This  man  had  been  born  in  a  fuller's 
mill  at  £piphania,  in  Cilicia.    He  is  first  heard  of  as 
purveyor  of  provisions  for  the  army  at  Constanti- 
nople, where  he  assumed  the  profession  of  Arianism  ; 
fix)m  thence,  having  been  detected  in  certain  frauds, 
he  was  obliged  to  fly,  and  take  refuge  in  Cappa- 
docia.     His  Arian  friends  obtained  his  pardon,  by 
payment  of  a  fine,  and  he  was  sent  to  Alexandria, 
where  his  party  elected  him  Bishop,  in  opposition 
to  S.  Athanasius,  immediately  after  the  death  of  the 
Arian  prelate,  Gregory.     There,  associating  with 
himself  Dracontius,  master  of  the  mint,  and  the 
Count  Diodorus,  he  tyrannized  alike  over  Catholics 
and  heathens,  till  the  latter  rose  against  him  and 
put  him  to  death.      Dr.  Heylin  levelled  a  lance  in 
honour  of  the  Patron  of  England*;  but  his  histori- 
cal character  was  again  questioned  in  1753,  ^7  I^^« 
John  Pettingal  in  a  work  on  the  original  of  the 

•  Historie  of  that  Most  famous  Saint  and  Soldier  of  Christ 
Jesus,  S.  George  of  Cappadocia,  1633. 


270  5.  George 

equestrian  statue  of  S.  George ;  and  he  was  an- 
swered by  Dr.  Samuel  Pegge,  in  1777,  in  a  paper 
read  before  the  Society  of  Antiquaries.  Gibbon, 
without  much  investigation  into  the  ground  of  the 
charge,  assumes  the  identity  of  the  Saint  and  the 
Arian  prelate.  "The  odious  stranger,  disguising 
every  circumstance  of  time  and  place,  assumed  the 
mask  of  a  martyr,  a  saint,  and  a  Christian  hero ; 
and  the  infamous  George  of  Cappadocia  has  been 
transformed  into  the  renowned  S.  George  of  Eng- 
land, the  patron  of  arms,  of  chivalry,  and  of  the 
Garter »." 

The  great  improbability  of  such  a  transformation 
would  lead  one  to  question  the  assertion,  even  if  on 
no  other  ground.  Arians  and  Catholics  were  too 
bitterly  hostile,  for  it  to  be  possible  that  a  partisan 
of  the  former,  and  a  persecutor,  should  be  accepted 
as  a  saint  by  the  latter.  The  writings  of  S.  Atha- 
nasius  were  sufficiently  known  to  the  Mediaevals  to 
save  them  from  falling  into  such  an  error,  and 
S.  Athanasius  paints  his  antagonist  in  no  charm- 
ing colours.  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  there 
really  was  such  a  person  as  S.  George,  that  he  was 
a  martyr  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  that  the  very 

'  Gibbon's  Decline  and  Fall,  chap.  xxiiL 


S.  George  271 

uncertainty  which  existed  regarding  him,  tended  to 
give  the  composers  of  his  biography  the  opportu- 
nity of  attaching  to  him  popular  heathen  m)^hs, 
which  had  been  floating  unadopted  by  any  Christian 
hero.  The  number  of  warrior  saints  was  not  so 
very  great;  Sebastian's  history  was  fixed,  so  were 
those  of  Maurice  and  Gereon,  but  George  was  un- 
provided with  a  history.  The  deficiency  was  soon 
supplied.  We  have  a  similar  instance  in  the  story 
of  S.  Hippolitus.  The  ancient  tale  of  the  son  of 
Theseus  torn  by  horses  was  deliberately  transferred 
to  a  Christian  of  the  same  name. 
The  substance  of  the  Greek  acts  is  to  this  effect : 
George  was  bom  of  Christian  parents  in  Cappa- 
docia.  His  father  suffered  a  martyr's  death,  and 
the  mother  with  her  child  took  refuge  in  Palestine. 
He  early  entered  the  army,  and  behaved  with 
great  courage  and  endurance.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  bereaved  of  his  mother,  and  by 
her  death  came  in  for  a  large  fortune.  He  then 
went  to  the  court  of  Diocletian,  where  he  hoped 
to  find  advancement  On  the  breaking  out  of  the 
persecution,  he  distributed  his  money  among  the 
poor,  and  declared  himself,  before  the  Emperor, 
to  be  a  Christian.  Having  been  ordered  to  sacri- 
fice, he  refused,  and  was   condemned  to  death. 


272  S.  George 

The  first  day,  he  was  thrust  with  spears  to  prison,  ^/ 
one  of  the  spears  snapped  like  straw  when  st  1- 
touched  him.  He  was  then  fastened  by  the  feet  * 
and  hands  to  posts,  and  a  heavy  stone  was  laid  ^ 
upon  his  breast  j 

The  second  day,  he  was  bound  to  a  wheel  set  "\ 
with  blades  of  knives  and  swords.  Diocletian  ' 
believed  him  to  be  dead  ;  but  an  angel  appearing, 
George  courteously  saluted  him  in  military  fashion, 
whereby  the  persecutor  ascertained  that  the  Saint 
was  still  living.  On  removing  him  from  the  wheel, 
it  was  discovered  that  all  his  wounds  were  healed. 
George  was  then  cast  into  a  pit  of  quicklime, 
which,  however,  did  not  cause  his  death.  On  the 
next  day  but  one,  the  Emperor  sent  to  have  his 
limbs  broken,  and  he  was  discovered  on  his  knees 
perfectly  whole. 

He  was  next  made  to  run  in  red-hot  iron  shoes. 
The  following  night  and  day  he  spent  in  prayer, 
and  on  the  sixth  day  he  appeared  before  Diocletian 
walking  and  unhurt  He  ^-as  then  scourged  with 
thongs  of  hide  till  his  flesh  came  off  his  bad^ 
but  was  well  next  day. 

On  the  seventh  day  he  drank  t\ix)  cups,  whereof 
the  one  was  prepared  to  make  him  mad,  the  other 
to  poison  him,  without  experiencing  any  ill  eft'ects. 


£  George  273 

He  then  performed  some  miracles,  raised  a  dead 
man  to  life,  and  restored  to  life  an  ox  which  had 
been  killed  ; — miracles  which  resulted  in  numerous 
conversions. 

That    night   George  dreamed  that  the  Saviour 

ladd  a  golden  crown  on  his  head,  and  bade  him 

prepare  for  Paradise.    S.  Geoi^e  at  once  called  to 

him  the  servant  who  wrote  these  memoirs  (otrrt? 

waX  T^  hno  rov  ar/iov  v7rofjan]fiaTa  avv  aKpifieia  iraarf 

cwkra^ev),  and  commanded  him,  after  his  death, 

to  take  his  body  and  will  to  Palestine.     On  the 

eighth  day,  the  saint,  by  the   sign   of  the  cross, 

forced  the  devil  inhabiting  the  statue  of  Apollo 

to  declare  that  he  was  a  fallen  angel ;  then  all  the 

statues  of  the  gods  fell  before  him. 

This  miracle  converted  the  Empress  Alexandra ; 
and  Diocletian  was  so  exasperated  against  the 
truth,  that  he  condemned  her  to  instant  death. 
George  was  then  executed.  The  day  of  his 
martyrdom  was  the  23rd  of  April. 

The  Latin  acts  may  be  summed  up  as  follows ; 
they,  as  already  stated,  are  a  translation  from  a 
Greek  original : 

The  devil  urges  Dacian,  Emperor  of  the  Persians, 
king  of  the  four  quarters  of  heaven,  having  domi 
nion    over   seventy-two  kings,  to    persecute    the 

T 


274  5.  George 

Church.  At  this  time  lived  George  of  Cappadocia, 
a  native  of  Melitena.  Melitena  is  also  the  scene 
of  his  martyrdom.  Here  he  lived  with  a  holy 
widow.  He  is  subjected  to  numerous  tortures, 
such  as  the  rack,  iron  pincers,  fire,  a  sword-spiked 
wheel,  shoes  nailed  to  his  feet ;  he  is  put  into  an 
iron  box  set  within  with  sharp  nails,  and  flung 
down  a  precipice;  he  is  beaten  with  sledge-hammers, 
a  pillar  is  laid  on  him,  a  heavy  stone  dashed  on 
to  his  head ;  he  is  stretched  on  a  red-hot  iron  bed, 
melted  lead  is  poured  over  him ;  he  is  cast  into  a 
well,  transfixed  with  forty  long  nails,  shut  into  a 
brazen  bull  over  a  fire,  and  cast  into  a  well  with 
a  stone  round  his  neck.  Each  time  he  returns 
from  a  torment,  he  is  restored  to  former  vigour. 
His  tortures  continue  through  seven  years.  His 
constancy  and  miracles  are  the  means  of  converting 
40,900  men,  attd  the  Empress  Alexandra.  Dacian 
then  orders  the  execution  of  George  and  his  queen; 
and  as  they  die,  a  whirlwind  of  fire  carries  off  the 
persecutor. 

These  two  acts  are  the  source  of  all  later  Greek 
legends. 

Papenbroech  prints  legends  by  Simeon  Meta- 
phrastes  (d.  904),  Andreas  Hierosolymites,  and 
Gregorios  Kyprios  (d.  1289), 


S.  George  275 

Rdnbot  von  Dom  (cent,  xiii.),  or  the  French 
author  from  whom  he  translated  the  life  of  S- 
Greorge,  thought  fit  to  reduce  the  extravagance 
of  the  original  to  moderate  proportions,  the 
seventy-two  kings  were  reduced  to  seven,  the 
countless  tortures  to  eight ;  George  is  bound,  and 
has  a  weight  laid  on  him,  is  beaten  with  sticks, 
starved,  put  on  a  wheel  covered  with  blades, 
quartered  and  thrown  into  a  pond,  rolled  down 
a  hill  in  a  brazen  bull,  his  nails  transfixed  with 
poisoned  thorns,  and  he  is  then  executed  with  the 
sword. 

Jacques  de  Voragine  says  that  he  was  first 
attached  to  a  cross,  and  torn  with  iron  hooks 
till  his  bowels  protruded,  and  that  then  he  was 
washed  with  salt  water.  Next  day  he  was  given 
poison  to  drink  without  its  affecting  him.  Then 
George  was  fastened  to  a  wheel  covered  with  razors 
and  knives,  but  the  wheel  snapped.  He  was  next 
cast  into  a  caldron  of  molten  lead.  George  was 
uninjured  by  the  bath.  Then,  at  his  prayer,  light- 
ning fell  and  destroyed  all  the  idols,  whilst  the 
earth,  opening,  swallowed  up  the  priests.  At  the 
sight  of  this,  the  wife  of  Dacian,  whom  Jacques 
de  Voragine  makes  proconsul  undet  Diocletian, 
is  converted,  and  she  and  George  are  decapitated. 

T  3 


276  5.  George 

Thereupon  lightning  strikes  Dacian  and  his  mi- 
nisters. 

S.  George,  then,  according  to  the  Oriental  Chris- 
tian story,  suffers  at  least  seven  martyrdoms,  and 
revives  after  each,  the  last  excepted. 

The  Mussulmans  revere  him  equally  with  the 
Christians,  and  tell  a  tale  concerning  him  having  a 
strong  affinity  to  that  recorded  in  the  acts.  Gher- 
ghis,  or  El  Khoudi,  as  he  is  called  by  them,  lived  at 
the  same  time  as  the  Prophet.  He  was  sent  by  God 
to  the  king  of  El  Mau9il  with  the  command  that  he 
should  accept  the  faith.  This  the  king  refused  to  do, 
and  ordered  the  execution  of  Gherghis.  The  saint 
was  slain,  but  God  revived  him,  and  sent  him  to  the 
king  again.  A  second  time  was  he  slain,  and  again 
did  God  restore  him  to  life.*  A  third  time  did  he 
preach  his  mission.  Then  the  persecutor  had  :him 
burned,  and  his  ashes  scattered  in  the  Tigris. 
But  God  restored  him  to  life  once  more,  and  de- 
stroyed the  king  and  all  bis  subjects  *.  The  Greek 
historian,  John  Kantakuzenos  (d.  1380)  remarks, 
that  in  his  time  there  were  several  shrines  erected 
to  the  memory  of  George,  at  which  the  Mohamme- 
dans paid  their  devotions ;  and  the  traveller  Burck- 

*  Mas'udi,  iibers.  von  Sprenger,  vol,  i,  p.  120. 


S.  George  Z7T 

lardt  relates,  that  "the  Turks  pay  great  veneration 
b>  S.  Geoi^e  ;"  Dean  Stanley  moreover  noticed  a 
Hussulman  chapel  on  the  sea-shore  near  Sarafend, 
flie  ancient  Sarepta,  dedicated  to  El  Khouder,  in 
vhich  "  there  is  no  tomb  inside,  only  hangings  before 
a  recess.     This  variation  from  the  usual  type  of 
Mussulman  sepulchres  was,  as  we  were  told  by 
peasants  on  the  spot,  because  El  Khouder  is  not 
yet  dead,  but  flies  round  and  round  the  world,  and 
fiiese  chapels  are  built  wherever  he  has  appeared  *." 
Ibn  Wahshiya  al  Kasdani  was  the  translator  of  the 
Book  of  Nabathaean  Agriculture.     "Towards  the 
year  900  of  our  era,  a  descendant  of  those  ancient 
Babylonian  families  who  had  fled  to  the  marshes  of 
Wasith  and  of  Bassora,  where  their  posterity  still 
dwell,  was  struck  with  profound  admiration  for  the 
works  of  his  ancestors,  whose  language  he  under- 
stood,   and    probably  spoke.      Ibn   Wahshiya  al 
Kasdani,  or  the  Chaldaean,  was  a  Mussulman,  but 
Islamism  only  dated  in  his  family  from  the  time 
of  his  great-grandfather ;  he  hated  the  Arabs,  and 
cherished  the  same  feeling  of  national  jealousy  to- 
wards them  as  the  Persians  also  entertained  against 
their  conquerors.    A  piece  of  good  fortune  threw 

*  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  274. 


278  S.  George 

into  his  hands  a  large  collection  of  Nabathaean 
writings,  which  had  been  rescued  from  Moslem 
fanaticism.  The  zealous  Chaldaean  devoted  his  life 
to  their  translation,  and  thus  created  a  Nabathaeo- 
Arabic  library,  of  which  three  complete  works>  to 
say  nothing  of  the  fragments  of  a  fourth,  have 
descended  to  our  days*."  One  of  these  is  the 
Book  of  Nabathaean  Agriculture,  written  by 
Kuthami  the  Babylonian.  In  it  we  find  the 
following  remarkable  passage :  "The  contem- 
poraries of  Yanbushadh  assert  that  all  the  seka'in 
of  the  gods  and  all  the  images  lamented  over  Yan- 
bushadh after  his  death,  just  as  all  the  angels  and 
seka*in  lamented  over  TammuzT.  The  images  (of 
the  gods),  they  say,  congregated  from  all  parts  of 
the  world  to  the  temple  in  Babylon,  and  betook 
themselves  to  the  temple  of  the  Sun,  to  the  great 
golden  image  that  is  suspended  between  heaven 
and  earth.  The  Sun  image  stood,  they  say,  in 
the  midst  of  the  temple,  surrounded  by  all  the 
images  of  the  world.  Next  to  it  stood  the  images 
of  the  Sun  in  all  countries  ;  then  those  of  the 
Moon ;  next  those  of  Mars ;  after  them,  the 
images  of  Mercury ;  then  those  of  Jupiter ;   after 

^  Ernest  Renan,  Essay  on  the  Age  and  Antiquity  of  the 
Book  of  Nabathaean  Agriculture,  London,  1862,  p.  5. 


S.  Giorgi         ^  279 

iem,  those  of  Venus ;  and  last  of  all,  of  Saturn. 

rhereupon  the  image  of  the  Sun  began  to  bewail 

rammuziy  and  the  idols  to  weep ;  and  the  image  of 

^  Sun  uttered  a  lament  over  Tammuz  and  nar- 

lated  his  history,  whilst  the  idols  all  wept  from  the 

settii^  of  the  sun  till  its  rising  at  the  end  of  that 

night.     Then  the  idols  flew  away,  returning  to  their 

own  countries.    They  say  that  the  ^y^s  of  the  idol 

of  Tehama  (in  South  Arabia),  called  the  eagle,  are 

perpetually  flowing  with  tears,  and  will  so  continue, 

from  the  night  wherein  it  lamented  over  Tammuz 

along  with  the  image  of  the  Sun,  because  of  the 

peculiar  share  that  it  had  in  the  story  of  Tammuz. 

This  idol,  called  Nesr,  they  say,  is  the  one  that 

inspired  the  Arabs  with  the  gift  of  divination,  so 

that  they  can  tell  what  has  not  yet  come  to  pass, 

and  can  explain  dreams  before  the  dreamers  state 

what  they  are.    They  (the  contemporaries  of  Yan- 

bushadh)  tell  that  the  idols  in  the  land  of  Babel 

bewailed  Yanbushadh  singly  in  all  their  temples  a 

whole  night  long  till  morning.     During  this  night 

there  was  a  great  flood  of  rain,  with  violent  thunder 

and  lightning,  as  also  a  furious  earthquake  (in  the 

district)  from  the  borders  of  the  mountain  ridge  of 

Holwan  to  the  banks  of  the  Tigris  near  the  city 

Nebarwaja,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  that  river.     The 


2S0  S,  George 

« 

idols,  they  say,  returned  during  this  flood  to  their.,...; 
places,   because   they  had  been   a  little  shaken.^^ 
This  flood  was  brought  by  the  idols  as  a  judgment  ^ 
upon  the  people  of  the  land  of  Babel  for  havii^l 
abandoned  the  dead  body  of  Yanbushadh,  as  it  lay  .• 
on  the  bare  ground  in  the  desert  of  Shamas,  so  that  L 
the  flood  carried  his  dead  body  to  the  Wadi  el-  ■,. 
A*hfar,  and  then  swept  it  from  this  wadi  into  the   \ 
sea.     Then  there  was  drought  and  pestilence  in 
the  land  of  Babel  for  three  months,  so  that  the 
living  were  not  sufficient  to  bury  the  dead.     These 
tales  (of  Tammuz  and  Yanbushadh)  have  been  col- 
lected and  are  read  in  the  temples  after  prayers, 
and  the  people  weep  and  lament  much  thereupon. 
When  I  myself  am  present  with  the  people  in  the 
temple,  at  the  feast  of  Tammuz,  which  is  in  the 
month  called  after  him,  and  they  read  his  story 
ami  weep,  I  weep  along  with  them  always,  out  of 
friendly  feeling  towards  them,  and  because  I  com- 
passionate their  weeping,  not  that  I  believe  what 
they  relate  of  him.     But  I  believe  in  the  story  of 
Yanbushadh,  and  when  they  read  it  and  weep,  I 
weep  along  with  them,  very  differently  from  my 
w  eeping  over  Tammuzi.     The  reason  is  this,  that 
lUvJ  time  of  Yanbiishadh  is  nearer  to  our  own  than 
VUv*  lim^  of  Tammiiz,  and  his  story  is,  therefore, 


S.  George  281 

more  certain  and  worthy  of  belief.  It  is  possible 
tiiat  some  portions  of  the  story  of  Tammuz  may 
be  true,  but  I  have  my  doubts  concerning  other 
parts  of  it,  owing  to  the  distance  of  his  time  from 
ours." 

Thus  writes  Kuthami  the  Babylonian,  and  his 
translator  adds : — 

"Says  Abii  Bekr  ATimed  ibn  Wa'hshiya.  This 
month  is  called  Tammuz,  according  to  what  the 
Nabathaeans  say,  as  I  have  found  it  in  their  books, 
and  is  named  after  a  man  of  whom  a  strange 
long  story  is  told,  and  who  was  put  to  death,  they 
relate,  several  times  in  succession  in  a  most  cruel 
manner.  Each  of  their  months  is  named  after 
some  excellent  and  learned  man,  who  was  one, 
in  ancient  times,  of  those  Nabathaeans  that  in- 
habited the  land  of  Babel  before  the  Chaldaeans. 
This  Tammuz  was  not  one  of  the  Chaldaeans, 
nor  of  the  Canaanites,  nor  of  the  Hebrews,  nor 
of  the  Assyrians,  but  of  the  primeval  lanbanis.  .  . 
All  the  Ssabians  of  our  time,  down  to  our  own 
day,  wail  and  weep  over  Tammuz  in  the  month 
of  that  name,  on  the  occasion  of  a  festival  in  his 
honour,  and  make  great  lamentation  over  him ; 
especially  the  women,  who  all  arise,  both  here 
(at  Bagdad)  and  at  'Harran,  and  wail  and  weep 


282  5.  George 

over  Tammiiz.  They  tell  a  long  and  silly  story 
about  him ;  but,  as  I  have  clearly  ascertained, 
not  one  of  either  sect  has  any  certain  information 
regarding  Tammuz,  or  the  reason  of  their  lament- 
ing over  him.  However,  after  I  had  translated 
this  book,  I  found  in  the  course  of  my  reading 
the  statement  that  Tammuz  was  a  man  concerning 
whom  there  was  a  legend,  and  that  he  had  been 
put  to  death  in  a  shameful  manner.  That  was  all ; 
not  another  word  about  him.  They  knew  nothing 
more  about  him  than  to  say,  *  We  found  our  ances- 
tors weeping  and  wailing  over  him  in  this  way  at 
this  feast  that  is  called  after  him  Tammuzi.'  My 
own  opinion  is,  that  this  festival  which  they  hold 
in  commemoration  of  Tammuz  is  an  ancient  one, 
and  has  maintained  itself  till  now,  whilst  the  story 
connected  with  him  has  been  forgotten,  owing  to 
the  remoteness  of  his  age,  so  that  no  one  of  these 
Ssabians  at  the  present  day  knows  what  his  story 
was,  nor  why  they  lament  over  him."  Ibn 
Wa'hshiya  then  goes  on  to  speak  of  a  festival 
celebrated  by  the  Christians  towards  the  end  of 
the  month  Nisan  (April)  in  honour  of  S.  George, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  several  times  put  to  death 
by  a  king  to  whom  he  had  gone  to  preach  Chris- 
tianity,  and   each  time  he   was   restored   to    life 


S.  George  283 

again,  but  at  the  last  died    Then  Ibn  Wa'hshlya 

remarks  that  what  is  related  of  the  blessed  George 

is  the    same  as    that   told    of  Tammuz,  whose 

festival  is  celebrated  in  the  month  Tammuz ;  and 

he  adds   that  besides  what  he   found  regarding 

Tammuz  in  the  "Agriculture,"  he  lit  on  another 

Nabathaean  book,  in  which  was  related  in  full  the 

legend  of  Tammuz; — "how  he  summoned  a  king 

to  worship  the  seven  (planets)   and    the    twelve 

(signs),  and  how  the  king  put  him  to  death  several 

times  in  a  cruel  manner,  Tammuz  coming  to  life 

again  after  each  time,  until  at  last  he  died ;  and 

behold !   it  was  identical  with  the  legend  of  S. 

George  that  is  current  among  the  Christians '." 

Mohammed  en  Mediin  in  his  Fihrist-el-Ulum, 
says,  "Tammuz  (July).  In  the  middle  of  this 
month  is  the  Feast  El  Bugat,  that  is,  of  the 
weeping  women,  which  Feast  is  identical  with 
that  Feast  of  Ta-uz,  which  is  celebrated  in  honour 
of  the  god  Ta-uz.  The  women  bewail  him,  be- 
cause  his    Lord    had  him  so  cruelly  martyred. 


y  Chwolson:  nber  Tammuz.  St.  Petersburg,  i860,  pp. 
41 — 56.  The  translation  is  for  the  most  part  from  the 
Christian  Remembrancer,  No.  cxii.,  an  article  on  Tammuz, 
with  the  conclusions  of  which  I  cannot  altogether  agree.  My 
own  conviction  as  to  Tammuz  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel 


8S4  5.  George 

his  bones  being  ground  in  a  mill,  and  scattered 
to  the  winds  *." 

We  have  then  the  Eastern  myth  of  S.  George 
identified  with  that  of  Tammuz,  by  one  who  is 
impartial  What  that  myth  of  Tammuz  was  in 
its  entirety  we  cannot  say,  but  we  have  sufficient 
evidence  in  the  statement  of  Ibn  Wa'hshlya  to 
conclude  that  the  worship  of  S.  George  and  its 
popularity  in  the  East,  is  mainly  due  to  the  fact 
of  his  being  a  Christianized  Tammuz. 

Professor  Chwolson  insists  on  Tammuz  having 
been  a  man,  deified  and  worshipped;  and  the 
review  below  referred  to  confirms  this  theory.  I 
believe  this  to  be  entirely  erroneous.  Tammiiz 
stands  to  Chaldee  mythology  in  precisely  the 
same  relation  that  the  Ribhavas  do  to  that  of  the 
Vedas.  A  French  orientalist,  M.  Neve,  wrote  a 
learned  work  in  1847,  ^^  these  ancient  Indian  deities, 
to  prove  that  they  were  deified  sages.  But  the 
careful  study  of  the  Vedic  hymns  to  the  Ribhus 
lead  to  an  entirely  opposite  conclusion.  They 
are  the  Summer  breezes  deified,  which,  m  that 
they  waft  the  smoke  of  the  sacrifices  to  heaven, 
are  addressed  as  assisting  at  the  sacred  ofTerings ; 

•  Qiwolson :  Die  Ssabier,  ii.  a- 


S.  George  286 

and  in  a  later  age,  when  their  real  signification 
was    lost,    they  were  anthropomorphized  into   a 
sacred    caste   of  priests.    A  similar  process  has, 
1  believe,   taken  place  with  Tammuz,  who  was 
fhe  sun,  regarded  as  a   God  and  hero,  dying  at 
the  dose  of  each  year,  and  reviving  with  the  new 
one.     In  Kuthami's  age  the  old  deity  was  appa- 
rently misappreciated,  and  had  suffered,  in  con- 
sequence, a  reincarnation  in  YanbQshadh,  of  whom 
a  similar  story  was  told,  and  who  received  similar 
worship,  because  he  was  in  fact  one  with  Tammuz. 
Almost  exactly  the  same  legend  is  related  by  the 
Jews  of  Abraham,  who,  they  say,  was  cruelly  tor- 
tured by  Nimrod,  and  miraculously  preserved  by 

God». 

The  Phoenician  Adonis  was  identical  with 
Tammuz.  S.  Jerome  in  the  Vulgate  rendered 
the  passage  in  Ezekiel  (viii.  14),  "He  brought 
me  to  the  door  of  the  gate  of  the  Lord's  house, 
which  was  towards  the  north;  and  behold,  there 
sat  women  weeping  for  Tammuz,"  by  ecce  tnulieres 
sedentes  plangentes  Adonidem;  and  in  his  com- 
mentary on  the  passage  says,  "Whom  we  have 
interpreted  Adonis,  both  the  Hebrew  and  Syriac 

>  Leben  Abrahams  nach  Ausfassimg  der  Judischen  Sage, 
V.  Dr.  B.  Beer,  Leipzig,  1859. 


286  5.  George 

languages  call  Thamuz  .  .  .  and  they  call  tibt:':; 
month  June  by  that  name."  He  informs  us  also  dt\ 
a  very  important  fact,  that  the  solstice  was  the  time  -^ 
when  Tammuz  was  believed  to  have  died,  thoogli  >- 
the  wailing  for  him  took  place  in  June.  Coo^  . 
sequently  Tammiiz's  martyrdom  took  place  at  th*; 
end  of  December.  Cyril  of  Alexandria  also  tdlt 
us  of  the  identity  existing  between  Adonis  and 
Tammuz  (in  Isaiah,  chap,  xviii.). 

The  name  Adonis  is  purely  Semitic,  and  signifies 
the  Lord.  His  worship  was  introduced  to  the 
Greeks  by  the  Phoenicians  through  Crete. 

Adonis  is  identified  with  the  Sun  in  one  of  the 
Orphic  hymns :  "  Thou  shining  and  vanishing  in 
the  beauteous  circle  of  the  Horae,  dwelling  at 
one  time  in  gloomy  Tartarus,  at  another  eleva- 
ting thyself  to  Olympus,  giving  ripeness  to  the 
fruits  M"  According  to  Theocritus,  this  rising  and 
setting,  this  continual  coursing,  is  accomplished  in 
twelve  months :  "  In  twelve  months  the  silent 
pacing  Horse  follow  him  from  the  nether-world  to 
that  above,  the  dwelling  of  the  Cyprian  goddess^ 
and  then  he  declines  again  to  Acheron  V  The 
cause  of  these  wanderings,  according  to  the  faU^ 

^  Orph.  Hymn  Iv.  5,  and  iq,  11. 
'  Theocrit  Id.  xv.  1031 104,  \^ 


5.  George  287 

was  that  two  goddesses  loved  Adonis,  Aphro- 
dite, or  more  properly  Astarte,  and  Persephone. 
Aphrodite,  the  S)man  Baalti,  loved  him  so  tenderly 
that  the  jealousy  of  Ares  was  aroused,  and  he 
sent  a  wild  boar  to  gore  him  in  the  chase.  When 
Adonis  descended  to  the  realm  of  darkness,  Per- 
sephone was  inflamed  with  passion  for  the  comely 
youth.  Consequently  a  strife  arose  between  her 
and  Aphrodite,  which  should  possess  him.  The 
quarrel  was  settled  by  Zeus  dividing  the  year 
into  three  portions,  whereof  one,  from  the  summer 
solstice  to  the  autumn  equinox,  was  to  l^elpng 
to  Adonis,  the  second  was  to  be  spent  by 
Jiim  with  Aphrodite,  and  the  third  with  Perse- 
phone. But  Adonis  voluntarily  surrendered  his 
portion  to  the  goddess  of  beauty*.  Others  say, 
that  Zeus  decreed  that  he  should  spend  six  months 
in  the  heavens  with  Aphrodite,  and  the  other  six 
in  the  land  of  gloom  with  Persephone  ^ 

The  worship  of  Adonis,  who  was  the  same  as 
Baal,  was  general  in  Syria  and  Phoenicia.  The 
devotion  to  Tammuz,  we  are  told,  was  popular 
from  Antioch  to   Elymais*.     It  penetrated  into 

•  C)rrill.  Alex,  in  Isa.;  ApoUodor.  lib.  iii.  c.  14. 

*  Schol.  in  Theocrit.  Id.  iii.  v.  48,  and  xv.  v.  103. 

»  Ammian.  Marcell.  xxii.  9.    (Elian,  Hist  animal,  xii.  33. 


"Nv 


288  5.  George  , 

Greece  from  Crete.    Biblos  in  Phoenicia  was  the ,«. 
main  seat  of  this  worship.  ^ 

Tammuz,  or  Adonis,  was  again  identical  with  » 
Osiris.     This  is  stated  by  several  ancient  writers  *. 

The  myth  relating  to  Osiris  was  very  similar. 
The  Egyptian  sun-god  was  born  at  the  summer  J 
solstice  and  died  at  the  winter  solstice,  when  pro- 
cessions went  round  the  temple  seeking  him,  seven 
times.  Osiris  in  heaven  was  the  beloved  of  Isis,  in 
the  land  of  darkness  was  embraced  by  Nepthys. 

Typhon,  as  the  Greeks  call  Seth  or  Bes,  a  mon- 
ster represented  in  swine  or  boar  shape,  attacked 
Osiris,  and  slaying  him,  cut  him  up,  and  cast  him 
into  the  sea.  This  took  place  on  the  17th  of  the 
month  Athor. 

Then  began  the  wailing  for  Osiris,  which  lasted 
four  days ;  this  was  followed  by  the  seeking,  and 
this  again  by  the  finding  of  the  God. 

Under  another  form,  the  same  myth,  and  its  ac- 
companying ceremonies,  prevailed  in  Egypt,  just  as 
at  Babylon  that  of  Tammuz  had  its  reflection  in  the 
more  modern  cultus  of  Yanbushadh.  The  soul  of 
the  deceased  Osiris  was  supposed  to  be  incarnate  in 
Apis ;  and,  in  process  of  mythologic  degradation, 
the  legend  of  Osiris  passed  over  to  Apis,  and  with 
•  Lucian.  de  dea  Syria,  n.  7.    Steph.  de  Urb.  v. 


S.  George  289 

it  the  significant  ceremonial.    Thus  Herodotus  tells 
US  YiGVi  that  at  Memphis  the  death  of  the  sacred 
boll  was   a  cause  of  general  wailing,  and  its  dis- 
covery one  of  exultation.    When  Cambyses  was  in 
Egypt,  and  the  land  groaned  under  foreign  swa}', 
no  Apis  appeared ;  but  when  his  two  armies  were 
destroyed,  and  he  came  to  Memphis,    Apis  had 
appeared ;  and  he  found  the  conquered  people  mani- 
festing their  joy  in  dances,  and  with  feasting  and 
I  gay  raiment  ^ 

We  have,  it  will  be  seen,  among  Phoenicians, 
Syrians,  Egyptians,  and  Nabathaeans,  all  Semitic 
nations,  peculiar  myths,  with  symbolic  ceremonies 
bearing  such  a  close  resemblance  to  one  another, 
that  we  are  constrained  to  acknowledge  them  as 
forms,  slightly  varied,  of  some  primaeval  myth. 

We  find  also  among  the  Arabs,  another  Semitic 
nation,  a  myth  identical  with  that  of  the  Babylonian 
Tammuz,  prevalent  among  them  not  long  after  their 
adoption  of  Islamism.  How  shall  we  account  for 
this  ?  My  answer  is,  that  the  pre-Mohammedan 
Arabs  had  a  worship  very  similar  to  that  of  Tam- 
muz, Baal,  Adonis,  or  Osiris,  and  that,  on  their  con- 
version to  the  faith  of  the  prophet,  they  retained 
the  ancient  legend,  adapting  it  to  El  Koudir,  whom 

7  Thalia,  c.  27. 

U 


290  5.  George 

they  identified  with  S.  George,  because  they  found 
that  the  Christians  had  already  adopted  this  course, 
and  had  fixed  the  ancient  myth  on  the  martyr  of 
Nicomedia.  In  Babylonia  it  had  already  passed  to 
Yanbushadh ;  and  it  was  made  to  pass  further  to 
Gherghis,  much  as  in  Greece  the  story  of  Apollo 
and  Python  was  transferred  to  Perseus  and  the  sea- 
monster,  and,  as  we  shall  see  presently,  was  adopted 
into  Christian  mythology,  and  attributed  to  the 
subject  of  this  paper.  And  indeed  the  process 
was  perhaps  facilitated  by  the  fact  that  one 
of  the  names  of  this  solar  god  was  Giggras ;  he 
was  so  called  after  the  pipes  used  in  wailing  for 
him. 

The  circumstances  of  the  death  of  Tammuz  vary- 
in  the  diflferent  Semitic  creeds. 

Let  me  place  them  briefly  in  apposition. 
Nabathaean  myth.     Tammuz. 

A  great  hero,  and  prophet ;  is  cruelly  put  to 
death  several  times,  but  revives  after  each  mar- 
tyrdom.    His  death  a  subject  of  wailing. 
Phoenician  myth.     Adon  or  Baal. 

A  beautiful  deity,  killed  by  the  furious  Boar  god. 
Revived  and  sent  to  heaven.  Divides  his  time 
between  heaven  and  hell,  subject  of  wailing, 
seeking,  and  finding. 


S.  George  291 

myth.     Baal. 
Identical  with  the  Phoenician. 
Egyptian  myth.    Osiris. 
A  glorious  god  and  great  hero^  killed  by  tlic  evil 
god.     Passes  half  his  time  in  heaven,  and  half. 
in  the  nether  worid.    Subject  of  wailing,  seeking, 
and  finding. 
Arabian  ni3rth.    El  Khouder,  original  name  Ta'uz. 
A  prophet,  killed  by  a  wicked  king  several  times 
and  revived  each  time. 
Oriental  Christian  myth.    S.  George. 
A  soldier,  killed  by  a  wicked  king,  undergoes 
numerous  torments,  but  revives  after  each.     On 
earth  lives  with  a  widow.     Takes  to  the  other 
world  with  him  the  queen.    Wailing  and  seek- 
ing fall  away,  and  the  festival  alone  remains. 
From  this  tabular  view  of  the  legends  it  is,  I 
think,  impossible  not  to  see  that  S.  George,  in  his 
mythical  character,  is  a  Semitic  god  Christianized. 
In  order  to  undergo  the  process  of  conversion,  a 
few  little  arrangements  were  rendered  necessary, 
to  divest  the  story  of  its  sensuous  character,  and 
purify  it.     Astarte  or  Aphrodite  had  to  be  got  out 
of  the  way  somehow.     She  was  made  into  a  pious 
vridow,  in  whose  house  the  youthful  saint  lodged. 
Then  Persephone,  the  queen  of  Hades,  had  to  be 


292  5.  George 

accounted  for.  She  was  turned  into  a  martyr,  Alex- 
andra ;  and  just  as  Persephone  was  the  wife  of  the 
ruthless  monarch  of  the  nether  world,  so  was  Alex- 
andra represented  as  the  queen  of  Diocletian  or 
Datian,  and  accompanied  Georgetothe  unseen  world. 
Consequently  in  the  land  of  light,  George  was  with 
the  widow;  in  that  of  gloom,  with  Alexandra  :  just 
as  Osiris  spent  his  year  between  Isis  and  Nepthys, 
and  Adonis  between  Aphrodite  and  Persephone. 
According  to  the  ancient  Christian  legend,  the 
body  of  George  travelled  from  the  place  of  his  mar- 
tyrdom to  that  of  his  nativity  ;  this  resembles  the 
journey  of  the  body  of  Osiris,  down  the  Nile,  over 
the  waves  to  Biblos,  where  Isis  found  him  again. 

The  influence  of  Persian  mythology  is  also  per- 
ceptible in  the  legend.  El  Nedim  says  that  Tam- 
muz  was  brayed  in  a  mill ;  this  feature  in  his  mar- 
tyrdom is  adopted  from  the  Iranian  tradition  of 
Hom,  the  Indian  Soma,  or  the  divine  drink  of 
sacrifice,  which  was  anthropomorphized,  and  the 
history  of  the  composition  of  the  liquor  was  trans- 
formed into  the  fable  of  the  hero.  The  Hom  was 
pounded  in  a  mortar,  and  the  juice  was  poured  on 
the  sacrificial  flames,  and  thus  carried  up  into 
heaven  in  fire ;  in  the  legend  of  the  demigod,  Hom 
was  a  martyr  who  was  cruelly  bruised  and  broken 


5".  George  293 

in  a  mortar,  biit  who  revived,  and  ascended  to  the 
skies.  In  the  tale  of  George  there  is  another 
indication  of  the  absorption  into  it  of  a  foreign 
myth.  George  revives  the  dead  cow  of  the  peasant 
Glycerins  ;  the  same  story  is  told  of  Abbot  William 
of  Villiers,  of  S.  Germanus,  of  S.  Garmon,  and  of 
S.  Mochua.  Thor  also  brought  to  life  goats  which 
had  been  killed  and  eaten.  The  same  is  told  in 
the  Rigveda  of  the  Ribhus  :  "O  sons  of  Sudharvan, 
out  of  the  hide  have  you  made  the  cow  to 
arise ;  by  your  songs  the  old  have  you  made 
young,  and  from  one  horse  have  you  made  another 
horse'." 

The  numbers  in  the  legend  of  the  soldier-saint 
have  a  solar  look  about  them.  The  torment^  of  S. 
George  last  seven  years,  or,  according  to  the  Greek 
acts,  seven  days  ;  the  tyrant  reigns  over  the  four 
quarters  of  heaven,  and  seven  kings  ;  in  the  Naba- 
thaean  story,  Tammuz  preaches  the  worship  of  the 
seven  planets,  and  the  twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac. 
Osiris  is  sought  seven  days.  The  seven  winter 
months  are  features  in  all  mythologies. 

The  manner  in  which  S.  George  dies  repeatedly 
represents  the  different  ways  in  which  the  sun  dies 

•  See  my  note  in  Appendix  to  "  The  Folklore  of  the  N. 
Counties  of  England,''  London,  1866.  pp.  321-4. 


294  5.  George 

each  day.  The  Greeks,  and,  indeed,  most  nations, 
regarded  the  close  of  day  as  the  expiration  of  the 
solar  deity,  and  framed  myths  to  account  for  his 
decease.  In  Greek  mythology  the  solar  gods  are 
many,  and  the  stories  of  their  deaths  are  distributed 
so  as  to  provide  each  with  his  exit  from  the  world; 
but  in  Semitic  mythology  it  is  not  so,  the  sun-god 
is  one,  and  all  kinds  of  deaths  are  attributed  to  him 
alone,  or,  if  he  suffers  anthropomorphism,  to  his 
representative. 

Phaethon  is  a  solar  deity;  he  falls  into  the 
western  seas.  Herakles  is  another ;  he  expires  in 
flames,  rending  the  poisoned  garment  given  him 
by  Dejanira.  Phaethon's  death  represents  the 
rapid  descent  of  the  sun  in  the  west;  that  of 
Herakles,  the  setting  orb  in  a  flaming  western  sky 
rending  the  fire-lined  clouds,  which  wrap  his  body. 
The  same  blaze,  wherein  sank  the  sun,  was  also 
supposed  to  be  a  funeral  pyre,  on  which  lay 
Memnon ;  and  the  clouds  fleeting  about  it,  some 
falling  into  the  fire,  and  some  scudding  over  the 
darkling  sky,  were  the  birds  which  escaped  from 
the  funeral  pyre.  Achilles,  a  humanized  sun-god, 
was  vulnerable  in  his  heel,  just  as  the  Teutonic 
Sigfried  could  only  be  wounded  in  his  back :  this 
represents  the  sun  as  retiring  from  the  heavens  with 


S.  George  295 

his  back  turned,  struck  by  the  weapon  of  dark- 
ness, just  as  Ares,  the  blind  God,  with  his  tusk 
slew  Adonis,  or  sightless  Hodr  with  his  mistletoe 
shaft  smote  Baldur. 

In  the  S.  George  fable,  we  have  the  martyr,  like 
Memnon  or  Herakles,  on  the  fire,  and  transfixed, 
like  Achilles  and  Ajax  ;  exposed  in  a  brazen  bull 
on  a  fire,  that  is,  hung  in  the  full  rain-cloud  over 
the  western  blaze ;  cast  down  a  hill,  like  Phaethon  ; 
plunged  into  boiling  metal,  a  representation  of  the 
lurid  vapours  of  the  west. 

Having  identified  S.  George  or  Tammuz  with 
the  sun,  we  shall  have  little  difficulty  in  seeing 
that  Aphrodite  or  Isis  is  the  moon  when  visible, 
and  Persephone  or  Nepthys  the  waned  moon  ; 
Persephone  is  in  fact  no  other  than  Aphrodite 
in  the  region  of  gloom,  where,  according  to  the 
decree  of  Zeus,  she  was  to  spend  six  months  with 
Aidoneus,  and  six  months  in  heaven. 

But  it  is  time  for  us  to  turn  to  the  Western  myth, 
that  of  the  fight  of  S.  George  with  the  dragon ;  in 
this,  again,  we  shall  find  sacred  beliefs  of  antiquity 
reappearing  in  Christian  form. 

The  story  of  S.  George  and  the  dragon  first  pre- 
sents itself  in  the  Legenda  Aurea  of  Jacques  de 
Von^ine.     It  was  accepted  by  the  unquestioning 


296  S.  George 

clerks  and  laity  of  the  middle  ages,  so  that  it  found 
its  way  into  the  office-books  of  the  Church. 

O  Georgi  Martyr  inclyte, 
Te  decet  laus  et  gloria, 
Predotatum  militia; 
Per  quern  puella  regia, 
Existens  in  tristitia, 
Coram  Dracone  pessimo, 
Salvata  est    £x  animo 
Te  rogamus  corde  intimo, 
Ut  cunctis  cum  fidelibus 
Coeli  jungamur  civibus 
Nostris  ablatis  sordibus : 
Et  simul  cum  Isetitia 
Tecum  simus  in  gloria ; 
Nostraque  reddant  labia 
Laudes  Christo  cum  gratia, 
Cui  sit  honos  in  secula. 

Thus  sang  the  clerks  from  the  Sarum  "  Horae  R 
Mariae,"  on  S.  George's  day,  till  the  reformation 
of  the  Missals  and  Breviaries  by  Pope  Clement 
VII.,  when  the  story  of  the  dragon  was  cut  out, 
and  S.  George  was  simply  acknowledged  as  a 
martyr,  reigning  with  Christ.  His  introit  was 
from  Ps.  Ixiii.  The  Collect,  "God,  who  makest 
us  glad  through  the  merits  and  intercession  of 
blessed  George  the  martyr,  mercifully  grant  that 
we  who  ask  through  him  Thy  good  things  may 
obtain    the   gift    of  Thy  grace."     The    Epistle, 


S.  George  297 

%  Tim.  ii.  8 — ii,  and  iiL  lo — 13 ;  and  the  Gospel, 
S.  John  XV.  I — 8, 
The  legend,  as  told  by  Voragine,  is  this  : — 
George,  a  tribune,  was  born  in  Cappadocia,  and 
came  to  Lybia,  to  the  town  called  Silene,   near 
which  was  a  pond  infested  by  a  monster,  which 
liad  many  times  driven  back  an  armed  host  that 
had  come  to  destroy  him.    He  even  approached  the 
walls  of  the  city,  and  with  his  exhalations  poisoned 
all  who  were  near.     To  avoid  such  visits,  he  was 
furnished  each  day  with  two  sheep,  to  satisfy  his 
voracity.     If  these  were  not  given,  he  so  attacked 
the  walls  of  the  town,  that  his  envenomed  breath 
infected  the  air,  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  died. 
He  was  supplied  with  sheep,  till  they  were  ex- 
hausted,  and    it  was  impossible   to  procure  the 
necessary  number.     Then  the  citizens  held  coun- 
sel, and  it  was  decided  that  each  day  a  man  and 
a  beast  should  be  offered,  so  that  at  last  they  gave 
up  their  children,  sons  and  daughters,  and  none 
were  spared.     The  lot  fell  one  day  on  the  princess. 
The  monarch,  horror-struck,  offered  in  exchange 
for  her  his  gold,  his  silver,  and  half  his  realm,  only 
desiring  to  save  his  daughter  from  this  frightful 
death.     But  the  people  insisted  on  the  sacrifice  of 
the  maiden,  and  all  the  poor  father  could  obtain. 


298  5.  George 

was  a  delay  of  eight  days,  in  which  to  bewail  the 
fate  of  the  damsel.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time, 
the  people  returned  to  the  palace,  and  said,  "  Why 
do  you  sacrifice  your  subjects  for  your  daughter  ? 
We  are  all  dying  before  the  breath  of  this  mon- 
ster !*'  The  king  felt  that  he  must  resolve  on  part- 
ing with  his  child.  He  covered  her  with  royal 
clothes,  embraced  her,  and  said,  "Alas!  dear 
daughter,  I  thought  to  have  seen  myself  re-bom 
in  your  offspring.  I  hoped  to  have  invited  princes 
to  your  wedding,  to  have  adorned  you  with  royal 
garments,  and  accompanied  you  with  flutes,  tam- 
bourins,  and  all  kinds  of  music ;  but  you  are  to  be 
devoured  by  this  monster  I  Why  did  not  I  die 
before  you  V 

Then  she  fell  at  her  father's  feet  and  besought 
his  blessing.  He  accorded  it  her,  weeping,  and 
he  clasped  her  tenderly  in  his  arms;  then  she 
went  to  the  lake.  George,  who  passed  that  way, 
saw  her  weeping,  and  asked  the  cause  of  her  tears. 
She  replied  : — "  Good  youth !  quickly  mount  your 
horse  and  fly,  lest  you  perish  with  me."  But 
George  said  to  her  : — "  Do  not  fear ;  tell  me  what 
you  await,  and  why  all  this  multitude  look  on/' 
She  answered  : — "  I  see  that  you  have  a  great  and 
noble  vet,  fly  !"     "  I  shall  not  go  without 


5.  George  299 

knowing  the  cause/'  he  replied.  Then  she  ex- 
plained all  to  him  ;  whereupon  he  exclaimed  : — 
"Fear  nothing!  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  will 
assist  you."  "Brave  knight!"  said  she;  "do  not 
seek  to  die  with  me ;  enough  that  I  should  perish  ; 
for  you  can  neither  assist  nor  deliver  me,  and  you 
will  only  die  with  me."  ' 

At  this  moment  the  monster  rose  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  And  the  virgin  said,  all  trem- 
bUi^,  "Fly,  fly,  sir  knight !" 

His  only  answer  was  the  sign  of  the  cross.  Then 
he  advanced  to  meet  the  monster,  recommending 
himself  to  God. 

He  brandished  his  lance  with  such  force,  that  he 
transfixed  it,  and  cast  it  to  the  ground.     Then, 
addressing  the    princess,  he   bade  her  pass   her 
girdle  round  it,  and  fear  nothing.     When  this  was 
done,  the  monster  followed  like  a  docile  hound. 
When  they  had  brought  it  into  the  town,  the  peo- 
ple fled   before  it ;    but    George    recalled    them, 
bidding  them  put   aside    all   fear,   for  the   Lord 
had  sent  him  to  deliver  them  from  the  dragon. 
Then  the  king  and  all  his  people,  twenty  thousand 
men,  without  counting  women  and  children,  were 
baptized,  and  George  smote  off*  the  head  of  the 
monster. 


800  S.  George 

Other  versions  of  the  story  are  to  the  effect  that 
the  princess  was  shut  up  in  a  castle,  and  that 
all  within  were  perishing  for  want  of  water, 
which  could  only  be  obtained  from  a  fountain 
at  the  base  of  a  hill,  and  this  was  guarded  by 
the  "laidly  worm,"  from  which  George  delivered 
them. 

"  The  hero  won  his  well-eam'd  place 

Amid  the  saints,  in  death's  dread  hour; 

And  still  the  peasant  seeks  his  grace, 
And  next  to  God,  reveres  his  power. 

In  many  a  church  his  form  is  seen 

With  sword,  and  shield,  and  helmet  sheen : 

Ye  know  him  by  his  steed  of  pride. 

And  by  the  dragon  at  his  side." 

Chr.  Schmid. 

The  same  story  has  attached  itself  to  other  saints 
and  heroes  of  the  middle  ages,  as  S.  Secundus  of 
Asti,  S.  Victor,  Gozo  of  Rhodes,  Raimond  of  S. 
Sulpice,  Struth  von  Winkelried,  the  Count  Aymon, 
Moor  of  Moorhall,  "  who  slew  the  dragon  of  Want- 
ley,"  Conyers  of  Sockburn,  and  the  Knight  of 
Lambton,  "John  that  slew  ye  Worme."  Ariosto 
adopted  it  into  his  Orlando  Furioso,  and  made 
his  hero  deliver  Angelica  from  Orca,  in  the  true 
mythic  style  of  George ' ;  and  it  appears  again  in 

•  Orland.  Fur.  c.  xi 


5.  George  801 

p^  the  tale  of  Chederles '.  The  cause  of  the  legend 
attaching  itself  to  our  hero,  was  possibly  a  mis- 
understanding of  an  encomium,  made  in  memory  of 
S.  George,  by  Metaphrastes,  which  concludes  thus : 
"Licebat  igjtur  videre  astutissimum  Draconem, 
adversus  camem  et  sanguinem  gloriari  solitum, 
elatumque,  et  sese  efferentem,  a  juvene  uno  illu- 
sum,  et  ita  dispectum  atque  confusum,  ut  quid 
ageret  non  haberet."  Another  writer,  summing  up 
the  acts  of  S.  George,  says :  "  Secundo  quod  Dra- 
conem vicit  qui  significat  Diabolum ;"  and  Hos^ 
piniau,  relating  the  sufferings  of  the  martyr,  affirms 
distinctly  that  his  constancy  was  the  occasion  of 
the  creation  of  the  legend  by  Voragine  *. 

If  we  look  at  the  story  of  Perseus  and  Andro- 
meda, we  shall  find  that  in  all  essential  particulars 
it  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Cappadocian  Saint. 

Cassiope  having  boasted  herself  to  be  fairer  than 
Hera,  Poseidon  sent  a  flood  and  a  sea- monster 
to  ravage  the  country  belonging  to  her  husband 
Cepheus.  The  oracle  of  Ammon  having  been 
consulted,  it  was  ascertained  that  nothing  would 
stop  the  resentment  of  the  gods  except  the  ex- 
posure of  the  king's  daughter,  Andromeda,  on  a 

*  Noel:  Diet,  de  la  Fable;  art.  Chederles. 

•  Christian  Remembrancer,  vol.  xlv.  p.  320. 


802  5".  George 

rock,   to  be  devoured  by  the  monster.     At  the  , 
moment  that  the  dragon  approached  the  maiden, 
Perseus  appeared,  and  learning  her  peril,  engaged 
the  monster  and  slew  him. 

The  scene  of  this  conflict  was  near  Joppa,  where 
in  the  days  of  S.  Jerome  the  bones  of  the  huge 
reptile  were  exhibited,  and  Josephus  pretends  to 
have  seen  there  the  chains  which  attached  the 
princess  to  the  rock '.  It  was  at  Berytus  (Beyrut) 
that  the  fight  of  S.  George  with  the  dragon  took 
place. 

Similar  stories  were  prevalent  in  Greece.  In  the 
isle  of  Salamis,  Cenchrius,  a  son  of  Poseidon,  re- 
lieved the  inhabitants  from  the  scourge  of  a  similar 
monster,  who  devastated  the  island.  At  Thespia, 
a  dragon  ravaged  the  country  round  the  city;  Zeus 
ordered  the  inhabitants  to  give  the  monster  their 
children  by  lot.  One  year  it  fell  on  Cleostratus. 
Menestratus  determined  to  save  him.  He  armed 
himself  with  a  suit  covered  with  hooks,  and  was 
devoured  by  the  dragon,  which  perished  in  killing 
him.  Pherecydes  killed  a  great  serpent  in  Caulonia, 
an  adventure  afterwards  related  of  Pythagoras,  with 
the  scene  shifted  to  Sybaris ;  and  Herakles,  as  is 
well  known,  slew  Hydra.  But  these  are  all  ver- 
'  Hieron.  Epist.  io8.    Joseph.  Bell.  Jud.  iii  c.  7. 


5'.  George  803 

sions — echoes— of  the  principal  myth  of  Apollo  and 
Python. 

The  monster  Python  was  sent  by  Hera  to  perse- 
cute Leto,  when  pregnant.  Apollo,  the  moment 
that  he  was  born,  attacked  the  hideous  beast 
and  pierced  him  with  his  arrows.  And  from  the 
place  where  the  serpent  died,  there  burst  forth  a 
torrent. 

A  similar  myth  is  found  among  the  Scandinavian 
and  Teutonic  nations.  In  these  Northern  myth- 
ologies Apollo  is  replaced  by  Sigurd,  Sigfried,  and 
Beowulf. 

The  dragon  with  which  Sigurd  fights  is  Fafnir, 
who  keeps  guard  over  a  treasure  of  gold.  Sigfried, 
in  like  manner,  in  the  Nibelungen  Lied,  fights  and 
overcomes  a  mighty  dragon,  and  despoils  him  of 
a  vast  treasure.  The  Anglo-Saxon  poem  of  Beo- 
wulf contains  a  similar  engagement  A  monster 
Grendel  haunts  a  marsh  near  a  town  on  the  North 
Sea.  At  night  the  evil  spirit  rises  from  the  swamp, 
and  flies  to  the  mountains,  attacking  the  armed 
men,  and  slaying  them.  Beowulf  awakes,  fights 
him,  and  puts  him  to  flight.  But  next  night 
Grendel  again  attacks  him,  but  is  killed  by  the 
hero  with  an  enchanted  sword.  He  fights  a  dragon 
some  years  later,  and  robs  it  of  an  incalculable  store 


804  5.  George 

of  gold.  The  Icelandic  Sagas  teem  with  similar 
stories ;  and  they  abound  in  all  European  house- 
hold tales. 

In  the  Rigveda  we  have  the  same  story.  Indra 
fights  with  the  hideous  serpent  Ahi,  or  Vrita,  who 
keeps  guard  over  the  fountain  of  rains.  In  Iranian 
mythology,  the  same  battle  is  waged  between 
Mithra  and  the  daemon  Ahriman. 

It  seems,  then,  that  the  fight  with  the  dragon  is 
a  myth  common  to  all  Aryan  peoples. 

Its  signification  is  this : — 

The  maiden  which  the  dragon  attemps  to  devour 
is  the  earth.  The  monster  is  the  storm-cloud. 
The  hero  who  fights  it  is  the  sun,  with  his  glorious 
sword,  the  lightning-flash.  By  his  victory  the  earth 
is  relieved  from  her  peril.  The  fable  has  been 
varied  to  suit  the  atmospheric  peculiarities  of  dif- 
ferent climes  in  which  the  Aryans  found  themselves. 
In  India,  Vrita  is  coiled  about  the  source  of  water, 
and  the  earth  is  perishing  for  want  of  rain,  till 
pierced  by  the  sword  of  Indra,  when  the  streams 
descend.  "  I  will  sing,"  says  the  Rigveda,  "  the 
ancient  exploits  by  which  flashing  Indra  is  distin- 
guished. He  has  struck  Ahi,  he  has  scattered  the 
waters  on  the  earth,  he  has  unlocked  the  torrents 
of  the  heavenly  mountains  (i.  e.,  the  clouds).     He 


S.  George  805 

has  struck  Ahi,  who  lurked  in  the  bosom  of  the 
celestial  mountain,  he  has  struck  him  with  that 
sounding  weapon  wrought  for  him  by  Twachtri ; 
and  the  waters,  like  cattle  rushing  to  their  stable, 
have  poured  down  on  the  earth  *."     And  again : — 

'*  O  Indra,  thou  hast  killed  the  violent  Ahi,  who 
withheld  the  waters  !'* 

"  O  Indra,  thou  hast  struck  Ahi,  sleeping  guar- 
dian of  the  waters,  and  thou  hast  precipitated  them 
into  the  sea ;  thou  hast  pierced  the  compact  scale 
of  the  cloud  ;  thou  hast  given  vent  to  the  streams, 
which  burst  forth  on  all  sides  *." 

Among  the  ancient  Iranians  the  same  myth 
prevailed,  but  was  sublimated  into  a  conflict  be- 
tween good  and  evil.  Ahriman  represents  Ahi,  and 
is  the  principle  of  evil ;  corrupted  into  Kharaman, 
it  became  the  Armenian  name  for  a  serpent  and 
the  devil.  Ahriman  entered  heaven  in  the  shape 
of  a  dragon,  was  met  by  Mithra,  conquered,  and 
like   the   old  serpent  of  Apocalyptic  vision,   "  he 

^  Rigveda,  sect.  i.  lee.  2.  p.  xiii.    Ed.  Langlois,  iii.  p.  329. 

•  Ibid.  vol.  i.  p.  44;  ii.  p.  447.  In  the  Katha  Sarit 
Sagara,  a  hero  fights  a  daemon  monster,  and  releases  a 
beautiful  woman  from  his  thraldom.  The  story  as  told  by 
Soma  Deva  has  already  progressed  and  assumed  a  form  very 
similar  to  that  of  Perseus  and  Andromeda.  Katha  Sarit 
Sagara,  book  vii.  c.  42. 


306  5.  George 

shall  be  bound  for  three  thousand  years,  and 
burned  at  the  end  of  the  world  in  melted  metals  •," 
Aschmogh  (Asmodeus)  is  also  the  infernal  serpent 
of  the  books  of  the  Avesta ;  he  is  but  another 
form  of  Ahriman.  This  fable  rapidly  followed 
in  Persia  the  same  process  of  application  to  known 
historical  individuals  that  it  pursued  in  Europe. 
In  the  ninth  hymn  of  the  Ya9na,  Zoroaster  asks 
Homa  who  were  the  first  of  mortals  to  honour  him, 
and  Homa  replies  :  "  The  first  of  mortals  to  whom 
I  manifested  myself  was  Vivanghvat,  father  of  Yima, 
under  whom  flourished  the  blessed  age  which  knew 
not  cold  of  winter,  or  scorching  heat  of  sum- 
mer, old  age  or  death,  or  the  hatred  produced  by 
the  Devas.  The  second  was  Athwya,  father  of 
Thraetana,  the  conqueror  of  the  dragon  Dahak, 
with  three  heads,  and  three  throats,  and  six  eyes, 
and  a  thousand  strengths."  This  Thraetana,  in 
the  Shahnameh,  has  become  Feridun,  who  over- 
comes the  great  dragon  Zohak. 

In  northern  mythology,  the  serpent  is  probably 
the  winter  cloud,  which  broods  over  and  keeps  from 
mortals  the  gold  of  the  sun's  light  and  heat,  till  in 
the  spring  the  bright  orb  overcomes  the  powers 
of  darkness  and   tempest,  and    scatters   his   gold 

•  Boundehesch,  ii.  351.  416. 


S.  George  807 

over  the  face  of  the  earth.  In  the  ancient  Sagas 
of  Iceland,  the  m)rth  has  assumed  a  very  peculiar 
form,  which,  if  it  would  not  have  protracted  this 
article  to  an  undue  length,  I  should  have  been  glad 
to  have  followed  out  The  hero  descends  into 
a  tomb,  where  he  fights  a  vampire,  who  has 
possession  of  a  glorious  sword,  and  much  gold  and 
silver.  After  a  desperate  struggle,  the  hero  over- 
comes, and  rises  with  the  treasures  to  the  surface 
of  the  earth.  This  too,  represents  the  sun  in  the 
northern  realms,  descending  into  the  tomb  of  winter, 
and  there  overcoming  the  power  of  darkness,  from 
whom  he  takes  the  sword  of  the  lightning,  and  the 
treasures  of  fertility,  wherewith  the  earth  is  blessed 
on  the  return  of  the  sun  to  the  skies  in  summer. 

This  is  probably  the  ancient  form  of  the  Scandi- 
navian myth,  and  the  King  of  gloom  reigning  over 
his  gold  in  the  cairn,  was  only  dragonized  when  the 
Norse  became  acquainted  with  the  dragon  myths  of 
other  nations.  In  the  Saga  of  Hromund  Greipson, 
the  hero  is  let  down  by  a  rope  into  a  barrow,  into 
which  he  had  been  digging  for  six  days.  He  found 
below  the  old  king  Thrain  the  Viking,  with  a  kettle 
of  quivering  red  flames  suspended  from  the  roof  of 
the  vault  above  him.  This  king,  years  before,  had 
gathered  all  the  treasures  that  he  had  obtained  in 

X  % 


308  .S.  George 

a  long  life  of  piracy,  and  had  suffered  himself  to 
be  buried  alive  with  his  ill-gotten  wealth.  Hromund 
found  him  seated  on  a  throne  in  full  armour,  girded 
with  his  sword,  crowned,  and  with  his  feet  resting  on 
three  boxes  containing  silver.  We  have  the  same 
story  in  the  Gretla ;  only  there  the  dead  king  is 
Karr  the  old;  Grettir  is  led  to  open  his  cairn,  by 
seeing  flames  dancing  on  the  mound  at  night.  In 
the  struggle  underground,  Grettir  and  the  vampire 
stumble  over  the  bones  of  the  old  king's  horse,  and 
thereby  Grettir  is  able  to  get  the  upper  hand. 

Similar  stories  occur  in  the  Floamanna  Saga, 
the  younger  Saga  of  Olaf  the  saint  (cap.  i6),  the 
elder  Olaf  Saga  (3 — ^4),  the  history  of  Olaf  Geir- 
stafaalp,  the  Holmverja  Saga,  and  the  B&rda  Saga. 
The  last  of  these  is  strongly  impressed  with  Chris- 
tian influence,  and  gives  indications  of  the  transfor- 
mation of  the  evil  being  into  a  dragon.  Gest  visited 
an  island  off"  the  coast  of  Helluland  (Labrador), 
where  lay  buried  a  grimly  daemon  king  Raknar. 
He  took  with  him  a  priest  with  holy  water  and  a 
crucifix.  They  had  to  dig  fifty  fathoms  before  they 
reached  the  chamber  of  the  dead.  Into  this  Gest 
descended  by  a  rope,  holding  a  sword  in  one  hand, 
and  a  taper  in  the  other.  He  saw  below  a  great 
dragon-ship,    in   which    sat   five    hundred    men^ 


S.  George  309 

champions  of  the  old  king,  who  were  buried  with 
him.  They  did  not  stir,  but  gazed  with  blank 
^yts  at  the  taper  flame,  and  snorted  vapour  from 
their  nostrils.  Gest  despoiled  the  old  king  of  all 
his  gold  and  armour,  and  was  about  to  rob  him  of 
his  sword,  when  the  taper  expired.  Then,  at  once, 
the  five  hundred  rose  from  the  dragon-ship,  and 
the  daemon  king  rushed  at  him;  they  grappled 
and  fought.  In  his  need,  Gest  invoked  S.  Olaf, 
who  appeared  with  light  streaming  from  his  body, 
and  illumining  the  interior  of  the  cairn.  Before  this 
light,  the  power  of  the  dead  men  failed,  and  Gest 
completed  his  work  in  the  vault'.  In  the  story  of  Si- 
gurd and  Fafnir,  the  dragon  is  more  than  half  man ; 
but  in  the  battle  of  GuU-Thorir  the  creature  is  scaled 
and  winged  in  the  most  approved  Oriental  style '. 
Let  me  place  in  apposition  a  few  of  the  Aryan 
myths  relating  to  the  strife  between  the  sun  and 
the  daemon  of  darkness,  or  storm. 
Indian  myth.     Indra  fights  Ahi. 

Indra  kills  Ahi,  who  is  identified  with  the  stomi- 
cloud,  and  releases  from  him  the  pent-up  waters^ 
for  want  of  which  the  earth  is  perishing.  Ahi  a 
s/erpent 

"f  B&rdar  S.  Snaefellsass.     Kjobnhavn.  i860,  pp.  41 — 43. 
•  Gull-Thoris  Saga.     Leipzig,  1858.  c.  iv. 


310  S.  George 

Persian  myth.     Mithra  and  Ahriman. 

Mithra  is  clearly  identical  with  the  sun,  and  Ahri- 
man with  darkness.     Ahriman  a  dragon. 

Greek  myth.   Apollo  and  Python ;  Perseus  and  the 
sea-monster. 
Apollo  identical  with  the  sun,  Python  the  storm- 
cloud.      Apollo  delivers   his  mother  from  the 
assault  of  the  dragon. 

Perseus  delivers  Andromeda  from  the  water-bom 
serpent.  In  other  Greek  fables  it  is  tlie  earth 
which  is  saved  from^  destruction  by  the  victory  of 
the  hero. 

Teutonic  myth.     Sigfried  and  the  dragon. 

Sigfried  conquers  the  dragon  who  keeps  guard 
over  a  hidden  treasure,  the  hero  kills  the  dragon 
and  brings  to  light  the  treasure. 

Scandinavian  myth.     Sigurd  and  Fafnir. 

Like  the  myth  of  Sigfried.  Other,  and  perhaps 
earlier  form,  the  dragon  is  a  king  of  Hades,  who 
cannot  endure  light,  and  who  has  robbed  the 
earth  of  its  gold.  The  hero  descends  to  his 
realm,  fights,  overcomes  him,  and  despoils  him  of 
his  treasures. 

Christian  myth.     S.  George  and  dragon. 

S.  George  delivers  a  princess  from  a  monster, 
who  is  about  to  devour  her.     According  to  an- 


5.  George  311 

other  version,  the  dragon  guards  the  spring  of 

water,  and  the  country  is  languishing  for  want  of 

water ;  S.  George  restores  to  the  land  the  use  of 

the  spring  by  slaying  the  dragon. 

This  table  might  have  been  considerably  ex- 
tended by  including  Keltic  and  Sclavonic  fables,  but 
it  is  sufficiently  complete  to  show  that  the  legend 
of  S.  George  and  the  dragon  forms  part  of  one  of 
the  sacred  myths  of  the  Aryan  family,  and  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  grasp  its  signification  in  the  light 
cast  upon  it  by  the  Vedic  poems. 

And  when  we  perceive  how  popular  this  vene- 
rable myth  was  in  heathen  nations  of  Europe,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  it  should  perpetuate  itself  under 
Christianity,  and  that,  when  once  transferred  to  a 
hero  of  the  new  creed,  it  should  make  that  hero  one 
of  the  most  venerated  and  popular  of  all  the  saints 
in  the  calendar. 

In  the  reign  of  Constantine  the  Great,  there 
existed  a  great  and  beautiful  church  between 
Ramula,  the  ancient  Arimathaea,  and  Lydda  or 
Decapolis,  dedicated  by  the  Emperor  to  S.  George, 
over  his  tomb.  Ramula  also  bore  the  name  of 
Georgia,  and  the  inhabitants  pretended  that  the 
warrior  saint  was  a  native  of  their  town.  A  temple 
of  Juno  at  Constantinople  was  converted  into  a 


812  5.  George 

church,  with  the  same  dedication,  by  the    first   ^ 
Christian  Emperor,  and  according  to  one  tradition, 
the  bones  of  the  martyr  were  translated  from  his 
tomb  near  Lydda,  to  the  church  in  the  g^at  city 
of  Constantine.     At  an   early  date  his  head  w^ 
in  Rome,  or  at   all   events   one  of  his  heads,  for 
another  found  its  way  to  the  church  of  Mares- 
Moutier,  in  Picardy,  after  the  capture  of  Byzantium 
by  the  Turks,  when  it  was  taken  from  a  church 
erected    by  Constantine   Monomachus,  dedicated 
to  the  saint     The   Roman   head,  long  forgotten, 
was  rediscovered  in  751,  with  an  inscription  on  it 
which  identified  it  with  S.  George.     In  1600  it  was 
given  to  the  church  of  Ferrara,      In   Rome,   at 
Palermo,  and  at  Naples  there  were  churches  at  a 
very  early  date,  consecrated  to  the  martyr.     In 
509  Clotilda  founded  a  nunnery  at  Chelles  in  his 
honour ;  and  Clovis  II.  placed  a  convent  at  Barala 
under  his  invocation.     In  this  religious  house  was 
preserved  an  arm  of  S.  George,  which  in  the  ninth 
century  was  transported  to  Cambray ;   and   fifty 
years  later  S.  Germain  dedicated  an  altar  in  Paris 
to  the  champion.     In  the  sixth  century  a  church 
was  erected  to  his  honour  at  Mayence ;  Clothaire 
in  the  folloA\ing  century  dedicated  one  at  Nim^fue, 
and  his  brother  another  in  Alsace.     George  had  a 


5.  George  313 

monastery  dedicated  to  him  at  Thetford,  founded 
in  the  reign  of  Canute;  a  collegiate  church  in 
Oxford  placed  under  his  invocation  in  the  reign 
of  the  Conqueror.  S.  George's,  Southwark,  dates 
from  before  the  Norman  invasion.  The  priory 
church  of  Griesly  in  Derbyshire  was  dedicated 
to  SS.  Mary  and  George,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I. 
The  Crusades  gave  an  impetus  to  the  worship 
of  our  patron.  He  appeared  in  light  on  the  walls 
of  Jerusalem,  waving  his  sword,  and  led  the 
victorious  assault  on  the  Holy  City.  Unob- 
trusively he  and  S.  Michael  slipped  into  the 
offices,  and  exercised  the  functions,  of  the  Dioscuri. 
Robert  of  Flanders,  on  his  return  from  the  Holy 
Land,  presented  part  of  an  arm  of  the  saint  to 
the  city  of  Toulouse,  and  other  portions  to  the 
Countess  Matilda  and  to  the  abbey  of  Auchin. 
Another  arm  of  S.  George  fell  miraculously  from 
heaven  upon  the  altar  of  S.  Pantaleon  at  Cologne, 
and  in  honour  of  it  Bishop  Anno  founded  a  church. 

The  church  of  Villers-Saint-Leu  contains  relics 
of  the  saint,  which  were  given  to  it  in  iioi  by 
Alexander,  chaplain  of  Count  Ernest,  who  had 
received  them  from  Baldwin  at  Jerusalem. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  Crusaders  for  the  Eastern 
soldier-saint  who  led  them  to  battle,  soon  raised  S* 


814i  5.  George 

George  to  the  highest  pitch  of  popularity  among 
the  nobles  and  fighting- men  of  Europe.  England, 
Aragon,  and  Portugal  assumed  him  as  their  patron, 
as  well  as  most  chivalrous  orders  founded  at  the 
date  of  these  wars.  In  1245,  ^^  S.  Greprge's  day, 
Frederic  of  Austria  instituted  an  order  of  knight- 
hood under  his  patronage ;  and  its  banner,  white 
charged  with  a  blood-red  cross,  in  battle  floated 
alongside  of  that  of  the  empire.  When  the 
emperor  entered  the  castle  of  S.  Angelo  at 
Rome,  these  two  banners  were  carried  before 
him.  The  custody  of  the  sacred  standard  of 
S,  George  was  confided  to  the  Swabian  knights. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  thirteenth  century  there 
existed  a  military  order  under  the  protection  of 
S.  George  at  Genoa,  and  in  1201  an  order  was 
founded  in  Aragon,  with  the  title  of  knights  of 
S.  George  of  Alfama. 

In  1348  King  Edward  III.  founded  S.  George's 
Chapel,  Windsor.  In  the  following  year  he  was 
besieging  Calais.  Moved  by  a  sudden  impulse, 
says  Thomas  of  Walsingham,  he  drew  his  sword 
with  the  exclamation  "  Ha !  Saint  Edward  !  Ha  ! 
Saint  George!"  The  words  and  action  communi- 
cated spirit  to  his  soldiers :  they  fell  with  vigour  on 
the  French,  and  routed  them  with  a  slaughter  of 


5.  Gecrge  815 

two  hundred  soldiers.  From  that  time  S.  George 
•replaced  Edward  the  Confessor  as  patron  of 
England.  In  1350  the  celebrated  order  was 
instituted.  In  1415,  by  the  Constitutions  of  Arch- 
bishop Chichely,  S.  Greorge's  Day  was  made  a 
major  double  feast,  and  ordered  to  be  observed 
the  same  as  Christmas  Day,  all  labour  ceasing ; 
and  he  received  the  title  of  spiritual  patron  of  the 
English  soldiery. 

In  1545  S.  George's  Day  was  observed  as  a  red 
letter  day,  with  proper  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel ; 
but  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  it  was  swept  away, 
and  the  holding  of  the  chapter  of  the  Garter  on 
S.  George's  Day  was  transferred  to  Whitsun  Eve, 
Whitsun  Day,  and  Whitsun  Monday.  Next  year, 
the  first  of  Queen  Mary,  the  enactment  was  re- 
versed, and  since  then  the  ancient  custom  has 
obtained,  and  the  chapter  is  held  annually  on  the 
feast  of  the  patron. 

In  concluding  this  paper,  it  remains  only  to  point 
out  the  graceful  allegory  which  lies  beneath  the 
Western  fable.  S.  George  is  any  Christian  who 
is  sealed  at  his  baptism  to  be  "Christ's  faithful 
soldier  and  servant  unto  his  life's  end,"  and  armed 
with  the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  the  shield  of 
the   faith,  marked  with   its  blood-red   cross,  the 


31 6  S.  George 

helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  word  or  power  of  God. 

The  hideous  monster  against  whom  the  Chris- 
tian soldier  is  called  to  fight  is  that  "old  serpent, 
the  devil,"  who  withholds  or  poisons  the  streams 
of  grace,  and  who  seeks  to  rend  and  devour 
the  virgin  soul,  in  whose  defence  the  champion 
fights. 

If  the  warfare  symbolized  by  this  legend  be 
carried  out  in  life,  then,  in  Spenser's  words — 

" "  Thou,  amongst  those  samts  whom  thou  doest  see, 
Shall  be  a  saint,  and  thine  owne  nations  frend 
And  patrone ;  thou  Saint  George  shalt  called  bee, 
Saint  George  of  mery  England,  the  sign  of  victoree." 


IN  reading  the  Germania  of  Tacitus,  with  a  view 
to  the  study  of  Teutonic  mythology,  I  lit  upon 
a  passage  so  perplexing,  that  I  resolved  to  minutely 
investigate  it,  and  trace  its  connexion  with  other 
statements,  and  examine  its  bearings,  little  knowing 
whither  it  would  lead.  That  passage  shall  be  quoted 
in  the  sequel.  Suffice  it  to  say  here,  that  it  guided 
me  to  the  legend  of  S.  Ursula  and  her  virgin  com- 
pany of  martyrs. 

At  this  point  I  became  acquainted  with  the 
masterly  treatise  of  Dr.  Oskar  Schade,  of  Bonn, 
on  the  story  of  S.  Ursula  ^  and  was  agreeably  sur- 
prised to  find  that,  proceeding  from  the  point  at 
which  I  had  arrived,  he  had  been  guided  by  sure 
stages  to  that  from  which  I  had  started. 

»  Die  Sage  von  der  Heiligen  Ursula,  von  Oskar  Schade. 
Hanover,  1854. 


318  5.  Ursula 

As  my  object  in  these  pages  is  the  analysis  of  a 
Christian  myth,  I  shall  follow  the  Doctor's  course 
rather  than  my  own.  The  fable  of  S.  Ursula  is  too 
important  to  be  omitted  from  this  collection  of 
Myths,  because  of  the  extravagance  of  its  details, 
the  devotion  which  it  excited,  the  persistency  with 
which  the  Church  clings  to  it,  setting  all  her 
scenery  in  motion  to  present  the  tragedy  in  its 
most  imposing  and  probable  aspect.  It  may  not 
be  omitted  also  because  it  is  a  specimen  of  the 
manner  in  which  saintly  legends  were  developed 
in  the  Middle  Ages,  the  process  of  the  develop- 
ment being  unusually  evident ;  a  specimen,  lastly, 
of  the  manner  in  which  they  were  generated  out 
of  worse  than  nothing;  a  process  which  is  also, 
in  this  case,  singularly  apparent. 

The  legends  of  the  Middle  Ages  were  some 
beautiful,  some  grotesque,  some  revolting.  The 
two  latter  classes  we  put  aside  at  once,  but  for  the 
first  we  profess  a  lingering  affection.  Alas!  too 
often  they  are  but  apples  of  Sodom,  fair  cheeked, 
but  containing  the  dust  and  ashes  of  heathenism. 

Ursula  and  the  eleven  thousand  British  virgins 
are  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom  at  Colc^^e, 
on  October  aist,  237 ;  for  in  1837  was  celebrated 
with  splendor  the  i6th  centenary  jubilee  of  their 


and  the  Elevett  Thousand  Virgins         819 

passion.  They  suffered  under  the  Huns,  on  their 
return  from  their  defeat  at  Chalons  by  Aetius 
in  451 ;  so  that  the  anachronism  is  considerable. 
The  early  martyrology  of  Jerome,  published  by 
d'Achery,  makes  no  mention  of  S.  Ursula ;  neither 
does  that  of  the  Venerable  Bede,  who  was  born  in 
67  a.  Bede  states  that  he  has  included  all  the 
names  of  which  he  read :  as  Ursula  was  a  British 
lady  of  rank,  and  was  accompanied  to  martyrdom 
by  the  enormous  number  of  eleven  thousand  dam- 
sels, who  shared  with  her  the  martyr's  crown  and 
pahn,  it  is  singular  and  significant  that  Bede  should 
not  allude  to  this  goodly  company.  The  Martyro- 
logium  Gallinense,  a  compilation  made  in  804, 
does  not  include  her ;  nor  does  the  Vetus  Calen- 
darium  Corbeiense,  composed  in  or  about  831. 
Neither  is  she  mentioned  in  the  Martyrology  of 
Rabanus  Maurus,  who  died  in  856.  Usardus,  who 
wrote  about  875,  does  not  speak  of  her,  though 
under  the  30th  October  he  inserts  the  passion  of 
the  holy  virgins,  Martha  and  Saula,  with  many 
others  in  the  city  of  Cologne.  S.  Ado  wrote  a 
martyrology  in  880,  but  makes  no  mention  of 
Ursula  and  the  other  virgins ;  nor  does  Notker  of 
S.  Gall,  who  died  in  913 ;  nor,  again,  does  the  Cor- 
bey  martyrology  of  900;  neither  do  the  two  of 


320        •  5.  Ursula 

uncertain  date  called  after  Labbe  and  Richenove. 
We  see  that  up  to  the  tenth  century,  for  eithei 
650  or  450  years  after  the  martyrdom,  there  is  no 
mention  of  S.  Ursula  by  name,  and  only  one  refer- 
ence to  virgin  martyrs  at  Cologne.  Usardus,  who 
mentions  these,  gives  the  names  of  Martha  and 
Saula.  An  old  calendar  in  the  Dusseldorf  town 
library,  belonging  to  the  tenth  century,  copies 
Usardus,  merely  transferring  the  saints  to  the  aist 
October.  A  litany  of  the  following  century,  in  the 
Darmstadt  library,  invokes  five,  in  this  order: 
Martha,  Saula,  Paula,  Brittola,  Ursula.  Another 
litany  in  the  same  collection  raises  their  number 
to  eight,  and  gives  a  different  succession  :  Brittola, 
Martha,  Saula,  Sambatia,  Satumina,  Gregoria, 
Pinnosa,  Palladia.  Another  litany,  in  the  Dussel- 
dorf library,  extends  the  number  to  eleven :  Ursula, 
Sencia,  Gregoria,  Pinnosa,  Martha,  Saula,  Brittola, 
Saturnina,  Rabacia,  Saturia,  Palladia.  And,  again, 
another  gives  eleven,  but  in  different  order : 
Martha,  Saula,  Brittola,  Gregoria,  Saturnina, 
Sabatia,  Pinnosa,  Ursula,  Sentia,  Palladia,  Sa- 
turia. 

A  calendar  in  a  Freisingen  Codex,  published  in 
Eckhart's  Francia  Orientalis,  notices  them  as  5^. 
M,  XL   Virginum.     And,  lastly,  in  the  twelfth 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgifis         321 

century  the  chronicle  of  Rodulf  (written  1117) 
reckons  the  virgin  martyrs  as  twelve. 

But  S.  Cunibert  (d.  663)  is  related,  in  a  legend 
of  the  ninth  century,  to  have  been  celebrating  in 
the  church  of  the  Blessed  Virgins,  when  a  white 
dove  appeared,  and  indicated  the  spot  where  lay 
the  relics  of  one  of  the  martyrs :  these  were,  of 
course  at  once  exhumed. 

In  the  ninth  century  there  was  a  cloister  of  the 
blessed  virgins  at  Cologne :  this  is  also  alluded  to 
in  the  tenth  and  following  centuries.  The  first, 
however,  to  develope  the  number  of  martyrs  to  any 
very  considerable  extent,  was  Wandalbert,  in  his 
metrical  list  of  saints.  This  was  written  about 
851.  He  does  not  mention  Ursula  by  name,  but 
reckons  the  virgins  who  suffered  as  "  thousands." 

**  Tunc  numerosa  simul  Rheni  per  littora  fulgent 
Christo  virgineis  erecta  trophaea  maniplis 
Agrippinse  urbi,  quarum  furor  impius  olim 
MiUia  mactavit  ductricibus  inclyta  Sanctis." 

The  authenticity  of  these  lines  has,  however, 
been  questioned  by  critics. 

The  next  mention  of  the  virgins  as  very  nume- 
rous is  in  a  calendar  of  the  latter  end  of  the  ninth 
century,  in  which,  under  October  31st,  are  com- 
memorated  S.  Hilario  and  the  eleven  thousand 

Y 


32£  5.  Ursula 

virgins.  Archbishop  Hermann  of  Cologne,  in  922, 
also  speaks  of  this  number.  In  927  and  941 
Archbishop  Wichfried  reckons  them  at  eleven 
thousand,  and  from  that  time  the  belief  in  the 
virgin  saints  having  numbered  eleven  thousand 
spread  gradually  through  Europe. 

Various  suggestions  have  been  made  to  account 
for  this  extraordinary  number.  By  some  it  has 
been  supposed  that  Undecimilla  was  the  name  of 
one  of  the  martyrs,  and  that  the  entry  in  the 
ancient  calendars  of  Ursula  et  Undecimilla  Virg. 
Marty  originated  the  misconception ;  and,  in  fact, 
one  missal,  supposed  to  be  old,  has  a  similar  com- 
memoration ;  whilst  an  inscription  at  Spiers,  accord- 
ing to  Rettberg,  mentions  Ursula  et  Decumilia. 
Johann  Sprenz  believed  that  the  mistake  arose 
from  the  use,  in  the  old  MSS.  martyrologies  and 
calendars,  of  the  Teutonic  Gimartarot,  or  Kimar- 
trot  (passus),  which,  standing  S.  Ursula  Ximartor, 
might  have  led  later  writers  to  have  taken  the 
entry  to  signify  S.  Ursula,  et  XL  Martor.  Or, 
again,  if  the  number  of  the  virgins  were  eleven, 
they  may  have  been  entered  as  SS.  XL  M.  Vir- 
gines,  or  the  eleven  martyr-virgins,  and  the  M. 
have  been  mistaken  in  a  later  age  for  a  numeral. 
Against  this  it  is  urged  that  in  no  ancient  calendar 


aftd  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         S23 

does  the  M.  precede  the  Virg. ;  the  usual  manner 
of  describing  these  saints  being  SS.  M.  XL  Virg., 
till  the  number  rose  at  a  leap  to  eleven  thousand. 

As  yet  we  have  had  no  circumstances  relating  to 
these  ladies,  but  with  the  tenth  century  they  begin 
to  appear.  Sigebert  of  Gemblours  (d.  iiicj)  is  the 
first  author  to  narrate  them.  Under  the  date  453, 
he  reports  the  glorious  victory  of  the  Virgin  Ursula. 
She  was  the  only  daughter  of  Nothus,  an  illustrious 
and  wealthy  British  prince,  and  was  sought  in  mar- 
riage by  the  son  of  a  "certain  most  ferocious  tyrant" 
Ursula  had,  however,  dedicated  herself  to  celibacy, 
and  her  father  was  in  great  fear  of  offending  God 
by  consenting  to  the  union,  and  of  exasperating 
the  king  by  refusing  it.  However,  the  damsel 
solved  the  difficulty  :  by  Divine  inspiration,  she  per- 
suaded her  father  to  agree  to  the  proposal  of  the 
tyrant,  but  only  subject  to  the  condition  that  her 
father  and  the  king  should  choose  ten  virgins  of 
beauty  and  proper  age,  and  should  give  them  to  her, 
and  that  she  and  they  should  each  have  a  thousand 
damsels  under  them,  and  that  on  eleven  triremes 
they  should  be  suffered  to  cruize  about  for  three 
years  in  the  sanctity  of  unsullied  virginity.  Ursula 
made  this  condition  in  the  hopes  that  the  difficulty  of 
fulfilling  it  would  prove  insurmountable,  or  that  she 

y  % 


324  5.  Ursula 

might  be  able,  should  it  be  overcome,  to  persuade 
a  vast  host  of  maidens  to  devote  themselves  to  the 
Almighty. 

The  tyrant  succeeded  in  mustering  the  desired 
number,  and  then  presented  them  to  Ursula,  to- 
gether with  eleven  elegantly  furnished  galleys.  For 
three  years  these  damsels  sailed  the  blue  seas.  One 
day  the  wind  drove  them  into  the  port  of  Tiela,  in 
Gaul,  and  thence  up  the  Rhine  to  Cologne.  Thence 
they  pursued  their  course  to  Basle,  where  they 
left  their  ships,  and  crossed  the  Alps  on  foot,  de- 
scended into  Italy,  and  visited  the  tombs  of  the 
Apostles  at  Rome.  In  like  manner  they  returned, 
but,  falling  in  with  the  Huns  at  Cologne,  they  were 
every  one  martyred  by  the  barbarians. 

This  story  bears  evidence  of  being  an  addition  to 
the  original  text  of  Sigebert's  Chronicle,  for  it  is 
not  to  be  found  in  the  original  MS.  in  the  hand- 
writing of  the  author,  though  marks  of  stitches  at 
the  side  of  the  page  indicate  that  an  additional 
item  had  been  appended,  but  by  whom,  or -when,, 
is  not  clear,  as  the  strip  of  parchment  which  had 
been  tacked  on  is  lost. 

Otto  of  Freisingen  (d.  1158)  mentions  the  legend 
in  his  Chronicle  ;  for  he  says,  "  This  army  (of  the 
Huns)  when  overrunning  the  earth,  crowned  with 


and  the  Eleven  Thotisand  Virgifis         325 

martyrdom  the  eleven   thousand  virgins  at   Co- 
logne." 

A  legend  of  the  twelfth  century,  given  by  Surius, 
invests  the  story  with  all  the  colours  of  a  romance. 
In  the  same  century  it  appears  in  the  marvellous 
history  of  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  (d.  1154). 
Whether  this  legend  was  in  the  Welsh  book  of 
Walter  the  Archdeacon,  from  which  the  good 
Bishop  of  S.  Asaph  derived  so  much  of  his  history, 
does  not  appear.  The  story,  as  told  by  him,  differs 
materially  from  that  received  in  Germany.  He  re- 
lates that  the  Emperor  Maximian,  having  depopu- 
lated Northern  Gaul,  sent  to  Britain  for  colonies 
wherewith  to  re-people  the  waste  country.  Thus 
out  of  Armorica  he  made  a  second  Britain,  which  he 
put  under  the  control  of  Conan  Meriadoc.  He  then 
turned  his  arms  eastward,  and,  having  established 
himself  at  Treves,  commenced  hostilities  against  the 
emperors  Gratian  and  Valentinian,  who  disputed 
with  him  the  imperial  purple.  In  the  meanwhile 
Conan  was  defending  Brittany  against  the  incursions 
of  the  neighbouring  Gauls,  but,  finding  that  his  troops 
would  not  settle  without  wives,  he  sent  to  Britain  for 
a  cargo  of  damsels,  who  might  become  the  spouses  of 
his  soldiers,  and  raise  up  another  generation  of  fight- 
ing men  to  continue  the  war  with  the  Gauls.   At  this 


826  5.  Ursula 

time  there  reigned  in  Cornwall  a  king,  Dionotus  by 
name,  who  had  succeeded  his  brother  Caradoc  on 
the  throne.  He  was  blessed  with  a  daughter  of 
singular  beauty,  named  Ursula,  whose  hand  Conan 
desired  to  obtain.  Dionotus,  having  received  a 
message  from  the  prince  of  Armorica  stating  his 
difficulties,  at  once  collected  a  body  of  eleven  thou- 
sand girls  of  noble  rank,  and  sixty  thousand  of  low 
birth,  and  shipped  them  on  the  Thames  for  the 
Armorican  colony  of  expectant  husbands. 

No  sooner,  however,  had  the  fleet  left  the  mouth 
of  the  Thames,  than  it  was  scattered  by  the  winds, 
and,  some  of  the  vessels  having  been  driyen  ashore 
on  barbarous  island  coasts,  the  damsels  were  either 
killed  or  enslaved ;  some  became  the  prey  of  the 
execrable  army  of  Guanius  and  Melga,  kings  of  the 
Huns  and  Picts,  who,  falling  upon  the  band  of  luck- 
less virgins,  massacred  them  without  compunction. 

It  is  evident  that  Geoffrey  did  not  regard  this 
legend  as  invested  with  sanctity,  and  he  tells  it  as 
an  historical,  and  not  a  hagiological  fact. 

In  1 1 06  Cologne  was  besieged,  and  the  walls  in 
several  places  were  battered  down.  Directly  the 
enemy  were  gone,  the  inhabitants  began  to  rebuild 
them ;  and,  as  the  foundations  had  suffered,  they 
were  compelled  to  relay  them. 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         327 

Now  it  happened  that  the  old  walls  ran  across 
the  ancient  cemetery  of  the  Roman  settlement  of 
Colonia  Agrippina.  Consequently  in  redigging  the 
foundations  a  number  of  bones  were  discovered, 
especially  at  one  spot.  Thereupon  some  ecstatic 
or  excitable  visionary  beheld  two  females  in  a  halo 
of  light,  who  indicated  the  bones  as  those  of  the 
virgin  martyrs.  Immediately  enthusiasm  was 
aroused,  and  the  cemetery  was  examined.  Innu- 
merable bones  were  found,  together  with  urns,  arms, 
stone  cists,  and  monumental  inscriptions.  The  old 
Roman  cemetery  became  a  quarry  of  relics,  appa- 
rently inexhaustible.  But  in  the  midst  of  the 
religious  enthusiasm  of  the  clergy  and  devotees  of 
Cologne,  a  sudden  difficulty  occurred,  which  pro- 
duced bewilderment  in  the  faithful,  and  mockery 
in  the  unbelieving.  A  large  number  of  bones  and 
inscriptions  belonging  to  men  were  discovered ;  thus 
a  Simplicius,  a  Pantulus,  an  Aetherius,  were  com- 
memorated on  the  slabs  exhumed,  and  the  great 
size  of  some  of  the  tibia  rendered  it  certain  that 
they  had  never  belonged  to  slender  virgins. 

In  the  midst  of  the  dismay  reigning  in  the  breasts 
of  the  good  Catholics  at  this  untoward  discovery, 
appeared,  most  opportunely,  an  ecstatic  nun,  Eli- 
zabeth by  name,  who  resided  in  the  convent  of 


828  -S.  Ursula 

Schonau.  This  visionary  solved  the  difBculty,  to 
the  great  edification  of  the  faithful.  She  fell  into 
trances,  during  which  she  was  vouchsafed  wondrous 
revelations,  which  she  detailed  in  Latin  to  her 
brother  Egbert,  who  alone  was  suffered  to  be 
present  during  her  ecstasies.  According  to  her 
account,  the  Pope  Cyriacus,  the  cardinals  of  Rome, 
several  bishops,  priests,  and  monks,  had  been  so 
edified  at  the  sight  of  the  holy  virgins  in  Rome, 
that  they  had  followed  them  on  their  return  as  far 
as  Cologne,  where  they,  as  well  as  the  damsels,  had 
won  the  martyr's  palm. 

Thus,  in  a  most  satisfactory  way,  the  presence  of 
these  male  bones  was  accounted  for,  and  no  scandal 
attached  to  the  chaste  troop  of  male  and  female 
celibates  which  had  crossed  the  Alps,  and  descended 
the  Rhine,  to  fall  before  the  sword  of  the  barbarian. 
Simplicius  was  ascertained  to  have  been  Archbishop 
of  Ravenna,  Pantulus  to  have  been  Bishop  of  Basle, 
and  Aetherius  proved  to  have  been  the  bridegroom 
elect  of  Ursula,  who  had  been  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  had  come  up  the  Rhine  to  meet  his 
saintly  betrothed. 

A  little  difficulty  occurred  on  another  point  How 
was  it  that  the  martyrs  were  provided  with  stone 
coffins  and  sepulchral  slabs  ? 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         329 

'  In  order  to  explain  this,  another  incident  was 
added  to  the  legend  by  the  vision-seeing  nun. 

Jacobus,  Archbishop  of  Antioch,  a  Briton  by 
birth,  had  gone  to  Rome  to  visit  Cyriacus  the  Pope, 
but  had  learned,  on  his  arrival,  that  his  holiness  had 
been  last  seen  clambering  the  Alps  in  the  train  of 
eleven  thousand  virgins  of  entrancing  beauty.  The 
Eastern  patriarch  at  once  followed  the  successor  of 
S.  Peter,  and  reached  Cologne  on  the  morrow  of 
the  great  massacre.  He  thereupon  cut  the  names 
and  titles  of  many  of  the  deceased  on  stone — ^how 
he  ascertained  their  names  is  not  stated ;  but,  before 
he  had  accomplished  his  task,  the  Huns  discovered 
him  engaged  in  his  pious  work,  and  dispatched  him. 

Doubt  and  disbelief  were  now  silenced,  and  the 
ecstatic  nun,  having  finished  her  revelations  con- 
cerning the  eleven  thousand,  died  in  the  odour  of 
sanctity. 

Scarcely  was  she  dead  before  fresh  discoveries 
in  the  old  cemetery  reopened  the  scandal. 

A  considerable  number  of  children's  bones  were 
exhumed,  and  some  of  these  belonged  to  infants 
but  a  few  months  old.  This  was  a  startling  and 
awkward  discovery,  seriously  compromising  to  the 
memories  of  the  Pope,  cardinals,  and  prelates  who 
had  accompanied  the  young  ladies  from  Rome,  and 


330  5.  Ursula    . 

arousing  a  suspicion  that  the  damsels  had  not  been 
the  sole  managers  of  their  vessels  on  the  high  seas, 
as  the  early  legends  had  stated. 

The  nun,  Elizabeth  of  Schonau,  was  dead.  Who 
was  there  then  to  clear  the  characters  of  these 
glorious  martyrs  ? 

Fortunately,  an  old  Praemonstratine  monk,  named 
Richard,  an  Englishman,  lived  in  the  diocese  of 
Cologne,  in  the  abbey  of  Arnsberg.  He  was 
keenly  alive  to  the  slur  cast  upon  the  fair  fame  of 
his  national  saints,  and,  by  means  of  visions,  laboured 
effectively  to  vindicate  it.  He  declared  that  the 
eleven  thousand  had  excited  such  enthusiasm  in 
England,  that  their  married  relations  had  accom- 
panied them  in  the  vessels,  with  their  children  of 
all  ages,  and  that  all  together  had  received  the 
martyr's  crown.  Richard  added  that  a  Sicilian 
princess,  Gerasina,  had  accompanied  the  pilgrims, 
together  with  her  four  daughters  and  baby  son ; 
also  that  an  empress  of  the  Eastern  empire,  Con- 
stantia  by  name,  had  suffered  with  them.  Kings, 
princes,  and  princesses,  of  Norway,  Sweden,  Ireland, 
Flanders,  Normandy,  Brabant,  Friesland,  Denmark 
— in  a  word,  of  all  lands  with  which  a  geographer  of 
the  twelfth  century  was  acquainted — had  joined  the 
expedition,  in  their  desire  to  testify  their  admira- 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         831 

tion  of  the  chastity  and  piety  of  Ursula  and 
her  companions.  Holofemes,  bridegroom  elect  of 
Ursula,  notwithstanding  his  father's  opposition, 
insisted  on  taking  command  of  the  fleet.  Under 
him  were  three  hundred  sailors  who  manned  the 
vessels. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  expansion  and  final 
development  of  this  curious  fable.  It  exhibits  a 
series  of  misconceptions  and  impostures,  we  should 
hope,  unparalleled.  To  this  day  the  church  of  S. 
Ursula  at  Cologne  is  visited  by  thousands  who 
rely  on  the  intercession  of  a  saint  who  never 
existed,  and  believe  in  the  miraculous  virtues  of 
relics  which  are  those  of  pagans. 

But  something  worse  remains  to  be  told. 
Ursula  is  no  other  than  the  Swabian  goddess 
Ursel  or  Horsel  transformed  into  a  saint  of  the 
Christian  calendar. 

"A  part  of  the  Suevi  sacrifice  to  Isis,"  says 
Tacitus,  in  his  Germania.  This  Isis  has  been  iden- 
tified by  Grimm  with  a  goddess  Ziza,  who  was 
worshipped  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  parts  about 
Augsburg.  Kiichlen,  an  Augsburg  poet  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  sings — 

"  They  built  a  great  temple  therein, 
To  the  honour  of  Zise  the  heathen  goddess, 


332  5.  Ursula 

Whom  they  after  heathen  customs 

Worshipped  at  that  time  : 

The  city  was  named  eke  Zisaris, 

After  the  heathen  goddess ;  that  was  its  glory. 

The  temple  long  stood  entire, 

Until  its  fall  was  caused  by  age." 

But  it  may  be  questioned  whether  Tacitus  called 
the  goddess  worshipped  by  the  Suevi,  Isis,  because 
the  name  resembled  that  of  the  German  deity,  or 
whether  he  so  termed  her  because  he  traced  a 
similarity  in  the  myths  and  worship  of  the  two 
goddesses.  I  believe  the  latter  to  have  been  the 
case.  The  entire  passage  reads,  "They  chiefly 
worship  Mercury,  to  whom  on  certain  days  they 
sacrifice  human  beings.  They  appease  Hercules 
and  Mars  with  beasts,  and  part  of  the  Suevi  sacri- 
fice to  Isis.  Whence  the  cause  and  origin  of  the 
foreign  rite  I  have  not  ascertained,  except  that  the 
symbol  itself,  in  shape  of  a  Liburnian  ship,  indicates 
that  the  religion  was  brought  from  abroad  ^" 

Here,  in  the  same  sentence,  three  of  the  German 
gods  are  called  by  Roman  names.  Mercury  is 
Woden :  Hercules,  or  Mars,  is  Thorn  It  is,  there- 
fore, probable  that  the  fourth,  Isis,  is  named  from 
a  resemblance  of  attributes,  rather  than  identity  of 
name.     Again,  in  connexion  with  the  mention  of 

*  Tacitus,  Germania,  ix. 


a7td  tJie  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         333 

[sis,  he  alludes  to  a  rite  observed  by  the  Suevi  of 
:arrying  about  a  ship  in  her  honour.  Now,  in 
Rome,  the  5th  March  (III.  Non.  Mart)  was  called, 
n  the  Kalendarium  Rusticum,  the  day  of  the  Isidis 
navigium.  This  is  referred  to  by  Apuleius  in  his 
Metamorphoses.  The  goddess  appeared  to  the  poor 
ass,  and  said,  "  The  morrow  that  from  the  present 
night  will  have  its  birth  is  a  day  that  eternal  religion 
hath  appointed  as  a  holy  festival,  at  a  period  when, 
the  tempests  of  winter  having  subsided,  the  waves 
of  the  stormy  sea  abated,  and  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  become  navigable,  my  priests  dedicate  to  me 
a  new  ship,  laden  with  the  first-fruits  of  spring,  at 
the  opening  of  the  navigation  "  (Lib.  xi.).  To  this 
alludes  also  Lactantius  '. 

The  myth  of  Isis  and  her  wanderings  is  too  well 
kaown  to  be  related.  Now  it  is  certain  that  in 
parts  of  Germany  the  custom  of  carrying  about 
a  ship  existed  through  the  Middle  Ages  to  the 
present  day,  and  was  denounced  by  the  Church 
as  idolatrous.  Grimm  *  mentions  a  very  curious 
passage  in  the  Chronicle  of  Rodulph,  wherein  it 
is  related  that,  in  1133,  a  ship  was  secretly  con- 
structed in  a  forest  at  Inda,  and  was  placed  on 

'  Lactant.  Instit.  i.  27. 
*  Deutsche  Myth.  i.  237. 


334  ^.  Ursula 

wheels,  and  rolled  by  the  weavers  to  Aix,  then 
to  Maestricht,  and  elsewhere,  amidst  dances,  and 
music,  and  scenes  which  the  pious  chronicler  re- 
frains from  describing.  That  it  was  regarded 
with  abhorrence  by  the  clergy,  is  evident  from  the 
epithets  employed  in  describing  it :  navim  infausto 
omine  compactum — gentilitatis  studium — ^profanas 
simulacri  excubias — maligni  spiritus  qui  in  ilia 
ferebantur — infausti  ominis  monstrum ;  and  the  like. 

At  Ulm,  in  Swabia,  in  1530,  the  people  were  for- 
bidden the  carrying  about  of  ploughs  and  ships  on 
Shrove  Tuesday.  A  like  prohibition  was  decreed 
at  Tubingen  on  the  5th  March,  1584,  against  a 
similar  practice.  I  have  myself,  on  two  occasions, 
seen  ships  dragged  through  the  streets  on  wheels, 
upon  Shrove  Tuesday,  at  Mannheim  on  the  Rhine. 
In  Brussels  is  celebrated,  I  believe  to  this  day,  a 
festival  called  the  Ommegank,  in  which  a  ship  is 
drawn  through  the  town  by  horses,  with  an  image 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  upon  it,  in  commemoration  of 
a  miraculous  figure  of  our  Lady  which  came  in  a 
boat  from  Antwerp  to  Brussels. 

Sometimes  the  ship  was  replaced  by  a  plough, 
and  the  rustic  ceremony  of  Plough  Monday  in 
England  is  a  relic  of  the  same  religious  rite  per- 
formed in  honour  of  the  Teutonic  Isis. 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         335 

This  great  goddess  was  known  by  different 
names  among  the  various  peoples  of  Germany. 
She  may  have  been  the  same  as  Zisca,  but,  as 
we  know  absolutely  nothing  of  the  myth  and 
attributes  of  that  deity,  we  cannot  decide  with 
certainty.  More  probably  she  was  the  Holda,  or 
HoUe,  who  still  holds  sway  over  the  imagination 
of  the  German  peasantry. 

Now  Holda  is  the  great  pale  lady  who  glides 
through  the  sky  at  night,  in  whose  dark  courts  are 
many  thousand  bright-eyed  damsels,  all,  like  her, 
pure ;  all,  with  her,  suffering  eclipse. 

"  Sidenim  regina  bicomis  audi 
Luna  puellas. 
O  Ursula  I     Princess  among  thy  thousands  of  virgins, 

Pray  for  us  I" 

Holda,  or  the  Moon,  is  the  wandering  Isis,  or 
Ursula,  whom  German  poets  love  still  to  regard 
as  sailing  over  heaven's  deep  in  her  silver  boat. 
As— 

"  Seh'  Ziehen  die  Wolke  mit  der  Brust  voll  Segen, 
Des  Mondes  Kahn  im  Meer  der  Nachte  prangen." 

Anast.  GRtJN. 

Or— 

"  Es  schimmert,  wie  der  Silberkahn, 
Der  dort  am  Himmel  strahlt." 

Von  Stolberg. 
Holda,  in  Teutonic  mythology,  is  a  gentle  lady 


836  ^.  Ursula  • 

with  a  sad  smile  on  her  countenance,  ever  accom- 
panied by  the  souls  of  maidens  and  children,  which 
are  under  her  care.  She  sits  in  a  mountain  of 
crystal,  surrounded  by  her  bright-eyed  maidens, 
and  comes  forth  to  scatter  on  earth  the  winter 
snow,  or  to  revive  the  spring  earth,  or  bless  the 
fruits  of  autumn.  This  company  of  virgins  sur- 
rounding her  in  the  crystal  vault  of  heaven  is 
that  described  by  iEschylus  :  "Aarpwv  xdroiSa  wk- 
ripeop  ofiTYyvpiv  (Agam.  v.  4). 

The  kindly  Holda  was  in  other  parts  called 
G6de,  under  which  name  she  resembled  Artemis, 
as  the  heavenly  huntress  accompanied  by  her 
maidens.  In  Austria  and  Bavaria  she  was  called 
Perchta,  or  Bertha  (the  shining),  and  was  supposed 
to  have  horns  like  I'sis  or  lo,  other  lunar  goddesses 
But  in  Swabia  and  Thuringia  she  was  represented 
by  Horsel  or  Ursul. 

This  Horsel,  in  other  places  called  the  night 
bird  Tutosel,  haunted  the  Venusberg  into  which 
Tanhauser  plunged.  She  lived  there  in  the  midst 
of  her  numerous  troop  of  damsels,  to  assist  the 
laborious  farmer  and  bless  faithful  lovers,  or  to 
allure  to  herself  those  souls  which  still  clung  to 
the  ancient  faith.  A  beautiful  and  benignant 
goddess  the  peasantry  ever  regarded  her,  little 


and  the  Eleven  TJiousand  Virgins         837 

heeding  the  brand  put  upon  her  pure  brow  by 
an  indignant  clergy,  who  saw  in  her  only  the 
Roman  Venus  in  her  grossest  character,  and  not 
Aphrodite,  the  foam-begotten  moon,  rising  silvery 
above  the  frothing  sea. 

Further  this  legend  shall  not  lead  us.  Its 
history  is  painful. 

That  ancient  myths  should  have  penetrated  and 
coloured  Mediaeval  Christianity  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  for  old  convictions  are  not  eradicated  in 
the  course  of  centuries.  I  shall,  in  this  book, 
instance  several  cases  in  which  they  have  left  their 
impress  on  modem  Protestant  mythology.  But 
it  is  sad  that  the  Church  should  have  lent  herself 
to  establish  this  fable  by  the  aid  of  fictitious 
miracles  and  feigned  revelations.  And  now,  when 
minds  weary  with  groping  after  truth,  and  not 
finding  it  in  science,  philosophy,  and  metaphysics, 
turn  to  the  Church  with  yearning  look,  why  should 
she  repel  them  from  clasping  the  Cross,  which,  in 
spite  of  all  fables,  "will  stand  whilst  the  world 
rolls,"  by  her  tenacity  in  clinging  to  these  idle 
and  foolish  tales,  founded  on  paganism,  and  but- 
tressed with  fraud } 

Is  this  cultus  of  Ursula  and  her  eleven  thousand 
nothing  but  a  "pious  belief"?    A  pious   belief, 

Z 


338  S.  Ursula 

which  can  trust  in  the  moon  and  the  myriad  starsy 
and  invoke  them  as  saints,  in  Paradise!  "If  I 
beheld  .  .  .  the  moon  walking  in  brightness ;  and 
my  heart  hath  been  secretly  enticed,  or  my  mouth 
hath  kissed  my  hand :  this  also  were  an  iniquity 
to  be  punished  by  the  judge :  for  I  should  have 
denied  the  God  that  is  above  "  (Job  xxxi.  26 — 1^8). 

It  is  Truth  which  men  yearn  for  now^  and  sacred 
Truth,  when  taught  by  a  mouth  which  lends  itself 
to  utter  cunningly  devised  fables,  is  not  listened  to. 

If  the  Catholic  Church  abroad  would  only  puige 
herself  of  these,  her  grand  eternal  doctrines  would 
be  embraced  by  thousands.  But  the  fathers  have 
eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set 
on  edge. 

The  bibliography  of  the  legend  must  be  briefly 
discussed.     It  is  not  of  remarkable  interest. 

The  revelations  of  Elizabeth  of  Schonau,  and 
those  of  Hermann,  Joseph  of  Steinfeld,  will  be 
found  in  Surius,  **  Vita  Sanctorum,"  under  Octo- 
ber a  ist. 

"  Epistola  ad  virgines  Christi  univ.  super  hystoria 
nova  undecim  milimum  (sic!)  virginum,"  without 
place  and  date,  but  belonging  to  the  latter  end  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  is  very  rare:  I  have  not 
seen  it. 


and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins         889 

"Hjstoria  vndecim  milium  virginum  breviori 
atque  faciliori  modo  pulcerrime  collecta."  Colon. 
1509,  4to.    Very  scarce  also. 

"De  Legende,  vn  hystorie  der  XI  dusent  jon- 
feren,  s.  1.  et  a."  (circ.  1490),  a  curious  Low  German 
l^end,  illustrated  with  quaint  engravings,  forty  in 
number.  / 

De  S.  Lory,  "Sainte  Ursule  triomphante  des 
coeurs,  de  Tenfer,  de  Tempire,  Patrone  du  celebre 
college  de  Sorbonne,"  Paris,  1666,  4to.  The 
legend  has  been  carefully  analyzed  by  Rettberg, 
in  his  "  Deutschlands  Kirchengeschichte,"  i.  pp. 
Ill — 123. 

Crombach  broke  a  lance  in  honour  of  the  eleven 
thousand  in  1647 :  his  work,  "  Ursula  Vindicata," 
Colon.  1647,  foL,  with  three  maps,  is  interesting  as 
containing  documentary  evidence  ;  but  it  is  dis- 
figured by  the  superstition  of  the  writer. 

Leo,  J.  G.,  **  cnroaKlaaiia  hist.-antiquarium  de 
11,000  virginibus."  Leucopetrae,  1731,  4to.  Rei- 
schert,  L.,  "  Lebens-Geschichte  u.  Martyrtod  der 
N.  Ursula."  *  Cologne,  1837,  8vo. 

Heinen,  E.  M.  J.,  "  Leben,  Fahrt,  u.  Martyrtod 
der  h.  Ursula."      Cologne,  1838,  8vo.     Scheben, 
A.,  **  Leben  der  h.  Ursula."     Cologne,  1850,  8vo. 
Schade,   Oskar,  "  Die   Sage  v.  der  h.  Ursula," 

Z  2 


840  S,  Ursula  and  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins 

Hanover,  1854,  8vo.  Also  a  beautiful  series  of 
illustrations  of  the  legend  copied  from  the  interest- 
ing paintings  in  the  church  at  Cologne,  published 
by  Kellerhoven, "  La  legende  de  S.  Ursula."  Leipzig 
l86i. 

Some  curious  stories  of  the  appearances  of  the 
sacred  virgin  companions  of  Ursula,  and  of  the 
marvels  wrought  by  their  bones,  occur  in  Caesarius 
of  Heisterbach's  gossiping  Dialogue  of  Miracles. 


C$^  EegentK  of  t^t  (RxcM 

Stbyll,  vL  26. 

T  N  the  year  1850  chance  led  me  to  the  discovery 
^  of  a  Gallo-Roman  palace  at  Pont  d'Oli  (Pons 
Aulae),  near  Pau,  in  the  south  of  France.  I  was 
able  to  exhume  the  whole  of  the  ruins,  and  to 
bring  to  light  one  of  the  most  extensive  series 
of  mosaic  pavements  extant 
.  The  remains  consisted  of  a  mansion  two  hundred 
feet  long,  paved  throughout  with  mosaic:  it  was 
divided  into  summer  and  winter  apartments ;  the 
latter  heated  by  means  of  hypocausts,  and  of  small 
size ;  the  former  very  large,  and  opening  on  to  a 
corridor  above  the  river,  once  adorned  with  white 
marble  pillars,  having  capitals  of  the  Corinthian 
order.  One  of  the  first  portions  of  the  palace  to 
be  examined  was  the  atrium,  out  of  which,  on  the 


842  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

west,  opened  the  tablinum,  a  semi-circular  chamber 
panelled  with  alabaster  and  painted. 

The  atrium  contained  a  large  quadrangular  tank 
or  impluvium,  the  dwarf  walls  of  which  were  encased 
in  variegated  Pyrenean  marbles.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  impluvium,  below  the  step  of  the  tablinum, 
the  pavement  represented  five  rows  of  squares. 
The  squares  in  the  first,  third,  and  fifth  rows  were 
filled  with  a  graceful  pattern  composed  of  curves. 
In  the  second  and  fourth  rows,  however,  every 
fourth  square  contained  a  distinctly  characterized 
red  cross  on  white  ground,  with  a  delicate  white 
spine  down  the  middle  (Fig.  2).  Some  few  ot 
these  crosses  had  a  black  floriation  in  the  angles, 
much  resembling  that  met  with  in  Gothic  crosses 
(Fig.  4).  Immediately  in  front  of  the  tablinum,  on 
the  dwarf  wall  of  the  impluvium,  stood  the  altar  to 
the  Penates,  which  was  found..  The  corresponding 
pavement  on  the  east  of  the  impluvium  was  similar 
in  design  to  the  other,  but  the  S.  George's  crosses 
were  replaced  by  those  of  S.  Andrew,  each  limb 
terminating  either  in  a  heart-shaped  leaf  or  a 
trefoil  (Figs,  i,  5).  The  design  on  the  north  and 
south  was  different,  and  contained  no  crosses.  The 
excavations  to  the  north  led  to  the  summer  apart- 
ment   The  most  northerly  chamber  measured  25 


The  Legend  of  ike  Cress  343 

feet  by  22  feet ;  it  was  not  only  the  largest,  but 
evidently  the  principal  room  of  the  mansion,  for 
the  pavement  was  the  most  elaborate  and  beautifuL 
It  was  bordered  by  an  exquisite  running  pattern  of 
vines  and  grape  bunches,  springing  from  four  drink- 
ing vessels  in  the  centres  of  the  north,  south,  east, 
and  west  sides.  The  pattern  within  this  border 
was  of  circles,  containing  conventional  roses  "alter- 
nately folded  and  expanded.  This  design  was, 
however,  rudely  interrupted  by  a  monstrous  cross 


measuring  19  feet  8  inches  by  13  feet,  with  its  head 
towards  the  south,  and  its  foot  at  the  head  of  a 
flight  of  marble  steps  descending  into  what  we  were 


844  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

unable  to  decide  whether  it  was  a  bath  or  a  vesti- 
bule. The  ground  of  the  cross  was  white ;  the  limbs 
were  filled  with  cuttle,  lobsters,  eels,  oysters,  and  fish, 
swimming  as  though  in  their  natural  element ;  but 
the  centre,  where  the  arms  intersected,  was  occu- 
pied by  a  gigantic  bust  of  Neptune  with  his  trident 
The  flesh  was  represented  red ;  the  hair,  and  beard, 
and  trident  were  a  blue-black.  The  arms  of  the 
figure  did  not  show :  a  line  joining  the  lower  edge 
of  the  transverse  limbs  of  the  cross  cut  the  figure 
at  the  breast,  leaving  the  head  and  shoulders 
above.  The  resemblance  to  a  crucifix  was  suffi- 
ciently remarkable  to  make  the  labourers  exclaim, 
as  they  uncovered  it,  "C'est  le  bon  Dieu,  c'est 
Jesus!"  and  they  regarded  the  trident  as  the 
centurion's  spear.  A  neighbouring  cure  satisfied 
himself  that  the  pavement  was  laid  down  in  con- 
scious prophecy  of  Christianity,  and  he  pointed  to 
the  chalices  and  grapes  as  symbolizing  the  holy 
Eucharist,  and  the  great  cross,  at  the  head  of  what 
we  believed  to  be  a  circular  bath,  as  typical  of 
Christian  baptism.  With  regard  to  the  cross,  the 
following  laws  seem  to  have  governed  its  represen- 
tation in  the  Gallo-Roman  villa : — 

The  S.  George's  cross  ocqupied   the   place   of 
honour  in  the  <^'  *  '   oom,  and  at  the  head  of  thi$ 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  347 

room,  not  in  the  middle,  but  near  the  bath  or 
porch.  Again,  in  the  atrium  this  cross  was  re- 
peated twenty  times  in  the  principal  place  before 
the  tablinum  and  altar  of  the  household  divinities, 
and  again  in  connexion  with  water.  Its  colour  was 
always  red  or  white. 

Six  varieties  of  crosses  occurred  in  the  villa 
(Figs.  I — 5) :  the  S.  George's  cross  plain  ;  the 
same  with  foliations  in  the  angles ;  the  same 
inhabited  by  fish,  and  bust  of  Neptune  :  the 
Maltese  cross  :  the  S.  Andrew's  cross  with 
trefoiled  ends  ;  the  same  with  heart-shaped 
ends. 

On  the  discovery  of  the  villa,  several  theories 
were  propounded  to  explain  the  prominence  given 
to  the  cross  in  the  mosaics. 

It  was  conjectured  by  some  that  the  Neptune 
crucifix  was  a  satire  upon  the  Christians.  To 
this  it  was  objected  that  the  figure  was  too 
large  and  solemn,  and  was  made  too  prominent, 
to  be  so  taken  ;  that  to  the  cross  was  assigned  the 
place  of  honour;  and  that,  independently  of  the 
bust  of  the  sea-god,  it  was  connected  by  the 
artists  with  the  presence  of  water. 

It  was  supposed  by  others  that  the  villa  had 
belonged  to  a  Christian,  and  that  the  execution  of 


848  The  Legend  of  tlie  Cross 

his  design  in  the  pavement  had  been  entrusted 
to  pagans,  who,  through  ignorance,  had  sub- 
stituted the  head  of  Neptune  for  that  of  the 
Saviour. 

Such  a  solution,  though  possible,  is  barely 
probable. 

My  own  belief  is,  that  the  cross  was  a 
sacred  sign  among  the  Gaulish  Kelts,  and 
that  the  villa  at  Pau  had  belonged  to  a  Gallo- 
Roman,  who  introduced  into  it  the  symbol  of 
the  water-god  of  his  national  religion,  and  com- 
bined it  with  the  representation  of  the  marine 
deity  of  the  conquerors*  creed. 

My  reasons  for  believing  the  cross  to  have 
been  a  Gaulish  sign  are  these: — 

The  most  ancient  coins  of  the  Gauls  were 
circular,  with  a  cross  in  the  middle;  little  wheels, 
as  it  were,  with  four  large  perforations  (Figs.  6,  7, 
8),  That  these  rouelles  were  not  designed  to 
represent  wheels  is  apparent  from  there  being 
only  four  spokes,  placed  at  right  angles.  More- 
over, when  the  coins  of  the  Greek  type  took 
their  place,  the  cross  was  continued  as  the  orna- 
mentation of  the  coin.  The  gold  and  silver 
Greek  pieces  circulating  at  Marseilles  were  the 
cause  of  the  abandonment  of  the  primitive  type; 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  849 

and  rude  copies  of  the  Greek  coins  were  made 
by  the  Keltic  inhabitants  of  Gaul.  In  copying  the 
foreign  pieces,  they  retained  their  own  symbolic 
cross. 

The  reverse  of  the  coins  of  the  Volcae  Tec- 
tosages,   who    inhabited    the  greater   portion    of 
Lang^edoc,    was    impressed    with   crosses,  their 
angles  filled  with  pellets,   so    like  those  on   the 
silver  coins  of  the   Edwards,  that,  were    it   not 
for  the    quality  of  the    metal,  one  would    take 
these    Gaulish    coins     to   be    the    production   of 
the  Middle  Ages.     The  Leuci,  who  inhabited  the 
country    round    the    modem    Toul,   had   similar 
coins.     One  of  their   pieces    has    been    figured 
by  M.   de  Saulcy'.     It  represents  a  circle  con- 
taining a  cross,  the    angles    between    the  arms 
.  occupied  by  a    chevron.      Some  of   the    crosses 
have   bezants,   or    pearls,   forming  a  ring    about 
them,   or    occupying    the    spaces    between    their 
limbs.     Near   Paris,   at   Choisy-le-Roy,   was   dis- 
covered a   Gaulish  coin   representing  a  head,   in 
barbarous  imitation   of  that  on   a   Greek   medal, 
and  the  reverse  occupied  by  a  serpent  coiled  round 
the     circumference,    and    enclosing    two    birds. 

*  Revue  de  Numismatique,  1836, 


850  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

Between  these  birds  is  a  cross,  with  pellets  at 
the  end  of  each  limb,  and  a  pellet  in  each 
angle. 

A  similar  coin  has  been  found  in  numbers 
near  Arthenay,  in  Loiret,  as  well  as  others  of 
analogous  type.  Other  Gaulish  coins  bear  the 
cross  on  both  obverse  and  reverse.  About  two 
hundred  pieces  of  this  description  were  found 
in  1835,  in  the  village  of  Cremiat-sur-Yen,  near 
Quimper,  in  a  brown  earthen  urn,  with  ashes 
and  charcoal,  in  a  rude  kistvaen  of  stone 
blocks ;  proving  that  the  cross  was  used  on  the 
coins  in  Armorica,  at  the  time  when  increma- 
tion was  practised.  This  cross  with  pellets,  a 
characteristic  of  Gaulish  coins,  became  in  time 
the  recognized  reverse  of  early  French  pieces, 
and  introduced  itself  into  England  with  the  Anglo- 
Norman  kings. 

We  unfortunately  know  too  little  of  the  icono- 
graphy of  the  Gauls,  to  be  able  to  decide  whether 
the  cross  was  with  them  the  symbol  of  a  water 
deity;  but  I  think  it  probable,  and  for  this 
reason,  that  it  is  the  sign  of  gods  connected,  more 
or  less  remotely,  with  water  in  other  religions. 
That  it  was  symbolic  among  the  Irish  and  British 
Kelts  is  more  thap  ^e.    The  temple  in  the 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  851 

tumulus  of  Newgrange  is  in  the  shape  of  a  cross 
with  rounded  arms  (Fig.  9).  Curiously  enough, 
the  so-called  Phoenician  ruin  of  Giganteia,  in 
Gozzo,  resembles  it  in  shape.  The  shamrock  of 
Ireland  derives  its  sacredness  from  its  affecting  the 
same  form.  In  the  mysticism  of  the  Druids  the 
stalk  or  long  arm  of  the  cross  represented  the  way 
of  life,  and  the  three  lobes  of  the  clover-leaf,  or  the 
short  arms  of  the  cross,  symbolized  the  three  con- 
ditions of  the  spirit-world.  Heaven,  Purgatory, 
and  Hell.  , 

Let  us  turn  to  the  Scandinavians.  Their  god 
Thorr  was  the  thunder,  and  the  hammer  was  his 
symbol  It  was  with  this  hammer  that  Thorr 
crushed  the  head  of  the  great  Mitgard  serpent,  that 
he  destroyed  the  giants,  that  he  restored  the  dead 
goats  to  life  which  drew  his  car,  that  he  conse- 
crated the  pyre  of  Baldun  This  hammer  was  a 
cross. 

Just  as  the  S.  George's  cross  appears  on  the 
Gaulish  coins,  so  does  the  cross  cramponnee,  or 
Thorr's  hammer  (Fig,  11),  appear  on  the  Scan- 
dinavian moneys. 

In  ploughing  a  field  near  Bomholm,  in  Fyen, 
in  1835,  a  discovery  was  made  of  several  gold 
coins  and  ornaments  belonging  to  ancient  Danish 


852  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

civilization.  The  collection  consisted  of  personal 
ornaments,  such  as  brooches,  fibulae,  and  torques, 
and  also  of  pieces  of  money,  to  which  were  fastened 
rings  in  order  that  they  might  be  strung  on  a  neck- 
lace. Among  these  wiere  two  rude  copies  of  coins 
of  the  successors  of  Constantine ;  but  the  others 
were  of  a  class  very  common  in  the  North.  They 
were  impressed  with  a  four-footed  horned  beast, 
girthed,  and  mounted  by  a  monstrous  human  head, 
intended,  in  barbarous  fashion,  to  represent  the 
rider.  In  front  of  the  head  was  the  sign  of  Thorr's 
hammer,  a  cross  cramponn^e.  Four  of  the  specimens 
bearing  this  symbol  exhibited  likewise  the  name  of 
Thorr  in  runes.  A  still  ruder  coin,  discovered  with 
the  others,  was  deficient  in  the  cross,  whose  place 
was  occupied  by  a  four-point  star^ 

Among  the  flint  weapons  discovered  in  Denmark 
are  stone  cruciform  hammers,  with  a  hole  at  the 
intersection  of  the  arms  for  the  insertion  of  the 
haft  (Fig.  lo).  As  the  lateral  limbs  could  have 
been  of  little  or  no  use,  it  is  probable  that  these 
cruciform  hammers  were  those  used  in  conse- 
crating victims  in  Thorr's  worship. 

The  cross  of  Thorr  is  still  used  in  Iceland  as  a 

'  Transactions  of  the  Society  of  Northern  Antiquaries  for 
183d. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  853 

magical  sign  in  connexion  with  storms  of  wind  and 
rain. 

King  Olaf,  Longfellow  tells  us,  when  keeping 
Christmas  at  Drontheim — 

"  O'er  his  drinking-horn,  the  sign 
He  made  of  the  Cross  Divine, 

As  he  drank,  and  mutter'd  his  prayers ; 
But  the  Berserks  evermore 
Made  the  sign  of  the  Hammer  of  Thorr 

Over  theirs." 

Actually  they  both  made  the  same  symbol 

This  we  are  told  by  Snorro  Sturleson,  in  the 
Heimskringla  ^  when  he  describes  the  sacrifice  at 
Lade,  at  which  King  Hakon,  Athelstan's  foster-son 
was  present :  "  Now,  when  the  first  full  goblet  was 
filled,  Earl  Sigurd  spoke  some  words  over  it,  and 
blessed  it  in  Odin's  name,  and  drank  to  the  king 
out  of  the  horn ;  and  the  king  then  took  it,  and 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  it  Then  said 
Kaare  of  Greyting,  *  What  does  the  king  mean  by 
doing  so  ?  will  he  not  sacrifice  ?'  But  Earl  Sigurd 
replied,  *The  king  is  doing  what  all  of  you  do  who 
trust  in  your  power  and  strength ;  for  he  is  blessing 
the  full  goblet  in  the  name  of  Thorr,  by  making 
the  sign  of  his  hammer  over  it  before  he  drinks 
if" 

■  Heimskringla,  Saga  iv.,  c.  i8. 


854  Tlie  Legend  of  the  Cross 

Bells  were  rung  in  the  Middle  Ages  to  drive 
away  thunder.  Among  the  German  peasantry  the 
sign  of  the  cross  is  used  to  dispel  a  thunder-storm. 
The  cross  is  used  because  it  resembles  Thorr's 
hammer,  and  Thorr  is  the  Thunderer:  for  the 
same  reason  bells  were  often  marked  with  the 
"fylfot,"  or  cross  of  Thorr  (Fig.  ii),  especially 
where  the  Norse  settled,  as  in  Lincolnshire  and 
Yorkshire.  Thorr's  cross  is  on  the  bells  of 
Appleby,  and  Scotherne,  Waddingham,  Bishop*s 
Norton,  and  West  Barkwith,  in  Lincolnshire,  on 
those  of  Hathersage  in  Derbyshire,  Mexborougb 
in  Yorkshire,  and  many  more. 

The  fylfot  is  curiously  enough  the  sacred  Swas- 
lika  of  the  Buddhist;  and  the  symbol  of  Buddha  on 
the  reverse  of  a  coin  found  at  Ugain  is  a  cross  of 
equal  arms,  with  a  circle  at  the  extremity  of  each, 
and  the  fylfot  in  each  circle. 

The  same  peculiar  figure  occurs  on  coins  of 
Syracuse,  Corinth,  and  Chalcedon,  and  is  frequently 
employed  on  Etruscan  cinerary  urns.  It  curiously 
enough  appears  on  the  dress  of  a  fossor,  as  a  sort 
of  badge  of  his  office,  on  one  of  the  paintings  in 
the  Roman  catacombs. 

But,  leaving  the  cross  cramponnee,  let  us  examine 
some  other  crosses. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  855 

Sozomen,  the  ecclesiastical  historian,  says  that, 
on  the  destruction  of  the  Serapium  in  Egypt, 
"  there  were  found  sculptured  on  the  stones  certain 
characters  regarded  as  sacred,  resembling  the  sign 
of  the  cross.  This  representation,  interpreted  by 
those  who  knew  the  meaning,  signified  '  The  Life 
to  come.*  This  was  the  occasion  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  pagans  embracing  Christianity,  the  more  so 
because  other  characters  announced  that  the  temple 
would  be  destroyed  when  this  character  came  to 
light  *."  Socrates  gives  further  particulars  :  "  Whilst 
they  were  demolishing  and  despoiling  the  temple 
of  Serapis,  they  found  characters,  engraved  on 
the  stone,  of  the  kind  called  hieroglyphics,  the 
which  characters  had  the  figure  of  the  cross. 
When  the  Christians  and  the  Greeks  [i.  e.  heathen] 
saw  this,  they  referred  the  signs  to  their  own 
religions.  The  Christians,  who  regarded  the  cross 
as  the  symbol  of  the  salutary  passion  of  Christ, 
thought  that  this  character  was  their  own.  But 
the  Greeks  said  it  was  common  to  Christ  and 
Serapis ;  though  this  cruciform  character  is,  in 
fact,  one  thing  to  the  Christians,  and  another 
to    the    Greeks.      A  controversy   having    arisen, 

*  Sozomen,  Hist  Eccles.  vii.,  c.  14. 
A  a  9 


856  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

some  if  the  Greeks  [heathen]  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity, who  understood  the  hieroglyphics,  inter- 
preted this  cross-like  figure  to  signify  *  The  Life 
to  come.'  The  Christians,  seizing  on  this  as  in 
favour  of  their  religion,  gathered  boldness  and 
assurance ;  and  as  it  was  shown  by  other  sacred 
characters  that  the  temple  of  Serapis  was  to 
have  an  end  when  was  brought  to  light  this  cruci- 
form character,  signifying  'The  Life  to  come/  a 
great  number  were  converted  and  were  baptized, 
confessing  their  sins  *." 

Rufinus,  who  tells  the  story  also,  says  that  this 
took  place  at  the  destruction  of  the  Serapium  at 
Canopus";  but  Socrates  and  Sozomen  probably 
followed  Sophronius,  who  wrote  a  book  on  the 
destruction  of  the  Serapium,  and  locate  the  event 
in  Alexandria '. 

Rufinus  says,  "  The  Egyptians  are  said  to  have 
the  sign  of  the  Lord's  cross  among  those  letters 
which  are  called  sacerdotal — of  which  letter  or 
figure  this,  they  say,  is  the  interpretation :  *  The 
Life  to  come.' " 

»  Socrat.  Hist.  Eccles.  v.,  c.  17, 

*  Rufin.  Hist.  Eccles.  ii.,  c.  29. 

''  "  Sophronius,  vir  apprime  eruditus,  laudes  Bethleem  ad- 
huc  puer,  et  nuper  de  subversione  Serapis  insignem  librum 
cor  *  "-— Hieronym.  Vit.  Illust. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  857 

There  is  some  slight  difficulty  as  to  fixing  the 
date  of  the  destruction  of  the  Serapium.  Marcel- 
linus  refers  it  to  the  year  389,  but  some  chrono- 
logists  have  moved  it  to  391.  It  was  certainly 
overtl\rown  in  the  reign  of  Theodosius  I. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  cross  in  the 
Serapium  was  the  Crtix  ansata  (Fig.  12),  the 
S.  Anthony's  cross,  or  Tau  with  a  handle.  The 
antiquaries  of  last  century  supposed  it  to  be  a 
Nile  key  or  a  phallus,  significations  purely  hypo- 
thetical and  false,  as  were  all  those  they  attri- 
buted to  Egyptian  hieroglyphs.  As  Sir  Gardner 
Wilkinson  remarks,  it  is  precisely  the  god  Nilus 
who  is  least  often  represented  with  this  symbol 
in  his  hand  *,  and  the  Nile  key  is  an  ascertained 
figure  of  different  shape.  Now  it  is  known  for 
certain  that  the  symbol  is  that  of  hfe.  Among 
other  indications,  we  have  only  to  cite  the  Rosetta 
stone,  on  which  it  is  employed  to  translate  the 
title  aloDvo^uxs  given  to  Ptolemy  Epiphanius. 

The  Christians  of  Egypt  gladly  accepted  this 
witness  to  the  cross,  and  reproduced  it  in  their 
churches  and  elsewhere,  making  it  precede,  follow, 
or    accompany  their   inscriptions.      Thus,  beside 

^  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians,  iv. 
P-  341. 


358  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

one  of  the  Christian  inscriptions  at  Phile  is  seen 
both  a  Maltese  cross  and  a  crux  ansata.  In  a 
painting  covering  the  end  of  a  church  in  the 
cemetery  of  El-Khargeh,  in  the  Great  Oasis,  are 
three  handled  crosses  around  the  principal  sub- 
ject, which  seems  to  have  been  a  figure  of  a 
saint '. 

Not  less  manifest  is  the  intention  in  an  in- 
scription in  a  Christian  church  to  the  east  of  the 
Nile  in  the  desert.     It  is  this : — 

KAeOpf<AIKH+EKKAH^CIA. 

Beside,  or  in  the  hand  of,  the  Egyptian  gods,  this 
symbol  is  generally  to  be  seen  :  it  is  held  in  the 
right  hand,  by  the  loop,  and  indicates  the  Eter- 
nity of  Life  which  is  the  attribute  of  divinity. 
When  Osiris  is  represented  holding  out  the  crux 
ansata  to  a  mortal,  it  means  that  the  person  to 
whom  he  presents  it  has  put  off  mortality,  and 
entered  on  the  life  to  come. 

Several  theories  have  been  started  to  account 
for  the  shape.  The  Phallic  theory  is  monstrous, 
and  devoid  of  evidence.  It  has  also  been  sug- 
gested that  the  Tau  (T)  represents  a  table  or  altar, 

'  Hoskins,  Visit  to  the  Great  Oasis,  Lond.  1837,  pl^^ 
xii. 


Tlte  Legend  of  the  Cross  859 

and  that  the  loop  symbolizes  a  vase  *  or  an  egg  * 

upon  that  altar. 
These  explanations  are  untenable  when  brought 

into  contact  with  the  monuments  of  Egypt.    The 

ovoid  form  of  the  upper  member  is  certainly  a 
handle,  and  is  so  used  (Fig.  13).  No  one  knows, 
and  probably  no  one  ever  will  know,  what  origin- 
ated the  use  of  this  sign,  and  gave  it  such  signi- 
ficance. 

The  Greek  cross  is  also  found  on  Egyptian 
monuments,  but  less  frequently  than  the  cross  of 
S.Anthony.  A  figure  of  a  Shari  (Fig.  14),  from  Sir 
Gardner  Wilkinson's  book,  has  a  necklace  round  his 
throat,  from  which  depends  a  pectoral  cross.  A 
similar  ornament  hangs  on  the  breast  of  Tiglath 
Pileser,  in  the  colossal  tablet  from  Nimroud,  now 
in  the  British  Museum  (Fig.  15).  Another  king 
itovcL  the  ruins  of  Nineveh  wears  a  Maltese  cross  on 
his  bosom.  And  another,  from  the  hall  of  Nisroch, 
carries  an  emblematic  necklace,  consisting  of  the 
sun  surrounded  by  a  ring,  the  moon,  a  Maltese 

*  "  Hieroglyphica  ejusdem  (vocis)  figura  formam  exhibet 
mensae  sacrae  fulcro  innixae  cui  vas  quoddam  religionis  indi- 
cium superpositum  est.'' — P.  Ungarelli,  Interpretat  Obelisco- 
rum  Urbis,  p.  5. 

'  Dogn^e,  Les  S>'mboles  Antiques,  UCEuf.  Bruxelles, 
1865. 


860  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

• 

cross  likewise  in  a  ring,  a  three-homed  cap,  and  a 
symbol  like  two  horns '. 

A  third  Egyptian  cross  is  that  represented  Fig. 
1 6,  which  apparently  is  intended  for  a  Latin  cross 
rising  out  of  a  heart,  like  the  mediaeval  emblem  of 
"  Cor  in  Cruce,  Crux  in  Corde : "  it  is  the  hierogl)rph 
of  goodness  *. 

The  handled  cross  was  certainly  a  sacred  symbol 
among  the  Babylonians.  It  occurs  repeatedly  on 
their  cylinders,  bricks,  and  gems. 

On  a  cylinder  in  the  Paris  Cabinet  of  Antiquities, 
published  by  Miinter*,  are  four  figures,  the  first 
winged,  the  second  armed  with  what  seems  to  be 
thunderbolts.  Beside  him  is  the  crux  ansata,  with 
a  hawk  sitting  on  the  oval  handle.  The  other 
figures  are  a  woman  and  a  child.  This  cross  is 
half  the  height  of  the  deity. 

Another  cylinder  in  the  same  Cabinet  represents 
three  personages.  Between  two  with  tiaras  is  the 
same  symbol.  A  third  in  the  same  collection 
bears  the  same  three  principal  figures  as  the  first. 
The  winged  deity  holds  a  spear ;  the  central  god 

'  Bonomi,  Nineveh  and  its  Palaces,  pp.  303,  333,  414. 
*  H.  W.  Westrop,  in  Gentleman's  Magazine,  N.  S.,  voL 
XV.,  p.  8o. 
»  Miinter,  Religion  d.  Babylonier,  Taf.  i. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  861 

is  armed  with  a  bundle  of  thunderbolts  and  a  dart, 

and   is  accompanied  by  the  cross;  the  third,  a 

female,  bears  a  flower.     On  another  and  still  more 

curious  cylinder  is  a  monarch  or  god,  behind  whom 

stands  a  servant  holding  up  the  symbol  (Fig.  1 7). 

The  god   is  between   two    handled  crosses,   and 

behind  the  servant  is  a  Maltese  cross.     Some  way 

above  is  a  bird  with  expanded  wings.     Again,  on 

another  the  winged  figure  is  accompanied  by  the 

cross.    A  remarkable  specimen,  from  which  I  have 

copied  the  principal  figure  (Fig.  18),  represents  a 

god  holding  the  sacred   sign  by  the  long  arm, 

whilst  a  priest  offers  him  a  gazelle. 

An  oval  seal,  of  white  chalcedony,  engraved  in 
the  M^moires  de  TAcad^mie  royale  des  Inscrip- 
tions et  Belles  Lettres  (vol.  xvi.),  has  as  subject 
a  standing  figure  between  two  stars,  beneath  which 
are  handled  crosses.  Above  the  head  of  the  deity 
is  the  triangle,  or  symbol  of  the  Trinity. 

This  seal  is  of  uncertain  origin :  it  is  supposed 
not  to  be  Babylonish,  but  Phoenician.  The  Phoe- 
nicians also  regarded  the  cross  as  a  sacred  sign. 
The  goddess  Astarte,  the  moon,  the  presiding  di- 
vinity over  the  watery  element,  is  represented  on 
the  coins  of  Byblos  holding  a  long  staff"  surmounted 
by  a  cross^  and  resting  her  foot  on  the  prow  of  a 


362  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

galley,  and  not  unlike  the  familiar  figures  of  Faith' 
on  the  Christian  Knowledge  Society  books. 

The  Cyclopean  temple  at  Gozzo,  the  island 
adjacent  to  Malta,  has  been  supposed  to  be  a 
shrine  of  the  Phoenicians  to  Mylitta  or  Astarte. 
It  is  of  a  cruciform  shape  (Fig.  9).  A  superb 
medal  of  Cilicia,  bearing  a  Phoenician  legend, 
and  struck  under  the  Persian  domination,  has  on 
one  side  a  figure  of  this  goddess  with  a  crux 
ansata  by  her  side,  the  lower  member  split. 

Another  form  of  the  cross  (Figs.  19,  20)  is 
repeated  frequently  and  prominently  on  coins  of 
Asia  Minor.  It  occurs  as  the  reverse  of  a  silver 
coin  supposed  to  be  of  Cyprus,  on  several  Cilician 
coins :  it  is  placed  beneath  the  throne  of  Baal  of 
Tarsus,  on  a  Phoenician  coin  of  that  town,  bearing 
the  legend  HJI  ^y3  (Baal  Tharz).  A  medal,  pos- 
sibly of  the  same  place,  with  partially  obliterated 
Phoenician  characters,  has  the  cross  occupying  the 
entire  field  of  the  reverse  side.  Several,  with  in- 
scriptions in  unknown  characters,  have  a  ram  on 
one  side,  and  the  cross  and  ring  on  the  other. 
Another  has  the  sacred  bull  accompanied  by  this 
symbol ;  others  have  a  lion's  head  on  obverse, 
and  the  cross  and  circle  on  the  reverse. 

A  beautiful  Sicihan  medal  of  Camarina  bears  ^ 


•  The  Legend  of  the  Cross  863 

swan  and  altar,  and  beneath  the  altar  is  one  of 
these  crosses  with  a  ring  attached  to  it '. 

As  in  Phoenician  iconography  this  cross  generally 
accompanies  a  deity,  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
handled  cross  is  associated  with  the  Persepolitan, 
Babylonish,  and  Egyptian  gods,  we  may  conclude 
that  it  had  with  the  Phoenicians  the  same  signifi- 
cation of  life  eternal.  That  it  also  symbolized 
regeneration  through  water,  I  also  believe.  On 
Babylonish  cylinders  it  is  generally  employed  in 
conjunction  with  the  hawk  or  eagle,  either  seated 
on  it,  or  flying  above  it.  This  eagle  is  Nisroch, 
whose  eyes  are  always  flowing  with  tears  for  the 
death  of  Tammuz.  Nesr,  or  Nisroch,  is  certainly 
the  rain-cloud.  In  Greek  iconography  Zeus,  the 
heaven,  is  accompanied  by  the  eagle  to  symbolize 
the  cloud.  On  several  Phoenician  or  uncertain 
coins  of  Asia  Minor  the  eagle  and  the  cross  go 
together.  Therefore  I  think  that  the  cross  may 
symbolize  life  restored  by  rain. 

An  inscription  inThessaly,  EPMAH  X0ONIOY, 
is  accompanied  by  a  Calvary  cross  (Fig.  ai) ;  and 
Greek  crosses  of  equal  arms  adorn  the  tomb  of 

•  These  medals  are  engraved  to  accompany  the  article  of 
M.  Raoul-Rochette  on  the  Groix  ans^e,  in  the  M^m.  de 
TAcad^mie  des  Inscr.  et  Belles  Lettres,  tom.  xvi. 


364  Tke  Legend  of  the  Cross 

Midas,  in  Phrygia.  Crosses  of  different  shapes, 
chiefly  like  Figs.  2  and  ii,  are  common  on  ancient 
cinerary  urns  in  Italy.  These  two  forms  occur  on 
sepulchral  vessels  found  under  a  bed  of  volcanic 
tufa  on  the  Alban  mount,  and  of  remote  antiquity. 

It  is  curious  that  the  T  should  have  been  used 
on  the  roll  of  the  Roman  soldiery  as  the  sign  of 
life,  whilst  the  0  designated  death '. 

But,  long  before  the  Romans,  long  before  the 
Etruscans,  there  lived  in  the  plains  of  Northern 
Italy  a  people  to  whom  the  cross  was  a  religious 
symbol,  the  sign  beneath  which  they  laid  their 
dead  to  rest ;  a  people  of  whom  history  tells 
nothing,  knowing  not  their  name  ;  but  of  whom 
antiquarian  research  has  learned  this,  that  they 
lived  in  ignorance  of  the  arts  of  civilization,  that 
they  dwelt  in  villages  built  on  platforms  over 
lakes,  and  that  they  trusted  in  the  cross  to  guard, 
and  may  be  to  revive,  their  loved  ones  whom  tliey 
committed  to  the  dust.  Throughout  Emilia  are 
found  remains  of  these  people ;  these  remains 
form  quarries  whence  manure  is  dug  by  the 
peasants   of    the   present    day.     These    quarries 

'  Isidor.  Origin,  i.,  c.  23.  "  T  nota  in  capite  versiculi  sup- 
posita  superstitem  designat."  Persius,  Sat  iv.  13.  Rufin. 
in  Hieronym.  ap.  Casaubon  ad  Pers, 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  865 

go  by  the  name  of  terramares.  They  are  vast 
accumulations  of  cinders,  charcoal,  bones,  frag- 
ments of  pottery,  and  other  remains  of  human 
[  industry.  As  this  earth  is  very  rich  in  phosphates, 
it  is  much  appreciated  by  the  agriculturists  as  a 
dressing  for  their  land.  In  these  terramares  there 
are  no  human  bones.  The  fragments  of  earthen- 
ware belong  to  articles  of  domestic  use ;  with  them 
are  found  querns,  moulds  for  metal,  portions  of 
cabin  floors  and  walls,  and  great  quantities  of 
kitchen  refuse.  They  are  deposits  analogous  to 
those  which  have  been  discovered  in  Denmark 
and  in  Switzerland.  The  metal  discovered  in  the 
majority  of  these  terramares  is  bronze.  The  re- 
mains belong  to  three  distinct  ages.  In  the  first 
none  of  the  fictile  ware  was  turned  on  the  wheel  or 
fire-baked.  Sometimes  these  deposits  exhibit  an 
advance  of  civilization.  Iron  came  into  use,  and 
with  it  the  potter's  wheel  was  discovered,  and  the 
earthenware  was  put  in  the  furnace. 

When  in  the  same  quarry  these  two  epochs  are 
found,  the  remains  of  the  second  age  are  always 
superposed  over  those  of  the  bronze  age. 

A  third  period  is  occasionally  met  with,  but  only 
occasionally.  A  period  when  a  rude  art  introduced 
itself,  and  representations  of  animals  or  human 


866  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

beings  adorned  the  pottery.     Among  the  remains 

of  this  period  is  found  the  first  trace  of  money,  the 

ses  rude,  little  bronze  fragments  without  shape. 

According  to  the  calculations  of  M.  Des  Vergers, 

the  great  development  of  Etruscan  civilization  took 

place  about    %^o  years  before  the  foundation  of 

Rome,  more  than  1040  years  before  our  era.     The 

age  of  the  terramares  must  be  long  antecedent  to 

the  time   of  Etruscan   civilization.     The  remote 

antiquity  of  these  remains  may  be  gathered  from 

the  amount  of  accumulation  over  them.    A  section 

of  the  deposit  in  Parma,  where  was  one  of  these 

lacustrine  villages  is  as  follows : — 

ft.  in. 

Eoman  and  later  remains a  depth  of  4     i 

Midden  of  ancient  inhabitants,  three  deposits  sepa- 
rated by  thin  layers  of  red  earth  or  ashes  ....  68 

Latest  bed  of  lake  containing  piles 70 

Secondary  bed  containing  piles ,    ,  33 

Original  bed  of  lake  containing  piles si    o 

Twice  had  the  accumulation  risen  so  as  to  necessi- 
tate the  re-driving  of  piles,  and  over  the  last,  the 
deposits  had  reached  the  height  of  6  feet  8  inches. 
Since  the  age  when  these  people  vanished,  earth 
has  accumulated  to  the  depth  of  4  feet. 

At  Castione,  not  far  from  the  station  of  Borgo 
S.  Donino,  on  the  line  between  Parma  and  Placenza, 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  867 

is  a  convent  built  on  a  mound.  Where  that  mound 
rises  there  was  originally  a  lake,  and  the  foundations 
of  the  building  are  laid  in  the  ruins  of  an  ancient 
population  which  filled  the  lake,  and  converted  it 
into  a  hill  of  refuse. 

From  the  broken  bones  in  the  middens,  we  learn 
that  the  roebuck,  the  stag,  the  wild  boar,  then  ranged 
the  forests,  that  cattle,  pigs,  sheep,  goats,  and  dogs 
were  domesticated;  that  these  people  had  two  kinds 
of  horses,  one  a  powerful  animal,  the  other  small- 
boned,  and  that  horseflesh  was  eaten  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  terramares. 

Wheat,  barley,  millet,  and  beans  have  been  found 
about  the  piles,  together  with  the  stones  of  wild 
plums,  sloes,  and  cherries,  also  crab-apple  pips. 

A  bronze  dagger  was  found  at  Castione,  a  spear- 
head of  the  same  metal  in  the  deposit  of  Bargone 
di  Salso.  A  hatchet  came  from  the  terramare  of 
Noceto ;  quantities  of  little  wheels,  of  unknown 
use,  have  been  discovered,  also  hair-pins  and 
combs.  One,  for  a  lady's  back-hair,  ornamented, 
and  of  stag's  horn,  came  from  the  terramare  of 
Fodico  di  Poviglio.  The  pottery  found  is  mostly 
in  fragments.  Sometimes  the  bottoms  of  the  vessels 
were  rudely  engraved  with  crosses  (Figs.  %%,  0,3,  24). 

At  Villanova,  in  the  Commune  of  S.  Maria  delle 


868  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

Caselle,  near  Bolc^^a,  has  been  discovered  a  ceme- 
tery of  this  ancient  people.  The  graves  cover  a 
space  measuring  about  73  yards  by  36  yards.  One 
hundred  and  thirty-three  tombs  have  been  examined. 
They  were  constructed  of  great  boulders,  rect- 
angular, somewhat  cylindrical,  and  slightly  conical. 
Earth  had  accumulated  over  them,  and  they  were 
buried.  They  were  about  four  feet  deep.  The  cist 
was  floored  with  slabs  of  freestone,  the  sides  were 
built  up  of  boulders  ;  other  cists  were  constructed  of 
slabs,  and  cubical  in  shape.  A  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  of  the  bodies  had  been  burnt.  Each  tomb 
contained  a  cinerary  urn  containing  the  calcined 
human  remains.  The  urns  were  of  a  peculiar  shape, 
and  appeared, to  have  been  made  for  the  purpose. 
They  resembled  a  dice-box,  and  consisted  of  a 
couple  of  inverted  cones  with  a  partition  at  their 
bases,  where  they  were  united.  Half-melted  remains 
of  ornaments  were  found  with  some  of  the  human 
ashes.  In  one  vessel  was  a  charred  fragment  of  a 
horse's  rib.  Therefore  it  is  likely  that  the  favourite 
horse  was  sacrificed  and  consumed  with  his  master^ 
The  mouth  of  the  urn  which  contained  the  ashes 
of  the  deceased  was  closed  with  a  little  vessel  or 
saucer.  Near  the  remains  of  the  dead  were  found 
curious  solid  double  cones  with  rounded  ends;  these 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  869 

ends  were  elaborately  engraved  with  crosses  (Figs. 
23.  25.  27).  In  the  ossuaries  made  of  double  cones, 
around  the  diaphragm  ran  a  line  of  circles  contain- 
ing crosses  (Fig.  a6). 

Another  cemetery  of  the  same  people  exists  at 
Golasecca,  on  the  plateau  of  Somma,  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  Lago  Maggiore.  A  vast  number  of 
sepulchres  have  there  been  opened.  They  belong 
to  the  same  period  as  those  of  Villanova,  the  age 
of  lacustrine  habitations. 

"  That  which  characterizes  the  sepulchres  of  Go- 
lasecca,  and  gives  them  their  highest  interest/'  says 
M.  de  Mortillet,  who  investigated  them,  "  is  this, 
— ^first,  the  entire  absence  of  all  organic  representa- 
tions ;  we  only  found  three,  and  they  were  excep- 
tional, in  tombs  not  belonging  to  the  plateau ; — 
secondly,  the  almost  invariable  presence  of  the 
cross  under  the  vases  in  the  tombs.  When  one  re- 
verses the  ossuaries,  the  saucer-lids,  or  the  acces- 
sory vases,  one  saw  almost  always,  if  in  good  pre- 
servation, a  cross  traced  thereon. .  .  .  The  exami- 
nation of  the  tombs  of  Golasecca  proves  in  a  most 
convincing,  positive,  and  precise  manner,  that  which 
the  terramares  of  Emilia  had  only  indicated,  but 
which  had  been  confirmed  by  the  cemetery  of 
Villanova ;    that  above  a  thousand  years  before 


870  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

Christ,  the  cross  was  already  a  religious  emblem 
of  frequent  employment '." 

It  may  be  objected  to  this,  that  the  cross  is  a 
sign  so  easily  made,  that  it  was  naturally  the 
first  attempted  by  a  rude  people.  There  are, 
however,  so  many  varieties  of  crosses  among  the 
urns  of  Golasecca,  and  ingenuity  seems  to  have 
been  so  largely  exercised  in  diversifying  this  one 
sign,  without  recurring  to  others,  that  I  cannot  but 
believe  the  sign  itself  had  a  religious  signification. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Alps,  at  the  same 
period,  lived  a  people  in  a  similar  state  of  civilization, 
whose  palustrine  habitations  and  remains  have 
been  carefully  explored.  Among  the  Swiss  potteries, 
however,  the  cross  is  very  rarely  found. 

In  the  depths  of  the  forests  of  Central  America, 
is  a  ruined  city.  It  was  not  inhabited  at  the  time 
of  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards. 
They  discovered  the  temples  and  palaces  of 
Chiapa,  but  of  Palenque  they  knew  nothing. 
According  to  tradition  it  was  founded  by  Votan 


8  De  Mortillet,  Le  signe  de  la  Croix  avant  le  Chris- 
tianisme.  Paris,  1866.  The  title  of  this  book  is  deceptive. 
The  subject  is  the  excavations  of  pre-historic  remains  in 
Northern  Italy,  and  pre-Christian  crosses  are  only  casually 
^i>d  cursorily  dealt  with. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  871 

in  the  ninth  century  before  the  Christian  era. 
The  principal  building  in  Palenque  lis  the  palace, 
a%i  feet  long,  by  i8o  feet,  and  40  feet  high.  The 
Eastern  fa9ade  has  fourteen  doors  opening  on  a 
terrace,  with  bas-reliefs  between  them.  A  noble 
tower  rises  above  the  courtyard  in  the  centre.  In 
this  building  are  several  small  temples  or 
chapels,  with  altars  standing.  At  the  back  of  one 
of  these  altars  is  a  slab  of  gypsum,  on  which  are 
sculptured  two  figures  standing,  one  on  each  side  of 
a  cross  (Fig.  %%),  to  which  one  is  extending  his 
hands  with  an  offering  of  a  baby  or  a  monkey.  The 
cross  is  surrounded  with  rich  feather-work,  and 
ornamental  chains '. 

The  style  of  sculpture,  and  the  accompanying 
hieroglyphic  inscripitions  leave  no  room  for  doubt- 
ing it  to  be  a  heathen  representation.  Above  the 
•cross  is  a  bird  of  peculiar  character,  perched,  as  we 
saw  the  eagle  Nisroch  on  a  cross  upon  a  Babylonish 
cylinder.  The  same  cross  is  represented  on  old 
pre-Mexican  MSS.,  as  in  the  Dresden  Codex,  and 
that  in  the  possession  of  Herr  Fejervary,  at  the 
end  of  which  is  a  colossal  cross,  in  the  midst  of 
which  is  represented  a  bleeding  deity,  and  figures 

.'  •  Stephens,  Central  America.      London,   1842.    Vol  ii. 
p.  346 

B  fa  2 


372  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

stand  round  a  Tau  cross,  upon  which  is  perched 
the  sacred  bird  \ 

The  cross  was  also  used  in  the  north  of  Mexico. 
It  occurs  amongst  the  Mixtecas  and  in  Queredaro. 
Siguenza  speaks  of  an  Indian  cross  which  was  found 
in  the  cave  of  Mixteca  Baja.  Among  the  ruins  on 
the  island  of  Zaputero  in  Lake  Nicaragua  were  also 
found  old  crosses  reverenced  by  the  Indians.  White 
marble  crosses  were  found  on  the  island  of  S.  Ulloa, 
on  its  discovery.  In  the  state  of  Oaxaca,  the 
Spaniards  found  that  wooden  crosses  were  erected 
as  sacred  symbols,  so  also  in  Aguatolco,  and  among 
the  Zapatecas.  The  cross  was  venerated  as  far  as 
Florida  on  one  side,  and  Cibolaonthe  other.  In  South 
America,  the  same  sign  was  considered  symbolical 
and  sacred.  It  was  revered  in  Paraguay.  In 
Peru  the  Incas  honoured  a  cross  made  out  of  a 
single  piece  of  jasper,  it  was  an  emblem  belong- 
ing to  a  former  civilization. 

Among  the  Muyscas  at  Cumana  the  cross  was  re- 
garded with  devotion,  and  was  believed  to  be  endued 
with  power  to  drive  away  evil  spirits;  consequently 
new-born  children  were  placed  under  the  sign  *. 

*  Klemm,  Kulturgeschichte,  v.  143, 143. 

*  See  list  of  authorities  in  Muller,  Gescbichte  der  Ameri- 
kanischen  Urreligionen.    Basel,  1855,  pp.  371. 431.  498, 499, 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  S7S 

Probably  all  these  crosses,  certainly  those  of 
Central  America,  were  symbols  of  the  Rain-god. 
This  we  are  told  by  the  conquerors,  of  the  crosses 
on  the  island  of  CozumeL  The  cross  was  not  an 
original  symbol  of  the  Azteks  and  Tolteks,  but 
of  the  Maya  race,  who  inhabited  Mexico,  Guate- 
mala, and  Yucatan.  The  Mayas  were  subdivided 
into  the  tribes  of  Totonacs,  Othomi,  Huasteks, 
Tzendales,  &c.,  and  were  conquered  by  a  Nahua\ 
race  from  the  North,  called  Azteks  and  Tolteks, 
who  founded  the  great  Mexican  empire  with  which 
Cortez  and  his  Spaniards  were  brought  in  colli- 
sion'. This  Maya  stock  was  said  to  have  been 
highly  civilized,  and  the  conquered  to  have  in- 
fluenced their  conquerors. 

The  Maya  race  invaded  Central  America, 
coming  from  the  Antilles,  when  the  country 
was  peopled  by  the  Quinamies,  to  whom  the 
Cyclopean  erections  still  extant  are  attributed. 
They  were  overthrown  by  Votan,  B.C.  800.  The 
cross  was  adopted  by  the  Azteks,  from  the 
conquered  Mayas.  It  was  the  emblem  of  Quia- 
teot,  the  god  of  Rain.     In  order  to  obtain  rain 

•  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  classify  these  races,  and 
arrive  at  any  exact  conclusions  with  regard  to  their  history. 
The  Tzendales  were  probably  never  conquered. 


""  '  .  L  l^circiic  o'  ttu  Cross 


■  > .  4 


iiTiii  :\'»'^>  3J1L  iriTl-  vccrz  sacriticed  to  him,  and 
iiK-::  ficsi:  w;i5  a?\\iuT^L'  a:  ;:  sacred  banquet  by  the 
»nu:-:N  Anumj:  ui:  Mexicans,  the  showery  month 
0;.i:.r.uii-  r:'rc:\T:.  iT>  wzsat  from  him.  In  Cibola, 
w  ..::'•  .:>  i:i:  paii'-r^it.i:  \va>  honoured  under  this 
sxii;:i.»  ;v.  J.-iTiim::..  uif  sacred  cross  in  the  tem- 
:»::>  Vii-  .!  w.m:  .r  idnti.  Tcr.  paims  high,  and  to  it 
V  v. ;  .•::;".:•..  iiin^r.>t  .Jirl  :7uii.iis.    T.*^  obtain  showers^ 

-'*.!:  Z  .i::r.ik.-  s^c  i:-!-:  rbeir  national  deity  Quct- 

:..u.-.,:l  :; .iirr.i.:iir:*.i  ihc  sicx  and  ritual  of  the 

»::  .^vN  ..-.^.  .:  vus  mrjr  J^.>i  of  icair  and  Health,  and 
v^>  — :C  :^it  Tr?:  .if  Nutr-njeci,  or  Tree  of  Life. 
^':  ::.:-  i..^"*.^..r:  z^^.--  vi?  tbf  martle  of  the  Toltek 
;.:v...'rv::;-  .'  ii.*!  T.  *rri*i  v-:th  rec  crosses. 

T:.i  rr.-ii5  -w:^  j.i>^  *  s^'mbol  of  mysterious 
^  ;!-::. f.in^r. re  iz  3cLh"r  r>^  L-'.-^a.-urrapihy.  In  tie 
Cs.*'  -  -f  'L.rrzc.inzL^  in  Iridoi.  rver  the  head  of  a 
f.v  .rt  t-gi^rei  -jz  nii^ccrlr^  izfsnts. :?  to  be  seen 
\:jz  '.rvs=-  I:  is  rlzcf\i  by  Miiller.  in  his-  Glanbcn, 
Vi'it^t^.  -jjid  Kiinft  der  alien  Hindus."  in  Ae  hands 
</.  S<: vi,  SraT.T.?..  ^■i5hnu.  T\-a52:tr:  Fic-  2^^  This 
cro—  hs.s  a  v.  heel  In  the  centre,  and  is  called  Kiakra 
or  T=.chai:ra-  \M:tn  held  bv  \*:shnu,  the  world- 
sustaining  principle,  it  si^pines  his  power  to  pene- 
trate heaven  and  earth,  and  bring  to  naught  the 
€^po^  It  symboUzes  Xh^  clertLal  gp\*em- 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  875 

ance  of  the  world,  and  to  it  the  worshipper  of 
Vishnu  attributes  as  many  virtues  as  does  the 
devout  Catholic  to  the  Christian  cross.  Fra 
Faolino  tells  us  it  was  used  by  the  ancient  kings 
of  India  as  a  sceptre. 

In  a  curious  Indian  painting  reproduced  by 
Miiller.  (Tab.  i.,  fig.  a),  Brahma  is  represented 
crowned  with  clouds,  with  lilies  for  eyes,  with  four 
hands — one  holding  the  necklace  of  creation ; 
another  the  Veda ;  a  third,  the  chalice  of  the  source 
of  life  ;  the  fourth,  the  fiery  cross.  Another  paint- 
ing (Tab.  I.,  fig.  78)  represents  Krishna  in  the 
centre  of  the  world  as  its  sustaining  principle,  with 
six  arms,  three  of  which  hold  the  cross,  one  a 
.  sceptre  of  dominion,  another  a  flute,  a  third  a 
sword.  Another  (Tab.  11.,  fig.  61)  gives  Jama> 
the  judge  of  the  nether  world,  with  spear,  sword, 
scales,  torch,  and  cross.     Tab.  11.,  fig.  140,  gives 

IBrawani,  the  female  earth  principle,  holding  a  lily, 
a  flame,  a  sword,  and  a  cross.  The  list  of  repre- 
sentations might  be  greatly  extended. 

It  was  only  natural  that  the  early  and  mediaeval 
Christians,  finding  the  cross  a  symbol  of  life  among 
the  nations  of  antiquity,  should  look  curiously  into^ 
the  Old  Testament,  to  see  whether  there  were  not 

(foreshadowings  in  it  of  "  the  wood  whereby  right^^ 
eottsness  cotneth.** 


876  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

They  found  it  in  the  blood  struck  on  the  lintel 
and  the  door-posts  of  the  houses  of  the  Israelites  in 
Egypt  They  supposed  the  rod  of  Moses  to  have 
been  headed  with  the  Egyptian  Crux  ansata,  in 
which  case  its  employment  in  producing  the  storm 
of  rain  and  hsfil,  in  dividing  the  Red  Sea,  in  bring- 
ing streams  of  water  from  the  rock,  testify  to  its 
symbolic  character  with  reference  to  water.  They 
saw  it  in  Moses  with  arms  expanded  on  the  Mount, 
in  the  pole  with  transverse  bar  upon  which  was 
wreathed  the  brazen  serpent,  and  in  the  two  sticks 
gathered  by  the  Widow  of  Sarepta.  But  especially 
was  it  seen  in  the  passage  of  Ezekiel  (ix.  4. 6),  "The 
Lord  said  unto  him.  Go  through  the  midst  of  the 
city,  through  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  set  a 
mark  upon  the  foreheads  of  the  men  that  sigh 
and  that  cry  for  all  the  abominations  that  be  done 
in  the  midst  thereof.  Slay  utterly  old  and  young, 
both  maids,  and  little  children,  and  women  :  but 
come  not  near  any  man  upon  whom  is  the  mark  ; 
and  begin  at  My  sanctuary."  In  the  Vulgate,  it 
stands  :  "Et  signa  Thau  super  frontes  vivorum 
gementium."  There  is  some  doubt  as  to  whether 
the  sign  Thau  should  be  inserted  or  not.  The 
Septuagint  does  not  give  it.  It  simply  says  S09 
<rr]fjb€Mv,     S.  Jerome  testifies  that  the  versions  of 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  877 

Aquila  and  Symmachus,  written,  the  one  under 
Adrian,  the  other  under  Marcus  Aurelius,  were 
without  it,  and  that  it  was  only  in  the  version 
of  Theodotion,  made  under  Septimius  Severus, 
that  the  y  was  inserted.  Nevertheless  S.  Jerome 
adopted  it  in  his  translation. 

On  the  other  hand  TertuUian  saw  the  cross  in 
this  passage*.  The  Thau  was  the  old  Hebrew 
character,  which  the  Samaritan  resembled,  and 
which  was  shaped  like  a  cross.  S.  Jerome  pro- 
bably did  not  adopt  his  rendering  without  founda- 
tion, for  he  was  well  skilled  in  Hebrew,  and  he 
refers  again  and  again  to  this  passage  of  Ezekiel*. 
The  Epistle  of  S.  Barnabas  seems  to  allude  to  it  * ; 
so  do  S.  Cyprian,  S.  Augustine,  Origen,  and 
S.  Isidore '.  Bishop  Lowth  was  disposed  to 
accept  the  Thau,  so  was  Dr.  Miinter,  the  Pro- 
testant bishop  of  Zeeland.  But,  indeed,  there 
need   be  little  doubt  as   to   the  passage.      The 

*  Adv.  Marcion.  iii.  22 :  "  Est  enim  littera,  Graecorum 
Thau,  nostra  autem  T,  species  crucis  quam  portendebant 
futuram  in  frontibus  nostris  apud  veram  et  catholicam  Hie- 
rusalem.'' 

*  In  Ezech.  ix.  4.     Epistol.  ad  Fabiol.    In  Isaia  c.  Ixvi. 

*  Epist.  ch.  ix. :  ^ravph^  iv  r^  T  cfteXXcy  ^xav  ttjv  x^P^^' 

'  Cypr.  Testimon.  adv.  Jud.  ii.  c.  27.  August,  de  Altera 
Synag.  et  Eccles. 


■17^  Z7:£  -Ij^tttu-'  jf  :ke  Cross 

•:vDni  :br  si^  .ised  bnr  rhe  prophet  is  tTT  TaUj 
meaning,  is  •  lesenius  ia>-s  in  his  Lexicon,  signum. 
rrriczjor-ne .  jnd  "le  adds.  *  The  Hebrews  on  their 
zoins  idopted  rhe  most  anciezit  crucifonn  sign  -h.* 

Tlie  iledis'.-ais  'vear  lurther  stiiL  they  desred  to 
see  the  jttss  --nil  stronger  characterized  in  the  his- 
torr  of  the  'ewish  Ciurch.  and  as  the  records  of 
the  Old  Cn-enanr  vere  dmcienr  on  that  point;  thejr 
suppiemented  th«ai  -ridi  fable. 

Tliat  fabie  is  the  romance  or  Legend  of  the  Cross^ 
a  legend  ?f  immense  popidaritv  in  the  Middle  Ages^ 
\i  we  may  judije  by  the  numt^ous  representations  of 
its  leading;  incidents,  which  meet  us  in  stained  glass 
and  fresco. 

In  the  churches  of  Troves  alone,  it  appears  on 
the  windows  of  S.  llartin-es-Vignes,  of  S.  Fanta- 
Ifcn,  3.  ^Tadeleine,  and  S.  Nizier*. 

It  is  fre.scoed  along  the  walls  of  the  choir  of  the 
church  of  S.  Croce  at  Florence,  by  the  hand  of 
A^fnolo  GaddL  Pietro  deHa  Francesca  also  dedi- 
cated  his  pencil  to  the  history  of  the  Cross  in  a 
series  of  frescoes  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Bacd,  in  the 
church  of  S.  Francesco  at  Arezzo.  It  occurs  as  a 
predella  painting  among  the  specimens  of  early  art 

*  Curiosity  de  la  Champagne.    Fans,  i86a 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  879 

in  the  Academia  delle  Belle  Arti  at  Venice,  and  is 
the  subject  of  a  picture  by  Beham  in  the  Munich 
Gallery '.  The  legend  is  told  in  full  in  the  Vita 
Christi,  printed  at  Troyes  in  1517,  in  the  Legenda 
Aurea  of  Jacques  de  Voragine,  in  an  old  Dutch 
work,  "  Grerschiedenis  van  det  heylighe  Cruys,"  in 
a  French  MS.  of  the  thirteenth  century  in  the 
British  Museum.  Gervase  of  Tilbury  relates  a 
portion  of  it  in  his  Otia  Imperalia  ^  quoting  from 
Comestor;  it  appears  also  in  the  Speculum  His- 
toriale,  in  Gottfried  von  Viterbo,  in  the  Chronicon 
Engelhusii,  and  elsewhere. 

Gottfried  introduces  a  Hiontus  in  the  place  of 
Seth  in  the  following  story ;  Hiontus  is  corrupted 
from  lonicus  or  lonithus. 

The  story  is  as  follows  :— 

When  our  first  father  was  banished  Paradise,  he 
lived  in  penitence,  striving  to  recompense  for  the 
past  by  prayer  and  toil.  When  he  reached  a 
great  age  and  felt  death  approach,  he  summoned 
Seth  to  his  side,  and  said,  "  Go,  my  son,  to  the 
terrestrial  Paradise,  and  ask  the  Archangel  who 
keeps  the  gate  to  give  me  a  balsam  which  will 

•  Lady  Eastlake's  History  of  our  •Lord.     Lond.  1865,  ii. 
p.  39a 
.    *  Tertia  Decisio,  c.  liv.;  ed.  Liebrecht,  p.  35.  , 


880  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

save  me  from  death.  You  will  easfly  find  the  way, 
because  my  footprints  scorched  the  soil  as  I  left 
Paradise.  Follow  my  blackened  traces,  and  they 
will  conduct  you  to  the  gate  whence  I  was  expeUed." 
Seth  hastened  to  Paradise.  The  way  was  barren, 
vegetation  was  scanty  and  of  sombre  colours; 
over  all  lay  the  black  prints  of  his  father^s  and 
mothers  feet  Presently  the  walls  surrounding 
Paradise  appeared.  Around  them  nature  revived, 
the  earth  was  covered  with  verdure  and  dappled 
with  flowers.  The  air  vibrated  with  exquisite 
music  Seth  was  dazzled  with  the  beauty  which 
surrounded  him,  and  he  walked  on  forgetful  of  his 
mission.  Suddenly  there  flashed  before  him  a 
wavering  line  of  fire,  upright,  like  a  serpent  of 
light  continuously  quivering.  It  was  the  flaming 
sword  in  the  hand  of  the  Cherub  who  guarded  the 
gate.  As  Seth  drew  nigh,  he  saw  that  the  angel's 
wings  were  expanded  so  as  to  block  the  door. 
He  prostrated  himself  before  the  Cherub,  unable 
to  utter  a  word.  But  the  celestial  being  read  in 
his  soul,  better  than  a  mortal  can  read  a  book,  the 
words  which  were  there  impressed,  and  he  said, 
"The  time  of  pardon  is  not  yet  come.  Four  thou- 
sand years  must  roll  away  ere  the  Redeemer  shall 
open  the  g^^''  .  closed  by  his  disobedience. 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  881 

But  as  a  token  of  future  pardon,  the  wood  whereon 
redemption  shall  be  won  shall  grow  from  the  tomb 
of  thy  father.  Behold  what  he  lost  by  his  trans- 
gression !" 

At  these  words  the  angel  swung  open  the  great 
portal  of  gold  and  fire,  and  Seth  looked  in. 

He  beheld  a  fountain,  clear  as  crystal,  sparkling 
like  silver  dust,  playing  in  the  midst  of  the  garden, 
and  gushing  forth  in  four  living  streams.  Before 
this  mystic  fountain  grew  a  mighty  tree,  with  a 
trunk  of  vast  bulk,  and  thickly  branched,  but  desti- 
tute of  bark  and  foliage.  Around  the  bole  was 
wreathed  a  frightful  serpent  or  caterpillar,  which 
had  scorched  the  bark  and  devoured  the  leaves. 
Beneath  the  tree  was  a  precipice.  Seth  beheld  the 
roots  of  the  tree  in  Hell.  There  Cain  was  en- 
deavouring to  gfrasp  the  roots,  and  clamber  up  them 
into  Paradise ;  but  theyJaced  themselves  around  the 
body  and  limbs  of  the  fratricide,  as  the  threads  of  a 
spider's  web  entangle  a  fly,  and  the  fibres  of  the 
tree  penetrated  the  body  of  Cain  as  though  they 
were  endued  with  life. 

Horror-struck  at  this  appalling  spectacle,  Seth 
raised  his  eyes  to  the  summit  of  the  tree.  Now 
all  was  changed.  The  tree  had  grown  till  its 
branches  reached  heaven.    The  boughs  were  co- 


382  The  Legend  of  the  Cross 

vered  with  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit.  But  the  fairest 
fruit  was  a  little  babe,  a  living  sun,  who  seemed  to 
be  listening  to  the  songs  of  seven  white  doves 
who  circled  round  his  head.  A  woman,  more 
lovely  than  the  moon,  bore  the  child  in  her 
arms. 

Then  the  Cherub  shut  the  door,  and  said, "  I  give 
thee  now  three  seeds  taken  from  that  tree.  When 
Adam  is  dead,  place  these  three  seeds  in  thy  father's 
mouth,  and  bury  him." 

So  Seth  took  the  seeds  and  returned  to  his 
father.  Adam  was  glad  to  hear  what  his  son  told 
him,  and  he  praised  God.  On  the  third  day  after 
the  return  of  Seth  he  died.  Then  his  son  buried 
him  in  the  skins  of  beasts  which  God  had  given  him 
for  a  covering,  and  his  sepulchre  was  on  Golgotha. 
In  course  of  time  three  trees  grew  from  the  seeds 
brought  from  Paradise :  one  was  a  cedar,  another  a 
cypress,  and  the  third  a  pine.  They  grew  with  p»ro- 
dig^ous  force,  thrusting  their  boughs  to  right  and. 
left.  It  was  with  one  of  these  boughs  that  Mosqs 
performed  his  miracles  in  Egypt,  brought  water  out 
of  the  rock,  and  healed  those  whom  the  serpents 
slew  in  the  desert. 

After  a  while  the  three  trees  touched  one  another, 
then    began  to  i  ate  and   confound    their 


The  Legend  of  the  Cross  883 

several  natures  in  a  single  trunk.  It  was  beneath 
this  tree  that  David  sat  when  he  bewailed  his 
sins. 

In  the  time  of  Solomon,  this  was  the  noblest 
of  the  trees  of  Lebanon ;  it  surpassed  all  in  the 
forests  of  King  Hiram,  as  a  monarch  surpasses 
those  who  crouch  at  his  feet.  Now,  when  the  son 
of  David  erected  his  palace,  he  cut  down  this  tree 
to  convert  it  into  the  main  pillar  supporting  his 
roof.  But  all  in  Vain.  The  column  refused  to  an- 
swer the  purpose :  it  was  at  one  time  too  long,  at 
another  too  short.  Surprised  at  this  resistance, 
Solomon  lowered  the  walls  of  his  palace,  to  suit  the 
beam,  but  at  once  it  shot  up  and  pierced  the  roof, 
like  an  arrow  driven  through  a  piece  of  canvas; 
or  a  bird  recovering  its  liberty.  Solomon,  enraged, 
cast  the  tree  over  Cedron,  that  all  might  trample 
on  it  as  they  crossed  the  brook. 

There  the  Queen  of  Sheba  found  it,  and  she, 
recognizing  its  virtue,  had  it  raised.  Solomon 
then  buried  it.  Some  while  after,  the  king  dug  the 
pool  of  Bethesda  on  the  spot.  This  pond  at  once 
acquired  miraculous  properties,  and  healed  the  sick 
who  flocked  to  •it.  The  water  owed  its  virtues  to 
the  beam  which  lay  beneath  it. 

When  the  time  of  the  Crucifixion  of  Christ  drew 


3S4  The  Legend  of  the  Crass 

nigli,  this  wood  rose  to  the  surface;  and  was  brought 
out  of  the  water.  The  executioners^  when  seeking 
a  suitable  beam  to  serve  for  the  cross,  found  it,  and 
of  it  made  the  instrument  of  the  death  of  the 
Saviour.  After  the  Crucifixion  it  was  buried  on 
Calvary,  but  it  was  found  by  the  Empress  Helena, 
mother  of  Constantine  the  Great,  deep  in  the 
ground  with  two  others.  May  3,  328 ;  Christ's 
was  distinguished  from  those  of  the  thieves  by  a 
sick  woman  being  cured  by  touching  it  This  same 
event  is,  however,  ascribed  by  a  Syriac  MS.  in  the 
British  Museum,  unquestionably  of  the  5th  century, 
to  Protonice,  wife  of  the  Emperor  Qaudius.  It  was 
carried  away  by  Chosroes,  king  of  Persia,  on  the 
plundering  of  Jerusalem;  but  was  recovered  by 
Heraclius,who  defeated  him  in  battle.  Sept  14, 615; 
a  day  that  has  ever  since  been  commemorated  as 
the  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross. 

Such  is  the  L^end  of  the  Cross,  one  of  the 
wildest  of  mediaeval  fancies.  It  is  founded,  though 
unconsciously,  on  this  truth,  that  the  Cross  was  a 
sacred  sign  long  Before  Christ  died  upon  it 

And  how  account  for  this  ? 

For  my  own  part,  I  see  no  diffictllty  in  belie^ng 
that  it  formed  a  portion  of  the  primaeval  reUgion, 
traces  of  v'  *  '  *ixist  over  the  whole  world,  among 


TJie  Legend  of  the  Cross  885 

every  people  ;  that  trust  in  the  Cross  was  a  part  of 
the  ancient  faith  which  taught  men  to  believe  in  a 
Trinity,  in  a  War  in  Heaven,  a  Paradise  from  which 
man  fell,  a  Flood,  and  a  Babel ;  a  faith  which  was 
deeply  impressed  with  a  conviction  that  a  Virgin 
should  conceive  and  bear  a  son,  that  the  Dragon's 
head  should  be  bruised,  and  that  through  Shedding 
of  blood  should  come  Remission.  The  use  of  the 
cross,  as  a  symbol  of  life  and  regeneration  through 
water,  is  as  widely  spread  over  the  world  as  tile- 
belief  in  the  ark  of  Noah.  May  be,  the  shadow  of 
the  Cross  was  cast  further  back  into  the  night  of 
ages,  and  fell  on  a  wider  range  of  country,  than 
we  are  aware  of. 

It  is  more  than  a  coincidence  that  Osiris  by  the 
cross  should  give  life  eternal  to  the  Spirits  of  the 
Just;  that  with  the  cross  Thorr  should  smite  the 
head  of  the  Great  Serpent,  and  bring  to  life  those 
who  were  slain  ;  that  beneath  the  cross  the  Muysca 
mothers  should  lay  their  babes,  trusting  by  that 
sign  to  secure  them  from  the  power  of  evil  spirits ; 
that  with  that  symbol  to  protect  them,  the  ancient 
people  of  Northern  Italy  should  lay  them  down  in 
the  dust '. 

'  Appendix  C. 

C  C 


T  T  will  be  remembered  that,  on  the  giving  of  the 
-^  law  from  Sinai,  Moses  was  bidden  erect  to 
God  an  altar :  "  Thou  shalt  not  build  it  of  hewn 
stone,  for  if  thou  lift  up  thy  tool  upon  it,  thou  hast 
polluted  it "  (Exod.  xx.  25).  And  later :  "  There 
shalt  thou  build  an  altar  unto  the  Lord  thy  God, 
an  altar  of  stones :  thou  shalt  not  lift  up  any  iron 
tool  upon  them "  (Deut.  xxvii.  6).  Such  an  altar 
was  raised  by  Joshua  after  the  passage  of  Jordan  : 
"  An  altar  of  whole  stones,  over  which  no  man  hath 
lift  up  any  iron  "  (Joshua  viii.  31). 

When  King  Solomon  erected  his  glorious  temple, 
"the  house,  when  it  was  in  building,  was  built  of 
stone  made  ready  before  it  was  brought  thither:  so 
that  there  was  neither  hammer,  nor  axe,  nor  any  tool 
of  iron,  heard  in  the  house  while  it  was  in  building" 
(i  Kings  vi.  7).    And  the  reason  of  the  prohibition 


Schamir  887 

of  iron  in  the  construction  of  the  altar  is  given  in 
the  Mischna — iron  is  used  to  shorten  life,  the  altar 
to  prolong  it  (Middoth  3,  4).  Iron  is  the  metal' 
used  in  war;  with  it,  says  Pliny,  we  do  the  best 
and  worst  acts :  we  plough  fields,  we  build  houses,. 
we  cleave  rocks ;  but  with  it,  also,  come  strife,  and 
bloodshed,  and  rapine.  The  altar  was  the  symbol 
of  peace  made  between  God  and  man,  and  therefore 
the  metal  employed  in  war  was  forbidden  to  be  used' 
in  its  erection.  The  idea  was  extended  by  Solomon- 
to  the  whole  temple.  It  is  not  said  that  iron  was 
not  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  building  stones, 
but  that  no  tool  was  heard  in  the  fitting  together 
of  the  parts. 

That  temple  symbolized  the  C3iurch  triumphant 
in  heaven  when  the  stones,  hewn  afar  off  in  the 
quarries  of  this  world,  are  laid  noiselessly  in  their 
proper  place,  so  that  the  whole,  "fitly  framed 
together,  groweth  unto  a  holy  temple  in  the 
Lord ;"  an  idea  well  expressed  in  the  ancient 
hymn  "  Angulare  fundamentum  :" — 

"  Many  a  blow  and  biting  sculpture 
Polished  well  those  stones  elect, 
In  their  places  well  compacted 
By  the  heavenly  Architect." 

Nothing  in  the    sacred  narrative  implies  any 

c  c  % 


888  Scfiantir 

miraculous  act  having  been  accomplished  in  this 
erecting  a  temple  of  stones  hewn  at  a  distance ; 
and  in  the  account  of  the  building  of  the  temple 
in  the  Book  of  Chronicles  no  reference  is  made  to 
the  circumstance,  which  would  have  been  the  case 
had  any  marvel  attended  it 

The  Septuagint  renders  the  passage,  6  oUo^  Xl0oc^ 
aKpoTOfioL^  apyoL^  (OKoBofii]0ff.  The  word  cucporofio^ 
is  used  by  the  LXX  in  three  places,  for  tt^D^rr, 
which  is  rough,  hard,  unhewn  stone.  Where  it 
says  in  Deuteronomy  (viii.  15),  "  Who  brought  thee 
forth  water  out  of  the  rock  of  flint,"  the  LXX  use 
dxpoTOfio^.  Where  the  Psalmist  says, "  Who  turned 
the  flint-stone  into  a  springing  well "  (Ps.  cxiv.  8), 
and  Job,  "  He  putteth  His  hand  upon  the  rock " 
(xxviii.  9),  they  employ  aKporofio^.  So,  too,  in  the 
Book  of  Wisdom  (xi.  4), "  Water  was  given  them  out 
of  the  flinty  rock,"  gk  irkrpa^  aKporofiov,  which  is 
paralleled  by  "the  hard  stone,"  Xldo^  aK\fjp6^. 
And  in  Ecclesiasticus,  Ezekias  is  said  to  have 
"digged  the  hard  rock  with  iron,"  &pv^e  aiZrjpfo 
afcpoTOfiov  (xlviii.  17). 

A 100^  oLKpoTOfio^  is,  therefore,  not  a  hewn  stone, 
but  one  with  natural  angles,  unhewn.  Thus  Suidas 
uses  the  expression,  a-fcKTjph  koX  aTfirjro^,  and  Theo- 
dotion  calls  th^  sharp  stone  used  by  Zipporah  in 


Scliamir  889 

circumcising  her  son,  dxporofio^.  The  dpyoU  of  the 
LXX  signifies  also  the  rough  natural  condition  of 
the  stones.  Thus  Pausanias  speaks  of  gold  and 
silver  in  unfused,  rough  lumps  as  dfyyvpo^  xal  'xpvao^ 
afyy6<;.  Apparently,  then,  the  LXX,  in  saying  that 
the  temple  was  erected  of  dxporofioi^  dpyoi^,  express 
their  meaning  that  the  stones  were  unhewn  and  in 
their  natural  condition,  so  that  the  skill  of  Solomon 
was  exhibited  in  putting  together  stones  which  had 
never  been  subjected  to  the  tool.  This  is  also  the 
opinion  of  Josephus,  who  says,  "  The  whole  edifice 
of  the  temple  is,  with  great  art,  compacted  of  rough 
stones,  ex  Xi0a)v  dxpoTOfuov,  which  have  been  fitted 
into  one  another  quite  harmoniously,  without  the 
work  of  hammer  or  any  other  builder's  tool  being 
observable,  but  the  whole  fits  together  without  the 
use  of  these,  and  the  fitting  seems  to  be  rather  one 
of  free  will  than  of  force  through  mechanical  means." 
And  therein  lay  the  skill  of  the  king,  for  the  un- 
shapen  blocks  were  pieced  together  as  though  they 
had  been  carefully  wrought  to  their  positions.  And 
Procopius  says  that  the  temple  was  erected  of 
unhewn  stones,  as  it  was  forbidden  of  God  to  lift 
iron  upon  them,  but  that,  nevertheless,  they  all 
fitted  into  one  another.  We  see  in  these  passages 
tokens  of  the  marvellous  having  been  supposed  to 


890  Schamir 

attach  to  a  work  which  was  free  from  any  miraculous 
-'nterposition.  But  at  this  point  fable  did  not  stop. 
Upon  the  carrying  away  of  the  Jews  to  Babylon, 
they  were  brought  into  contact  with  a  flood  of 
Iranian  as  well  as  Chaldaean  myths,  and  adopted 
them  without  hesitation. 

Around  Solomon  accumulated  the  fables  which 
were  related  of  Dschemschid  and  other  Persian 
heroes,  and  were  adopted  by  the  Jews  as  legends 
of  native  production.  It  was  not  sufiicient  that 
Solomon  should  have  skilfully  pieced  together  the 
rough  stones :  he  was  supposed  to  have  hewn 
them  by  supernatural  means,  without  the  tool  of 
iron. 

As  Solomon,  thus  ran  the  tale,  was  about  to 
build  the  temple  without  the  use  of  iron,  his  wise 
men  drew  his  attention  to  the  stones  of  the  high 
priest's  breastplate,  which  had  been  cut  and  polished 
by  something  harder  than  themselves.  TKis  was 
schamir,  which  was  able  to  cut  where  iron  would 
not  bite.  Thereupon  Solomon  summoned  the 
spirits  to  inform  him  of  the  whereabouts  of  this 
substance.  They  told  him  schamir  was  a  worm 
of  the  size  of  a  barley  corn,  but  so  powerful  that 
the  hardest  flint  could  not  resist  him.  The  spirits 
advised  Solomon  to  seek  Asmodeus,  king  of  the 


/ 


Schamir  891 

devils,  who  could  give  him  further  informatioa 
When  Solomon  inquired  where  Asmodeus  was  to 
be  met  with,  they  replied  that,  on  a  distant 
mountain,  he  had  dug  a  huge  cistern,  out  of 
which  he  daily  drank.  Solomon  then  sent  Ben- 
aiah  with  a  chain,  on  which  was  written  the  magic 
word  "  schem  hammphorasch,"  a  fleece  of  wool  and 
a  skin  of  wine.  Benaiah,  having  arrived  at  the 
cistern  of  Asmodeus,  undermined  it,  and  let  the 
water  off  by  a  little  hole,  which  he  then  plugged 
up  with  the  wool ;  after  which  he  filled  the  pit 
with  wine.  The  evil  spirit  came,  as  was  his 
wont,  to  the  cistern,  and  scented  the  wine.  Sus- 
pecting treachery,  he  refused  to  drink,  and  re- 
tired ;  but  at  length,  impelled  by  thirst,  he 
drank,  and,  becoming  intoxicated,  was  chained 
by  Benaiah  and  carried  away.  Benaiah  had  no 
willing  prisoner  to  conduct :  Asmodeus  plunged 
and  kicked,  upsetting  trees  and  houses.  In  this 
manner  he  came  near  a  hut  in  which  lived  a 
widow,  and  when  she  besought  him  not  to  injure 
her  poor  little  cot,  he  turned  aside,  and,  in  so  doing, 
broke  his  leg.  "Rightly,"  said  the  devil,  "is  it 
written  :  'a  soft  tongue  breaketh  the  bone  !'"  (Prov. 
XXV.  15).  And  a  diable  boiteux  he  has  ever  re- 
mained.    When    in    the    presence    of    Solomon, 


892  Schamir 

Asmodeus  was  constrained  to  behave  with  greater 
decorum.  Schamir,  he  told  Solomon,  was  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Prince  of  the  Sea,  and  that  prince 
entrusted  none  with  the  mysterious  worm  except 
the  moor-hen,  which  had  taken  an  oath  of  fidelity 
to  him.  The  moor-hen  takes  the  schamir  with  her 
to  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  splits  them,  and  in- 
jects seeds,  which  grow  and  cover  the  naked  rocks. 
Wherefore  the  bird  is  called  Naggar  Tura,  the 
mountain-carver.  If  Solomon  desired  to  possess 
himself  of  the  worm,  he  must  find  the  nest  of  the 
moor-hen,  and  cover  it  with  a  plate  of  glass,  so  that 
the  mother  bird  could  not  get  at  her  young  without 
breaking  the  glass.  She  would  seek  schamir  for 
the  purpose,  and  the  worm  must  be  obtained  from 
her. 

Accordingly,  Benaiah,  son  of  Jehoiada,  sought  the 
nest  of  the  bird,  and  laid  over  it  a  piece  of  glass. 
When  the  moor-hen  came,  and  could  not  reach  her 
young,  she  flew  away  and  fetched  schamir,  and 
placed  it  on  the  glass.  Then  Benaiah  shouted, 
and  so  terrified  the  bird,  that  she  dropped  the 
worm  and  flew  away.  Benaiah  by  this  means 
obtained  possession  of  the  coveted  schamir,  and 
bore  it  to  Solomon.  But  the  moor-hen  was  so 
distressed  at  having  broken  her  oath  to  the  Prince 


Schamir  893 

of  the  Sea  that  she  slew  herself*.  According  to 
another  version,  Solomon  went  to  his  fountain, 
where  he  found  the  daemon  Sackar,  whom  he 
captured  by  a  ruse,  and  chained  down.  Solo- 
mon pressed  his  ring  to  the  chains,  and  Sackar 
uttered  a  cry  so  shrill  that  the  earth  quaked. 
.  Quoth  Solomon,  "  Fear  not ;  I  shall  restore  you 
to  liberty  if  you  will  tell  me  how  to  burrow  noise- 
lessly after  minerals  and  metals." 

"  I  know  not  how  to  do  so,"  answered  the  Jin ; 
"  but  the  raven  can  tell  you :  place  over  her  eggs 
a  sheet  of  crystal,  and  you  shall  see  how  the 
mother  will  break  it." 

Solomon  did  so,  and  the  mother  brought  a  stone 
and  shattered  the  crystal.  "  Whence  got  you  that 
stone .?"  asked  Solomon. 

"It  is  the  stone  Samur,"  answered  the  raven; 
"it  comes  from  a  desert  in  the  uttermost  east." 
So  the  monarch  sent  some  giants  to  follow  the 
raven,  and  bring  him  a  suitable  number  of  stones^." 

According  to  a  third  version,  the  bird  is  an  eagle, 
and  schamir  is  the  Stone  of  Wisdom. 


*  Gittin,  Ixviii.  Eisenmenger :  Neu-entdecktes  Judenthran. 
Konigsberg,  171 1,  i.  p.  351. 

^  Collin  de  Plancy :  Legendes  de  I'Ancien  Test.  Paris, 
1861,  p.  280. 


394 

Possessed  of  this  schamir,  Solomon  wrought  the 
stones  for  his  temple. 

Rabbinical  fantasy  has  developed  other  myths 
concerning  this  mysterious  force,  resident  in  worm 
or  stone.  On  the  second  day  of  Creation  were 
created  the  well  by  which  Jacob  met  Rebecca,  the 
manna  which  fed  the  Israelites,  the  wonder-working 
rod  of  Moses,  the  ass  which  spake  to  Balaam,  and 
schamir,  the  means  whereby  without  iron  tool 
Solomon  was  to  build  the  House  of  God.  Scha- 
mir  is  not  in  early  rabbinical  fable  a  worm ;  the 
treatise  Sota  gives  the  first  indication  of  its  being 
r^arded  as  something  more  than  a  ston^  by 
terming  it  a  "creature,"  Kn'"a.  "Our  Rabbis 
have  taught  us  that  schamir  is  a  creature  as  big 
as  a  barley-corn,  created  in  the  hexameron,  and 
that  nothing  can  resist  it  How  is  it  preserved  ? 
It  is  wrapped  in  a  wisp  of  wool,  and  kept  in  a 
leaden  box  full  of  small  grains  like  barley-meal  V* 
After  the  building  of  the  temple  schamir  vanished. 

The  story  passed  to  the  Greeks.  i£lian  relates  of 
the  €7ro^  or  hoopoe,  that  a  bird  had  once  a  nest  in 
an  old  wall,  in  which  there  was  a  rent  The  pro- 
prietor plastered  over  this  crack.    The  hoopoe  find- 

'  Sota,  xlviii.  8. 


Schamir  896 

ing  that  she  could  not  get  to  her  young,  flew  away 
in  quest  of  a  plant  iroa,  which  she  brought,  and 
applied  to  the  plaster,  which  at  once  gave  way, 
and  admitted  her  to  her  young.  Then  she  went 
forth  to  seek  food,  and  the  man  again  stopped  up 
the  hole,  but  once  more  the  hoopoe  removed  the 
obstacle  by  the  same  means.  And  this  took  place 
a  third  time  again*.  What  -/Elian  relates  of  the 
hoopoe,  Pliny  tells  of  the  woodpecker.  This  bird, 
he  says,  brings  up  its  young  in  holes ;  and  if  the 
entrance  to  them  be  plugged  up  never  so  tight,  the 
bird  is  able  to  make  the  plug  burst  out. 

In  the  English  Gesta  Romanorum  is  the  follow- 
ing story.  There  lived  in  Rome  a  noble  emperor, 
Diocletian  by  name,  who  loved  the  virtue  of  com- 
passion above  every  thing.  Therefore  he  desired 
to  know  which  of  all  the  birds  was  most  kindly 
affectioned  towards  its  young.  One  day,  the 
Emperor  was  wandering  in  the  forest,  when  he  lit 
upon  the  nest  of  a  great  bird  called  ostrich,  in 
which  was  the  mother  with  her  young.  The  king 
took  the  nest  along  with  the  poults  to  his  palace, 
and  put  it  into  a  glass  vessel.  This  the  mother- 
bird  saw,  and,  unable  to  reach  her  little  ones,  she 

^  iElian,  Hist.  AnimaL  iii.  26. 


896  Schamir 

returned  into  the  wood,  and  after  an  absence  of 
three  days  came  back  with  a  worm  in  her  beak, 
called  thumare.  This  she  dropped  on  the  glass, 
and  by  the  power  of  the  worm,  the  glass  was  shi- 
vered, and  the  young  flew  away  after  their  mother. 
When  the  Emperor  saw  this,  he  highly  commended 
both  the  affection  and  the  sagacity  of  the  ostrich. 
On  which  we  may  remark,  that  a  portion  of  that 
sagacity  was  wanting  to  those  who  applied  the 
myth  to  that  bird  which  of  all  others  is  singularly 
deficient  in  the  qualities  with  which  Diocletian  cre- 
dited it.  Similar  stories  are  told  by  Vincent  of 
Beauvais  in  his  "  Historical  Mirror  *,"  and  by  gossip- 
ing, fable-loving,  and  delightful  Gervase  of  Tilbury*. 
The  latter  says  that  Solomon  cut  the  stones  of 
the  temple  with  the  blood  of  a  little  worm  called 
thamir,  which  when  sprinkled  on  the  marble,  made 
it  easy  to  split  And  the  way  in  which  Solomon 
obtained  the  worm  was  this.  He  had  an  ostrich, 
whose  chick  he  put  in  a  glass  bottle.  Seeing  this, 
the  ostrich  ran  to  the  desert,  and  brought  the  worm, 
and  with  its  blood  fractured  the  vessel.  "  And  in 
our  time,  in  the  reign  of  Pope  Alexander  HI., 

*  Vincent  Bellov.,  Spec.  Nat.  20,  170. 

•  Gervasii  Tilberiensis  Otia  Imp.,  ed.  Liebrecht.  Hanov. 
1856,  p.  48. 


Schamir  897 

when  I  was  a  boy,  there  was  found  at  Rome,  a 
vial  full  of  milky  liquid,  which,  when  sprinkled  on 
any  kinds  of  stone,  made  them  receive  such  sculp- 
ture as  the  hand  of  the  graver  was  wont  to  execute. 
It  was  a  vial  discovered  in  a  most  ancient  palace, 
the  matter  and  art  of  which  was  a  subject  of 
wonder  to  the  Roman  people." 

Gervase  drew  from   Comestor  (Regum  lib.  lii. 

"If  you  wish  to  burst  chains,"  says  Albertus 
Magnus  '^,  "  go  into  the  wood,  and  look  for  a  wood- 
pecker's nest,  where  there  are  young ;  climb  the 
tree,  and  choke  the  mouth  of  the  nest  with  any  thing 
you  like.  As  soon  as  she  sees  you  do  this,  she  flies 
off  for  a  plant,  which  she  lays  on  the  stoppage ;  this 
bursts,  and  the  plant  falls  to  the  ground  under  the 
tree,  where  you  must  have  a  cloth  spread  for  re- 
ceiving it"  But  then,  says  Albertus,  this  is  a  fancy 
of  the  Jews^ 

Conrad  von  Megenburg  relates :  "  There  is  a  bird 
which  in  Latin  is  called  merops,  but  which  we  in 
German  term  Bomheckel  (i.e.  Baumhacker),  which 
nests  in  high  trees,  and  when  one  covers  its  children 
with  something  to  impede  the  approach  of  the  bird, 

'  De  Mirab.  Mundi.    Argent.  1601,  p.  225. 
*  De  Animalibus.    Mantua,  1479,  ^^*  P^& 


898  Schamir 

it  brings  a  herb,  and  holds  it  over  the  obstacle,  and 
it  gives  way.  The  plant  is  called  herba  meropisy  or 
woodpecker-plant,  and  is  called  in  magical  books 
Chora '." 

In  Normandy,  the  swallow  knows  how  to  find 
upon  the  sea-beach  a  pebble  which  has  the  mar- 
vellous power  of  restoring  sight  to  the  blind.  The 
peasants  tell  of  a  certain  way  of  obtaining  posses-* 
sion  of  this  stone.  You  must  put  out  the  eyes  of  a 
swallow's  young,  whereupon  the  mother-bird  will 
immediately  go  in  quest  of  the  stone.  When  she 
has  found  it  and  applied  it,  she  will  endeavour  to 
make  away  with  the  talisman,  that  none  may  dis- 
cover it.  But  if  one  has  taken  the  precaution  to 
spread  a  piece  of  scarlet  cloth  below  the  nest,  the 
swallow,  mistaking  it  for  fire,  will  drop  the  stone 
upon  it. 

I  met  with  the  story  in  Iceland.  There  the 
natives  tell  that  there  is  a  stone  of  such  wondrous 
power,  that  the  possessor  can  walk  invisible,  can,  at 
a  wish,  provide  himself  with  as  much  stock-fish  and 
corn-brandy  as  he  may  desire,  can  raise  the  dead, 
cure  disease,  and  break  bolts  and  bars.  In  order  to 
obtain  this  prize,  one  must  hard-boil  an  egg  from 

• 

*  Apud  Mone,  Anzeiger,  viii.  p.  614. 


Schamir  899 

the  raven's  nest,  then  replace  it,  and  secrete  oneself 
till  the  mother-bird,  finding  one  of  her  eggs  resist 
all  her  endeavours  to  infuse  warmth  into  it,  flies  off 
and  brings  a  black  pebble  in  her  beak,  with  which 
she  touches  the  boiled  t%^y  and  restores  it  to  its 
former  condition.  At  this  moment  she  must  be 
shot,  and  the  stone  be  secured. 

In  this  form  of  the  superstition  schamir  has  the 
power  of  giving  life.  This  probably  connects  it 
with  those  stories,  so  rife  in  the  middle  ages,  of  birds 
or  weasels,  which  were  able  to  restore  the  dead  to 
life  by  means  of  a  mysterious  plant.  Avicenna 
relates  in  his  eighth  book,  "  Of  Animals,"  that  it 
was  related  to  him  by  a  faithful  old  man,  that  he 
had  seen  two  little  birds  squabbling,  and  that  one 
was  overcome ;  it  therefore  retired  and  ate  of  a 
certain  herb,  then  it  returned  to  the  onslaught ; 
which  when  the  old  man  observed  frequently,  he 
took  away  the  herb,  and  when  the  bird  came  and 
found  the  plant  gone,  it  set  up  a  great  cry  and 
died.     And  this  plant  was  lactua  agrestis. 

In  Fouque's  "  Sir  Elidoc,"  a  little  boy  Amyot  is 
watching  by  a  dead  lady  laid  out  in  the  church, 
when  "  suddenly  I  heard  a  loud  cry  from  the  child. 
I  looked  up,  a  little  creature  glided  by  me ;  the 
shepherd's  staff  of  the  boy  flew  after  it ;  the  creature 


400  Scltamir 

lay  dead,  stretched  on  the  ground  by  the  blow.  It 
was  a  weasel.  .  .  .  Presently  there  came  a 
second  weasel,  as  if  to  seek  his  comrade,  and  when 
he  found  him  dead,  a  mournful  scene  began  ;  he 
touched  him  as  if  to  say,  *Wake  up,  wake  up, 
let  us  play  together !'  And  when  the  other  little 
animal  lay  dead  and  motionless,  the  living  one 
sprang  back  from  him  in  terror,  and  then  repeated 
the  attempt  again  and  again,  many  times.  Its 
bright  little  eyes  shone  sadly,  as  if  they  were  full  of 
tears.  The  sorrowful  creature  seemed  as  though  it 
suddenly  bethought  itself  of  something.  It  erected 
its  ears,  it  looked  round  with  its  bright  eyes,  and 
then  swiftly  darted  away.  And  before  Amyot  and 
I  could  ask  each  other  of  the  strange  sight,  the  little 
animal  returned  again,  bearing  in  its  mouth  a  root, 
a  root  to  which  grew  a  red  flower ;  I  had  never 
before  seen  such  a  flower  blowing  ;  I  made  a  sign 
to  Amyot,  and  we  both  remained  motionless.  The 
weasel  came  up  quickly,  and  laid  the  root  and  the 
flower  gently  on  its  companion's  mouth ;  the  crea- 
ture, but  now  stiff"  in  death,  stretched  itself,  and 
suddenly  sprang  up,  with  the  root  still  in  its  mouth. 
I  called  to  Amyot, '  The  root !  take  it,  take  it,  but 
do  not  kill !'  Again  he  flung  his  staff",  but  so  dexter- 
ously that  b^  '  '"M  neither  of  the  weasels,  nor  even 


Schamir  401 

hurt  them.  The  root  of  life  and  the  red  blossoms 
lay  on  the  ground  before  me,  and  in  my  power." 
With  this,  naturally  enough,  the  lady  who  is  speak- 
ing restores  the  corpse  to  life.  Sir  Elidoc  is  founded 
on  a  Breton  legend,  the  Lai  d'Eliduc  of  Marie  de 
France;  but  another  tale  from  the  same  country 
makes  the  flower  yellow ;  it  is  a  marigold,  which, 
when  touched  on  a  certain  morning  by  the  bare  foot 
of  one  who  has  a  pure  heart,  gives  the  power  to  un- 
derstand the  language  of  birds  \  This  is  the  same 
story  as  that  of  Polyidus  and  Glaucus.  Polyidus 
observed  a  serpent  stealing  towards  the  corpse  of 
the  young  prince.  He  slew  it ;  then  came  another 
serpent,  and  finding  its  companion  dead,  it  fetched 
a  root  by  which  it  restored  life  to  the  dead  serpent. 
Polyidus  obtained  possession  of  the  plant,  and 
therewith  revived  Glaucus  *.  In  the  Greek  romance 
of  Rhodante  and  Dosicles  is  an  incident  of  similar 
character.  Rhodante  swallows  a  poisoned  goblet 
of  wine,  and  lies  as  one  dead,  deprived  of  sense 
and  motion.  In  the  meanwhile,  Dosicles  and 
Cratander  are  chasing  wild  beasts  in  the  forest. 
There  they  find  a  wounded  bear,  which  seeks  a 
certain  plant,  and,  rolling  upon  it,  recovers  health 

*  Bode,  Volksmahrchen  a.  d.  Bretagne.     Leipz.  1847,  p.  6. 
'  Apollodorus,  ii.  3. 

D  d 


402  Schamir 

and  vigour  instantaneously.  The  root  of  this  herb 
was  white,  its  flowers  of  a  rosy  hue,  attached  to  a 
stalk  of  purplish  tinge.  Dosicles  picked  the  herb, 
and  with  it  returned  to  the  house  where  he  found 
Rhodante  apparently  dead;  with  the  wondrous 
plant  he,  however,  was  able  to  restore  her.  The 
same  story  is  told  in  Germany,  in  Lithuania,  among 
the  modem  Greeks  and  ancient  Scandinavians. 

Germany  teems  with  stories  of  the  marvellous 
properties  of  the  Luckflower. 

A  man  chances  to  pluck  a  beautiful  flower,  which 
in  most  instances  is  blue,  and  this  he  puts  in  his 
breast,  or  in  his  hat.  Passing  along  a  mountain 
side,  he  sees  the  rocks  gape  before  him,  and  enter- 
ing, he  sees  a  beautiful  lady,  who  bids  him  help  him- 
self freely  to  the  gold  which  is  scattered  on  all  sides 
in  profusion.  He  crams  the  glittering  nuggets  into 
his  pockets,  and  is  about  to  leave,  when  she  calls 
after  him,  "  Forget  not  the  best !  "  Thinking  that 
she  means  him  to  take  more,  he  feels  his  crammed 
pockets,  and  finding  that  he  has  nothing  to  reproach 
himself  with  in  that  respect,  he  seeks  the  light  of 
day,  entirely  forgetting  the  precious  blue  flower 
which  had  opened  to  him  the  rocks,  and  which  has 
dropped  on  the  ground. 

As  he  hu*^  -)ugh  the  doorway,  the  rocks 


Schatnir  403 

dose  upon  him  with  a  thunder-crash  and  cut  off 
his  heel.  The  mountain-side  is  thenceforth  closed 
to  him  for  ever. 

Once  upon  a  time  a  shepherd  was  driving  his 
flock  over  the  Ilsenstein,  when,  wearied  with  his 
tramip,  he  leaned  upon  his  staff.  Instantly  the 
mountain  opened,  for  in  that  staff  was  the  "  Spring- 
wort."  Within  he  saw  the  Princess  Use,  who  bade 
him  fill  his  pockets  with  gold.  The  shepherd 
obeyed,  and  was  going  away,  when  the  princess 
exclaimed,  "Forget  not  the  best!"  alluding  to 
his  staff,  which  lay  against  the  wall.  But  he, 
misunderstanding  her,  took  more  gold,  and  the 
mountain  clashing  together,  severed  him  in  twain. 
In  some  versions  of  the  story,  it  is  the  pale  blue 
flower — 

"  The  blue  flower,  which — Bramins  say — 
Blooms  nowhere  but  in  Paradise" — 

(Lalla  Rookh) 

which  exclaims  in  feeble,  piteous  tone,  "  Forget- 
me-not  !"  but  its  little  cry  is  unheeded. 

Thus  originated  the  name  of  the  beautiful  little 
flower.  When  this  story  was  forgotten,  a  romantic 
fable  was  invented  to  account  for  the  peculiar 
appellation. 

In  the  story  of  Ali  Baba  and  the  Forty  Thieves, 

D  d  % 


404  Scliamir 

it  is  a  word,  "sesame,"  which  makes  the  rocks 
part,  and  gives  admission  to  the  treasures  within  ; 
and  it  is  oblivion  of  the  magic  word  which  brings 
destruction  upon  the  luckless  wretch  within.  But 
sesame  is  the  name  of  a  well-known  eastern 
plant,  sesamum  orientate;  so  that  probably  in  the 
onginal  form  of  the  Persian  tale  absorbed  into  the 
Arabian  Nights,  a  flower  was  employed  to  give 
admission  to  the  mountain.  But  classic  antiquity 
has  also  its  rock-breaking  plant,  the  saxifraga, 
whose  tender  rootlets  penetrate  and  dissolve  the 
hardest  stones  with  a  force  for  which  the  Ancients 
were  unable  to  account. 

Isaiah,  describing  the  desolation  of  the  vineyard 
of  Zion,  says  that  "There  shall  come  up  briars 
and  thorns "  (v.  6),  r\'\\*  ^V'di^  I'Dtt^^  (vii.  23 :  cf. 
also  ix.  17 ;  x.  17).  And,  "Upon  the  land  of  my 
people  shall  come  up  thorns  and  briars"  (xxxii. 
13),  where  "I'Dtt?  is  combined  with  \^ip.  The 
word  n»tt?  never  stands  alone,  but  is  always 
joined  with  n»Dlt?,  which  the  LXX  render  axavda 
Kal  x'^fyo^ ;  the  word  in  the  fifth  chapter  they 
render  x^P^^^  axavdcu ;  that  in  the  seventh,  x^P^^^ 
and  axavOa;  so  that  %6/9(ro9  is  put  for  yow,  and 
aKovOa  for  n*ir^.  The  word  in  the  ninth  chapter 
is  arff  *'7pa,  that  in  the  tenth,  £»cr€l  ypfnov  ttjv 


Schamir  406 

5X171/.  Upon  both  names  the  translators  are  not 
agreed.  Now,  this  word  "  smiris  "  is  used  by  Isaiah 
alone  as  the  name  of  a  plant  The  smiris,  as  we 
have  seen,  is  a  stone-breaking  substance,  and  the 
same  idea  which  is  rendered  in  Latin  by  saxifraga  is 
given  in  the  Hebrew  word  used  by  Isaiah,  so  that 
we  may  take  n>tt;i  TDtt^  to  mean  saxifraga  and 
thorn '.  In  the  North,  we  have  another  object,  to 
which  are  attributed  the  same  properties  as  to  the 
"  Springwort "  and  schamir,  and  that  is  the  Hand  of 
Glory.  This  is  the  hand  of  a  man  who  has  been 
hung,  and  it  is  prepared  in  the  following  manner : 
wrap  the  hand  in  a  piece  of  winding-sheet,  drawing 
it  tight,  so  as  to  squeeze  out  the  little  blood  which 
may  remain  ;  then  place  it  in  an  earthenware 
vessel  with  saltpetre,  salt,  and  long  pepper,  all 
carefully  and  thoroughly  powdered.  Let  it  remain 
a  fortnight  in  this  pickle  till  it  is  well  dried,  then 
expose  it  to  the  sun  in  the  dog-days,  till  it  is  com- 
pletely parched,  or,  if  the  sun  be  not  powerful 
enough,  dry  it  in  an  oven  heated  with  vervain  and 

•  Cassel,  Ueber  Schamir,  in  Denkschrift  d.  Konigl.  Akad. 
der  Wissenschaften.  Erfurt,  1856,  p.  76.  The  Oriental  word 
"  smiris "  passed  into  use  among  the  Greeks  as  the  name  of 
the  hardest  substance  known,  used  in  polishing  stones,  and 
is  retained  in  the  German  "Smirgel,"  and  the  English 
"  emery." 


408 

fern.  Next  make  a  candle  with  the  £it  of  a  hong 
man,  ^-irgin-wax,  and  Lapland  sesame.  Ohserve 
the  use  of  this  herb  :  the  hand  of  glory  is  used 
to  hold  this  candle  when  it  is  lighted*.  Doiister 
Swivel,  in  the  ''Antiquary,"  adds,  **  Yon  do  make  a 
candle,  and  put  into  de  hand  of  glory  at  de  proper 
hour  and  minute,  with  de  proper  ceremonisth  ;  and 
he  who  seelcsh  for  treasuresh  shall  find  none  at 
all !"  Southey  places  it  in  the  hands  of  the  en- 
chanter Mohareb,  when  he  would  lull  to  sleep 
Yohak,  the  giant  guardian  of  the  caves  of  Baboon. 
He— 

^  From  his  walkt  drew  a  human  band, 
Shrivell'd,  and  dry,  and  black ; 
And  fitting,  as  he  spake, 
A  taper  in  his  bold. 
Pursued :  *'  A  murderer  on  the  stake  bad  died ; 
I  drove  the  vulture  from  his  limbs,  and  lopt 
The  hand  that  did  the  murder,  and  drew  up 
The  tendon  strings  to  close  its  grasp ; 

And  in  the  sun  and  wind 
Parch'd  it,  nine  weeks  exposed. 
The  taper  .  .  .  But  not  here  the  place  to  impart. 
Nor  hast  thou  undergone  the  rites 
That  fit  thee  to  partake  the  mystery. 
Look !  it  bums  clear,  but  with  the  air  around. 
Its  dead  ingredients  mingle  deathliness*.'^ 

Several  stories  of  this  terrible  hand  are  related  in 

^  Collin  de  Plancy,  Dictionnaire  Infernal.    Paris,  1818. 
*  Thalaba  the  Destroyer,  book  v. 


Schamir  407 

Henderson's  "  Folklore  of  the  Northern  Counties  of 
England."  I  will  only  quote  one,  which  was  told  me 
by  a  labouring  man  in  the  West  Riding  of  York- 
shire, and  which  is  the  same  story  as  that  given  by 
Martin  Anthony  Delrio  in  his  "Disquisitiones  Ma- 
gicae,"  in  1593,  and  which  is  printed  in  the  Appendix 
to  that  book  of  M.  Henderson. 

One  dark  night,  after  the  house  had  been  closed, 
there  came  a  tap  at  the  door  of  a  lone  inn,  in  the 
midst  of  a  barren  moor. 

The  door  was  opened,  and  there  stood  without, 
shivering  and  shaking,  a  poor  beggar,  his  rags 
soaked  with  rain,  and  his  hands  white  with  cold. 
He  asked  piteously  for  a  lodging,  and  it  was  cheer- 
fully granted  him ;  though  there  was  not  a  spare  bed 
in  the  house,  he  might  lie  along  on  the  mat  before 
the  kitchen  fire,  and  welcome. 

All  in  the  house  went  to  bed  except  the  servant 
lassie,  who  from  the  kitchen  could  see  into  the 
large  room  through  a  small  pane  of  glass  let 
into  the  door.  When  every  one  save  the  beggar 
was  out  of  the  room,  she  observed  the  man 
draw  himself  up  from  the  floor,  seat  himself  at 
the  table,  extract  a  brown  withered  human  hand 
from  his  pocket,  and  set  it  upright  in  the  candle- 
stick; he  then  anointed  the  fingers,  and,  apply- 


408  Schamir 

ing  a  match  to  them,  they  began  to  flame. 
Filled  with  horror,  the  girl  rushed  up  the  back 
stairs,  and  endeavoured  to  arouse  her  master  and 
the  men  of  the  house  ;  but  all  in  vain,  they  slept 
a  charmed  sleep ;  and  finding  all  her  efforts  in- 
effectual,  she  hastened  downstairs  again.  Look- 
ing again  through  the  small  window,  she  ob- 
served the  fingers  of  the  hand  flaming,  but  the 
thumb  gave  no  light :  this  was  because  one  of 
the  inmates  of  the  house  was  not  asleep.  The 
beggar  began  collecting  all  the  valuables  of  the 
house  into  a  large  sack — no  lock  withstood  the 
application  of  the  flaming  hand.  Then,  putting 
it  down,  the  man  entered  an  adjoining"  apartment. 
The  moment  he  was  gone,  the  girl  rushed  in, 
and  seizing  the  hand,  attempted  to  extinguish 
the  quivering  yellow  flames,  which  wavered  at 
the  fingers*  ends.  She  blew  at  them  in  vain  ;  she 
poured  some  drops  from  a  beer-jug  over  them, 
but  that  only  made  the  fingers  bum  the  brighter ; 
she  cast  some  water  upon  them,  but  still  without 
extinguishing  the  light.  As  a  last  resource,  she 
caught  up  a  jug  of  milk,  and  dashing  it  over 
the  four  lambent  flames,  they  went  out  imme- 
diately. 

Uttering  a  piercing  cry,  she  rushed  to  the  door 


Schamir  409 

of  the  room  the  beggar  had  entered,  and  locked 
it  The  whole  house  was  aroused,  and  the  thief 
was  secured  and  hung. 

We  must  not  forget  Tom  Ingoldsby's  render- 
ing of  a  similar  legend  :— 

"  Open,  lock, 

To  the  Dead  Man's  knock ! 

Fly,  bolt,  and  bar,  and  band  I 

Nor  move,  nor  swerve, 

Joint,  muscle,  or  nerve, 
At  the  spell  of  the  Dead  Man's  hand  ! 
Sleep,  all  who  sleep  ! — Wake,  all  who  wake  ! 
But  be  as  the  dead  for  the  Dead  Man's  sake  I 

"  Now  lock,  nor  bolt,  nor  bar  avails. 
Nor  stout  oak  panel  thick-studded  with  nails. 
Heavy  and  harsh  the  hinges  creak, 
Though  they  had  been  oil'd  in  the  course  of  the  week. 
The  door  opens  wide  as  wide  may  be, 
And  there  they  stand, 
That  murderous  band. 
Lit  by  the  light  of  the  GLORIOUS  Hand, 
By  one  ! — ^by  two ! — by  three ! " 

But,  instead  of  pursuing  the  fable  through 
its  further  ramifications,  let  us  apply  the  scha- 
mir of  comparative  mythology  to  the  myth  itself, 
and  see  whether  before  it  the  bolts  do  not 
give  way,  and  the  great  doors  of  the  cavern  of 
mysteries  expand,  and  discover  to  us  the  ori- 
gin of  the  superstitious  belief  in  this  sea-prince*s 


410  Schamir 

worm,  the  stone  of  wisdom,  sesame,   forget-me- 
not,  or  the  hand  of  glory. 

What  are  its  effects  ? 

It  bursts  locks,  and  shatters  stones,  it  opens 
in  the  mountains  the  hidden  treasures  hitherto 
concealed  from  men,  or  it  paralyzes,  lulling  into 
a  magic  sleep,  or,  again,  it  restores  to  life. 

I  believe  the  varied  fables  relate  to  one  and 
the  same  object — and  that,  the  lightning. 

But  what  is  the  bird  which  bears  schamir,  the 
worm  or  stone  which  shatters  rocks  ?  It  is  the 
storm-cloud,  which  in  many  a  mythology  of  an- 
cient days  was  supposed  to  be  a  mighty  bird. 
In  Greek  iconography,  Zeus,  "the  aether  in  his 
moist  arms  embracing  the  earth,"  as  Euripides 
describes  him,  is  armed  with  the  thunderbolt, 
and  accompanied  by  the  eagle,  a  symbol  of  the 

cloud. 

"  The  refulgent  heaven  above, 
Which  all  men  call,  unanimously,  Jove  *," 

has  for  its  essential  attributes  the  cloud  and  its 
bolt,  and  when  the  aether  was  represented  under 
human  form,  the  cloud  was  given  shape  as  a 
bird.     It  is  the  same  storm-cloud  which  as  "  blood- 

•  "'         De  N.  Deorum  xvL 


Schamir  411 

thirsting  eagle"  banquets  its  "full  on  the  black 
viands  of  the  liver"  of  Prometheus.  The  same 
cloud  in  its  fury  is  symbolized  by  the  Phorcidae 
with  their  flashing  eye  and  lightning  tooth— 

vphs  Vopy6v€ia  ireBia  KiaB^vriSf  iva 
al  ^opKidfs  vaiovai  brjvaial  Kopai 
rpels  KVKv6fiop(f)oif  koiv6v  Sfifi  eicnjfitpai, 
fU)v68ovT€S,  &5  oijff  rjXios  irpo<rhipK€Tcn 
OKTiariPg  oiiff  ^  vvKTfpos  firivrj  ttotc, 

(JEscn,  Prom,)y 

and  also  by  the  ravening  harpies.  In  ancient 
Indian  mythology,  the  delicate  white  cirrus  cloud 
drifting  overhead  was  a  fleeting  swan,  and  so  it 
was  as  well  in  the  creed  of  the  Scandinavian, 
whilst  the  black  clouds  were  ravens  coursing 
over  the  earth,  and  returning  to  whisper  the  news 
in  the  ear  of  listening  Odin.  The  rushing  vapour 
is  the  roc  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  which  broods 
over  its  great  luminous  egg,  the  sun,  and  which 
haunts  the  sparkling  valley  of  diamonds,  the 
starry  sky.  The  resemblance  traced  between 
bird  and  cloud  is  not  far  fetched :  it  recurs  to  the 
modern  poet  as  it  did  to  the  Psalmist,  when  he 
spoke  of  the  "wings  of  the  wind."  If  the  cloud 
was  supposed  to  be  a  great  bird,  the  lightnings 
were  regarded  as  writhing  worms  or  serpents 
in  its  beak.    These  flery  serpents,  kJuKlai,  ^pafjLfbo- 


412  Schantir 

eiim  it€p6fi€voi,  are  believed  in  to  this  day  by 
the  Canadian  Indians,  who  call  the  thunder  their 
hissing.  It  was  these  heavenly  reptiles  which 
were  supposed  by  the  Druids  to  generate  the  sun, 
the  famous  anguineum  so  coveted  and  so  ill  compre- 
hended. The  thunderbolt  shattering  all  it  struck, 
was  regarded  as  the  stone  dropped  by  the  cloud- 
bird.  A  more  forced  resemblance  is  that  supposed 
to  exist  between  the  lightning  and  a  heavenly 
flower,  blue,  or  yellow,  or  red,  and  yet  there  is  evi- 
dence, upon  which  I  cannot  enter  here,  that  so  it 
was  regarded 

The  lightning-flashing  cloud  was  also  supposed 
to  be  a  flaming  hand.  The  Greek  placed  the 
forked  dart  in  the  hand  of  Zeus — 

"  rubente 
Dextera  sacras  jaculatus  arces;" 

and  the  ancient  Mexican  symbolized  the  sacrificial 
fire  by  a  blood-red  hand  impressed  on  his  sanctu- 
ary walls.  The  idea  may  have  been  present  in  the 
mind  of  the  servant  of  Elijah  when  he  told  his 
master  that  he  saw  from  the  top  of  Carmel  rising 
"  A  little  cloud  out  of  the  sea,  like  a  man's  hand. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  heaven  was  black 
with  clouds  and  wind,  and  there  was  a  great  rain" 
(i  Kings  xviii.  4'"^      In  Finnish  and  Esthonian 


Schamir  413 

mythology,  the  cloud  is  a  little  man  with  a  copper 
hand,  who,  rising  from  the  water,  becomes  a  giant 

The  black  cloud  with  the  lambent  flames  issuing 
from  it  was  the  original  of  the  magical  hand  of 
glory. 

The  effects  produced  by  the  lightning  are  differ- 
ently expressed.  As  shattering  the  rocks,  scha- 
mir is  easily  intelligible.  It  is  less  so  as  giving 
access  to  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  mountains. 
The  ancient  Aryan  had  the  same  name  for  cloud 
and  mountain.  To  him  the  piles  of  vapour  on  the 
horizon  were  so  like  Alpine  ranges,  that  he  had  but 
one  word  whereby  to  designate  both.  These  great 
mountains  of  heaven  were  opened  by  the  lightning. 
In  the  sudden  flash  he  beheld  the  dazzling  splen- 
dour within,  but  only  for  a  moment,  and  then,  with 
a  crash,  the  celestial  rocks  closed  again.  Believing 
these  vaporous  piles  to  contain  resplendent  trea- 
sures of  which  partial  glimpse  was  obtained  by 
mortals  in  a  momentary  gleam,  tales  were  speedily 
formed,  relating  the  adventures  of  some  who  had 
succeeded  in  entering  these  treasure-mountains. 
The  plant  of  life,  brought  by  weasel  or  serpent, 
restores  life  to  one  who  was  dead.  This  myth  was 
forged  in  Eastern  lands,  where  the  earth  apparently 
dies  from  a  protracted  drought.    Then  comes  the 


414  Sckamir 

cloud.  The  lightning  flash  reaches  the  barren, 
dead,  and  thirsty  land ;  forth  gush  the  waters  of 
heaven,  and  the  parched  vegetation  bursts  once 
more  into  the  vigour  of  life,  restored  after  sus- 
pended animation.  It  is  the  dead  and  parched 
vegetation  which  is  symbolized  by  Glaucus,  and 
the  earth  still  and  without  the  energy  of  life 
which  is  represented  by  the  lady  in  the  Lai 
d'Eliduc.  This  reviving  power  is  attributed  in 
mythology  to  the  rain  as  well.  In  Sclavonic 
myths,  it  is  the  water  of  life  which  restores  the 
dead  earth,  a  water  brought  by  a  bird  from  the 
depths  of  a  gloomy  cave.  A  prince  has  been 
murdered, — that  is,  the  earth  is  dead  ;  then  comes 
the  eagle  bearing  a  vial  of  the  reviving  water — 
the  cloud  with  the  rain ;  it  sprinkles  the  corpse 
with  the  precious  drops,  and  life  returns  ^ 

But  the  hand  of  glory  has  a  very  different 
property — it  paralyzes.  In  this  it  resembles  the 
Gorgon's  head  or  the  basilisk.  The  head  of 
Medusa,  with  its  flying  serpent  locks,  is  unques- 
tionably the  storm-cloud  ;  and  the  basilisk 
which  strikes  dead  with   its  eye  is  certainly  the 

7  Compare  with  this  the  Psyche  in  "The  Golden  Ass," 
and  the  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks  of  the  Countess 
d'Aulnay. 


Schamir  415 

same.  The  terror  inspired  by  the  outburst  of 
the  thunder-storm  is  expressed  in  fable  by  the 
paralyzing  effect  of  the  eye  of  the  cockatrice,  the 
exhibition  of  the  Gorgon's  countenance,  and  the 
waving  of  the  glorious  hand. 

Strained  as  some  of  these  explanations  may 
seem,  they  are  nevertheless  true.  We,  with  our 
knowledge  of  the  causes  producing  meteorological 
phenomena,  are  hardly  able  to  realize  the  extrava- 
gance of  the  theories  propounded  by  the  ignorant 
to  account  for  them. 

How  Finn  cosmogonists  could  have  believed 
the  earth  and  heaven  to  be  made  out  of  a 
severed  egg,  the  upper  concave  shell  representing 
heaven,  the  yolk  being  earth,  and  the  crystal 
surrounding  fluid  the  circumambient  ocean,  is 
to  us  incomprehensible :  and  yet  it  remains  a 
fact  that  so  they  did  regard  them.  How  the 
Scandinavians  could  have  supposed  the  moun- 
tains to  be  the  mouldering  bones  of  a  mighty 
Jotun,  and  the  earth  to  be  his  festering  flesh,  we 
cannot  conceive :  yet  such  a  theory  was  solemnly 
taught  and  accepted.  How  the  ancient  Indians 
could  regard  the  rain-clouds  as  cows  with  full 
udders,  milked  by  the  winds  of  heaven,  is  beyond 
our  comprehension,  and  yet  their  Veda  contains 


416  Schamir 

indisputable  testimony  to  the  fact  that  so  they 
were  regarded. 

Nonnus  Dionysius  (v.  16^  et  seq.)  spoke  of 
the  moon  as  a  luminous  white  stone,  and  De- 
mocritus  regarded  the  stars  as  Trer/oow.  Lucre- 
tius considered  the  sun  as  a  wheel  (v.  433),  and 
Ovid  as  a  shield — 

"  Ipse  Dei  clypeus,  terra  cum  tollitur  ima, 
Mane  rubet :  terraque  rubet,  cum  conditur  ima. 
Candidus  in  sununo  .  .  .  ." — {Metatn,  xv.  192  sq.) 

As  late  as  1600,  a  German  writer  would  illus- 
trate a  thunder-storm  destroying  a  crop  of  com 
by  a  picture  of  a  dragon  devouring  the  produce  of 
the  field  with  his  flaming  tongue  and  iron  teeth 
(Wolfii  Memorabil.  ii.  p.  505) ;  and  at  the  present 
day  children  are  taught  that  the  thunder-crash  is 
the  voice  of  the  Almighty. 

The  restless  mind  of  man,  ever  seeking  a  reason 
to  account  for  the  marvels  presented  to  his  senses, 
adopts  one  theory  after  another,  and  the  rejected 
explanations  encumber  the  memory  of  nations 
as  myths,  the  significance  of  which  has  been 
forgotten. 


^^t  9$i9tx  of  ^amtln 

HAMELN  town  was  infested  with  rats,  in  the 
year  1^84.  In  their  houses  the  people  had 
no  peace  from  them  ;  rats  disturbed  them  by  night 
and  worried  them  by  day — 

"  They  fought  the  dogs,  and  kill*d  the  cats, 

And  bit  the  babies  in  the  cradles, 
And  ate  the  cheeses  out  of  the  vats, 

And  lick'd  the  soup  from  the  cook's  own  ladles, 
Split  open  the  kegs  of  salted  sprats, 
Made  nests  inside  men's  Sunday  hats, 
And  even  spoiPd  the  women's  chats, 

By  drowning  their  speaking 

With  shrieking  and  squeaking 
In  fifty  different  sharps  and  flats." 

One  day,  there  came  a  man  into  the  town,  most 

quaintly  attired  in  parti-coloured  suit.     Bunting 

the  man  was  called,  after  his  dress.    None  knew 

whence  he  came,  or  who  he  was.     He  announced 

himself  to  be  a  rat-catcher,  and  offered  for  a  certain 

E  e 


41S  The  Piper  of  Hamelu 

sum  of  money  to  rid  the  place  of  the  vennin.  The 
townsmen  agreed  to  his  proposal,  and  promised 
him  the  sum  demanded.  Thereupon  the  man 
drew  forth  a  pipe  and  piped. 

**'  And  ere  three  shrill  notes  the  pipe  nttex'd. 
You  heard  as  if  an  army  mutter'd ; 
And  the  muttering  grew  to  a  grumbling. 
And  the  grumbling  grew  to  a  mi^ty  rmnbling : 
And  out  of  the  town  the  rats  came  tumbling. 
Great  rats,  small  rats,  lean  rats,  brawny  rats. 
Brown  rats,  black  rats,  grey  rats,  tawny  rats. 
Grave  old  plodders,  gay  young  friskers^ 

Fathers,  mothers,  uncles,  cousins, 
Cocking  tails  and  pricking  whiskers ; 

Families  by  tens  and  dozens, 
Brothers,  sisters,  husbands,  wives, 
Followed  the  Piper  for  their  lives. 
From  street  to  street  he  piped  advancing. 
Until  they  came  to  the  river  Weser, 
Wherein  all  plimged  and  perished." 

No  sooner  were  the  townsfolk  released  from  their 
torment,  than  they  repented  of  their  bargain,  and, 
on  the  plea  that  the  rat-destroyer  was  a  sorcerer, 
they  refused  to  pay  the  stipulated  remuneration. 
At  this  the  piper  waxed  wrath,  and  vowed  ven- 
geance. On  the  26th  June,  the  feast  of  SS.  John 
and  Paul,  the  mysterious  Piper  reappeared  in 
Hameln  town — 

ore  he  stept  into  the  street, 
his  lips  again 


The  Piper  of  Hanuln  419 

Laid  his  long  pipe  of  smooth,  straight  cane ; 
And,  ere  he  blew  three  notes  (such  sweet, 
Soft  notes  as  yet  musician's  cunning 
Never  gave  to  the  enraptured  air), 
There  was  a  rustling,  that  seem'd  like  a  bustling 
Of  merry  crowds  justling,  at  pitching  and  hustling. 
Small  feet  were  pattering,  wooden  shoes  clattering. 
Little  hands  clapping,  and  little  tongues  chattering : 
And,  like  fowls  in  a  farmyard  where  barley  is  scattering. 
Out  came  the  children  running. 
All  the  little  boys  and  girls. 
With  rosy  cheeks  and  flaxen  curls, 
And  sparkling  eyes,  and  teeth  like  pearls, 
Tripping,  skipping,  ran  merrily  after 
The  wonderful  music  with  shouting  and  laughter.** 

The  Piper  led  the  way  down  the  street,  the  chil- 
dren all  following,  whilst  the  Hameln  people  stood 
aghast,  not  knowing  what  step  to  take,  or  what 
would  be  the  result  of  thi^  weird  piping.  He  led 
them  from  the  town  towards  a  hill  rising  above  the 
Weser — 

^  When,  lo !  as  they  reached  the  mountain's  side, 
A  wondrous  portal  open'd  wide. 
As  if  a  cavern  were  suddenly  hoUow'd ; 
And  the  piper  advanced,  and  the  children  followed ; 
And  when  all  were  in,  to  the  very  last, 
The  door  in  the  mountain  side  shut  fast/' 

No !  not  all.  Two  remained :  the  one  blind,  and 
the  other  dumb.  The  dumb  child  pointed  out  the 
spot  where  the  children  had  vanished,  and  the  blind 

£  e  2 


420  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

boy  related  his  sensations  when  he  heard  the  piper 
play.  In  other  accounts,  the  lad  was  lame,  and  he 
alone  was  left ;  and  in  after  years  he  was  sad.  And 
thus  he  accounted  for  his  settled  melancholy — 

"  It's  dull  in  our  town  since  my  playmates  left ; 
J  can't  forget  that  I'm  bereft 
Of  all  the  pleasant  sights  they  see, 
Which  the  piper  also  promised  me ; 
For  he  led  us,  he  said,  to  a  joyous  land. 
Joining  the  town,  and  just  at  hand. 
Where  waters  gush'd,  and  fruit-trees  grew, 
And  flowers  put  forth  a  fairer  hue, 
And  every  thing  was  strange  and  new ; 
And  sparrows  were  brighter  than  peacocks  here 
And  their  dogs  outran  our  fallow  deer, 
And  honey  bees  had  lost  their  stings, 
And  horses  were  bom  with  eagle's  wings ; 
And  just  as  I  became  assured 
My  lame  foot  would  be  speedily  cured. 
The  music  stopp'd,  aftd  I  stood  still, 
And  found  myself  outside  the  hill,  •' 

Left  alone  against  my  will. 
To  go  now  limping  as  before, 
And  never  hear  of  that  country  more." 

The  number  of  children  that  perished  was  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  Fathers  and  mothers  rushed 
to  the  east  gate,  but  when  they  came  to  the  moun- 
tain, called  Koppenberg,  into  which  the  train  had 
disappeared,  nothing  was  observable  except  a  small 
hollow,  where  the  sorcerer  and  their  little  ones  had 
entered.  •      . 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  421 

The  street  through  which  the  piper  went  is  called 
the  Bungen-Strasse,  because  no  music,  no  drum 
(Bunge),  may  be  played  in  it.  If  a  bridal  pro- 
cession passes  through  it,  the  music  must  cease 
until  it  is  out  of  it  It  is  not  long  since  two  moss- 
grown  crosses  on  the  Koppenberg  marked  the  spot 
where  the  little  ones  vanished.  On  th^^all  of  a 
house  in  the  town  is  written,  in  gold  cliaracters — 

''Anno  1284  am  dage  Johannis  et  Pauli  war  der  26.  Junii 
dorch  einen  piper  mit  allerlei  farve  bekledet  gewesen  130 
kinder  verledet  binnen  Hameln  gebon  to  Calvarie,  bi  den 
Koppen  verloren.** 

On  the   Rathhaus  was  sculptured,  in  memory  of 

the  event — 

"  Im  Jahr  1284  J^a  Christi  gebert 
Tho  Hamel  worden  uthgevert 
himdert  imd  dreiszig  kinder  dasiilvest  gebom 
durch  einen  Piper  under  den  Koppen  verlom.*' 

And  on  the  new  gate — 

''  Centum  ter  denos  cum  magus  ab  urbe  puellos 
Duxerat  ante  annos  CCLXXil  condita  porta  fuit." 

For  long,  so  profound  was  the  impression  pro- 
duced by  the  event,  the  town  dated  its  public 
documents  from  this  calamity  *. 

*  Thorpb,  Northern  Mythology,  iii.  119;  and  Grinmiy 
Deutsche  Sagen,  Berlin,  1866,  i.  p.  245.  Grimm  has  col- 
lected a  list  of  authorities  who  speak  of  the  event  as  an  his- 
torical fact. 


422  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

^  Similar  stories  are  told  of  other  places.  A  man 
with  a  violin  came  once  to  Brandenburg,  and  walked 
through  the  town  fiddling.  All  the  children  fol- 
lowed him  :  he  led  them  to  the  Marienberg,  which 
opened  and  admitted  him  and  the  little  ones,  and, 
closing  upon  them,  left  none  behind.  At  one  time, 
the  fields  about  Lorch  were  devastated  with  ants. 
The  Bishop  of  Worms  instituted  a  procession  and 
litanies  to  obtain  the  deliverance  of  his  people  from 
the  plague.  As  the  procession  approached  the 
Lake  of  Lorch,  a  hermit  came  to  meet  it,  and 
offered  to  rid  the  neighbourhood  of  the  ants,  if  the 
farmers  would  erect  a  chapel  on  the  site,  at  the  cost 
of  a  hundred  gulden,  When  they  consented,  he 
drew  forth  a  pipe  and  piped  so  sweetly  that  all  the 
insects  came  about  him  ;  and  he  led  them  to  the 
water,  into  which  he  plunged  with  them.  Then  he 
asked  for  the  money,  but  it  was  refused.  Where- 
upon he  piped  again,  and  all  the  pigs  followed  him: 
he  led  them  into  the  lake,  and  vanished  with  them.i/ 
;,  Next  year  a  swarpi  of  crickets  ate  up  the  herbage ; 
the  people  were  in  despair.  Again  they  went  in 
procession,  and  were  met  by  a  charcoal-burner, 
who  promised  to  destroy  the  insects,  if  the  people 
would  expend  five  hundred  gulden  on  a  chapel. 
Then  he  piped,  and  the  crickets  followed  him  into 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  428 

the  water.  Again  the  people  refused  to  pay  the 
stipulated  sum,  thereupon  the  charcoal-burner  piped 
all  their  sheep  into  the  lake.  The  third  year  comes 
a  plague  of  rats.  A  little  old  man  of  the  mountain 
this  time  offers  to  free  the  land  of  the  vermin  for  a 
thousand  gulden.  He  pipes  them  into  the  Tannen- 
berg  ;  then  the  farmers  again  button  up  their 
pockets,  whereupon  thejittle  man  pipes  all  their 
children  away '.  . 

In  the  Hartz  mountains  once  passed  a  strange 
musician  with  a  bagpipe.  Each  time  that  he 
played  a  tune  a  maiden  died.  In  this  manner  he 
caused  the  death  of  fifty  girls,  and  then  he  vanished 
with  their  souls '. 

It  is  singular  that  a  similar  story  should  exist  in 
Abyssinia.  It  is  related  by  Harrison,  in  his  "  High- 
lands of  ^Ethiopia,"  that  the  Hadjiuji  Madjuji  are 
daemon  pipers,  who,  riding  on  a  goat,  traverse  a 
hamlet,  and,  by  their  music,  irresistibly  draw  the 
children  after  them  to  destruction. 

The  soul,  in  German  mythology,  is  supposed  to 
bear  some  analogy  to  a  mouse.  In  Thuringia,  at 
Saalfeld,  a  servant-girl  fell  asleep  whilst  her  com- 

*  Wolf,  Beitrage  zur  Deutschen  Mythologie.  Gottingen, 
1852,  i.  17T. 

•  Prohle,  Mahrchen,  No.  14.      ^^ 


4M  TheP^ofHamdm 

panions  were  sbelUng  nots.  They  observed  a  little 
red  mouse  creep  from  her  moudi  and  run  out  of  the 
window.  One  of  the  fellows  present  shook  the 
sleeper,  but  could  not  wake  her,  so  he  moved  her 
to  another  place.  Presently  the  mouse  ran  back 
to  the  former  place,  and  dashed  about  seeking  the 
girl:  not  finding  her,  it  vanished;  at  the  same 
moment,  the  girl  died  ^ 

Akin  to  the  story  of  the  piper  is  that  made 
familiar  to  us  by  Goethe's  poem,  the  Erlking. 

A  father  is  riding  late  at  night  with  his  child 
wrapped  in  a  mantle.  The  little  fellow  hears  the 
erlking  chanting  in  his  ear,  and  promising  him  the 
glories  of  Elf-land,  where  his  daughters  dance  and 
sing,  awaiting  him,  if  he  will  follow.  The  father 
hushes  the  child,  and  bids  him  not  to  listen,  for  it 
is  only  the  whistling  of  the  wind  among  the  trees. 
But  the  song  has  lured  the  little  soul  away,  and 
when  the  father  unfolds  his  mantle,  the  child  is 
dead. 

It  is  curious  that  a  trace  of  this  m)^h  should  re- 
main among  the  Wesleyans.  From  my  experience 
of  English  dissenters,  I  am  satisfied  that  their  reli- 
gion is,  to  a  greater  extent  tlian  any  one  has  sup- 

'aetorius,  i.  40. 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  425 

posed,  a  revival  of  ancient  paganism,  which  has 
long  Iain  dormant  among  the  English  peasantry. 
A  Wesleyan  told  me  one  day  that  he  was  sure  his 
little  servant-girl  was  going  to  die;  for  the  night 
before,  as  he  had  lain  awake,  he  had  heard  an 
angel  piping  to  her  in  the  adjoining  room ;'  the  music 
was  inexpressibly  sweet,  like  the  warbling  of  a  flute. 
"And  when  t'aingels  gang  that  road,"  said  the 
Yorkshire  man,  "  they're  boun  to  tak  baiins'  souls 
wi'  em."  I  know  several  cases  of  Wesleyans  de- 
claring that  they  were  going  to  die,  because  they 
had  heard  voices  singing  to  them,  which  none  but 
themselves  had  distinguished,  telling  them  of  the — 


" happy  land 

Far,  far  away," 

precisely  as  the  piper  of  Hameln's  notes  seemed  to 
the  lame  lad  to  speak  of  a  land — 

"  Where  flowers  put  forth  a  fairer  hue, 
And  every  thing  was  strange  and  new.** 

And  I  have  heard  of  a  death  being  accounted  for 
by  a  band  of  music  playing  in  the  neighbourhood. 
"When  f music  was  agaite,  her  soul  was  forced  to 
be  off." 

A  hymn  by  the  late  Dr.  Faber,  now  very  popu- 
lar,  is  unquestionably   founded   on    this    ancient 


426  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

superstition,  and  is  probably  an  unconscious  revival 
of  early  dissenting  reminiscences. 

''  Hark !  hark,  my  soul !  Angelic  songs  are  swelling 
O'er  earth's  green  fields  and  ocean's  wave-beat  shore  : 
How  sweet  the  truth  those  blessed  strains  are  telling 
Of  that  new  life  when  sin  shall  be  no  more ! 

**  Onward  we  go,  for  still  we  hear  them  singing, 
Come,  weary  souls,  for  Jesus  bids  you  come : 
And  through  the  dark,  its  echoes  sweetly  ringing. 
The  music  of  the  Gospel  leads  us  home. 
Angels  of  Jesus,  Angels  of  Light, 
Singing  to  welcome  the  pilgrims  of  the  night." 

An  idea  which  I  have  myself  consciously  adopted 
in  a  hymn  on  the  severing  of  Jordan  (People's 
Hymnal,  3),  upon  the  principle  which  led  the  early 
Christians  to  adopt  the  figure  of  Orpheus  as  a  sym- 
bol of  Christ. 

"  Sweet  angels  are  calling  to  me  from  yon  shore, 
Come  over,  come  over,  and  wander  no  more.** 

The  music  which  our  English  dissenters  consider 
as  that  of  angels'  singing,  is  attributed  by  the  Ger- 
mans to  the  Elves,  and  their  song  is  called  Alpleich 
or  Elfenreigen.  Children  are  cautioned  not  to 
listen  to  it,  or  believe  in  the  promises  made  in  the 
weird  spirit-song.  If  they  hearken,  then  Frau 
HoUe,  the  ancient  goddess  Hulda,  takes  them  to 
wander  with  her  in  the  forests. 

A  yoi  heard  the  music,  and  was  filled  with 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  427 

an  irresistible  longing  to  be  with  Dame  HoUe.  Three 
days  after  he  died,  and  it  was  said  of  him,  "  He 
preferred  the  society  of  Frau  Hulda  to  heaven,  and 
now  till  the  judgment  he  must  wander  with  her  in 
the  forest'."  In  like  manner,  in  Scandinavian  ballads, 
we  are  told  of  youths  who  were  allured  away  by 
the  sweet  strains  of  the  Elf  maidens  *.  Their  music 
is  called  ellfr-lek,  in  Icelandic  liiiflingslagy  in  Nor- 
wegian Huldresldt 

The  reader  will  have  already  become  conscious 
that  these  northern  myths  resemble  the  classic 
fable  of  the  Sirens,  with  their  magic  lay;  of  Ulysses 
with  his  ears  open,  bound  to  the  mast,  longing  to 
rush  to  their  arms,  and  perish. 

The  root  of  the  myth  is  this :  the  piper  is  no  other 
than  the  wind,  and  ancients  held  that  in  the  wind 
were  the  souls  of  the  dead.  All  over  England  the 
peasants  believe  still  that  the  spirits  of  unbap- 
tized  children  wander  in  it,  and  that  the  wail  at 
their  doors  and  windows  are  the  cries  of  the  little 
souls  condemned  to  journey  till  the  last  day.  The 
ancient  German  goddess  Hulda  was  ever  accom- 
panied by  a  crowd  of  children's  souls,  and  Odin  in 
his  wild  hunt  rushed  over  the  tree-tops,  accompa- 

*  Zeitschrift  fur  Deutsche  Myth.  i.  27. 

•  Svenska  fomsanger,  2.  308.    Danske  viser,  i.  235 — 24a 


428  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

nied  by  the  scudding  train  of  brave  men's  spirits.  It 
is  because  the  soul  is  thought  to  travel  on  the  wind, 
that  we  open  the  window  to  let  a  dying  person 
breathe  his  last  Often  have  I  had  it  repeated  to 
me  that  the  person  in  extremis  could  not  die,  that 
he  struggled  to  die,  but  was  unable  till  the  case- 
ment was  thrown  open,  and  then  at  once  his  spirit 
escaped. 

In  one  of  the  Icelandic  sagas  we  have  a  strange 
story  of  a  man  standing  at  his  house-door,  and  see- 
ing the  souls  go  by  in  the  air,  and  among  the  souls 
was  his  own ;  he  told  the  tale  and  died. 

In  Greek  mythology,  Hermes  Psychopompos 
carries  the  spirits  of  the  dead  to  Hades ;  and  in 
Egyptian  fable,  Thoth  performs  the  same  office.  I 
am  satisfied  that  we  have  in  Hermes  two  entirely 
distinct  divinities  run  into  one,  through  the  confu- 
sion of  similar  names,  that  the  Pelasgic,  Ithyphallic 
Hermes  is  an  entirely  distinct  god  from  the  tricksy, 
thievish  youth  with  winged  feet  and  fluttering 
mantle.  The  Pelasgic  Hermes  (from  epyji!)  is  the 
sun  as  generator  of  life,  whilst  the  other  Hermes 
(from  6p/i?7)  is  the  impetuous  wind,  whose  represen- 
tative Saramft  exists  as  the  gale  in  Indian  mytho- 
''^'^.  Hermes  Psychopompos  is  therefore  the  wind 
ng  away  the  souls  of  the  dead.     He  has  other 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  429 

atmospheric  characteristics:  the  flying  cloak,  a  sym- 
bol of  the  drifting  cloud, — as  Odin,  the  rushing  of 
storm,  is  also  Hekluberandi,  the  mantle-bearer  ;  the 
winged  Talaria,  emblems  of  the  swiftness  of  his 
flight ;  and  the  lyre,  wherewith  he  closes  the  thou- 
sand eyes  of  Argos,  the  starry  firmament,  signify- 
ing the  music  of  the  blast. 

The  very  names  given  to  the  soul,  animus^  avcfjLo^ 
or  spirituSy  and  atketn,  signify  wind  or  breath,  and 
point  to  the  connexion  which  was  supposed  to 
exist  between  them.  Our  word  Ghost,  the  German 
Geistf  is  from  a  root  "gisan,"  to  gush  and  blow,  as 
does  the  wind. 

In  the  classic  Sirens  we  cannot  fail  to  detect  the 
wailing  of  the  rising  storm  in  the  cordage,  which  is 
likely  to  end  in  shipwrecks.  The  very  name  of 
Siren  is  from  avpH^G),  to  pipe  or  whistle',  just  as  their 
representatives  in  Vedic  mythology,  the  Ribhus, 
draw  their  name  from  re6/i,  to  sound,  to  which  the 
Greek  poi^Siti)  is  akin.  The  Sirens  are  themselves 
winged  beings',  rushing  over  the  earth,  seeking 
every  where  the  lost  Persephone. 

But  the  piping  wind  does  not  merely  carry  with 
it  the   souls  of  the  dead,  and  give  the  mariner 

7  Cognate  words,  Lat  susurruSy  Sanskrit  svri^  to  sound. 
.    •  Eurip.  HeL  167. 


430  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

warning  of  approaching  wreck :  it  does  something 
besides.  Let  us  lie  on  a  hill-side,  and  watch  the 
rising  gale.  All  is  still  and  motionless.  Pre- 
sently we  hear  the  whistle  in  the  grass,  and  then 
every  herb  and  tree  is  set  in  agitation.  The  trees 
toss  from  side  to  side,  and  the  flowers  waver,  and 
rock  their  bells.  All  are  set  dancing,  and  cannot 
stop  till  the  piping  has  ceased.  In  this  we  have  the 
rudiment  of  another  myth,  that  of  the  musical 
instrument  which,  when  played,  sets  every  thing 
a-capering. 

Grimm  has  a  story  to  this  effect :  a  lad  obtains  a 
bow  which  will  bring  down  any  thing  he  aims  at, 
and  a  fiddle  which,  when  scraped,  will  make  all  who 
hear  it  dance.  He  shoots  a  bird,  and  it  falls  into  a 
bush  of  thorns ;  a  Jew  goes  into  the  bush  to  get  the 
bird,  then  the  lad  strikes  up  a  tune  on  his  instru- 
ment, and  makes  the  Jew  dance  in  the  bush  till  he 
has  paid  him  a  large  sum  to  obtain  rest.  In  a 
Walachian  story  it  is  the  Almighty  who  gives  the 
lad  a  bagpipe.  The  tale  runs  thus :  a  boy  runs 
away  from  his  brother  with  a  quern ;  on  the  approach 
of  night  he  hides  in  a  tree.  Some  robbers  come 
beneath  the  tree,  and  spread  out  their  spoils.  The 
lad  drops  the  mill-stone,  which  puts  the  robbers  to 
flight,  and  he  thus  obtains  the  gold.    Then  the 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  431 

\ 
story  runs  on  like  that  of  Grimm,  only  the  Jew  is 

replaced  by  a  priest  (Schott,  xxii). 

The  same  story  is  found  among  the  modem 
Greeks,  and  the  hero  has  a  pipe,  and  his  name  is 
Bakala  \ 

We  have  a  similar  tale  in  England,  published  by 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,  entitled  "A  merry  Geste  of  the 
Frere  and  the  Boye,"  in  which  the  lad  receives — 

" a  bowe 

Bjrrdes  to  shete*' 

and  a  pipe  of  marvellous  power — 

'*  All  that  may  the  pype  here 
Shall  not  themselfe  stere, 
But  laugh  and  lepe  about '." 

In  the  Icelandic  Herauds  ok  Bosa  Saga,  which 
rests  on  mythologic  foundation,  a  harp  occurs  which 
belonged  to  a  certain  Sigurd.  Bosi  slays  Sigurd, 
puts  on  his  skin  and  clothes,  and  taking  the  harp, 
goes  in  this  disguise  to  the  banquet-hall  of  king 
Godmund,  where  his  true-love  is  about  to  be  wed 
to  another  man.  He  plays  the  harp,  and  the 
knives  and  plates,  the  tables  and  stools,  then  the 
guests,  and  lastly  the  monarch  himself,  are  set 
dancing.     He  keeps  them  capering  till  they  are  too 

•  Von  Hahn,  Griechische  Mahrchen,  No.  34. 
^  Ritson,  Pieces  of  Ancient  Poetry. 


432  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

exhausted  to  move  a  limb  ;  then  he  casts  the 
bride  over  his  shoulder  and  makes  off  ^ 

In  the  mediaeval  romance  of  Huon  de  Bordeaux, 
Oberon's  horn  has  the  same  properties ;  and  in  a 
Spanish  tale  of  the  Fandango,  at  the  strains  of  the 
tune,  the  Pope  and  cardinals  are  made  to  dance 
and  jig  about. 

In  that  most  charming  collection  of  fairy  tales, 
made  in  Southern  Ireland  by  Mr.  Crofton  Croker, 
we  meet  with  the  same  wonderful  tune;  but  the 
fable  relating  to  it  has  suffered  in  the  telling,  and 
the  parts  have  been  inverted.  Maurice  Connor, 
the  blind  piper,  could  play  an  air  which  could  set 
every  thing,  alive  or  dead,  capering.  In  what  way 
he  learned  it  is  not  known.  At  the  very  first  note 
of  that  tune  the  brogues  began  shaking  upon  the 
feet  of  all  who  heard  it,  old  or  young ;  then  the 
feet  began  going,  going  from  under  them,  and  at 
last  up  and  away  with  them,  dancing  like  mad, 
whisking  here,  there,  and  every  where,  like  a  straw 
in  a  storm  : — ^there  was  no  halting  while  the  music 
lasted.  One  day  Maurice  piped  this  tune  on  the 
sea-shore,  and  at  once  every  inch  of  it  was  covered 
with  all  manner  of  fish,  jumping  and  plunging  about 

inna  Sogur,  iii.  p.  321. 


The  Piper  of  Hametn  433 

to  the  miisic ;  and  every  moment  more  and  more 
would  tumble  out  of  the  water,  charmed  by  the 
wonderful  tune.  Crabs  of  monstrous  size  spun 
round  and  round  on  one  claw  with  the  nimbleness 
of  a  dancing-master,  and  twirled  and  tossed  their 
other  daws  about  like  limbs  that  did  not  belong  to 
them. 

"  John-dories  came  tripping ; 
Dull  hake  by  their  skipping 

To  frisk  it  seem'd  given ; 
Bright  mackrel  came  springing, 
Like  small  rainbows  winging 

Their  flight  up  to  heaven ; 
The  whiting  and  haddock 
Left  salt-water  paddock 

This  dance  to  be  put  in, 
Where  skate  with  flat  faces 
Edged  out  some  odd  plaices ; 

But  soles  kept  their  footing.'' 

Then  up  came  a  mermaid,  and  whispered  to  Maurice 
of  the  charms  of  the  land  beneath  the  sea,  and  the 
blind  piper  danced  after  her  into  the  salt  sea,  fol- 
lowed by  the  fish,  and  was  never  seen  more. 

In  Sclavonic  tales  the  magical  instrument  has  a 
quite  opposite  effect — it  sends  to  sleep.  This  sig- 
nifies the  whistling  autumn  wind,  chilling  the  earth 
and  checking  all  signs  of  life  and  vegetation.  But 
another  magical  harp — that  is,  the  spring  breeze — 
restores  all  to  vigour.    The  sorcerer  enchants  with 


434  The 

the  tones  of  his  guzia,  and  all  is  hushed, — diat  is, 
the  winter  god  sends  the  earth  to  sleep  at  the  sound 
of  his  frozen  gale ;  but,  with  the  notes  of  the  spring 
zephyr,  the  sun-god,  golden-haired,  revives  creation, 
overcoming  the  charm  *. 

It  is  this  marvellous  harp  which  was  stolen  by 
Jack  when  he  climbed  the  bean-stalk  to  the  upper 
world.  In  that  story  the  ogre  in  the  land  above  the 
skies,  who  was  once  the  All-father,  till  Christianity 
made  a  monster  of  him,  possessed  three  treasures : 
a  hfirp  which  played  of  itself  enchanting  music,  bags 
of  gold  and  diamonds,  and  a  hen  which  daily  laid  a 
golden  egg.  The  harp  is  the  wind,  the  bags  are 
the  clouds  dropping  the  sparkling  rain,  and  the 
golden  egg,  laid  every  morning  by  the  red  hen,  is 
the  dawn-produced  sun.  I  have  not  space  here 
to  establish  these  two  latter  points,  but  they  are 
repeated  in  so  many  cosmogonies,  that  there  can  be 
little  doubt  as  to  my  interpretation  being  correct. 

Among  the  Quiches  of  Gruatemala,  not  a  little 
to  our  surprise,  the  magic  pipe  which  causes  to 
dance  is  to  be  found.  In  their  sacred  book,  the 
Popol-Vuh,  the  twins  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque 
turn  their  half-brothers  into  apes.    Then  they  go 

■  Chodzko,  Coxites  des  Paysans  Slaves,  i864. 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  435 

to  the  mother,  who  asks  where  the  lads  are.  Thr 
twins  reply  that  she  shall  have  them  again,  if  she 
can  behold  them  without  laughing.  Then  they 
begin  to  play  on  their  pipes;  at  the  sound,  the 
transformed  brothers,  Hunbatz  and  Hunchouen,, 
are  attracted  from  the  forest  to  the  house,  they 
enter  it  and  begin  to  dance.  Their  mother  laughs 
at  their  comical  gestures,  and  they  vanish  (Popol- 
Vuh,  b.  iL  c  5). 

I  very  much  fear  that  I  am  leading  my  readers 
a  sad  dance,  like  one  of  these  strange  pipers ;  I 
only  hope  that  I  shall  not,  like  the  Sclavonic 
dxmon  harper,  send  them  to  sleep.  We  must  go 
a  little  further. 

It  is  curious  that  the  lyre-god  Apollo  should  be 
called  Smintheus,  because  he  delivered  Phrygia 
from  a  plague  of  rats.  How  he  performed  this 
feat  we  do  not  know ;  probably  it  was,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Hameln  piper,  with  his  lyre,  for  we 
find  that  in  Greek  fable  that  instrument  has  powers 
attractive  to  the  beasts  attributed  to  it.  The  rats, 
as  animal?  loving  darkness,  may  have  been  regarded 
as  symbols  of  night,  and  Apollo  driving  them  from 
the  land  may  have  typified  the  sun  scattering 
darkness. 

Orpheus  with  his  strains  allured  birds  and  beasts 

F  f  ^ 


436  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

around  him,  and  made  the  trees  and  herbs  to  grow. 
The  name  Orpheus  has  been  supposed  to  be  iden- 
tical with  the  Vedic  Ribhus,  which,  no  doubt,  in  its 
original  form,  was  Arbhus.  This,  however,  is  not 
certain.  Preller  supposes  Orpheus  to  come  from 
the  same  root  as  ip<l>vfj,  epefio^,  and  to  signify 
gloom  (Griechische  Myth.  ii.  p.  486) ;  but  this  is 
most  improbable.  He  was  a  son  of  Apollo,  and 
therefore  probably  a  solar  god. 

It  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that  such  a  charm- 
ing and  innocent  myth  as  that  of  Orpheus  should 
have  been  allowed  to  drop  by  the  early  Christians. 
They  made  a  legitimate  and  graceful  use  of  it  in 
the  catacombs,  when  they  presented  it  as  an  alle- 
gory of  Christ,  who,  by  the  sweet  strains  of  His 
gospel,  overcame  brutish  natures,  making  the  wolf 
to  lie  down  with  the  lamb.  But  a  less  justifiable 
adaptation  of  the  figure  was  that  of  the  mediaeval 
hagiologists,  when  they  took  from  Orpheus  his  lyre, 
and  robbed  him  of  his  song,  and  split  him  into  S. 
Francis  and  S.  Anthony,  the  former  with  his  preach- 
ing attracting  the  birds,  the  latter  learnedly  pro- 
pounding scriptural  types  to  the  fishes. 

It  is  curious  that  this  Orpheus  myth  should 
be  found  scattered  among  Aryan  and  Turanian 
peoples. 


The  Piper  of  Hatneln  437 

In  Sanskrit,  it  is  told  of  Gunadhya,  in  connexion 
with  the  Sibylline  books  story.  The  poet  Gun&- 
dhya,  an  incarnation  of  Mftljavan,  writes  with  his 
own  bloody  in  the  forest,  a  mighty  book  of  tales,  in 
seven  hundred  thousand  slokas.  He  then  sends 
the  book  by  his  two  pupils,  Gunadeva  and  Nandi- 
deva,  to  king  Satav&hana,  but  he  rejects  it  as  being 
composed  in  the  Pisacha  dialect.  Gun&dhya  then 
ascends  a  mountain,  and  lights  a  great  pile  of  fire- 
wood. He  reads  aloud  his  tales,  and  as  he  finishes 
each  page,  he  casts  it  into  the  flames.  Thus  perish 
one  hundred  thousand  slokas.  Whilst  the  poet 
reads,  stags,  deer,  bears,  buffaloes,  and  roebucks, 
in  short  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  assemble  and 
tveep  tears  of  delight  at  the  beauty  of  the  tales. 
Jn  the  mean  time,  the  king  falls  ill,  and  the  doctors 
order  him  game.  But  game  is  not  to  be  found  in 
the  forest,  for  every  living  creature  of  the  woods  is 
listening  to  Gunadh^a.  The  huntsmen  report  this 
to  the  king,  and  the  monarch  hastens  to  the  scene, 
and  offers  to  buy  the  wondrous  book.  But,  alas  ! 
by  this  time  only  one  of  the  seven  hundred  thousand 
^lokas  remains  \ 

But  this  is  not  the  ancient  form  of  the  Indian 
myth.     The  poet  Gunadhya  is  the  heavenly  Mal- 

^  Katha  Sarit  Sagara,  i.,  c.  8. 


438  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

javan  incarnate,  and  the  fable  properly  belongs  to 
some  of  the  heavenly  musicians,  the  Ribhus,  Maruts, 
or  Gandharvas. 

In  the  mythology  of  the  Rig  Veda,  the  Ribhus  are 
skilled  artists,  whose  element  is  the  summer's  gently 
stirring  breeze.  They  are  akin  to  the  Maruts,  the 
rough  winds,  with  whom  they  unite  in  singing  a 
magic  song.  The  Arbhus  became  in  Teutonic 
mythology  the  Alben,  Elben  or  Elfen,  our  Elfs,  and 
in  Scandinavian  the  Alfar.  The  names  are  the 
same :  Arbhus  became  altered  into  Albhu,  by  the 
change  of  the  r  into  / ;  the  b  in  the  old  German 
Elbe  is  replaced  in  modem  German  and  Norse  by 
an/ 

The  spring  and  summer  breezes  were  deified 
by  the  ancient  Aryans.  According  to  the  Rig  Veda, 
they  slumber  in  winter  for  twelve  days,  and  when 
they  waken,  the  earth  is  decked  with  flowers,  the 
trees  with  foliage,  and  the  floodgates  of  the  streams 
are  unlocked.  These  Ribhus  were  the  offspring  of 
Sudhanvan,  the  skilful  archer,  just  as  the  classic 
Orpheus  was  the  son  of  the  bow-bearing  Apollo. 
They  are  probably  identical  with  the  Gandharvas, 
heavenly  musicians  attending  on  Indra  (Mah&bh. 
L  4806).  The  name  Grandharva  is  derived  from 
gandhf  to  harass,  injure,  and  was  applied  to  them  as 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  439 

violent  winds  rending  the  clouds  and  scattering  the 
leaves.  They  were  represented  as  horses,  and,  ac- 
cording to  some  etymologists,  are  the  originals  of 
the  Centaurs. 

I  remember  one  summer  evening  ascending  a 
knoll  in  the  district  of  the  Landes  in  Southern 
France— once  a  region  of  moving  sand-hills,  now  a 
vast  tract  of  pine-forest  The  air  was  fragrant  with 
the  breath  of  the  fir-woods  and  the  luscious  exhala- 
tions of  the  flowery  acacias.  On  all  sides  stretched 
the  pines,  basking  in  the  sun,  and  rolling,  like  a 
green  sea,  to  the  snowy  range  of  the  Pyrenees, 
which  hung  in  vaporous  blue  on  the  horizon — 

"  Faintly-flusli,  phantom-fair — 

A  thousand  shadowy-pencilFd  valleys 
And  snowy  dells  in  a  golden  air.'' 

Perfect  stillness  reigned  :  not  a  sound  from  bird 
or  beast  was  audible.  Suddenly  a  strange,  at  first 
inexplicable,  music  vibrated  through  the  air.  Tender 
and  distant,  as  though  a  thousand  harp-strings  were 
set  a-quivering  by  the  most  delicate  fingers,  it  rose 
up  the  scale  by  fractions  of  tones,  and  then  de- 
scended again.  Weird  harmonies  broke  in  upon 
and  overflowed  the  melody,  then  ebbed  away  into 
sobs  of  music,  again  to  reunite  into  a  continued 
undulating  chant.     Not  a  breath  stirred  in  my  im- 


1^^. 


440  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

mediate  neighbourhood,  but  the  music  of  the  forest 
was  unquestionably  brought  out  by  a  partial 
breeze,  at  some  little  distance.  Any  thing  more 
solemn  and  beautiful  could  hardly  be  conceived  :  it 
was  not  like  earthly  instrumental  strains,  nor  like 
what  we  deem  the  music  of  the  spheres — it  was 
the  voice  of  nature  expressing  its  rapture.  The 
Apostle  tells  us  that  Creation  groans  and  travails 
in  its  pangs — it  does  so ;  but  it  at  times  exchanges 
these  utterances  of  pain  for  an  outburst  of  the  joy 
of  its  vitality. 

This  was  the  wandering  harp  of  Orpheus  seeking 
the  lost  Eurydice,  the  song  of  the  Ribhus,  the  tale- 
chanting  of  Gun&dhya,  the  lay  of  the  sons  of  Kalew, 
and  the  harping  of  Wainamoinen. 

The  Esthonian  description  of  the  charm  of  this 
wood-music  is  very  graphic,  and  may  be  set  beside 
Ovid's  account  of  the  springing  of  the  trees  at  the 
playing  of  Orpheus. 

"  In  the  dusky  pine-tree  forest 
Sat  the  eldest  son  of  Kalew, 

Singing  'neath  a  branching  fir. 
As  from  swelling  throat  he  chanted, 
Danced  the  fir-cones  on  the  branches ; 

Every  leaflet  was  astir. 
All  the  larches  thrill'd,  and  budding, 

Burst  to  tufts  of  silky  green ; 
Waved  the  pine-tops  in  the  simset, 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  411 

Steep'd  in  lustrous  purple  sheen. 
Catkins  dangled  on  the  hazels, 
On  the  oak  the  acorns  sprouted, 

And  the  black-thorn  blossom'd  white, 
Sudden  wreathed  in  snowy  tresses, 
Fragrant  in  the  evening  glory. 

Scenting  all  the  moonlit  night." 

Then  the  second  son  of  Kalew  goes  to  a  birch- 
wood,  and  sings  there.  Then  the  corn  begins  to 
kern,  the  petals  of  the  cherry  to  drop  off,  and  the 
luscious  fruit  to  swell  and  redden,  the  ripening  apple 
to  blush  towards  the  sun,  the  cranberry  and  the 
whortle  to  speckle  the  moor  with  scarlet  and 
purple. 

Then  the  third  son  intones  his  Jay  in  a  forest  of 
oaks,  and  the  beasts  assemble,  the  birds  give  voice, 
the  lark  sings  shrill,  the  cuckoo  calls,  the  doves  coo, 
and  the  magpies  chatter,  the  swans  utter  their 
trumpet-note,  the  sparrows  twitter,  and  then  as  they 
weary,  with  sweet  flute-like  note  sad  Philomel 
begins  his  strain  (Kalewpoeg.  Rune  iiL).  * 

In  the  Finn  mythology,  these  results  follow  the 
playing  of  Wainamoinen's  magic  harp.  The  story 
of  this  instrument  is  singular  enough. 

Wainamoinen  went  to  a  waterfall,  and  killed  a 
pike  which  swam  below  it.  Of  the  bones  of  this 
fish  he  constructed  a  harp,  just  as  Hermes  made 


442  7*^4^?  Piper  of  Hameln 

his  lyre  of  the  tortoise-shell.  But  he  dropped  this 
instrument  into  the  sea,  and  thus  it  fell  into  the 
power  of  the  sea-gods,  which  accounts  for  the 
music  of  the  ocean  on  the  beach.  The  hero  then 
made  another  from  the  forest  wood,  and  with  it  de- 
scended to  Pohjola,  the  realm  of  darkness,  in  quest 
of  the  mystic  Sampo ;  just  as  in  the  classic  myth 
Orpheus  went  down  to  Hades,  to  bring  thence 
Eurydice.  When  in  the  realm  of  gloom  perpetual, 
the  Finn  demi-god  struck  his  kantele,  and  sent 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Pohjola  to  sleep ;  as  Hermes, 
when  about  to  steal  lo,  made  the  eyes  of  Argus 
close  at  the  sound  of  his  lyre.  Then  he  ran  oflf 
with  the  Sampo,  and  had  nearly  got  it  to  the  land 
of  light,  when  the  dwellers  in  Pohjola  awoke,  and 
pursued  and  fought  him  for  the  ravished  treasure, 
which,  in  the  struggle,  fell  into  the  sea  and  was 
lost ;  again  reminding  us  of  the  classic  tale  of 
Orpheus. 

The  effects  of  the  harping  of  Wainamoinen 
remind  one  of  those  accompanying  the  playing  of 
the  Greek  lyrist. 

"  The  ancient  Wainamoinen  began  to  sing ;  he 
raised  his  clear  and  limpid  voice,  and  his  light 
fingers  danced  over  the  strings  of  the  kantele,  whilst 
joy  answered  to  joy,  and  song  to  song.     Every 


Th^  Piper  of  Hameln  448 

beast  of  the  forest  and  fowl  of  the  air  came  about 
him,  to  listen  to  the  sweet  voice,  and  to  taste  the 
music  of  his  strains.  The  wolf  deserted  the  swamp, 
the  bear  forsook  his  forest  lair ;  they  ascended  the 
hedge,  and  the  hedge  gave  way.  Then  they  climbed 
the  pine,  and  sat  on  the  boughs,  hearkening  whilst 
Wainamoinen  intoned  his  joy.  The  old  black- 
bearded  monarch  of  the  forest,  and  all  the  host  of 
Tapio,  hastened  to  listen.  His  wife,  the  brave  lady 
of  Tapiola,  put  on  her  socks  of  blue,  and  her  laces 
of  red,  and  ascended  a  hollow  trunk  to  listen  to  the 
god.  The  eagles  came  down  from  the  cloud,  the 
falcon  dropped  through  the  air,  the  mew  flitted 
from  the  shore,  the  swan  forsook  the  limpid  waves, 
the  swift  lark,  the  light  swallow,  the  graceful  flnches 
perched  on  the  shoulders  of  the  god.  The  fair  vir- 
gins of  the  air,  the  rich  and  gorgeous  sun,  the  gentle 
beaming  moon,  halted,  the  one  on  the  luminous 
vault  of  heaven,  the  other  leaning  on  the  edge  of  a 
cloud.  There  they  wove  with  the  golden  shuttle 
and  the  silver  comb.  They  heard  the  unknown 
voice,  the  sweet  song  of  the  hero.  And  the  silver 
comb  fell,  the  golden  shuttle  dropped,  and  the 
threads  of  their  tissue  were  broken.  Then  came 
the  salmon  and  the  trout,  the  pike  and  the  porpoise, 
fish  great  and  small,  towards  the  shore,  listening  to 


444  The  Piper  of  Han^ln 

the  sweet  strains  of  the  charmer  "  (Kalewala,  Rune 

xxii.). 

In  one  of  the  heroic  ballads  of  the  Minussinchen 

Tartars,  the  wind,  which  is  represented  as  a  foal 

which  courses  round  the  world,  finds  that  its  master's 

two  children,  Aid61ei  Mirgan  and  Alten  Kuruptju, 

which  I  take  to  be  the  morning  and  evening  stars, 

are  dead  and  buried  and  watched  by  seven  warriors. 

The    foal    changes    himself  into  a   maiden,    and 

comes  singing  to  the  tomb  such  bewitching  strains 

that 

"  All  the  creatures  of  the  forest, 
All  the  wing'd  fowl  of  the  air, 
Come  and  breathless  to  her  listen ',' 

and  the  watchers  are  charmed  into  letting  her  steal 
away  the  children,  as  Hermes. stole  lo  from  Argus, 
and  she  revives  them  with  the  water  of  life,  which  is 
the  dew  *. 

In  Scandinavian  mythology,  Odin  was  famous  for 
his  Rune  chanting ;  and  the  power  of  bewitching 
creation  with  these  Runes  obtained  for  him  the 
name  of  Galdner,  from  gala,  to  sing,  a  root  retained 
in  our  nightingale,  the  night-songster;  in  gale,  a 
name  applied  to.  the  wind  from  its  singing  powers  ; 

*  Heldensagen  der  Miniissischen  Tataren,  v.  A.  Schiefner. 
S.  Petersburg,  1859,  p.  60. 


The  Piper  of  Hameln  446 

and  in  the  Latin  gallus,  the  noisy  chanticleer  of  the 
farmyard 

A  trace  of  the  myth  appears  in  the  ancient 
German  heroic  Gudrunh'ed,  where  the  powers  are 
ascribed  to  Horant,  Norse  Hjarrandi,  who  is 
described  as  singing  a  song  which  no  one  could 
learn.  "  These  strains  he  sang,  and  they  were  won- 
drous.  To  none  were  they  too  long,  who  heard  the 
strains.  The  time  it  would  take  one  to  ride  a  thou- 
sand miles  passed,  whilst  listening  to  him,  as  a  mo- 
ment The  wild  beast  of  the  forest  and  the  timid 
deer  hearkened,  the  little  worms  crept  forth  in  the 
green  meadows,  fishes  swam  up  to  listen,  each  for- 
getting its  nature,  so  long  as  he  chanted  his  song." 
On  reading  this,  we  are  reminded  of  that  sweet 
German  legend,  so  gracefully  rendered  by  Long- 
fellow, wherein  the  parts  are  changed,  and  it  is  no 
more  the  birds  listening  to  the  song  of  man,  but 
proud  man,  with  finger  on  lip  and  bated  breath, 
listening  to  the  matchless  warble  of  the  bird. 

"  A  thousand  years  in  Thy  sight  are  but  as  yes- 
terday ! "  mused  Brother  Felix ;  "  how  may  that 
be  ? "  and  full  of  doubt  over  God's  word  he  went 
forth  to  meditate  in  the  forest 

"  And  lo !  he  heard 
The  sudden  singing  of  a  bird, 


446  The  Piper  of  Hameln 

A  snow-white  bird,  that  from  a  cloud 

Dropped  down, 

And  among  the  branches  brown 

Sat  singing 

So  sweet,  and  clear,  and  loud, 

It  seem'd  a  thousand  harp-strings  ringing. 

And  the  Monk  Felix  closed  his  book, 

And  long,  long 

With  rapturous  look 

He  listened  to  the  song, 

And  hardly  breathed  or  stinT'd.** 

As  he  thus  listened  years  rolled  by,  and  on  his 
return  to  the  convent  he  found  all  changed — new 
faces  in  the  refectory  and  in  the  choir. 

Then  the  monastery  roll  was  brought  forth, 
wherein  were  written  the  names  of  all  who  had  be- 
longed to  that  house  of  prayer,  and  therein  it  was 
found — 

"  That  on  a  certain  day  and  date, 
One  thousand  years  before. 
Had  gone  forth  from  the  convent  gate 
The  Monk  Felix,  and  never  more 
Had  entered  that  sacred  door : 
He  had  been  counted  among  the  dead. 
And  they  knew  at  last. 
That,  such  had  been  the  power 
Of  that  celestial  and  immortal  song, 
A  thousand  years  had  pass'd, 
And  had  not  seem'd  so  long 
As  a  single  hour." 


/^F  the  many  who  yearly  visit  the  Rhine,  and 
^^  bring  away  with  them  reminiscences  of  totter- 
ing castles  and  desecrated  convents,  whether  they 
take  interest  or  not  in  the  legends  inseparably 
attached  to  these  ruins,  none,  probably,  have  failed 
to  learn  and  remember  the  famous  story  of  God's 
judgment  on  the  wicked  Bishop  Hatto,  in  the 
quaint  Mausethurm,  erected  on  a  little  rock  in 
midstream. 

At  the  close  of  the  tenth  century  lived  Hatto, 
once  abbot  of  Fulda,  where  he  ruled  the  monks 
with  great  prudence  for  twelve  years,  and  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Mayence. 

In  the  year  970,  Germany  suffered  from  famine. 

"  The  summer  and  autumn  had  been  so  wet, 
That  in  winter  the  com  was  growing  yet. 
'Twas  a  piteous  sight  to  see  all  around 
The  com  lie  rotting  on  the  ground. 


448  Bishop  Hatto 

"  Every  day  the  starving  poor 
Crowded  around  Bishop  Piatto's  door, 
For  he  had  a  plentiful  last  year's  store ; 
And  all  the  neighbourhood  could  tell 
His  granaries  were  fumish'd  welL" 

Wearied  by  the  cries  of  the  famishing  people,  the 
Bishop  appointed  a  day,  whereon  he  undertook  to 
quiet  them.  He  bade  all  who  were  without  bread, 
and  the  means  to  purchase  it  at  its  then  high  rate, 
repair  to  his  great  barn.  From  all  quarters,  far 
and  near,  the  poor  hungry  folk  flocked  into  Kaub, 
and  were  admitted  into  the  barn,  till  it  was  as  full 
of  people  as  it  could  be  made  to  contain. 

"  Then,  when  he  saw  it  could  hold  no  more, 
Bishop  Hatto  he  made  fast  the  door. 
And  while  for  mercy  on  Christ  they  call, 
He  set  fire  to  the  bam,  and  burnt  them  alL 

"  *  Pfaith,  'tis  an  excellent  bonfire  !'  quoth  he, 
'  And  the  coimtry  is  greatly  obliged  to  me 
For  ridding  it,  in  these  times  forlorn, 
Of  rats  that  only  consume  the  corn.* 

^  So  then  to  his  palace  returned  he. 
And  he  sat  down  to  supper  merrily, 
And  he  slept  that  night  like  an  innocent  man ; 
But  Bishop  Hatto  never  slept  again. 

"  In  the  morning,  as  he  entered  the  hall 
Where  his  picture  hung  against  the  wall, 
A  sweat,  like  death,  all  over  him  came. 
For  the  rats  had  eaten  it  out  of  the  frame." 

Then  there  came  a  man  to  him  from  his  farm, 


Bishop  Hatto  449 

with  a  countenance  pale  viV^  fear,  to  tell  him  that 
the  rats  had  devoured  all  the  corn  in  his  granaries. 
And  presently  there  came  another  servant,  to 
inform  him  that  a  legion  of  rats  was  on  its  way  to 
his  palace.  The  Bishop  looked  from  his  window, 
and  saw  the  road  and  fields  dark  with  the  moving 
multitude ;  neither  hedge  nor  wall  impeded  their 
progress,  as  they  made  straight  for  his  mansion. 
Then,  full  of  terror,  the  prelate  fled  by  his  postern, 
and,  taking  a  boat,  was  rowed  out  to  his  tower  in 
the  river, 

*•  — — —  and  barr'd 
AU  the  gates  secure  and  hard. 

^  He  laid  him  down,  and  closed  his  eyes  ; 
But  soon  a  scream  made  him  arise. 
He  started,  and  saw  two  eyes  of  flame 
On  his  pillow,  from  whence  the  screaming  came. 

"  He  listen'd  and  look'd — it  was  only  the  cat ; 
But  the  Bishop  he  grew  more  fearful  for  that, 
For  she  sat  screaming,  mad  with  fear. 
At  the  army  of  rats  that  were  drawing  near. 

**  For  they  have  swum  over  the  river  so  deep, 
And  they  have  climb'd  the  shores  so  steep, 
And  now  by  thousands  up  they  crawl 
To  the  holes  and  windows  in  the  walL 

"  Down  on  his  knees  the  Bishop  fell, 
And  faster  and  faster  his  beads  did  tell. 
As  louder  and  louder,  drawing  near, 
The  saw  of  their  teeth  without  he  could  hear. 

G  g 


450  Bishop  Hatto 

'^  And  in  at  the  windows,  and  in  at  the  door. 
And  through  the  walls  by  thousands  they  pour, 
And  down  from  the  ceiling,  and  up  through  the  floor, 
From  the  right  and  the  left,  from  behind  and  before, 
From  within  and  without,  from  above  and  below, 
And  all  at  once  to  the  Bishop  they  go. 

"  They  have  whetted  their  teeth  against  the  stones, 
And  now  they  pick  the  Bishop's  bones  ; 
They  gnaw'd  the  flesh  from  every  limb. 
For  they  were  sent  to  do  judgment  on  him.** 

It  IS  satisfactory  to  know  that  popular  fiction  has 
maligned  poor  Bishop  Hatto,  who  was  not  by  any 
means  a  hard-hearted  and  wicked  prelate.  Wol- 
fius  \  who  tells  the  story  on  the  authority  of  Hono- 
rius  Augustodunensis  (d.  1153),  Marianus  Scotus 
(d.  1086),  and  Grithemius  (d.  1516),  accompanying 
it  with  the  curious  picture  which  is  reproduced  on 
the  opposite  page,  says,  "This  is  regarded  by 
many  as  a  fable,  yet  the  tower,  taking  its  name 
from  the  mice,  exists  to  this  day  in  the  river 
Rhine."  But  this  is  no  evidence,  as  there  is  docu- 
mentary proof  that  the  tower  was  erected  as  a 
station  for  collecting  tolls  on  the  vessels  which 
passed  up  and  down  the  river. 

The  same  story  is  told  of  other  persons  and 
places.     Indeed,  Wolfius  reproduces  his  picture  of 

'  Wolfii  Lect.  Memorab.  Centenarii  xvi.    Lavingae,  1600, 
tom.  i.  p.  343. 


Bishop  Hatto  451 

Hatto  in  the  mouse-tower,  to  do  service  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  dreadful  death  of  Widerolf,  Bishop  of 
Strasburg  (997),  who,  in  the  seventeenth  year  of 
his  episcopate,  on  July  17th,  in  punishment  for 
having  suppressed  the  convent  of  Seltzen  on  the 
Rhine,  was  attacked  and  devoured  by  mice  or 
rats*.  The  same  fate  is  also  attributed  to  Bishop 
Adolf  of  Cologne,  who  died  in  ma '. 

The  story  comes  to  us  from  Switzerland.  A 
Freiherr  von  Guttingen  possessed  three  castles 
between  Constance  and  Arbon,  in  the  Canton  of 
Thurgau,  namely,  Guttingen,  Moosburg,  and  Ober- 
burg.  During  a  famine,  he  collected  the  poor  of 
his  territory  into  a  great  barn,  and  there  consumed 
them,  mocking  their  cries  by  exclamations  of 
"  Hark !  how  the  rats  and  mice  are  squeaking." 
Shortly  after,  he  was  attacked  by  an  army  of  mice, 
and  fled  to  his  castle  of  Giittingen  in  the  waters  of 
the  Lake  of  Constance  ;  but  the  vermin  pursued 
him  to  his  retreat,  and  devoured  him.  The  castle 
then  sank  into  the  lake,  and  its  ruins  are  distin- 


•  Id.  torn.  i.  p.  370.  See  also  K6nigshofen*s  Chronik. 
Konigshofen  was  priest  of  Strasbourg  (b.  1360,  d.  1420). 
His  German  Chronicle  contains  the  story  of  Bishop  Widerolf 
and  the  mice. 

•  San-Marte,  Germania,  viii.  77. 

G  g  2 


453  Bishop  Hatto 

guishable  when  the  water  is  clear  and  unruffled  \ 
In  Austria,  a  similar  legend  is  related  of  the  mouse 
tower  at  Holzolster,  with  this  difference  only,  that 
the  hard-hearted  nobleman  casts  the  poor  people 
into  a  dungeon  and  starves  them  to  death,  instead 
of  burning  them  *. 

Between  Inning  and  Seefeld  in  Bavaria  is  the 
Worthsee,  called  also  the  Mouse-lake.  There  was 
once  a  Count  of  Seefeld,  who  in  time  of  famine  put 
all  his  starving  poor  in  a  dungeon,  jested  at  their 
cries,  which  he  called  the  squeaking  of  mice,  and 
was  devoured  by  these  animals  in  his  tower  in  the 
lake,  to  which  he  fled  from  them,  although  he 
suspended  his  bed  by  iron  chains  from  the  roof*. 

A  similar  story  is  told  of  the  Mauseschloss  in  the 
Hirschberger  lake.  A  Polish  version  occurs  in  old 
historical  writers. 

Martinus  Gallus,  who  wrote  in  mo,  says  that 
King  Popiel,  having  been  driven  from  his  kingdom, 
was  so  tormented  by  mice,  that  he  fled  to  an  island 
whereon  was  a  wooden  tower,  in  which  he  took 
refuge ;  but  the  host  of  mice  and  rats  swam  over 
and  ate  him  up.     The  story  is  told  more  fully  by 

*  Zeitschrift  f.  Deut.  M)rth.  iii.  p.  307. 

*  Vemaleken,  Alpensagen,  p.  338. 

*  Zeitschrift' f.  Deut.  Myth.  i.  p.  45a. 


Bishop  Hatto  453 

Majolus^  When  the  Poles  murmured  at  the  bad 
government  of  the  king,  and  sought  redress,  Popiel 
summoned  the  chief  murmurers  to  his  palace, 
where  he  pretended  that  he  was  ill,  and  then  poi- 
soned them.  After  this  the  corpses  were  flung 
by  his  orders  into  the  lake  Gopolo.  Then  the  king 
held  a  banquet  of  rejoicing  at  having  freed  himself 
from  these  troublesome  complainers.  But  during 
the  feast,  by  a  strange  metamorphosis  (mira  qua* 
dam  metamorphosi)f  an  enormous  number  of  mice 
issued  from  the  bodies  of  his  poisoned  subjects,  and 
rushing  on  the  palace,  attacked  the  king  and  his 
family.  Popiel  took  refuge  within  a  circle  of  fire, 
but  the  mice  broke  through  the  flaming  ring  ;  then 
he  fled  with  his  wife  and  child  to  a  castle  in  the 
sea,  but  was  followed  by  the  animals  and  devoured. 
A  Scandinavian  legend  is  to  this  effect  ^  King 
Knut  the  Saint  was  murdered  by  the  Earl  Asbjorn, 
in  the  church  of  S.  Alban,  in  Odense,  during  an 
insurrection  of  the  Jutes,  in  1086.  Next  year  the 
country  suffered  severely  from  famine,  and  this  was 
attributed  to  Divine  vengeance  for  the  murder  of 
the  king.  Asbjorn  was  fallen  upon  by  rats,  and 
eaten  up. 

'  Majolus,  Dierum  Canic.  p.  793. 

B  Afzelius,  Sagohafder  (and  ed.),  ii.  p.  132. 


454  Bishop  Hatto 

William  of  Malmesbury  tells  this  story  '^r  "  I 
have  heard  a  person  of  the  utmost  veracity  relate, 
that  one  of  the  adversaries  of  Henry  IV.  (of  Ger- 
many), a  weak  and  factious  man,  while  reclining  at 
a  banquet,  was  on  a  sudden  so  completely  sur- 
rounded by  mice  as  to  be  unable  to  escape.  So 
great  was  the  number  of  these  little  animals,  that 
there  could  scarcely  be  imagined  more  in  a  whole 
province.  It  was  in  vain  that  they  were  attacked 
with  clubs  and  fragments  of  the  benches  which  were 
at  hand  ;  and  though  they  were  for  a  long  time 
assailed  by  all,  yet  they  wreaked  their  deputed 
curse  on  no  one  else  ;  pursuing  him  only  with  their 
teeth,  and  with  a  kind  of  dreadful  squeaking.  And 
although  he  was  carried  out  to  sea  about  a  javelin's 
cast  by  the  servants,  yet  he  could  not  by  these 
means  escape  their  violence  ;  for  immediately  so 
great  a  multitude  of  mice  took  to  the  water,  that 
you  would  have  sworn  the  sea  was  strewed  with 
chaff.  But  when  they  began  to  gnaw  the. planks 
of  the  ship,  and  the  water,  rushing  through  the 
chinks,  threatened  inevitable  shipwreck,  the  servants 
turned  the  vessel  to  the  shore.  The  animals,  then 
also    swimming    close   to  the  ship,   landed   first 

»  William  of  Malmesbury,  book  iii.,  Bohn's  trans.,  p.  313. 


Bishop  Hatto  455 

Thus  the  wretch,  set  on  shore,  and  soon  after 
entirely  gnawed  in  pieces,  satiated  the  dreadful 
hunger  of  the  mice. 

"  I  deem  this  the  less  wonderful,  because  it  is  well 
known  that  in  Asia,  if  a  leopard  bite  any  person,  a 

party  of  mice  approach  directly But  if, 

by  the  care  of  servants  driving  them  off,  the  de- 
struction can  be  avoided  during  nine  days,  then 
medical  assistance,  if  called  in,  may  be  of  service. 
My  informant  had  seen  a  person  wounded  after 
this  manner,  who,  despairing  of  safety  on  shore, 
proceeded  to  sea,  and  lay  at  anchor  ;  when,  imme- 
diately, more  than  a  thousand  mice  swam  out, 
wonderful  to  relate,  in  the  rinds  of  pomegranates, 
the  insides  of  which  they  had  eaten ;  but  they 
were  drowned  through  the  loud  shouting  of  the 
sailors." 

Albertus  Trium-Fontium  tells  the  same  story 
under  the  year  1083,  quoting  probably  from 
William  of  Malmesbury. 

Giraldus  Cambrensis  (d.  i2iio),  in  his  "  Itinerary," 
relates  a  curious  story  of  a  youth  named  Siscillus 
Esceir-hir,  or  Long-shanks,  who  was  attacked  in  his 
bed  by  multitudes  of  toads,  and  who  fled  from  them 
to  the  top  of  a  tree,  but  was  pursued  by  the  reptiles, 
and  his  flesh  picked  from  his  bones.     "  And  in  like 


456  Bishop  Hatto 

manner,"  he  adds,  "  we  read  of  how  by  the  secret, 
but  never  unjust,  counsel  of  God  a  certain  man 
was  persecuted  by  the  larger  sort  of  mice  which 
are  commonly  called  rati  *.'* 

And  Thietmar  of  Merseburg  (b.  976,  d.  1018)  says, 
that  there  was  once  a  certain  knight  who,  having 
appropriated  the  goods  of  S.  Clement,  and  refused 
to  make  restitution,  was  one  day  attacked  by  an 
innumerable  host  of  mice,  as  he  lay  in  bed.  At 
first  he  defended  himself  with  a  club,  then  with  his 
sword,  and,  as  he  found  himself  unable  to  cope 
with  the  multitude,  he  ordered  his  servants  to 
put  him  in  a  box,  and  suspend  this  by  a  rope  from 
the  ceiling,  and  as  soon  as  the  mice  were  gone,  to 
liberate  him.  But  the  animals  pursued  him  even 
thus,  and  when  he  was  taken  down,  it  was  found 
that  they  had  eaten  the  flesh  and  skin  off"  his  bones. 
And  it  became  manifest  to  all  how  obnoxious  to 
God  is  the  sin  of  sacrilege  *. 

Caesarius  of  Heisterbach  (Dist.  ii.  c  31)  tells  a 
tale  of  a  usurer  in  Cologne,  who,  moved  with 
compunction  for  his  sins,  confessed  to  a  priest, 
who  bade  him  fill  a  chest  with  bread,  as  alms  for 

'  Girald.  Cambr.  Itin.  Cambriae,  lib.  xi,  c.  a. 
*  Thietmar,  Ep.  Merseburg.  Chronici  libri  viii.,  lib.  vi; 
c.  30. 


Bishop  Hatto  457 

the  poor  attached  to  the  church  of  S.  Gereon. 
Next  morning  the  loaves  were  found  transformed 
into  toads  and  frogs.  "Behold,"  said  the  priest, 
"the  value  of  your  alms  in  the  sight  of  God !"  To 
which  the  terrified  usurer  replied,  "  Lord,  what  shall 
I  do?"  And  the  priest  answered,  "If  you  wish 
to  be  saved,  lie  this  night  naked  amidst  these 
reptiles."  Wondrous  contrition.  He,  though  he 
recoiled  from  such  a  couch,  preferred  to  lie  among 
worms  which  perish,  rather  than  those  which  are 
eternal ;  and  he  cast  himself  nude  upon  the  crea- 
tures. Then  the  priest  went  to  the  box,  shut  it, 
and  departed;  which,  when  he  opened  it  on  the 
following  day,  he  found  to  contain  nothing  save 
human  bones. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  versions  of  the  Hatto 
myth,  how  prevalent  among  the  Northern  nations 
was  the  idea  of  men  being  devoured  by  vermin. 
The  manner  of  accounting  for  their  death  differs, 
but  all  the  stories  agree  in  regarding  that  death 
as  mysterious. 

I  believe  the  origin  of  these  stories  to  be  a 
heathen  human  sacrifice  made  in  times  of  famine. 
That  such  sacrifice  took  place  among  the  Scandi- 
navian and  Teutonic  peoples  is  certain.  Tacitus 
tells  us  that  the  Germans  sacrificed  men.     Snorro 


458  Bishop  Hatto 

Sturlesson  (d.  1241)  gives  us  an  instance  of  the 
Swedes  offering  their  king  to  obtain  abundant 
crops '. 

"  Donald  took  the  heritage  after  his  father  Vis- 
bur,  and  ruled  over  the  land.  As  in  his  time  there 
was  a  great  famine  and  distress,  the  Swedes  made 
great  offerings  of  sacrifice  at  Upsala.  The  first 
autumn  they  sacrificed  oxen,  but  the  succeeding 
season  was  not  improved  by  it.  The  following 
autumn  they  sacrificed  men,  but  the  succeeding 
year  was  rather  worse.  The  third  autumn,  when 
the  offer  of  sacrifices  should  begin,  a  great  multi- 
tude of  Swedes  came  to  Upsala ;  and  now  the  chiefs 
held  consultations  with  each  other,  and  all  agreed 
that  the  times  of  scarcity  were  on  account  of  their 
king  Donald,  and  they  resolved  to  offer  him  for 
good  seasons,  and  to  assault  and  kill  him,  and 
sprinkle  the  altar  of  the  gods  with  his  blood.  And 
they  did  so."  So  again  with  Olaf  the  Tree-feller  : 
"There  came  dear  times  and  famine,  which  they 
ascribed  to  their  king,  as  the  Swedes  used  always 
to  reckon  good  or  bad  crops  for  or  against  their 
kings.  The  Swedes  took  it  amiss  that  Olaf  was 
sparing  in  his  sacrifices,  and  believed  the  dear  times 

•  Snorro  Sturlesson,  Heimskringla,  Saga  i.  c.  18,  47. 


Bishop  Hatto  459 

must  proceed  from  this  cause.  The  Swedes  there- 
fore gathered  together  troops,  made  an  expedition 
against  King  Olaf,  surrounded  his  house,  and  burnt 
him  in  it,  giving  him  to  Odin  as  a  sacrifice  for 
good  crops." 

Saxo  Grammaticus  says  that  in  the  reign  of  King 
Snio  of  Denmark  there  was  a  famine.  The  "  Chro- 
nicon  Regum  Danicorum"  tells  a  curious  story  about 
this  Snio  being  devoured  by  vermin,  sent  to  destroy 
him  by  his  former  master  the  giant  Lae.  Probably 
Snio  was  sacrificed,  like  Donald  and  Olaf,  to  obtain 
good  harvests. 

The  manner  in  which  human  sacrifices  were 
made  was  very  different.  Sometimes  the  victims 
were  precipitated  off*  a  rock,  sometimes  hung,  at 
other  times  they  were  sunk  in  a  bog.  It  seems 
probable  to  me  that  the  manner  in  which  an  offer- 
ing was  made  for  plenty,  was  by  exposure  to  rats, 
just  as  M.  Du  Chaillu  tells  us,  an  African  tribe 
place  their  criminals  in  the  way  of  ants  to  be 
devoured  by  them.  The  peculiar  death  of  Ragnar 
Lodbrog,  who  was  sentenced  by  Ella  of  Northum- 
berland to  be  stung  to  death  by  serpents  in  a 
dungeon,  was  somewhat  similar.  Offerings  to  rats 
and  mice  are  still  prevalent  among  the  peasantry 
in   certain   parts   of  Germany,   if  we  may  credit 


460  Bishop  Hatto 

Grimm  and  Wolf;  and  this  can  only  be  a  relic 
of  heathenism,  for  the  significance  of  the  act  is 
lost. 

In  Mark  it  is  said  that  the  Elves  appear  in  Yule- 
tide  as  mice,  and  cakes  are  laid  out  for  them.  In 
Bohemia,  on  Christmas  eve,  the  remainder  of  the 
supper  is  given  them  with  the  words,  "  Mice !  eat 
of  these  crumbs,  and  leave  the  wheat." 

If  I  am  correct  in  supposing  that  the  Hatto 
myth  points  to  sacrifices  of  chieftains  and  princes 
in  times  of  famine,  and  that  the  manner  of  offering 
the  sacrifice  was  the  exposure  of  the  victim  to  rats, 
then  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that,  when  the 
reason  of  such  a  sacrifice  was  forgotten,  the  death 
should  be  accounted  as  a  judgment  of  God  for 
some  crime  committed  by  the  sufferer,  as  hard- 
heartedness,  murder,  or  sacrilege.  Both  Giraldus 
Cambrensis  and  William  of  Malmesbury  are,  how- 
ever, sadly  troubled  to  find  a  cause. 

Rats  and  mice  have  generally  been  considered 
sacred  animals.  Among  the  Scandinavian  and 
Teutonic  peoples  they  were  regarded  as  the  souls 
of  the  dead. 

In  the  article  on  the  Piper  of  Hameln,  I  men- 
tioned that  Praetorius  gives  a  story  of  a  woman's 
soul  leaving  her  body  in  the  shape  of  a  red  mouse. 


Bishop  Hatto  461 

According  to  Bohemian  belief,  one  must  not  go  to 
sleep  thirsty,  or  the  soul  will  leave  the  body  in 
search  of  drink.  Three  labourers  once  lost  their 
way  in  a  wood.  Parched  with  thirst,  they  sought, 
but  in  vain,  for  a  spring  of  water.  At  last  one 
of  them  lay  down  and  fell  asleep,  but  the  others 
continuing  their  search,  discovered  a  fountain. 
They  drank,  and  then  returned  to  their  comrade. 
He  still  slept,  and  they  observed  a  little  white 
mouse  run  out  of  his  mouth,  go  to  the  spring, 
drink,  and  return  to  his  mouth.  They  woke  him 
and  said,  "  You  are  such  an  idle  fellow,  that  instead 
of  going  yourself  after  water,  you  send  your  soul. 
We  will  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  you." 

A  miller  in  the  Black  Forest,  after  having  cut 
wood,  lay  down  and  slept  A  servant  saw  a  mouse 
run  out  of  him.  He  and  his  companions  went  in 
pursuit.  They  scared  the  little  creature  away, 
little  thinking  it  was  the  soul  of  the  miller,  and 
they  were  never  able  to  rouse  him  again.  Paulus 
Diaconus  relates  of  King  Gunthram  that  his  soul 
left  his  body  in  the  shape  of  a  serpent ;  and  Hugh 
Miller,  in  his  "  Schools  and  Schoolmasters,"  tells  a 
Scottish  story  of  two  companions,  one  of  whom 
slept  whilst  the  other  watched.  He  who  was  awake 
saw  a  bee  come  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  sleeper,  cross 


462  Bishop  Hatto 

a  stream  of  water  on  a  straw,  run  into  a  hole,  and  then 
return  and  disappear  into  the  mouth  of  his  friend. 
These  are  similar  stories,  but  the  bee  and  the 
serpent  have  taken  the  place  of  the  mouse.  The 
idea  that  the  soul  is  like  a  mouse,  lies  at  the  root  of 
several  grotesque  stories,  as  that  told  by  Luther, 
in  his  "Table-Talk,"  of  a  woman  giving  birth  to  a  rat, 
and  that  of  a  mother  harassed  by  the  clamour  of 
her  children,  wishing  they  were  mice,  and  finding 
this  inconsiderate  wish  literally  fulfilled. 

The  same  idea  has  passed  into  Christian  icono- 
graphy. According  to  the  popular  German  belief, 
the  souls  of  the  dead  spend  the  first  night  after 
they  leave  the  body  with  S.  Gertrude,  the  second 
with  S.  Michael,  and  the  third  in  their  destined 
habitation.  S.  Gertrude  is  regarded  as  the  pa- 
troness of  fleeting  souls,  the  saint  who  is  the 
first  to  shelter  the  spirits  when  they  begin  their 
wandering.  As  the  patroness  of  souls,  her  sym- 
bol is  a  mouse.  Various  stories  have  been  in- 
vented to  account  for  this  symbol.  Some  relate 
that  a  maiden  span  on  her  festival,  and  the  mice 
ate  through  her  clew  as  a  punishment.  A  prettier 
story  is  that,  when  she  prayed,  she  was  so  absorbed 
that  the  mice  ran  about  her,  and  up  her  pastoral 
staff,  without  attracting  her  attention.    Another 


Bishop  Hatto  463 

explanation  is  that  the  mouse  is  a  symbol  of  the 
evil  spirit,  which  S.  Gertrude  overcame  *. 

But  S.  Gertrude  occupies  the  place  of  the  ancient 
Teutonic  goddess  Holda  or  Perchta,  who  was  the 
receiver  of  the  souls  of  maidens  and  children,  and 
who  still  exists  as  the  White  Lady,  not  unfre- 
quently,  in  German  legends,  transforming  herself, 
or  those  whom  she  decoys  into  her  home,  into 
white  mice. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  saying,  "  Rats  desert 
a  falling  house,"  applied  originally  to  the  crumbling 
ruin  of  the  body  from  which  the  soul  fled. 

In  the  Hatto  and  Popiel  legends  it  is  evident 
that  the  rats  are  the  souls  of  those  whom  the  Bishop 
and  the  King  murdered. 

The  rats  of  Bingen  issue  from  the  flames  in 
which  the  poor  people  are  being  consumed.  The 
same  is  said  of  the  rats  which  devoured  the  Freiherr 
of  Giittingen.  The  rats  mira  metamorphosi  come 
from  the  corpses  of  those  poisoned  by  Popiel. 

There  is  a  curious  Icelandic  story,  written  in  the 
twelfth  century,  which  bears  a  striking  resemblance 
to  those  of  Hatto,  Widerolf,  &c.,  but  in  which  the 
rats  make  no  appearance. 

*  Die  Attribute  der  Heiligen.    Hanover,  1843,  p.  114. 


464  Bishop  Hatto 

In  the  tenth  century  Iceland  suffered  severely 
from  a  bad  year,  so  that  there  was  a  large  amount 
of  destitution  throughout  the  country ;  and,  unless 
something  were  done  by  the  wealthy  bonders  to 
relieve  it,  there  was  a  certainty  of  many  poor 
householders  perishing  during  the  approaching 
winter.  Then  Svathi,  a  heathen  chief,  stepped 
forward  and  undertook  to  provide  for  a  consider- 
able number  of  sufferers.  Accordingly,  the  poor 
starving  wretches  assembled  at  his  door,  and  were 
ordered  by  him  to  dig  a  large  pit  in  his  tun,  or 
home  meadow.  They  complied  with  alacrity,  and 
in  the  evening  they  were  gathered  into  a  barn,  the 
door  was  locked  upon  them,  and  it  was  explained 
to  them  that  on  the  following  morning  they  were 
to  be  buried  alive  in  the  pit  of  their  own  digging. 

"  You  will  at  once  perceive,"  said  Svathi,  "  that  if 
a  number  of  you  be  put  out  of  your  misery,  the 
number  of  mouths  wanting  food  will  be  reduced, 
and  there  will  be  more  victuals  for  those  who 
remain." 

There  was  truth  in  what  Svathi  said ;  but  the 
poor  wretches  did  not  view  the  matter  in  the  same 
light  as  he,  nor  appreciate  the  force  of  his  argu- 
ment ;  and  they  spent  the  night  howling  with  de- 
spair.   Thorwald  of  Asi,  a  Christian,  who  happened 


Bishop  Hatto  465 

to  be  riding  by  towards  dawn,  heard  the  outcries, 
and  went  to  the  barn  to  inquire  into  their  signi- 
fication. When  he  learned  the  cause  of  their  dis- 
tress, he  liberated  the  prisoners,  and  bade  them 
follow  him  to  Asi.  Before  long,  Svathi  became 
aware  that  his  victims  had  escaped,  and  set  off  in 
pursuit.  However,  he  was  unable  to  recover  them, 
as  Thorwald's  men  were  armed,  and  the  poor 
people  were  prepared  to  resist  with  the  courage  of 
despair.  Thus  the  golden  opportunity  was  lost, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  return  home,  bewailing  the 
failure  of  his  scheme.  As  he  dashed  up  to  his 
house,  blinded  with  rage,  and  regardless  of  what 
was  before  him,  the  horse  fell  with  him  into  the  pit 
which  the  poor  folk  had  dug,  and  he  was  killed  by 
the  fall.  He  was  buried  in  it  next  day,  along  with 
his  horse  and  hound  *. 

In  all  likelihood  this  Svathi  was  sacrificed  in 
time  of  famine,  and  the  legend  may  describe  cor- 
rectly the  manner  in  which  he  was  offered  to  the 
gods,  viz.  by  burial  alive. 

In  this  story,  as  in  Snorro's  account  of  Donald, 
we  have  a  sacrifice  of  human  beings,  taken  from  a 
low  rank,  offered  first,  and  then  the  chief  himself 
sacrificed. 

*  Younger  Dial's  Saga  Trygvas.,  cap.  225. 

H  h 


466  Bishop  Hatto 

The  god  to  whom  these  human  oblations  were 
made,  seems  to  have  been  Odin.  In  the  "  Herverar 
Saga"  is  an  account  of  a  famine  in  Jutland,  to  obtain 
relief  from  which,  the  nobles  and  farmers  consulted 
whom  to  sacrifice,  and  they  decided  that  the  king's 
son  was  the  most  illustrious  person  they  could 
present  to  Odin.  But  the  king,  to  save  his  son, 
fought  with  another  king,  and  slew  him  and  his 
son,  and  with  their  blood  smeared  the  altar  of 
Odin,  and  thus  appeased  the  god  *. 

Now,  Odin  was  the  receiver  of  the  souls  of  men, 
as  Freya,  or  the  German  Holda,  took  charge  of 
those  of  women.  Odin  appears  as  the  wild  hunts- 
man, followed  by  a  multitude  of  souls ;  or,  as  the 
Piper  of  Hameln,  leading  them  into  the  mountain 
where  he  dwells. 

Freya,  or  Holda,  leads  an  army  of  mice,  and 
Odin  a  multitude  of  rats. 

As  a  rat  or  soul  god,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  sacri- 
fices to  him  may  have  been  made  by  the  placing 
of  the  victim  on  an  island  infested  by  water-rats, 
there  to  be  devoured.  The  manner  in  which  sacri- 
fices were  made  have  generally  some  relation  to 
the  nature  of  the  god  to  whom  they  were  made. 

•  Herverar  Saga,  cap.  xi 


Bishop  Hatio  467 

Thus,  as  Odin  was  a  wind-god,  men  were  hung  in 
his  honour.  Most  of  the  legends  we  are  consi- 
dering point  to  islands  as  the  place  where  the 
victim  suffered,  and  islands,  we  know,  were  regarded 
with  special  sanctity  by  the  Northern  nations. 
Riigen  and  Heligoland  in  the  sea  were  sacred  from 
a  remote  antiquity,  and  probably  lakes  had  as  well 
their  sacred  islets,  to  which  the  victim  was  rowed 
out,  his  back  broken,  and  on  which  he  was  left  to 
become  the  prey  of  the  rats. 

We  find  rats  and  mice  regarded  as  sacred 
animals  in  other  Aryan  mythologies.  Thus  the 
mouse  was  the  beast  of  the  Indian  Rudra. 

"  This  portion  belongs  to  thee,  O  Rudra,  with  thy 
sister  Ambika,"  is  the  wording  of  a  prayer  in  the 
Yajur-Veda ;  "  may  it  please  you.  This  portion  be- 
longs to  thee,  O  Rudra,  whose  animal  is  the  mouse'." 
In  later  mythology  it  became  the  attribute  of 
Gane9a,  who  was  represented  as  riding  upon  a  rat ; 
but  Ganega  is  simply  an  hypostasis  for  Rudra. 

Apollo  was  called  Smintheus,  as  has  been 
stated  already.  On  some  of  the  coins  of  Argos, 
in  place  of  the  god,  is  figured  his  symbol,  the 
mouse  ^     In  the  temple  at  Chrisa  was  a  statue  of 

'  Yajur-Veda,  iii.  57. 

8  Otfr.  Miiller,  Dorier,  i.  p.  285. 

H    h  ^ 


468  Bishop  Hatto 

Apollo,  with  a  mouse  at  his  feet  * ;  and  tame  mice 
were  kept  as  sacred  to  the  god.  In  the  Smintheion 
of  Hamaxitus,  white  mice  were  fed  as  a  solemn  rite, 
and  had  their  holes  under  the  altar  ;  and  near  the 
tripod  of  Apollo  was  a  representation  of  one  of 
these  animals  \ 

Among  Semitic  nations  the  mouse  was  also 
sacred. 

Herodotus  gives  a  curious  legend  relating  to  the 
destruction  of  the  host  of  Sennacherib  before  Jeru- 
salem. Isaiah  simply  says,  "  Then  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  went  forth,  and  smote  in  the  camp  of  the 
Assyrians  a  hundred  and  fourscore  and  five  thou- 
sand: and  when  they  arose  early  in  the  morning, 
behold,  they  were  all  dead  corpses '."  How  they 
were  slain  he  does  not  specify,  but  as  the  army 
was  threatened  with  a  "  hot  blast,"  and  a  "  destroy- 
ing wind,"  it  is  rendered  probable  that  they  were 
destroyed  by  a  hot  wind.  But  the  story  of  Hero- 
dotus is  very  different.  He  received  it  from  the 
Egyptian  priests,  who  claimed  the  miracle,  of  which 
they  had  but  an  imperfect  knowledge,  for  one  of 
their  gods,  and  transferred  the  entire  event  to  their 

•  Strabo,  xiii.  i. 

*  -^lian,  Hist,  Animal  xiL  15. 
'  Isa.  xxxvii.  36. 


Bishop  Hatto  469 

own  country.  "After  Amyrtaeus  reigned  the 
priest  of  Vulcan,  whose  name  was  Sethon ;  he  held 
in  no  account  and  despised  the  military  caste  of 
the  Egyptians,  as  not  having  need  of  their  services ; 
and  accordingly,  among  other  indignities,  he  took 
away  their  lands ;  to  each  of  whom,  under  former 
kings,  twelve  chosen  acres  had  been  assigned. 
After  this,  Sennacherib,  king  of  the  Arabians  and 
Assyrians,  marched  a  large  army  against  Egypt ; 
whereupon  the  Egyptian  warriors  refused  to  assist 
him  ;  and  the  priest  being  reduced  to  a  strait, 
entered  the  temple,  and  bewailed  before  the  image 
the  calamities  he  was  in  danger  of  suffering.  While 
he  was  lamenting,  sleep  fell  upon  him ;  and  it 
appeared  to  him  in  a  vision  that  the  god  stood  by 
and  encouraged  him,  assuring  him  that  he  should 
suffer  nothing  disagreeable  in  meeting  the  Arabian 
army,  for  he  would  himself  send  assistants  to  him. 
Confiding  in  this  vision,  he  took  with  him  such 
of  the  Egyptians  as  were  willing  to  follow  him,  and 
encamped  in  Pelusium,  for  there  the  entrance  into 
Egypt  is  ;  but  none  of  the  military  caste  followed 
him,  but  tradesmen,  mechanics,  and  sutlers.  When 
they  arrived  there,  a  number  of  field-mice,  pouring 
in  upon  their  enemies,  devoured  their  quivers  and 
their  bows,  and,  moreover,  the  handles  of  their 


470  Bishop  Hatto 

shields ;  so  that  on  .the  next  day,  when  they  fled 
bereft  of  their  arms,  many  of  them  fell.  And  to 
this  day,  a  stone  statue  of  this  king  stands  in  the 
temple  of  Vulcan,  with  a  mouse  in  his  hand,  and  an 
inscription  to  the  following  effect :  *  Whoever  looks 
on  me,  let  him  revere  the  gods  ^.'  " 

Among  the  Babylonians  the  mouse  was  sacrificed 
and  eaten  as  a  religious  rite,  but  in  connexion  with 
what  god  does  not  transpire  *.  .And  the  Philistines, 
who,  according  to  Hitzig,  were  a  Pelasgic  and 
therefore  Aryan  race,  after  having  suffered  from 
the  retention  of  the  ark,  were  told  by  their  divines 
to  "make  images  of  your  mice  that  mar  the  land  ; 
and  ye  shall  give  glory  unto  the  God  of  Israel." 
Therefore  they  made  five  golden  mice  as  an  offering 
to  the  Lord  *.  This  indicates  the  mouse  as  having 
been  the  symbol  among  the  Philistines  of  a  deity 
whom  they  identified  with  the  God  of  Israel. 

3  Herod.  Euterpe,  c.  141,  Trans.  Bohn. 

*  Movers,  Phonizier,  i.  p.  219.     Cf.  Isa.  Ixvi.  17. 

*  I  Sam.  vi.  4,  5. 


"TJ^MMERICK,  Count  of  Poitou,  was  a  noble- 
■' — '  man  of  great  wealth,  and  eminent  for  his 
virtues.  He  had  two  children,  a  son  named  Ber- 
tram, and  a  daughter  Blaniferte.  In  the  great 
forest  which  stretched  away  in  all  directions  around 
the  knoll  on  which  stood  the  town  and  castle  of 
Poictiers,  lived'  a  Count  de  la  Forfit,  related  to 
Emmerick,  but  poor  and  with  a  laige  family.  Out 
of  compassion  for  his  kinsman,  the  Count  of  Poitou 
adopted  his  youngest  son  Raymond,  a  beautiful 


472  Melusina 

and  amiable  youth,  and  made  him  his  constant 
companion  in  hall  and  in  the  chase.  One  day  the 
Count  and  his  retinue  hunted  a  boar  in  the  forest 
of  Colombiers,  and  distancing  his  servants,  Emme- 
rick  found  himself  alone  in  the  depths  of  the  wood 
with  Raymond.  The  boar  had  escaped.  Night 
came  on,  and  the  two  huntsmen  lost  their  way. 
They  succeeded  in  lighting  a  fire,  and  were  warm- 
ing themselves  over  the  blaze,  when  suddenly  the 
boar  plunged  out  of  the  forest  upon  the  Count,  and 
Raymond,  snatching  up  his  sword,  struck  at  the 
beast,  but  the  blade  glanced  off  and  slew  the  Count. 
A  second  blow  laid  the  boar  at  his  side.  Ray- 
mond then  with  horror  perceived  that  his  friend 
and  master  was  dead.  In  despair  he  mounted  his 
horse  and  fled,  not  knowing  whither  he  went. 

Presently  the  boughs  of  the  trees  became  less 
interlaced,  and  the  trunks  fewer ;  next  moment  his 
horse,  crashing  through  the  shrubs,  brought  him  out 
on  a  pleasant  glade,  white  with  rime,  and  illumined 
by  the  new  moon  ;  in  the  midst  bubbled  up  a 
limpid  fountain,  and  flowed  away  over  a  pebbly 
floor  with  a  soothing  murmur.  Near  the  fountain- 
head  sat  three  maidens  in  glimmering  white  dresses, 
with  long  waving  golden  hair,  and  faces  of  inex- 
pressible beauty. 


Melusina  473 

Raymond  was  riveted  to  the  spot  with  astonish- 
ment. He  believed  that  he  saw  a  vision  of  angels, 
and  would  have  prostrated  himself  at  their  feet, 
had  not  one  of  them  advanced  and  stayed  him. 
The  lady  inquired  the  cause  of  his  manifest  terror, 
and  the  young  man,  after  a  slight  hesitation,  told 
her  of  his  dreadful  misfortune.  She  listened  with 
attention,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  story,  recom- 
mended him  to  remount  his  horse,  and  gallop  out 
of  the  forest,  and  return  to  Poictiers,  as  though 
unconscious  of  what  had  taken  place.  All  the 
huntsmen  had  that  day  lost  themselves  in  the 
wood,  and  were  returning  singly,  at  intervals,  to  the 
castle,  so  that  no  suspicion  would  attach  to  him. 
The  body  of  the  count  would  be  found,  and  from 
the  proximity  of  the  dead  boar,  it  would  be  con- 
cluded that  he  had  fallen  before  the  tusk  of  the 
animal,  to  which  he  had  given  its  death-blow. 

Relieved  of  his  anxiety,  Raymond  was  able  to 
devote  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  beauty  of 
the  lady  who  addressed  him,  and  found  means  to 
prolong  the  conversation  till  daybreak.  He  had 
never  beheld  charms  equal  to  hers,  and  the  suscep- 
tible heart  of  the  youth  was  completely  capti- 
vated by  the  fair  unknown.  Before  he  left  her,  he 
obtained  from  her  a  promise  to  be  his.     She  then 


474  Melusina 

told  him  to  ask  of  his  kinsman  Bertram,  as  a  gift, 
so  much  ground  around  the  fountain  where  they 
had  met,  as  could  be  covered  by  a  stag's  hide: 
upon  this  ground  she  undertook  to  erect  a  magni- 
ficent palace.  Her  name,  she  told  him,  was  Melu- 
sina ;  she  was  a  water-fay  of  great  power  and 
wealth.  His  she  consented  to  be,  but  subject  to 
one  condition,  that  her  Saturdays  might  be  spent  in 
a  complete  seclusion,  upon  whicfi  he  should  never 
venture  to  intrude. 

Raymond  then  left  her,  and  followed  her  advice 
to  the  letter.  Bertram,  who  succeeded  his  father, 
readily  granted  the  land  he  asked  for,  but  was  not 
a  little  vexed,  when  he  found  that,  by  cutting 
the  hide  into  threads,  Raymond  had  succeeded 
in  making  it  include  a  considerable  area. 

Raymond  then  invited  the  young  count  to  his 
wedding,  and  the  marriage  festivities  took  place, 
with  unusual  splendour,  in  the  magnificent  castle 
erected  by  Melusina.  On  the  evening  of  the  mar- 
riage, the  bride,  with  tears  in  her  beautiful  eyes, 
implored  her  husband  on  no  account  to  attempt  an 
intrusion  on  her  privacy  upon  Saturdays,  for  such 
an  intrusion  must  infallibly  separate  them  for  ever. 
The  enamoured  Raymond  readily  swore  to  strictly 
observe  her  wishes  in  this  matter. 


Melusina  475 

Melusina  continued  to  extend  the  castle,  and 
strengthen  its  fortifications,  till  the  like  was  not  to 
be  seen  in  all  the  country  round.  On  its  com- 
pletion she  named  it  after  herself  Lusinia,  a  name 
which  has  been  corrupted  into  Lusignan,  which 
it  bears  to  this  day. 

In  course  of  time,  the  Lady  of  Lusignan  gave 
birth  to  a  son,  \vho  was  baptized  Urian.  He  was 
a  strangely  shaped  child  :  his  mouth  was  large,  his 
ears  pendulous  ;  one  of  his  eyes  was  red,  the  other 
green. 

A  twelvemonth  later  she  gave  birth  to  another 
son,  whom  she  called  Gedes;  he  had  a  face  which 
was  scarlet.  In  thank-offering  for  his  birth  she 
erected  and  endowed  the  convent  of  Malliers  ;  and, 
as  a  place  of  residence  for  her  child,  built  the 
strong  castle  of  Favent. 

Melusina  then  bore  a  third  son,  who  was  chris- 
tened Gyot.  He  was  a  fine,  handsome  child,  but 
one  of  his  eyes  was  higher  up  in  his  face  than  the 
other.     For  him  his  mother  built  La  Rochelle. 

Her  next  son  Anthony,  had  long  claws  on  his 
fingers,  and  was  covered  with  hair  ;  the  next  again 
had  but  a  single  eye.  The  sixth  was  Geoffry  with 
the  Tooth,  so  called  from  a  boar's  tusk  which 
protruded  from  his  jaw.     Other  children  she  had. 


476  Melusifia 

but  all  were  in  some  way  disfigured   and   mon- 
strous. 

Years  passed,  and  the  love  of  Raymond  for  his 
beautiful  wife  never  languished.  Every  Saturday 
she  left  him,  and  spent  the  twenty-four  hours  in 
the  strictest  seclusion,  without  her  husband  think- 
ing of  intruding  on  her  privacy.  The  children 
grew  up  to  be  great  heroes  and  illustrious  warriors. 
One,  Freimund,  entered  the  Church,  and  became  a 
pious  monk,  in  the  abbey  of  Malliers.  The  aged 
Count  de  la  ForSt  and  the  brothers  of  Raymond 
shared  in  his  good  fortune,  and  the  old  man  spent 
his  last  years  in  the  castle  with  his  son,  whilst  the 
brothers  were  furnished  with  money  and  servants 
suitable  to  their  rank. 

One  Saturday,  the  old  father  inquired  at  dinner 
after  his  daughter-in-law.  Raymond  replied  that 
she  was  not  visible  on  Saturdays.  Thereupon  one 
of  his  brothers,  drawing  him  aside,  whispered  that 
strange  gossiping  tales  were  about  relative  to  this 
sabbath  seclusion,  and  that  it  behoved  him  to  in- 
quire into  it,  and  set  the  minds  of  people  at  rest. 
Full  of  wrath  and  anxiety,  the  count  rushed  off  to 
the  private  apartments  of  the  countess,  but  found 
them  empty.  One  door  alone  was  locked,  and  that 
opened  into  a  bath.     He  looked  through  the  key- 


Melusina  477 

hole,  and  to  his  dismay  beheld  her  in  the  water, 
her  lower  extremities  changed  into  the  tail  of  a 
monstrous  fish  or  serpent. 

Silently  he  withdrew.  No  word  of  what  he  had 
seen  passed  his  lips ;  it  was  not  loathing  that  filled 
his  heart,  but  anguish  at  the  thought  that  by  his 
fault  he  must  lose  the  beautiful  wife  who  had  been 
the  charm  and  glory  of  his  life.  Some  time  passed 
by,  however,  and  Melusina  gave  no  token  of  con- 
sciousness that  she  had  been  observed  during  the 
period  of  her  transformation.  But  one  day  news 
reached  the  castle  that  GeofTry  with  the  Tooth  had 
attacked  the  monastery  of  Malliers,  and  burned  it ; 
and  that  in  the  flames  had  perished  Freimund,  with 
the  abbot  and  a  hundred  monks.  On  hearing  of  this 
disaster,  the  poor  father,  in  a  paroxysm  of  misery, 
exclaimed,  as  Melusina  approached  to  comfort  him, 
"  Away,  odious  serpent,  contaminator  of  my  honour- 
able race !" 

At  these  words  she  fainted ;  and  Raymond,  full 
of  sorrow  for  having  spoken  thus  intemperately, 
strove  to  revive  her.  When  she  came  to  herself 
again,  with  streaming  tears  she  kissed  and  embraced 
him  for  the  last  time.  "  O  husband !"  she  said,  "  I 
leave  two  little  ones  in  their  cradle;  look  tenderly 
after  them,  bereaved  of  their  mother.    And  now 


478  Mehisina 

farewell  for  ever !  yet  know  that  thou,  and  those 
who  succeed  thee,  shall  see  me  hover  over  this  fair 
castle  of  Lusignan,  whenever  a  new  lord  is  to  come." 
And  with  a  long  wail  of  agony  she  swept  from  the 
window,  leaving  the  impression  of  her  foot  on  the 
stone  she  last  touched. 

The  children  in  arms  she  had  left  were  Die- 
trich and  Raymond.  At  night,  the  nurses  be- 
held a  glimmering  figure  appear  near  the  cradle 
of  the  babes,  most  like  the  vanished  countess,  but 
from  her  waist  downwards  terminating  in  a  scaly 
fish-tail  enamelled  blue  and  white.  At  her  approach 
the  little  ones  extended  their  arms  and  smiled,  and 
she  took  them  to  her  breast  and  suckled  them ; 
but  as  the  grey  dawn  stole  in  at  the  casement,  she 
vanished,  and  the  children's  cries  told  the  nurses 
that  their  mother  was  gone. 

» 

Long  was  it  believed  in  France  that  the  unfortu- 
nate Melusina  appeared  in  the  air,  wailing  over  the 
ramparts  of  Lusignan  before  the  death  of  one  of  its 
lords;  and  that,  on  the  extinction  of  the  family,  she 
was  seen  whenever  a  king  of  France  was  to  depart 
this  life.  Mezeray  informs  us  that  he  was  assured 
of  the  truth  of  the  appearance  of  Melusina  on  the 
old  tower  of  Lusignan,  previous  to  the  death  of 
one  of  her  descendants,  or  of  a  king  of  France,  by 


Melusina  479 

people  of  reputation,  and  who  were  not  by  any 
means  credulous.  She  appeared  in  a  mourning 
dress,  and  continued  for  a  long  time  to  utter  the 
most  heart-rending  lamentations. 

Brantome,  in  his  eulogium  on  the  Duke  of  Mont- 
pensier,  who  in  J574  destroyed  Lusignan,  a  Hugue- 
not retreat,  says : 

"I  heard,  more  than  forty  years  ago,  an  old 
veteran  say,  that  when  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  came 
to  France,  they  brought  him  by  Lusignan  for 
the  sake  of  the  recreation  of  hunting  the  deer, 
which  were  then  in  great  abundance  in  the  fine 
old  parks  of  France;  that  he  was  never  tired  of 
admiring  and  praising  the  beauty,  the  size,  and  the 
chef  d'ceuvre  of  that  house,  built,  which  is  more,  by 
such  a  lady,  of  whom  he  made  them  tell  him  several 
fabulous  tales,  which  are  there  quite  common,  even 
to  the  good  old  women  who  washed  their  linen  at 
the  fountains,  whom  Queen  Catherine  de  Medicis, 
mother  of  the  king,  would  also  question  and 
listen  to.  SomI  told  her  that  they  used  some- 
times to  see  her  come  to  the  fountain,  to  bathe  in  it, 
in  the  form  of  a  most  beautiful  woman  and  in 
the  dress  of  a  widow.  Others  said  that  they  used 
to  see  her,  but  very  rarely,  and  that  on  Saturday 
evening  (for  in  that  state  she  did  not  let  herself  be 


480  Melusina 

seen),  bathing,  half  her  body  being  that  of  a  very 
beautiful  lady,  the  other  half  ending  in  a  snake ; 
others,  that  she  used  to  appear  a-top  of  the  great 
tower  in  a  very  beautiful  form,  and  as  a  snake.  Some 
said,  that  when  any  great  disaster  was  to  come  on 
the  kingdom,  or  a  change  of  reign,  or  a  death,  or 
misfortune  among  her  relatives,  who  were  the  great- 
est people  of  France,  and  were  kings,  that  three 
days  before  she  was  heard  to  cry,  with  a  cry  most 
shrill  and  terrible,  three  times. 

"  This  is  held  to  be  perfectly  true.  Several  persons 
of  that  place,  who  have  heard  it,  are  positive  of  it, 
and  hand  it  from  father  to  son  ;  and  say  that,  even 
when  the  siege  came  on,  many  soldiers  and  men  of 
honour,  who  were  there,  affirmed  it.  But  it  was 
when  order  was  given  to  throw  down  and  destroy 
her  castles,  that  she  uttered  her  loudest  cries  and 
wails.  Since  then  she  has  not  been  heard.  Some 
old  wives,  however,  say  she  has  appeared  to  them, 
but  very  rarely  *." 

In  1387,  Jean  d* Arras,  secretary  to  the  Duke  of 
Berry,  received  orders  from  his  master  to  collect  all 
information  attainable  with  reference  to  Melusina, 
probably  for  the  entertainment  of  the  sister  of  the 

*  Keightle/s  Fairy  Mythology,  i860,  pp.  483, 484. 


Melusina  481 

duke,  the  Countess  de  Bar.  This  he  did,  making  con- 
siderable use  of  a  history  of  the  mysterious  lady, 
written  "  by  one  of  the  race  of  Lusinia,  William  de 
Portenach  (qu.  Partenope),  in  Italian."  This  history 
if  it  ever  existed,  has  not  come  down  to  us ;  the 
work  of  Jean  d' Arras  is  a  complete  romance.  Ac- 
cording to  him,  Helmas,  king  of  Albania  (Scotland, 
or,  as  the  German  popular  versions  have  it,  Nord- 
land),  married  a  fay  named  Pressina,  whom  he  found 
singing  beside  a  fountain.  She  became  his,  after 
having  exacted  from  him  an  oath  never  to  visit  her 
during  her  lying-in.  She  gave  birth  to  three  little 
girls  at  once,  Melusina,  Melior,  and  Flantina.  A 
son  of  Helmas  by  a  former  wife  hurried  to  his 
father  with  the  joyful  news,  and  the  king,  oblivious 
of  his  promise,  rushed  to  his  wife  and  found  her 
bathing  her  three  children.  Pressina,  on  seeing  him, 
exclaimed  against  his  forgetfulness,  and,  taking  her 
babes  in  her  arms,  vanished.  She  brought  up  the 
daughters  until  they  were  fifteen,  when  she  unfolded 
to  them  the  story  of  their  father's  breach  of  promise,, 
and  Melusina,  the  youngest,  determined  on  revenge. 
She,  in  concert  with  her  sisters,  caught  King  Heln^as 
and  chained  him  in  the  heart  of  a  mountain  called  / 
Avalon,  or,  in  the  German  books,  Brunbelois,  in 
Northubelon,  i.e.  Northumberland.     At  this  unfilial 

I  i 


482  Melusina 

act,  the  mother  was  so  indignant,  that  she  sen 
her  daughter  Melusina  to  spend  the  sabbat' 
semi-fish   form,    till   she  should  marry  oi^ 
would  never  inquire  into  what  became  of 
that  day.     Jean  d' Arras  relates  that  Servi 
defended   Lusignan   for  the  English   aga 
Duke  de  Berry,  swore  to  that  prince  upon 
and  honour,  "  that  three  days  before  the  - 
of  the  castle,  there  entered  into  his  chamb< 
the  doors  were  shut,  a  large  serpent,  enan^ 
and  white,  which  struck  its  tail  several  tin 
the  foot  of  the  bed  whereon  he  was  lyii 
wife,  who  was  not  at  all  frightened  at 
he  was  very  considerably  so ;  and  t^ 
seized  his  sword,  the  serpent  change( 
into  a  woman,  and  said  to  him  :  *  I 
you,  who  have  been  in  so  many  battl 
are  you  afraid  ?  Know  that  I  am  the  • 
castle,  which  I  erected,  and  that  soo; 
to  surrender  it !'    When  she  had  end 
she   resumed  her  serpent-shape,  a  '- 

so  swiftly  that  he  could  not  percei\  .^ 

Stephan,  a  Dominican,  of  the  he  ...     " 

developed  the  work  of  Jean  d'Ari 
^tory  so  famous,  that  the  familic 
Rohan,  and  Sassenaye  altered  tV 


Melusina  483 

to  be  able  to  claim  descent  from  the  illustrious 
Melusina  *;  and  the  Emperor  Henry  VII.  felt  no 
little  pride  in  being  able  to  number  the  beautiful 
and  mysterious  lady  among  his  ancestors.  "It 
does  not  escape  me,"  writes  the  chronicler  Conrad 
Vecerius,  in  his  life  of  that  emperor,  "to  report 
what  is  related  in  a  little  work  in  the  vernacular^ 
concerning  the  acts  of  a  woman,  Melyssina,  on  one 
day  of  the  week  becoming  a  serpent  from  her 
middle  downwards,  whom  they  reckon  among  the 

ancestors   of    Henry  VII But,  as  authors 

relate,  that  in  a  certain  island  of  the  ocean,  there 
are  nine  Sirens  endowed  with  various  arts,  such, 
for  instance,  as  changing  themselves  into  any  shape 
they  like,  it  is  no  absurd  conjecture  to  suppose  that 
Melyssina  came  thence  ^" 

The  story  became  immensely  popular  in  France, 
in  Germany,  and  in  Spain,  and  was  printed  and 
reprinted.  The  following  are  some  of  the  principal 
early  editions  of  it. 

Jean  d'Arras,  "  Le  liure  de  Melusine  en  fracoys  ;" 
Geneva,  1478.  The  same,  Lyons  and  Paris,  with^ 
out    date;    Lyons,   4to,    1500,  and    again    1544; 

2  Bullet,  Dissertat.  sur  la  Mythologie  Fran9aise.  Pahs, 
1771,  pp.  1—32. 

3  Urstisius,  Scriptores  Germaniae.    Frankfort,  1670. 

1  i  % 


484  Meiustna 

Troyes,  4to,  no  date.  "  L'histoire  de  Melusine  fill 
du  toy  d'Albanie  et  de  dame  Pressine,  revue  e 
mise  en  meilleur  langage  que  par  cy  devant ;' 
Lyons,  1597.  "  Le  roman  de  Melusine,  princesse  d( 
Lusignan,  avec  Thistoire  de  GeofTry,  surnomme  i 
la  Grand  Dent,"  par  Nodot ;  Paris,  1 700.  An  outline 
of  the  story  in  the  "  Bibliotheque  des  Romans,' 
1775,  T.  II.  A  Spanish  version,  "Historia  de  h 
linda  Melosyna ;"  Tolosa,  1489.  "  La  hystoria  d< 
la  linda  Melosina ;"  Sevilla,  i^%6.  A  Dutch  trans 
lation, "  Een  san  sonderlingke  schone  ende  wonder 
like  historic,  die  men  warachtich  kout  te  syn< 
ende  autentick  sprekende  van  eenre  vrouwei 
gheheeten  Melusine ;"  Tantwerpen,  1500.  A  Bohe 
mian  version,  probably  translated  from  the  German 
"  Kronyke  Kratochwilne,  o  ctne  a  slech  netne  Panni 
Meluzijne  ;"  Prag,  1760,  1764,  1805.  A  Danish  ver 
sion,  made  about  1579,  "  Melusine ;"  Copenhagen 
1667,  I701Z,  1729.  One  in  Swedish,  without  date 
The  original  of  these  three  last  was  the  '*  Hist  or) 
of  Melusina,"  by  Thiiring  von  Ringoltingen,  pub 
lished  in  1456;  Augsburg,  1474;  Strasburg,  1478 
"  Melosine-Geschicht,"  illustrated  with  woodcuts 
Heidelberg,  X491.  "  Die  Historia  von  Melusina  ;' 
Strasburg,  1506.  "  Die  Histori  oder  Geschichi 
von  der  edle  und  schonen  Melusina;'*  Augsburg 


Melusina  485 

1547;  Strasburg,  1577,  1624.  "Wunderbare  Ge- 
schichte  von  der  edeln  und  schonen  Melusina,  welche 
eine  Tochter  des  Konigs  Helmus  und  ein  Meer- 
wunder  gewesen  1st';"  Niirnberg,  without  date  ;  re- 
printed in  Marbach*s  "  Volksbiicher."  Leipzig,  1838. 

In  the  fable  of  Melusina,  there  are  several  points 
deserving  of  consideration,  as — the  framework  of 
the  story,  the  half-serpent  or  fish-shape  of  Melu- 
sina, and  her  appearances  as  warnings  of  impend- 
ing misfortune  or  death.  The  minor  details,  as,  for 
instance,  the  trick  with  the  hide,  which  is  taken 
from  the  story  of  Dido,  shall  not  detain  us. 

The  framework  of  the  myth  is  the  story-radical 
corresponding  with  that  of  Lohengrin.  The  skeleton 
of  the  romance  is  this — 

1.  A  man  falls  in  love  with  a  woman  of  super- 
natural race. 

2.  She  consents  to  live  with  him,  subject  to  one 
condition. 

3.  He  breaks  the  condition  and  loses  her. 

4.  He  seeks  her,  and — a.  recovers  her ;  yS.  never 
recovers  her. 

In  the  story  before  us,  the  last  item  has  dropped 
out,  but  it  exists  in  many  other  stories  which  have 
sprung  from  the  same  root.  The  beautiful  legend 
of  Undine  is  but  another  version   of  the  same 


486  Melusina 

story.  A  young  knight  marries  a  water-sprite, 
and  promises  never  to  be  false  to  her,  and  never 
to  bring  her  near  a  river.  He  breaks  his  engage- 
ment, and  loses  her.  Then  she  comes  to  him  on 
the  eve  of  his  second  marriage  and  kisses  him  to 
death.  Fouque's  inimitable  romance  is  founded 
on  the  story  as  told  by  Theophrastus  Paracelsus  in 
his  "  Treatise  on  Elemental  Sprites ;"  but  the  bare 
bones  of  the  myth  related  by  the  philosopher  have 
been  quickened  into  life  and  beauty  by  the  heaven- 
drawn  spark  of  poetry  wherewith  Fouque  has 
endowed  them. 

In  the  French  tale,  Melusina  seeks  union  with 
a  mortal  solely  that  she  may  escape  from  her 
enchantment ;  but  in  the  German  more  earnest 
tale,  Undine  desires  to  become  a  bride  that  she 
may  obtain  an  immortal  soul.  The  corresponding 
Danish  story  is  told  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 
A  little  mermaid  sees  a  prince  as  she  floats  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  and  saves  him  in  her  arms  from 
drowning  when  the  ship  is  wrecked.  But  from  that 
hour  her  heart  is  filled  with  yearning  love  for  the 
youth  whose  life  she  has  preserved.  She  seeks 
earth  of  her  own  free  will,  leaving  her  native 
element,  although  the  consequence  is  pain  at  every 
step  she  takes. 


Melusina  487 

She  becomes  the  constant  attendant  of  the 
prince,  till  he  marries  a  princess,  when  her  heart 
breaks  and  she  becomes  a  Light-Elf,  with  prospect 
of  immortality. 

Belonging  to  the  same  family  is  the  pretty 
Indian  tale  of  Urva9i.  Urva9i  was  an  "apsaras," 
or  heavenly  maiden  ;  she  loved  Puravaras,  a  martial 
king,  and  became  his  wife,  only,  however,  on  con- 
dition that  she  should  never  behold  him  without 
his  clothes.  For  some  years  they  were  together, 
till  the  heavenly  companions  of  Urva9i  determined 
to  secure  her  return  to  her  proper  sphere.  They 
accordingly  beguiled  Puravaras  into  leaving  his 
bed  in  the  darkness  of  night,  and  then,  with  a 
lightning-flash,  they  disclosed  him  in  his  nudity 
to  the  wife,  who  was  thereupon  constrained  to 
leave  him.  A  somewhat  similar  story  is  told,  in 
the  Katha  Sarit  Sagara  (Book  iii.  c.  i8),  of  Vidu- 
shaka,  who  loves  and  marries  a  beautiful  Bhadrd, 
but  after  a  while  she  vanishes,  leaving  behind  her 
a  ring.  The  inconsolable  husband  wanders  in 
search  of  her,  and  reaching  the  heavenly  land,  drops 
the  ring  in  a  goblet  of  water,  which  is  taken  to 
her.  By  this  she  recognizes  him,  and  they  are 
re-united. 

The  legend  of  Melusina,  as  it  comes  to  us,  is  by 


488  Melusina 

no  means  in  its  original  condition.  Jean  d' Arras, 
or  other  romancers,  have  considerably  altered  the 
simple  tale,  so  as  to  make  it  assume  the  propor- 
tions of  a  romance.  All  that  story  of  the  fay 
Pressina,  and  her  marriage  with  King  Helmas,  is 
but  another  version  of  the  same  story  as  Melusina, 
Helmas  finds  Pressina  near  a  fountain,  and  asks 
her  to  be  his;  she  consents  on  condition  that  he 
does  not  visit  her  during  her  lying-in ;  he  breaks 
the  condition  and  loses  her.  This  is  the  same  as 
Raymond  discovering  Melusina  near  a  spring,  and 
obtaining  her  hand  subject  to  the  condition  that  he 
will  not  visit  her  one  day  of  the  week.  Like 
Helmas,  he  breaks  his  promise  and  loses  his  wife. 
That  both  Pressina  and  Melusina  are  water-sprites, 
or  nymphs,  is  unquestionable  ;  both  haunt  a  foun- 
tain, and  the  transformation  of  the  lady  of 
Lusignan  indicates  her  aquatic  origin.  As  Grimm 
has  observed*,  this  is  a  Gallic,  and  therefore  a 
Keltic  myth,  an  opinion  confirmed  by  the  Banshee 
part  played  by  the  unfortunate  nymph.  For  the 
Banshee  superstition  has  no  corresponding  feature 
in  Scandinavian,  Teutonic,  or  Classic  mythology, 
and  belongs  entirely  to  the  Kelts.     Among  others 

*  Deutsche  Mythologie,  i.  405. 


Melusina  489 

there  are  death  portents,  but  not,  that  I  am  aware 
of,  spirits  of  women  attached  to  families,  by  their 
bitter  cries  at  night  announcing  the  approach  of 
the  king  of  terrors. 

The  Irish  Banshee  is  thus  described  :  "  We  saw 
the  figure  of  a  tall,  thin  woman  with  uncovered 
head,  and  long  hair  that  floated  round  her  shoul- 
ders, attired  in  something  which  seemed  either  a 
loose  white  cloak  or  a  sheet  thrown  hastily  about 
her,  uttering  piercing  cries. 

"  The  most  remarkable  instance  (of  the  Banshee) 
occurs  in  the  MS.  memoirs  of  Lady  Fanshawe,  so 
exemplary  for  her  conjugal  affection.  Her  husband. 
Sir  Richard,  and  she  chanced,  during  their  abode 
in  Ireland,  to  visit  a  friend,  the  head  of  a  sept, 
who  resided  in  an  ancient  baronial  castle  sur- 
rounded with  a  moat.  At  midnight  she  was 
awakened  by  a  ghastly  and  supernatural  scream, 
and  looking  out  of  bed,  beheld  in  the  moonlight 
a  female  face  and  part  of  the  form  hovering  at  the 
window.  The  face  was  that  of  a  young  and  rather 
handsome  woman,  but  pale,  and  the  hair,  which 
was  reddish,  loose  and  dishevelled.  The  dress, 
which  Lady  Fanshawe's  terror  did  not  prevent  her 
remarking  accurately,  was  that  of  the  ancient 
Irish.     This  apparition  continued  to  exhibit  itseK 


490  Melusina 

for  some  time,  and  then  vanished,  with  two  shrieks 
similar  to  that  which  had  first  excited  Lady 
Fanshawe's  attention.  In  the  morning,  with  infinite 
terror,  she  communicated  to  her  host  what  she 
had  witnessed,  and  found  him  prepared,  not  only 
to  credit,  but  to  account  for  the  apparition  : — 

"  'A  near  relation  of  my  family,'  said  he,  *  expired 
last  night  in  this  castle.  We  disguised  our  certain 
expectations  of  the  event  from  you,  lest  it  should 
throw  a  cloud  over  the  cheerful  reception  which 
was  your  due^  Now,  before  such  an  event 
happens  in  this  family  and  castle,  the  female 
spectre  whom  ye  have  seen  always  is  visible  :  she 
is  believed  to  be  the  spirit  of  a  woman  of  inferior 
rank,  whom  one  of  my  ancestors  degraded  himself 
by  marrying,  and  whom  afterwards,  to  expiate  the 
dishonour  done  to  his  family,  he  caused  to  be 
drowned  in  the  castle  moat'  " 

A  very  remarkable  story  of  the  Banshee  is  given 
by  Mr.  Crofton  Croker.  The  Rev.  Charles  Bun- 
worth  was  rector  of  Buttevant,  in  the  county  Cork, 
about  the  middle  of  last  century.  He  was  famous 
for  his  performance  on  the  national  instrument,  the 

•  Like  Admetus  in  the  Alcestis  of  Euripides.  This  story 
of  Lady  Fanshawe  is  from  a  note  to  "The  Lady  of  the 
Lake." 


Melusina  491 

Irish  harp,  and  for  his  hospitable  reception  and 
entertainment  of  the  poor  harpers  who  travelled 
from  house  to  house  about  the  country ;  and  in 
his  granary  were  deposited  fifteen  harps,  be- 
queathed to  him  by  the  last  members  of  a  race 
which  has  now  ceased  to  exist. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  death  of  Mr. 
Bunworth  were  remarkable  ;  but,  says  Mr.  Crofton 
Croker,  there  are  still  living  credible  witnesses  who 
declare  their  authenticity,  and  who  can  be  produced 
to  attest  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  following  particulars. 
Shortly  before  his  decease,  a  shepherd  heard  the 
Banshee  keening  and  clapping  her  hands  under  a 
lightning-struck  tree  near  the  house.  On  the  eve  of  his 
death  the  night  was  serene  and  moonlit,  and  nothing 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  melancholy  watch  kept  by 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  man,  who  lay  in  the  drawing- 
room,  by  his  two  daughters.  The  little  party  were 
suddenly  roused  by  a  sound  at  the  window  near 
the  bed  :  a  rose-tree  grew  outside  the  window,  so 
closely  as  to  touch  the  glass  ;  this  was  forced  aside 
with  some  noise,  and  a  low  moaning  was  heard,  ac- 
companied by  clapping  of  hands,  as  if  of  some 
female  in  deep  affliction.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
sound  proceeded  from  a  person  holding  her 
mouth    close    to   the    window.      The    lady    who 


492  Melusina 

sat  by  the  bedside  of  Mr.  Bunworth  went  into 
the  adjoining  room,  where  sat  some  male  rela- 
tives, and  asked,  in  a  tone  of  alarm,  if  they  had 
heard  the  Banshee.  Sceptical  of  supernatural 
appearances,  two  of  them  rose  hastily,  and  went 
out  to  discover  the  cause  of  these  sounds,  which 
they  also  distinctly  heard.  They  walked  all  round 
the  house,  examining  every  spot  of  ground, 
particularly  near  the  window  from  whence  the 
voice  had  proceeded ;  the  bed  of  earth  beneath, 
in  which  the  rose-tree  was  planted,  had  been 
recently  dug,  and  the  print  of  a  footstep — if  the 
tree  had  been  forced  aside  by  mortal  hand — ^would 
have  inevitably  remained  ;  but  they  could  perceive 
no  such  impression,  and  an  unbroken  stillness 
reigned  without.  Hoping  to  dispel  the  mystery, 
they  continued  their  search  anxiously  along  the 
road,  from  the  straightness  of  which,  and  the  light- 
ness of  the  night,  they  were  enabled  to  see  some  dis- 
tance around  them ;  but  all  was  silent  and  deserted, 
and  they  returned  surprised  and  disappointed. 
How  much  more  then  were  they  astonished  at 
learning  that,  the  whole  time  of  their  absence,  those 
who  remained  within  the  house  had  heard  the 
moaning  and  clapping  of  hands  even  louder  and 
more  distinct  than  before  they  had  gone  out ;  and 


Melusina  493 

no  sooner  was  the  door  of  the  room  closed  on 
them,  than  they  again  heard  the  same  mournful 
sounds.  Every  succeeding  hour  the  sick  man  be- 
came worse,  and  when  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
morning  appeared,  Mr,  Bunworth  expired. 

The  Banshee  is  represented  in  Wales  by  the 
Gwr^ch  y  Rhibyn,  who  is  said  to  come  after  dusk, 
and  flap  her  leathern  wings  against  the  window, 
giving  warning  of  death,  in  a  broken,  howl- 
ing tone,  and  calling  on  the  one  who  is  to  quit 
mortality  by  his  or  her  name  several  times.  In 
Brittany,  similar  spirits  are  called  Bandrhudes,  and 
are  attached  to  several  of  the  ancient  families.  In 
other  parts  of  France,  they  pass  as  Dames 
Blanches,  who,  however,  are  not  to  be  confused  with 
the  Teutonic  white  ladies,  which  are  spirits  of  a 
different  order. 

But,  putting  the  Banshee  part  of  the  story  of 
Melusina  on  one  side,  let  us  turn  to  the  semi-fish  or 
serpent  form  of  Melusina.  Jean  d' Arras  attributes 
this  to  a  curse  pronounced  on  her  by  the  fay 
Pressina,  but  this  is  an  invention  of  his  own ;  the 
true  conception  of  Melusina  he  did  not  grasp,  and 
was  therefore  obliged  to  forge  a  legend  which  should 
account  for  her  peculiar  appearance.  Melusina  was 
a  mermaid.     Her  presence  beside  the  fountain,  a 


494  Melusina 

m 

well  as  her  fishy  tail,  indicate  her  nature  ;  she  w 
not,  perhaps,  a  native   of  the  sea,  but    a  strean 
dweller,  and  therefore  as  closely  related  to  the  tru 
mermaid  of  the  briny  deep  as  are  the  fresh-watei 
fish  to  those  of  the  salt  sea. 

The  superstitious  belief  in  mermaids  is  universal, 
and  I  frankly  confess  my  inability  to  account 
for  its  origin  in  every  case.  In  some  particular 
cases  the  origin  of  the  myth  is  clear,  in  others  it  is 
not  so.  Let  me  take  one  which  can  be  explained 
— the  Cannes  of  the  Chaldaeans,  the  Philistine 
Dagon. 

Cannes  and  Dag-on  (the  fish  Cn)  are  identical. 
According  to  an  ancient  fable  preserved  by  Berosus, 
a  creature  half  man  and  half  fish  came  out  of  "  that 
part  of  the  Erythraean  sea  which   borders   upon 
Babylonia,"  where  he  taught  men  the  arts  of  life, 
"  to  construct  cities,  to  found  temples,  to  compile 
laws,  and,  in  short,  instructed  them  in  all  things 
that  tend  to  soften  manners  and  humanize  their 
lives ;"  and  he  adds  that  a  representation  of  this 
animal  Cannes  was  preserved  in  his  day.    A  figure 
of  him  sporting  in  the  waves,  and  apparently  bless- 
ing a  fleet  of  vessels,  was  discovered  in  a  marine 
piece  of  sculpture,  by  M.  Botta,  in  the  excavations 
of  Khorsabad. 


Meliisina  495 


Oannes,  from  Kborubad. 


At  Nimroud,  a  gigantic  image  was  found  by 
Mr.  Layard,  representing  him  with  the  fish's  head 
as  a  cap  and  the  body  of  the  fish  depending 
over  his  shoulders,  his  legs  those  of  a  man,  in 
his  left  hand  holding  a  richly  decorated  bag, 
and  his  right  hand  upraised,  as  if  in  the  act  of  pre- 
senting the  mystic  Assyrian  fir-cone  (British 
Museum,  Nos.  39  and  30). 

This  Cannes  is  the  Mizraimite  On,  and  the 
Hebrew  Aon,  with  a  Greek  case-termination,  derived 
from  a  root  signifying  "  to  illumine."  Aon  was  the 
original  name  of  the  god  reverenced  in  the  temple 
of  Heliopolis,  which  in  Scripture  is  called  Beth- Aon, 
the  house  of  On,  as  well  as  by  its  translation  Beth- 
Shemesh,  the  house  of  the  Sun.  Not  only  does  his 
name  indicate  his  solar  origin,  but  his  representa- 
tion with  horned  head-dress  testifies  to  his  nature. 
Ammon,  Apis,  Dionysos  are  sun-gods;  Isis,  lo, 


496  Melusina 

Artemis  are  moon-goddesses,  and  are  all  horned. 
Indeed,  in  ancient  iconography  horns  invariably 
connect  the  gods  represented  with  the  two  great 
sources  of  light.  Apparent  exceptions,  such  as  the 
Fauns,  are  not  so  in  reality,  when  subjected  to 
close  scrutiny.  Civilizing  gods,  who  diffuse  intelli- 
gence and  instruct  barbarians,  are  also  solar  deities, 
as  the  Egyptian  Osiris,  the  Nabathaean  Tammuz, 
the  Greek  Apollo,  and  the  Mexican  Quetzalcoatl ; 
beside  these  Cannes  takes  his  place,  as  the  sun-god, 
giving  knowledge  and  civilization.     According  to 


A  Babylonish  seal  in  tha  British  Muiaum,  from  Munttr*8  Babyloniar. 

the  fable  related  by  Berosus,  he  came  on  earth  each 
morning,  and  at  evening  plunged  into  the  sea ; 
this  is  a  mythical  description  of  the  rising  and 
setting  of  the  sun.  His  semi-piscine  form  was  an 
expression  of  the  idea  that  half  his  time  was  spent 
above  ground,  and  half  below  the  waves. 


Melusina  497 

In  precisely  similar  manner  the  Semitic  moon- 
goddess,  who  followed  the  course  of  the  sun,  at 
times  manifesting  herself  to  the  eyes  of  men,  at 
others  seeking  concealment  in  the  western  flood 
was  represented  as  half  woman,  half  fish,  with 
characteristics  which  make  her  lunar  origin  in- 
disputable. Her  name  was  Derceto  or  Atergatis. 
On  the  coins  of  Ascalon,  where  she  was  held  in 
great  honour,  is  figured  a  goddess  above  whose 
head  is  a  half-moon,  and  at  her  feet  a  woman  with 
her  lower  extremities  like  a  fish.  This  is  Semi- 
ramis,  who,  according  to  a  popular  legend,  was  the 
child  of  Derceto.  At  Joppa  she  appears  as  a 
mermaid.  The  story  was,  that  she  fled  from 
Typhon,  and  plunged  into  the  sea,  concealing 
herself  under  the  form  of  a  fish.  According  to 
Plutarch,  the  Syrian  Tirgata,  the  Derceto  of 
Palestine,  was  the  goddess  of  moisture ' ;  and 
Lucan  (De  dea  Syra,  c.  14)  declares  that  she  was 
represented  as  a  woman  with  a  fish-tail  from  her 
hips  downward. 
>    In  every  mythology,  the  different  attributes  of 

•  Plutarch,  Crass,  c.  1 7.  According  to  Greek  mythology, 
this  goddess,  under  the  name  of  Ceto,  "  with  comely  cheeks," 
is  the  daughter  of  Sea  and  Earth,  and  wife  of  Phorcys 
(Hesiod,  Theog.  v.  235.  270). 


498  Melusina 

the  deity  in  process  of  time  became  distinct  gods, 
yet  with  sufficient  impress  of  their  origin  still  upon 
them  to  make  that  origin  easy  to  be  detected. 

As  On,  the  sun-god  rising  and  setting  in  the  sea, 
was  supplied  with  a  corresponding  moon-goddess, 
Atergatis,  and  Bel  or  Baal,  also  a  solar  deity,  had 
his  lunar  Baalti,  so  the  fiery  Moloch,  "the  great 
lord,"  was  supplied  with  his  Mylitta,  "the  birth- 
producer."  Moloch  was  the  fierce  flame-god,  and 
Mylitta  the  goddess  of  moisture.  Their  worship 
was  closely  united.  The  priests  of  Moloch  wore 
female  attire,  the  priestesses  of  Mylitta  were 
dressed  like  men.  Human  sacrifices  characterized 
the  worship  of  the  fire-god,  prostitution  that  of 
the  goddess  of  water.  From  her  came  the  names 
of  the  hetarae  Melitta,  Meleto,  Milto,  Milesia 
(Athenaeus,  lib.  xiiL).  Among  the  Carthaginians, 
this  goddess  was  worshipped,  as  appears  from  their 
giving  the  name  of  Magasmelita  (the  tent  of 
Mylitta)  to  one  of  the  African  provinces.  Mylitta 
was  identical  with  Atergatis ;  she  was  regarded  as 
a  universal  mother,  a  source  of  life. 

In  Greece,  the  priestesses  of  Demeter  were 
called  Melissae,  the  high-priest  of  Apollo  was 
entitled  /cvpto^  r&v  fieWia-a&v,  A  fable  was  in- 
vented to  account  for  this  name,  and  to  connect 


Melusina  499 

them  with  bees  and  honey ;  but  I  have  little  doubt 
that  it  was  corrupted  from  the  Semitic  designation 
of  the  servants  of  Mylitta.  The  Melissae  are  some- 
times spoken  of  as  nymphs,  but  are  not  to  be 
identified  with  the  Meliadae,  Dryads  sprung  from 
the  ash.  Yet  Melia,  daughter  of  Oceanus,  who 
plunges  into  the  Haliacmon,  strongly  resembles 
the  Syrian  goddess.  Selene,  the  moon,  was  also 
known  by  the  name  Melissa.  KoIa  to?  Aijfirjrpo^ 
iep€ia<iy  w<i  T779  xOovla^  6ea<;  fivarlSa^,  fieXla-aa*;  oi 
iraXaLoX  eKoKovv,  avTijv  re  ttjv  Koprjv  fieXcao'caBi], 
SeXijvrjv  T€,  ovaav  yevia-eoof:  irpoa-TarlZa  fjUXia-a-av 
i/cdXovp  ^, 

When  we  remember  the  double  character  of 
Mylitta,  as  a  generative  or  all-mother,  and  as  a 
moon-goddess,  we  are  able  to  account  for  her 
name  having  passed  into  the  Greek  titles  of 
priestesses  of  their  corresponding  goddesses  De- 
meter  and  Selene. 

The  name  Melissa  was  probably  introduced  into 
Gaul  by  the  Phocian  colony  at  Massilia,  the  modem 
Marseilles,  and  passed  into  the  popular  mythology 
of  the  Gallic  Kelts  as  the  title  of  nymphs,  till  it  was 
finally  appropriated  by  the  Melusina  of  romance. 

7  Schol.  Theocr.  xv.  94.  Porphyr.  de  Antro  Nymph, 
c.  18. 

K  k  a     . 


600  Mehtsina 

It  may  seem  difficult  at  first  sight  to  trace  the 
connexion  between  the  moon,  a  water-goddess, 
and  a  deity  presiding  over  childbirth  ;  yet  it  is 
certain  that  such  a  connexion  does  exist.  The 
classic  Venus  was  born  of  the  sea-foam,  and  was 
unmistakably  one  with  the  moon.  She  was  also 
the  goddess  of  love,  and  was  resorted  to  by  barren 
women — ^as  the  Venus  of  Quimperle  in  Brittany 
IS,  to  this  day,  sought  by  those  who  have  no 
children. 

On  the  Syrian  coast,  they  told  of  their  goddess 
plunging  into  the  sea,  because  they  saw  the  moon 
descend  into  the  western  waters ;  but  the  Cretans, 
who  beheld  her  rise  above  the  eastern  horizon  of 
sea,  fabled  of  a  foam-born  goddess. 

In  classic  iconography  the  Tritons,  and  in 
later  art  the  Sirens,  are  represented  half  fish,  half 
human.  Originally  the  Sirens  were  winged,  but 
after  the  fable  had  been  accepted,  which  told  of 
their  strife  with  the  Muses,  and  their  precipitation 
into  the  sea,  they  were  figured  like  mermaids ;  the 
fish-form  was  by  them  borrowed  from  Derceto.  It 
is  curious  how  widely-spread  is  the  belief  in  fish- 
women.  The  prevalence  of  tales  of  mermaids 
among  Celtic  populations  indicates  these  water- 
nymphs  as  having  been  originally  deities  of  those 


Melusina  501 

peoples  ;  and  I  cannot  but  believe  that  the  circular 
mirror  they  are  usually  represented  as  holding  is 
a  reminiscence  of  the  moon-disk.  Bothe,  in  his 
"  Kronecke  der  Sassen,"  in  1492,  described  a  god, 
Krodo,  worshipped  in  the  Hartz,  who  was  repre- 
sented with  his  feet  on  a  fish,  a  wheel  to  symbolize 
the  moon  in  one  hand,  and  a  pail  of  water  in  the 
other.  As  among  the  Northern  nations  the  moon 
is  masculine,  its  deity  was  male.  Probably  the 
Mexican  Coxcox  or  Teocipactli  (i.  e.  Fish-god)  was 
either  a  solar  or  lunar  deity.  He  was  entitled 
Huehueton-acateo-cateo-cipatli,  or  Fish-god-of-our- 
flesh,  to  give  him  his  name  in  full ;  he  somewhat 
resembled  the  Noah  of  Sacred  Writ ;  for  the  Mexi- 
can fable  related,  that  in  a  great  time  of  flood, 
when  the  earth  was  covered  with  water,  he  rescued 
himself  in  a  cypress  trunk,  and  peopled  the  world 
with  wise  aiid  intelligent  beings  ^  The  Babylonish 
Oannes  was  also  identified  with  the  flood. 

The  Peruvians  had  likewise  their  semi-fish  gods, 
but  the  legend  connected  with  them  has  not 
descended  to  our  days. 

The  North-American  Indians  relate  that  they 
were  conducted  from  Northern  Asia  by  a  man-fish. 

^  Miiller,  Geschichte  der  Amerikanischen  Urrdigionen. 
Basel,  1855,  p.  515. 


602  Melusina 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  in  the  season  of  opening  buds, 
the  people  of  our  nation  were  much  terrified  at 
seeing  a  strange  creature,  much  resembling  a  man, 
riding  upon  the  waves.     He  had  upon  his  head 
long  green  hair,  much  resembling  the  coarse  weeds 
which  the  mighty  storms  scatter  along  the  margin 
of  the  strand.     Upon  his  face,  which  was  shap>ed 
like  that  of  a  porpoise,  he  had  a  beard  of  the  same 
colour.      But  if  our  people  were   frightened    at 
seeing  a  man  who  could  live  in  the  water  like  a 
fish  or  a  duck,  how  much  more  were  they  fright- 
ened when  they  saw  that   from  his  breast  down 
he  was  actually  a  fish,  or  rather  two  fishes,  for 
each  of  his   legs  was  a  whole  and  distinct   fish. 
And  there  he  would  sit  for  hours  singing  to  the 
wondering  ears  of  the  Indians  the  beautiful  things 
he  saw  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  always  closing 
his  strange  stories  with  these  words : — '  Follow  me, 
and   see  what  I   will   show  you.'-      For  a   great 
many  suns,  they  dared  not  venture  upon  the  water ; 
but  when  they  grew  hungry,  they  at  last  put  to 
sea,  and  following  the  man-fish,  who  kept  close  to 
the  boat,  reached  the  American  coast  *." 

It   is   not  impossible  that  the  North-American 

•  Epitomized  from  Traditions  of  the  North-American  In- 
dians, by  J.  A.  Jones.     1830,  pp.  47 — 58.   . 


Melusina  603 

Indians  may  have  symbolized  the  sun  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  Syrians/ and  that  this  legend  may 
signify  that  the  early  colonists,  to  reach  the  New 
Land,  followed  the  ^jA-course  of  the  sun,  which 
as  man  goes  from  East  to  West,  whereas  when  it 
dives  it  swims  from  West  to  East,  the  course 
taken  by  the  Indians  in  their  canoes.  The  wan- 
derers in  the  Canadian  forests  have  also  their 
fish-woman,  of  whom  a  tale  is  related  which  bears 
a  lively  resemblance  to  that  of  Undine,  and  which 
is  not  a  little  like  that  of  Melusina. 

One  day  an  Ottawa  chief,  whilst  sitting  by  the 
water  side,  beheld  a  beautiful  woman  rise  from  the 
flood,  her  face  exquisitely  lovely,  her  eyes  blue, 
her  teeth  white,  and  her  locks  floating  over  her 
shoulders.  From  her  waist  downwards  she  was 
fish,  or  rather  two  fishes.  She  entreated  the 
warrior  to  permit  her  to  live  on  earth,  as  she 
desired  to  win  a  human  soul,  which  could  only  be 
acquired  by  union  with  a  mortal  He  consented 
and  took  her  to  his  house,  where  she  was  to  him 
as  a  daughter.  Some  years  after  an  Andirondack 
youth  beheld  and  loved  her.  He  took  her  to  wife, 
and  she  obtained  that  which  she  had  desired — ^a 
human  soul. 

In  the  Undine   story,  a  water-maiden,  in  like 


604  Melusina 

manner  and  for  a  like  object,  is  adopted  by  an  old 
fisherman,  and  becomes  the  bride  of  a  youthful 
German  knight.     But  the  Andirondack  tribe  was 
ill-pleased  at  the  marriage  of  their  chief  with  the 
mysterious  damsel,  and  they   tore  her  from    his 
arms,  and  drove  her  back  to  her  original  element 
Then  all  the  water-spirits  vowed   revenge  at  the 
insult  offered  to  one  of  their  race ;  they  stirred  up 
war  between  the  Ottawas  and  Andirondacks,  which 
led  to  the  extermination  of  the  latter ;  one  only 
was  rescued,  and  he  was  grasped  by  the  fish-wife, 
and   by  her  borne  down  to  the  watery  depths 
below  the  Falls  of  S.  Anthony.     In  the  German 
story,  the  husband   is  weary  with  the  taunts  of 
those  around  at  having  married  a  water-sprite,  and 
bids  her  return  to  her  element.     Then  the  spirits 
of  the  flood  vow  his  destruction,  and  send  Undine 
on  earth  to  embrace  her  faithless  lord,  and  kiss 
him  to  death.     The  name  of  the  fish-woman  is  in 
German  Meerfrau  or  Meriminni ;   in  Danish,  the 
Siren   is   Maremind  ;   and    in  'Icelandic   and   old 
Norse,  Marmennill ;  in  Irish  she  is  the  Merrow ; 
with  the  Breton  peasantry  she  is  Marie-Morgan. 
In  the  legendary  lore  of  all  these  people,  there  are 
stories  of  the  loves  of  a  mortal  man  and  a  mer- 
maid. According  to  Mr.  Crofton  Croker,  O'SuUivan 


Mehisina  505 

More,  Lord  of  Dunkerron,  lost  his  heart  to  one  of 
these  beautiful  water-sprites,  and  she  agreed  to  be 
his,  but  her  parents,  resented  the  union  and  killed 
her. 

On  the  shore  of  Smerwick  harbour,  an  Irishman, 
Dick  Fitzgerald,  caught  a  Merrow  with  her  cohuleen 
driiitky  or  enchanted  cap,  lying  on  a  rock  beside 
her.  He  grasped  the  cap,  and  thereby  possessed 
himself  of  the  nymph,  who,  however,  seemed  no- 
thing loth  to  obtain  a  mortal  husband.  They 
lived  together  happily  for  some  years,  and  saw  a 
family  of  beautiful  children  grow  up  at  their  knees. 
But  one  day  the  Lady  of  GoUerus,  as  she  was 
called,  discovered  her  old  cap  in  a  corner.  She 
took  it  up  and  looked  at  it,  and  then  thought  of 
her  father  the  king  and  her  mother  the  queen,  and 
felt  a  longing  to  go  back  to  them.  She  kissed  the 
babies,  and  then  went  down  to  the  strand  with  the 
full  intention  pf  returning  to  GoUerus  after  a  brief 
visit  to  her  home.  However,  no  sooner  was  the 
cohuleen  driuth  on  her  head,  than  all  remembrance 
of  her  life  on  earth  was  forgotten,  and  she  plunged 
into  the  sea,  never  to  return.  Similar  tales  are 
related  in  Shetland,  the  Faroes,  in  Iceland,  and 
Norway. 

Vade,  the  father  of  the  famous*  smith  Velund-- 


606  Melusina 

was  the  son  of  King  Vilkin  and  a  mermaid  whom 
he  met  in  a  wood  on  the  sea-shore  in  Russia  *.  In 
the  Saga  of  Half  and  his  knights  is  an  account  of  a 
merman  who  was  caught  and  kept  a  little  while  on 
land.  He  sang  the  following  entreaty  to  be  taken 
back  to  his  native  element — 

"  Cold  water  to  the  eyes  I 
Flesh  raw  to  the  teeth  ! 
A  shroud  to  the  dead ! 
Flit  me  back  to  the  sea  I 
Henceforward  never 
Men  in  ships  sailing  ! 
Draw  me  to  dry  land 
From  the  depth  of  the  sea  ' ! " 

In  the  "  Speculum  Regale,"  an  Icelandic  work  of 
the  twelfth  century,  is  the  following  description  of 
a  mermaid  :— 

"  A  monster  is  seen  also  near  Greenland,  which 
people  call  the  Margygr.  This  creature  appears 
like  a  woman  as  far  down  as  her  waist,  with  breast 
and  bosom  like  a  woman,  long  hands,  and  soft 
hair,  the  neck  and  head  in  all  respects  like  those 
of  a  human  being.  The  hands  seem  to  people  to 
be  long,  and  the  fingers  not  to  be  parted,  but 
united  by  a  web  like  that  on  the  feet  of  water- 

1  Vilkina  Saga,  c.  i8. 

'  Halfs  Saga  ok  rekum  hans,  c.  7. 


Melusina  507 

birds.  From  the  waist  downwards,  this  monster 
resembles  a  fish,  with  scales,  tail,  and  fins.  This 
prodigy  is  believed  to  show  itself  especially  before 
heavy  storms.  The  habit  of  this  creature  is  to  dive 
frequently  and  rise  again  to  the  surface  with  fishes 
in  its  hands.  When  sailors  see  it  playing  with  the 
fish,  or  throwing  them  towards  the  ship,  they  fear 
that  they  are  doomed  to  lose  several  of  the  crew ; 
but  when  it  casts  the  fish,  or,  turning  from  the 
vessel,  flings  them  away  from  her,  then  the  sailors 
take  it  as  a  good  omen  that  they  will  not  suffer 
loss  in  the  impending  storm.  This  monster  has  a 
'very  horrible  face,  with  broad  brow  and  piercing 
eyes,  a  wide  mouth,  and  double  chin '."  The 
Landnama,  or  Icelandic  Doomsday  book,  speaks 
of  a  Marmennill,  or  merman,  having  been  caught 
off  the  island  of  Grimsey ;  and  the  annals  of  the  *' 
same  country  relate  the  appearance  of  these  beings 
off  the  coast  in  1305  and  in  13^9. 

Megasthenes  reported  that  the  sea  which  washed 
Taprobane,  the  modern  Ceylon,  was  inhabited  by 
a  creature  having  the  appearance  of  a  woman  ;  and 
iElian  improved  this  account,  by  stating  that  there 
are  whales  having  the  form  of  Satyrs.     In  1187,  a 

3  Quoted  in  "  Iceland,  its  Scenes  and  Sagas,"  p,  3^ 


508  Melusina 

merman  was  fished  up  off  the  coast  of  SufTolk.  It 
closely  resembled  a  man,  but  was  not  gifted  with 
speech.  One  day,  when  it  had  the  opportunity  to 
escape,  it  fled  to  the  sea,  plunged  in,  and  was  never 
seen  again.  Pontoppidan  records  the  appearance 
of  a  merman,  which  was  deposed  to  on  oath  by  the 
observers. 

"  About  a  mile  from  the  coast  of  Denmark,  near 
Landscrona,  three  sailors,  observing  something  like 
a  dead  body  floating  in  the  water,  rowed  towards 
it.    When  they  came  within  seven  or  eight  fathoms, 
it  still  appeared  as  at  first,  for  it  had  not  stirred ; 
but  at  that  instant  it  sank,  and  came  up  almost" 
immediately  in  the  same  place.     Upon  this,  out  of 
fear,  they  lay  still,  and  then  let  the  boat  float,  that 
they  might  the  better  examine  the  monster,  which, 
by  the  help  of  the  current,  came  nearer  and  nearer  to 
them.    He  turned  his  face  and  stared  at  them,  which 
gave  them  a  good  opportunity  of  examining  him  nar- 
rowly.   He  stood  in  the  same  place  for  seven  or  eight 
minutes,  and  was  seen  above  the  water  breast-high. 
At  last  they  grew  apprehensive  of  some  danger, 
and  began  to  retire  ;  upon  which  the  monster  blew 
up  his  cheeks  and  made  a  kind  of  lowing  noise, 
and  then  dived  from  their  view.     In  regard  to  his 
form,  they  declare  in  their  affidavits,  which  were 


Melusina  509 

regularly  taken  and  recorded,  that  he  appeared  like 
an  old  man,  strong  limbed,  with  broad  shoulders, 
but  his  arms  they  could  not  see.  His  head  was 
small  in  proportion  to  his  body,  and  had  short, 
curled  black  hair,  which  did  not  reach  below  his 
ears ;  his  eyes  lay  deep  in  his  head,  and  he  had  a 
meagre  face,  with  a  black  beard ;  about  the  body 
downwards,  this  merman  was  quite  pointed  like  a 
fish  *." 

In  the  year  1430,  after  a  violent  tempest,  which 
broke  down  the  dykes  in  Holland  and  flooded  the 
low  lands,  some  girls  of  the  town  of  Edam  in  West 
Friesland,  going  in  a  boat  to  milk  their  cows, 
observed  a  mermaid  in  shallow  water  and  embar- 
rassed in  the  mud. 

They  took  it  into  their  boat  and  brought  it  into 
Edam,  dressed  it  in  female  attire,  and  taught  it  to 
spin.  It  fed  with  them,  but  never  could  be  taught 
to  speak.  It  was  afterwards  brought  to  Haerlem, 
where  it  lived  for  several  years,  though  still  show- 
ing a  strong  inclination  for  water.  Parival,  in  his 
"  Delices  de  Hollande,"  relates  that  it  was  instructed 
in  its  duty  to  God,  and  that  it  made  reverences 
before  a  crucifix.     Old  Hudson,  the  navigator,  in 

^  Pontoppidan's  Nat.  Hist,  of  Norway,  p.  154. 


510  Melusina 

his  dry  and  ponderous  narrative,  records  the  fol- 
lowing incident,  when  trying  to  force  a  passage  to 
the  pole  near  Nova  Zembla,  lat.  75°,  on  the  15th 
June.  "  This  morning,  one  of  our  company  looking 
overboard  saw  a  mermaid  ;  and  calling  up  some  of 
the  company  to  see  her,  one  more  came  up,  and 
by  that  time  she  was  come  close  to  the  ship's  side, 
looking  earnestly  at  the  men.  A  little  after,  a  sea 
came  and  overturned  her.  From  the  navel  upward, 
her  back  and  breasts  were  like  a  woman's,  as  they 
say  that  saw  her ;  her  body  as  big  as  one  of  us, 
her  skin  very  white,  and  long  hair  hanging  down 
behind,  of  colour  black.  In  her  going  down  they 
saw  her  tail,  which  was  like  the  tail  of  a  porpoise, 
speckled  like  a  mackerel.  Their  names  that  saw 
her  were  Thomas  Hilles  and  Robert  Rayner." 

In  15^0,  near  the  island  of  Mandar,  on  the  west 
of  Ceylon,  some  fishermen  entrapped  in  their  net 
seven  mermen  and  mermaids,  of  which  several 
Jesuits,  and  Father  Henriques,  and  Bosquez,  phy- 
sician to  the  Viceroy  of  Goa,  were  witnesses.  The 
physician  examined  them  with  a  great  deal  of 
care,  and  dissected  them.  He  asserts  that  the 
internal  and  external  structure  resembled  that  of 
human  beings.  We  have  another  account  of  a 
merman  seen  near  the  great  rock  Diamon,  on  the 


Melusina  611 

coast  of  Martinique.  The  persons  who  saw  it  gave 
a  precise  description  of  it  before  a  notary ;  they 
affirmed  that  they  saw  it  wipe  its  hands  over  its 
face,  and  even  heard  it  blow  its  nose.  Another 
creature  of  the  same  species  was  captured  in  the 
Baltic  in  1531,  and  sent  as  a  present  to  Sigismund, 
King  of  Poland,  with  whom  it  lived  three  days, 
and  was  seen  by  all  the  Court.  Another  was 
taken  near  Rocca  de  Sintra,  as  related  by  Damian 
Goes.  The  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Grand- 
Master  of  the  Order  of  S.  James  are  said  to  have 
had  a  suit  at  law,  to  determine  which  party  the 
creature  belonged  to. 

Captain  Weddell,  well  known  for  his  geo- 
graphical discoveries  in  the  extreme  south  of  the 
globe,  relates  the  following  story: — "A  boat's 
crew  were  employed  on  HalFs  Island,  when  one  of 
the  crew,  left  to  take  care  of  some  produce,  saw  an 
animal  whose  voice  was  even  musical.  The  sailor 
had  lain  down,  and  about  ten  o'clock  he  heard  a 
noise  resembling  human  cries ;  and  as  daylight  in 
these  latitudes  never  disappears  at  this  season,  he 
rose  and  looked  around,  but,  on  seeing  no  person, 
returned  to  bed.  Presently  he  heard  the  noise 
again,  rose  a  second  time,  but  still  saw  notb* 
Conceiving,   however,  the    possibility  of 


512  Melusina 

being  upset,  and  that  some  of  the  crew  might  be 
clinging  to  some  detached  rocks,  he  walked  along 
the  beach  a  few  steps,  and  heard  the  noise  more 
distinctly,  but  in  a  musical  strain.  Upon  search- 
ing round,  he  saw  an  object  lying  on  a  rock  a 
dozen  yards  from  the  shore,  at  which  he  was  some- 
what frightened.  The  face  and  shoulders  appeared 
of  human  form,  and  of  a  reddish  colour ;  over  the 
shoulders  hung  long  green  hair ;  the  tail  resembled 
that  of  the  seal,  but  the  extremities  of  the  arms  he 
could  not  see  distinctly.  The  creature  continued 
to  make  a  musical  noise  while  he  gazed  about  two 
minutes,  and  on  perceiving  him  it  disappeared  in 
an  instant.  Immediately  when  the  man  saw  his 
officer,  he  told  this  wild  tale,  and  to  add  weight  to 
his  testimony  (being  a  Romanist)  he  made  a  cross 
on  the  sand,  which  he  kissed,  as  making  oath  to 
the  truth  of  his  statement.  When  I  saw  him,  he 
told  the  story  in  so  clear  and  positive  a  manner, 
making  oath  to  its  truth,  that  I  concluded  he  must 
really  have  seen  the  animal  he  described,  or  that 
it  must  have  been  the  effect  of  a  disturbed  ima- 
gination 'r 

In  a  splendidly    illustrated   work  with    plates 

*  Voyage  towards  the  South  Pole,  p.  143,  quoted  by  Goss : 
Romance  of  Nat  Hist,  2nd  Series. 


Melusina  513 

coloured  by  hand,  "  Poissons,  ^crevisses  et  crabes 
de  diverses  couleurs  et  figures  extraordinaires,  que 
Ton  trouve  autour  des  Isles  Moluques,"  dedicated 
to  King  George  of  England,  and  published  by 
Louis  Renard  at  Amsterdam,  in  171 7,  is  a  curious 
account  of  a  mermaid.  This  book  was  the  result 
of  thirty  years'  labour,  in  the  Indian  seas,  by 
Blatazar  Coyett,  Governor  of  the  Islands  of  the 


Province  of  Amboine  and  President  of  the  Com- 
missioners in  Batavia,  and  by  Adrien  Van  der  Stell, 
Governor  Regent  of  the  Province  of  Amboine.     In 
the  2nd  volume,  p.  240,  is  the  picture  of  a  mermaid 
here  reproduced,  and  the  subjoined  description  : — 
"  See-wyf.   A  monster  resembling  a  Siren,  caught 
near  the  island  of  Borne,  or  Boeren,  in  the  Depart*- 
ment  of  Amboine.     It  was  59  inches  long,  and 
in  proportion  as  an  eel.     It  lived  on  land,  in  a  vat 
full  of  water,  during  four  days  seven  hours.     From 

L  I 


514  Melustna 

time  to  time  it  uttered  little  cries  like  those  di I 

mouse.     It  would  not  eat,  thoug^h  it  was  <rffenl' 

small  fish,  shells,  crabs,  lobsters,  &c.      After  ill  1 

death,  some  excrement  was  discovered  in  the^ 

like  the  secretion  of  a  cat"     The  copy  from  whid 

I  have  taken  the  representation  for  this  woikii| 

thus  coloured :  hair,  the  hue  of  kelp ;  body,  ofiwi 

tint ;  webbed  olive  between  the  fingers,  which  haw' 

each  four  joints  ;  the  fringe  round  the  waist  orangei 

with  a  blue  border ;  the  fins  green,  face  slate-grey ;  a 

delicate  row  of  pink  hairs  runs  the  length  of  the  tsuL 

With  such  a  portrait  we  may  well    ask  witk 

Tennysoa — 

"  Who  would  be 
A  mermaid  fair, 
Singing  alone, 
Combing  her  hair 
,  Under  the  sea 

In  a  golden  curl. 
With  a  comb  of  pearl, 
On  a  throne  ?" 

The  introduction  to  the  book  contains  additional 
information. 

The  Averiissement  de  VEditeur  says : — "  M.  Bal- 
tazar  Coyett  is  the  first  to  whom  the  great  dis- 
covery is  dtte.  Whilst  governor,  he  encouraged  the 
fishery  of  these  fishes ;  and  after  having  had 
about  two  hundred  painted  of  those,  which  were 


Melusina  616 

brought  to  his  home  by  the  Indians  of  Amboine 
and  the  neighbouring  isles,  as  well  as  by  the  Dutch 
there  settled,  he  formed  of  them  two  collections, 
the  originals  of  which  were  brought  by  his  son  to 
M.  Scott  the  Elder,  who  was  then  chief  advocate,  or 
prime  minister,  of  the  Company  General  of  the 
East  Indies  at  Amsterdam.  He  had  them  copied 
exactly.  The  second  volume,  less  correct  indeed 
in  the  exactitude  of  the  drawings,  but  very  curious 
on  account  of  the  novelties  wherewith  it  is  filled, 
and  of  the  remarks  accompanying  each  fish,  was 
taken  from  the  collection  of  M.  Van  der  Stell, 
Governor  of  the  Moluccas,  by  a  painter  named 
Gamael  Fallours,  who  brought  them  to  me  from 
the  Indies,  and  of  which  I  have  selected  about 
250.  Moreover,  to  check  incredulity  in  certain  per- 
sons, I  have  thought  fit  to  subjoin  the  following 
certificates."  Among  them,  the  most  curious  are 
those  relating  to  the  mermaid. 

Letter  from  •  Renard,  the  publisher,  to  M. 
Fran9ois  Valentyn,  minister  of  the  Gospel  at  Dort, 
late  superintendent  of  the  churches  in  the  colonies, 
dated  Amsterdam,  Dec.  17,  1716. 

"  Monsieur, 

"  His  Majesty  the  Czar  of  Muscovy  having 

L  1  2 


516  Melusina 

done  me  the  honour  of  visiting  my  house,  and 
having  had  occasion  to  show  the  prince  the  work 
on  the  fishes  of  the  Molucca  islands,  by  the  Sieur 
Fallours,  in  which,  among  other  drawings,  is  the 
enclosed  plate,  representing  a  monster  resembling 
a  Siren,  which  this  painter  says  that  he  saw  alive 
for  four  days  at  Amboine,  as  you  will  be  pleased  to 
see  in  the  writing  with  his  own  hand,  which  accom- 
panies this  picture,  and  as  he  believes  that  M. 
Van  der  Stell,  the  present  Governor  of  Amboine, 
may  have  sent  it  to  you,  I  remarked  that  his 
Majesty  the  Czar  would  be  much  gratified  ta  have 
this  fact  substantiated  ;  wherefore  I  shall  be  greatly 
obliged  if  you  will  favour  me  with  a  reply. 


(( 


I  remain,  &c." 


REPLY. 

"DORT,  Z>i?^.  l8,  1 716. 

"  Monsieur, 

"  It  is  not  impossible  that,  since  my  departure 
from  the  Indies,  Fallours  may  have  seen  at  Am- 
boine the  monster  whose  picture  you  had  the 
courtesy  to  send  me,  and  which  I  return  enclosed  ; 
but  up  to  the  present  moment  I  have  neither  seen 
nor  heard  of  the  original.  If  I  had  the  creature, 
I  would  with  all  my  heart  make  a  present  of  it  to 


Melusina  517 

his  Majesty  the  Czar,  whose  application  in  the  re- 
search of  objects  of  curiosity  deserves  the  praise  of 
all  the  world.  But,  sir,  as  evidence  that  there  are 
monsters  in  nature  resembling  this  Siren,  I  may 
say  that  I  know  for  certain,  that  in  the  year  1652 
or  1653  a  lieutenant  in  the  service  of  the  Company 
saw  two  of  these  beings  in  the  gulf,  near  the  village 
of  Hennetelo,  near  the  islands  of  Ceram  and  Boero, 
in  the  Department  of  Amboine.  They  were  swim- 
ming side  by  side,  which  made  him  presume  that 
one  was  male,  the  other  female.  Six  weeks  after 
they  reappeared  in  the  same  spot,  and  were  seen 
by  more  than  fifty  persons.  These  monsters  were 
of  a  greenish  grey  colour,  having  precisely  the 
shape  of  human  beings  from  the  head  to  the  waist, 
with  arms  and  hands,  but  their  bodies  tapered 
away.  One  was  larger  than  the  other ;  their  hair 
was  moderately  long.  I  may  add  that,  on  my  way 
back  from  the  Indies,  in  which  I  resided  thirty 
years,  I  saw,  on  the  ist  May,  17 14,  long.  12°  18', 
and  on  the  Meridian,  during  clear,  calm  weather,  at 
the  distance  of  three  or  four  ship-lengths  off,  a 
monster,  which  was  apparently  a  sort  of  marine- 
man,  of  a  bluish  grey  (gris  de  mer).  It  was  raised 
well  above  the  surface,  and  seemed  to  have  a  sort 
of  fisher's  cap  of  moss  on  its  head.    All  the  { 


618  Melusina 

company  saw  it,  as  well  as  myself;  but  although 

its  back  was  turned  towards  us,  the  monster  seemed 

conscious  that  we  were  approaching  too  near,  and 

it  dived  suddenly  under  water,  and  we  saw  it  no 

more. 

"  I  am,  &c., 

"  F.  Valentyn." 

Letter  from  M.  Parent,  Pastor  of  the  church  of 
Amsterdam,  written  and  exhibited  before  the 
notary  Jacob  Lansman. 

"Amsterdam,  July  15, 1717. 
"  Monsieur, 

"I  have  seen  with  mingled   pleasure   and 

surprise  the   illuminated   proofs  of  the  beautiful 

plates  which  you  have  had  engraved,  representing 

the  fishes  of  Molucca,  which  were  painted  from 

nature  by  the  Sieur  Samuel  Fallours,  with  whom 

I  was  acquainted  when  at  Amboine.     I  own,  sir, 

that  I  was  struck  with  astonishment  at  the  sight  of 

this  work,  the  engravings  of  which  closely  resemble 

the  fishes  I  have  seen  during  my  life,  and  which,  or 

some  of  which,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  eating 

during  the  thirteen  years  I  resided  at  Amboine, 

from  which  I  returned  with  the  fleet  in  1716.  .  .  . 

Touching    your    inquiry,  whether  I    ever   saw  a 


Melusina  619 

Siren  in  that  country,  I  reply  that,  whilst  making 
the  circuit  of  our  churches  in  the  Molucca  Isles 
(which  is  done  twice  in  the  year  by  the  pastors 
who  understand  the  language  of  the  country),  and 
navigating  in  an  orambay,  or  species  of  galley,  be- 
tween the  villages  of  Holilieuw  and  Karieuw,  dis- 
tant from  one  another  about  two  leagues  by  water, 
it  happened,  whilst  I  was  dozing,  that  the  negro 
rowers  uttered  a  shrill  cry  of  astonishment,  which 
aroused  me  with  a  start ;  and  when  I  inquired  the 
cause  of  their  outcry,  they  replied  unanimously 
that  they  had  seen  clearly  and  distinctly  a  monster 
like  a  Siren,  with  a  face  resembling  that  of  a  man, 
and  long  hair  like  that  of  a  woman  floating  down 
its  back ;  but  at  their  cry  it  had  replunged  into 
the  sea,  and  all  I  could  see'  was  the  agitation  of 
the  water  where  this  Siren  had  disturbed  it  by 

diving. 

"  I  am,  sir,  &c., 

"  Parent." 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  accounts  of  a 
mermaid  is  that  in  Dr.  Robert  Hamilton's  "  His- 
tory of  the  Whales  and  Seals,"  in  the  "  Naturalist's 
Library,"  he  himself  vouching  for  its  general  truth, 
from  personal  knowledge  of  some  of  the  parties. 
"  It  was  reported  that  a  fishing-boat  oS  the  island 


520  Melusina 

of  Yell,  one  of  the  Shetland  group,  had  captured 
a  mermaid  by  its  getting  entangled  in  the  lines." 
The  statement  is,  that  the  animal  was  about  three 
feet  long,  the  upper  part  of  the  body  resembling 
the  human,  with  protuberant  mammae,  like  a 
woman ;  the  face,  the  forehead,  and  neck  were 
short,  and  resembling  those  of  a  monkey ;  the 
arms,  which  were  small,  were  kept  folded  across 
the  breast ;  the  fingers  were  distinct,  not  webbed ; 
a  few  stiff,  long  bristles  were  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
extending  down  to  the  shoulders,  and  these  it  coyld 
erect  and  depress  at  pleasure,  something  like  a 
crest.  The  inferior  part  of  the  body  was  like  a 
fish.  The  skin  was  smooth,  and  of  a  grey  colour. 
It  offered  no  resistance,  nor  attempted  to  bite,  but 
uttered  a  low,  plaintive  sound.  The  crew,  six  in 
number,  took  it  within  their  boat ;  but  superstition 
getting  the  better  of  curiosity,  they  carefully  dis- 
entangled it  from  the  lines  and  from  a  hook  which 
had  accidentally  fastened  in  its  body,  and  returned 
it  to  its  native  element.  It  instantly  dived,  de- 
scending in  a  perpendicular  direction. 

"  After  writing  the  above,  (we  are  informed)  the 
narrator  had  an  interview  with  the  skipper  of  the 
boat  and  one  of  the  crew,  from  whom  he  learned 
the   following   additional    particulars.     They  had 


Melusina  521 

the  animal  for  three  hours  within  the  boat ;  the 
body  was  without  scales  or  hair,  was  of  a  silver- 
grey  colour  above  and  white  below,  like  the  human 
skin  ;  no  gills  were  observed,  nor  fins  on  the  back 
or  belly  ;  the  tail  was  like  that  of  the  dog-fish;  the 
mammae  were  about  as  large  as  those  of  a  woman  ; 
the  mouth  and  lips  were  very  distinct,  and  resem- 
bled the  human.  This  communication  was  from 
Mr.  Edmonton,  a  well-known  and  intelligent  ob- 
server, to  the  distinguished  professor  of  natural  his- 
tory in  the  Edinburgh  University  ;  and  Mr.  E.  adds 
a  few  reflections,  which  are  so  pertinent  that  we 
shall  avail  ourselves  of  them..  That  a  very  peculiar 
animal  has  been  taken,  no  one  can  doubt.  It  was 
seen  and  handled  by  six  men  on  one  occasion  and 
for  some  time,  not  one  of  whom  dreams  of  a  doubt 
of  its  being  a  mermaid.  If  it  were  supposed  that 
their  fears  magnified  its  supposed  resemblance  to 
the  human  form,  it  must  at  all  events  be  admitted 
that  there  was  some  ground  for  exciting  these 
fears.  But  no  such  fears  were  likely  to  be  enter- 
tained ;  for  the  mermaid  is  not  an  object  of  terror 
to  the  fisherman  :  it  is  rather  a  welcome  guest,  and 
danger  is  to  be  apprehended  only  from  its  ex- 
periencing bad  treatment.  The  usual  resources  of 
scepticism,  that  the  seals  and  other  sea-animals, 


522  Melusina 

appearing  under  certain  circumstances,  operating 
on  an  excited  imagination,  and  so  producing  ocular 
illusion,  cannot  avail  here.  It  is  quite  impossible 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  six  Shetland  fisher- 
men could  commit  such  a  mistake." 

One  of  these  creatures  was  found  in  the  belly  of 
a  shark,  on  the  north-west  coast  of  Iceland,  and  is 
thus  described  by  Wernhard  Guthmund's  son, 
priest  of  Ottrardale : — 

"The  lower  part  of  the  animal  was  entirely 
eaten  away,  whilst  the  upper  part,  from  the 
epigastric  and  hypogastric  region,  was  in  some 
places  partially  eaten,  in  others  completely  de- 
voured. The  sternum,  or  breast-bone,  was  per- 
fect. This  animal  appeared  to  be  about  the  size 
of  a  boy  eight  or  nine  years  old,  and  its  head  was 
formed  like  that  of  a  man.  The  anterior  surface 
of  the  occiput  was  very  protuberant,  and  the  nape 
of  the  neck  had  a  considerable  indentation  or  sink- 
ing. The  alae  of  the  ears  were  very  large,  and 
extended  a  good  way  back.  It  had  front  teeth, 
which  were  long  and  pointed,  as  were  also  the 
larger  teeth.  The  eyes  were  lustreless,  and  re- 
sembled those  of  a  codfish.  It  had  on  its  head 
long  black,  coarse  hair,  very  similar  to  the  fucus 
filiformis;  this  hair  hung  over  the  shoulders.     Its 


Melusina  523 

forehead  was  large  and  round.  The  skin*  above 
the  eyelids  was  much  wrinkled,  scanty,  and  of  a 
bright  olive  colour,  which  was  indeed  the  hue  of  the 
whole  body.  The  chin  was  cloven,  the  shoulders 
were  high,  and  the  neck  uncommonly  short.  The 
arms  were  of  their  natural  size,  and  each  hand  had 
a  thumb  and  four  fingers  covered  with  flesh.  Its 
breast  was  formed  exactly  like  that  of  a  man,  and 
there  was  also  to  be  seen  something  like  nipples ; 
the  back  was  also  like  that  of  a  man.  It  had  very 
cartilaginous  ribs  ;  and  in  parts  where  the  skin  had 
been  rubbed  off,  a  black,  coarse  flesh  was  per- 
ceptible, very  similar  to  that  of  the  seal.  This 
animal,  after  having  been  exposed  about  a  week 
on  the  shore,  was  again  thrown  into  the  sea  *." 

To  the  manufactured  mermaids  which  come  from 
Japan,  and  which  are  exhibited  at  shows,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  do  more  than  allude ;  they  testify  to 
the  Japanese  conception  of  a  sea-creature  resem- 
bling the  Tritons  of  ancient  Greece,  the  Syrian  On 
and  Derceto,  the  Scandinavian  Marmennill,  and  the 
Mexican  Coxcox. 

•  Quoted  in  my  "  Iceland,  its  Scenes  and  Sagas." 


CTj^e  dTortunafe  Stiles 

TN  my  article  on  the  "Terrestrial  Paradise"  I 
-*-  mentioned  the  principal  mediaeval  fables  exist- 
ing relative  to  that  blessed  spot,  which  was  located, 
according  to  popular  belief,  in  the  remote  East 
of  Asia.  The  Ancients  had  a  floating  tradition 
relative  to  a  vast  continent  called  Atlantis,  in  the 
far  West,  where  lay  Kronos  asleep,  guarded  by 
Briareus;  a  land  of  rivers,  and  woods,  and  soft 
airs,  occupying  in  their  thoughts,  the  position 
assumed  in  Christian  belief  by  the  earthly  para- 
dise. The  Fathers  of  the  Church  waged  war 
against  this  object  of  popular  mythology,  for 
Scripture  plainly  indicated  the  position  of  the 
garden  land  as  "eastward  in  Eden"  (Gen.  ii.  8); 
but,  notwithstanding  their  attempts  to  drive  the 
western  paradise  from  the  minds  of  men,  it 
held  its  ground,  and  was  believed    in    through- 


The  Fortunate  Isles  625 

out  the  middle  ages,  till  Christopher  Columbus 
sought  and  found  Atlantis  and  paradise  in  the 
new  world,  a  world  in  which  the  theories  of 
the  Ancients  and  of  the  Mediaevals  met,  for  it 
was  truly  east  of  Asia  and  west  of  Europe.  "  The 
saintly  theologians  and  philosophers  were  right,"  are 
the  words  of  the  great  admiral  in  one  of  his 
letters,  "  when  they  fixed  the  site  of  the  terrestrial 
paradise  in  the  extreme  Orient,  because  it  is 
a  most  temperate  clime ;  and  the  lands  which  I 
have  just  discovered  are  the  limits  of  the  Orient ;" 
an  opinion  he  repeats  in  his  letter  of  1498:  "I 
am  convinced  that  there  is  the  terrestrial  paradise," 
namely  that  which  had  been  located  by  SS.  Ambrose, 
Isidore,  and  the  Venerable  Bede  in  the  East*. 

The  belief  in  a  western  land,  or  group  of  islands, 
was  prevalent  among  the  Kelts  as  well  as  the  Greek 
and  Latin  geographers,  and  was  with  them  an 
article  of  religion,  upon  which  were  founded  super- 
stitious practices,  which  perpetuated  themselves 
after  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 

This  belief  in  a  western  land  probably  arose  from 
the  discovery  of  objects,  unfamiliar  and  foreign, 
washed  up  on  the  European  shores.  In  the  life 
of  Columbus,  Martin  Vincent,  pilot  of  the  King  of 

^  Navarrette,  ColL  de  Documents,  i.  p.  344. 


526  The  Fortunate  Isles 

Portugal,  picked  up  off  Cape  S.  Vincent  a  piece  of 
carved  wood  ;  and  a  similar  fragment  was  washed 
ashore  on  the  Island  of  Madeira,  and  found  by  Pedro 
Correa,  brother-in-law  of  the  great  navigator.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  Azores  said  that  when  the  wmd 
blew  from  the  West,  there  were  brought  ashore  great 
bamboos  and  pines  of  a  description  wholly  unknown 
to  them.  On  the  sands  of  the  Island  of  Flores 
were  found  one  day  the  bodies  of  two  men 
with  large  faces,  and  with  features  very  different 
from  those  of  Europeans.  On  another  occasion,  two 
canoes  were  driven  on  the  coast  filled  with  strange 
men  ^  In  1682,  a  Greenland  canoe  appeared  off  the 
Isle  of  Eda  in  the  Orkneys,  and  in  the  church  of 
Burra  was  long  preserved  an  Esquimaux  boat 
which  had  been  washed  ashore  ^.  On  the  stormy 
coast  of  the  Hebrides  are  often  found  nuts,  which 
are  made  by  the  fishermen  into  snuff-boxes  or  worn 
as  amulets.  Martin,  who  wrote  of  the  Western  Isles 
in  1703,  calls  them  "Molluka  beans."  They  are 
seeds  of  the  Mimosa  scandens,  washed  by  the  gulf- 
stream  across  the  Atlantic  to  our  shores.  Great 
logs    of   drift-wood   of  a   strange  character   are 


*  Herrera,  Hist  General,  Dec.  i.  lib.  i.  cap.  3. 

*  Wallace,  An  Account  of  the  Islands  of  Orkney,  1700, 
p.  60. 


Tlie  Fortunate  Isles  527 

also  carried  to  the  same  coasts,  and  are  used  by 
the  islanders  in  the  construction  of  their  hovels. 

In  1508,  a  French  vessel  met  with  a  boat  full  of 
American  Indians  not  far  off  the  English  coast, 
as  Bembo  tells  us  in  his  history  of  Venice  *.  Other 
instances  have  been  cited  by  commentators  on  the 
curious  fragment  of  Cornelius  Nepos,  which  gave 
rise  in  the  middle  ages  to  a  discussion  of  the 
possibility  of  forcing  a  north-west  passage  to 
India.  Humboldt,  in  his  remarks  on  this  passage, 
says :  "  Pomponius  Mela,  who  lived  at  a  period 
sufficiently  near  that  of  Cornelius  Nepos,  relates, 
and  Pliny  repeats  it,  that  Metellus  Celer,  whilst 
Proconsul  of  Gaul,  received  as  a  gift  from  a 
king  of  the  Boii  or  Boeti  (the  name  is  some- 
what uncertain,  and  Pliny  calls  him  a  king 
of  the  Suevi)  some  Indians  who,  driven  by  the 
tempests  from  the  Indian  seas,  landed  on  the 
coasts  of  Germany.  It  is  of  no  importance  dis- 
cussing here  whether  Metellus  Celer  is  the  same 
as  the  Praetor  of  Rome  in  the  year  of  the  con- 
sulship of  Cicero,  and  afterwards  consul  conjointly 
with  L.  Africanus;  or  whether  the  German  king  was 
Ariovistus,  conquered   by  Julius  Caesar.     What  is 

*  Bembo,  Hist  Ven.  vH.  p.  257, 


528  The  Fortunate  Isles 

certain  is,  that  from  the  chain  of  ideas  which  lead 
Mela  to  cite  this  fact  as  indisputable,  one  may 
conclude  that  in  his  time  it  was  believed  in  Rome 
that  these  swarthy  men  sent  from  Germany  into 
Gaul  had  come  across  the  ocean  which  bathes  the 
East  and  North  of  Asia  *." 

The  canoes,  bodies,  timber,  and  nuts,  washed  up 
on  the  western  coasts  of  Europe,  may  have  origi- 
nated the  belief  in  there  being  a  land  beyond  the 
setting  sun  ;  and  this  country,  when  once  supposed 
to  exist,  was  variously  designated  as  Meropis,  the 
continent  of  Kronos,  Ogygia,  Atlantis,  the  Fortu- 
nate Isles,  or  the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides.  Strabo 
says  distinctly  that  the  only  hindrance  in  the  way 
of  passing  west  from  Iberia  to  India  is  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  Atlantic  ocean,  but  that  "  in  the  same 
temperate  zone  as  we  inhabit,  and  especially  about 
the  parallel  passing  through  Thinae  and  traversing 
the  Atlantic,  there  may  exist  two  inhabited  coun- 
tries, and  perhaps  even  more  than  two'."  A 
more  distinct  prophecy  of  America  than  the  vague 
expressions  of  Seneca — "  Finitam  cuique  rei  magni- 
tudinem  natura  dederat,  deditetmodum:  nihil  infi- 

•  Humboldt,  Essai  sur  THist  de  la  Geographic  du  N. 
Continent,  ii.  p.  264,  note  3. 

•  Strabo,  Geog.  lib.  i. 


The  Fortunate  Isles  529 

nitum  est  nisi  Oceanus.  Fertiles  in  Oceano  jacere 
terras,  ultraque  Oceanum  rursus  alia  littora,  alium 
nasci  orbem,  nee  usquam  naturam  rerum  desinere, 
sed  semper  inde  ubi  desiisse  videatur,  novam  exsur- 
gere,  facile  ista  finguntur,  quia  Oceanus  navigari 
non  potest"  (Suasoria,  L).  Aristotle  accepted  the 
notion  of  there  being  a  new  continent  in  the  West, 
and  described  it,  from  the  accounts  of  the  Cartha- 
ginians, as  a  land  opposite  the  Pillars  of  Hercules 
(Str.  of  Gibraltar),  fertile,  well-watered,  and  covered 
with  forests '.  Diodorus  gives  the  Phoenicians  the 
credit  of  having  discovered  it,  and  adds  that  there 
are  lofty  mountains  in  that  country,  and  that  the 
temperature  is  not  subject  to  violent  changes  *.  He 
however  tries  to  distinguish  between  it  and  the  Ely- 
sium of  Homer,  the  Fortunate  Isles  of  Pindar,  and 
the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides.  The  Carthaginians 
began  to  found  colonies  there,  but  were  forbidden 
by  law,  as  it  was  feared  that  the  old  mother  settle- 
ment would  be  deserted  for  the  new  and  more  at- 
tractive country.  Plutarch  locates  Homer's  Island 
of  Ogygia  five  days'  sail  to  the  west  of  Brittia,  and 
he  adds,  the  great  continent,  or  terra  firma,  is  five 
thousand  stadia   from   Ogygia.      It  stretches   far 

7  Aristot.  De  Mirab.  Aucult.  c.  84. 
Diod.  Hist.,  ed.  Wessel,  torn.  i.  p.  244. 

M  m 


630  The  Fortunate  Isles 

away  towards  the  north,  arid  the  people  inhabiting 
this  great  land  regard  the  old  world  as  a  small 
island.  This  is  an  observation  made  also  by  Theo- 
pompus,  in  his  geographical  mythof  Meropis*. 

The  ancient  theories  of  Atlantis  shall  detain  us 
no  longer,  as  they  have  been  carefully  and  ex- 
haustively treated  by  Humboldt  in  the  already 
quoted  work  on  the  geography  of  the  New  World. 
We  shall  therefore  pass  to  the  Kelts,  and  learn  the 
position  occupied  by  America  in  their  mythology* 

Brittia,  says  Procopius,  lies  aoo  stadia  from  the 
coast  between  Britannia  and  Thule,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Rhine,  and  is  inhabited  by  Angles, 
Frisians,  and  Britons  \  By  Britannia  he  means  the 
present  Brittany,  and  Brittia  is  England.  Tzetze 
relates  ihat  on  the  ocean  coast,  .opposite  Britannia, 
live  fishermen  subject  to  the  Franks,  but  freed  from 
paying  tribute,  on  account  of  their  occupation,  which 
consists  in  rowing  souls  across  to  the  opposite  coast  *. 
Procopius  tells  the  same  story,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott 
gives  it  from  him  in  his  "  Count  Robert  of  Paris." 
'*  I  have  read,"  says  Agelastes,  "  in  that  brilliant 
mirror  which  reflects  the  times  of  our  fathers,  the 

*  iElian,  Var.  Hist.  iii.  i8. 

*  De  Bello  Gothico,  lib.  iv.  2a 

*  Ad  Lycophr.  v.  laoo. 


The  Fortunate  Isles  531 

volumes  of  the  learned  Procopius,  that  beyond  Gaul, 
and  nearly  opposite  to  it,  but  separated  by  an  arm 
of  the  sea,  lies  a  ghastly  region,  on  which  clouds 
and  tempests  for  ever  rest,  and  which  is  known  to 
its  continental  neighbours  as  the  abode  to  which 
departed  spirits  are  sent  after  this  life.  On  one  side 
of  the  strait  dwell  a  few  fishermen,  men  possessed 
of  a  strange  character,  and  enjoying  singular  privi- 
leges in  consideration  of  thus  being  the  living  ferry- 
men who,  performing  the  office  of  the  heathen 
Charon,  carry  the  spirits  of  the  departed  to  the 
island  which  is  their  residence  after  death.  At 
the  dead  of  the  night  these  fishermen  are  in 
rotation  summoned  to  perform  the  duty  by  which 
they  seem  to  hold  permission  to  reside  on  this 
strange  coast.  A  knock  is  heard  at  the  door  of  his 
cottage,  who  holds  the  turn  of  this  singular  office, 
founded  by  no  mortal  hand  ;  a  whispering,  as  of 
a  decaying  breeze,  summons  the  ferryman  to  his 
duty.  He  hastens  to  his  bark  on  the  sea-shore,  and 
has  no  sooner  launched  it,  than  he  perceives  its  hull 
sink  sensibly  in  the  water,  so  as  to  express  the 
weight  of  the  dead  with  whom  it  is  filled.  No  form 
is  seen  ;  and  though  voices  are  heard,  yet  the  ac- 
cents are  undistinguishable,  as  of  one  who  speaks 
in  his  sleep."    According  to  Villemarqu^,  the  place 

M  m  ^ 


532  The  Fortunate  Isles 

whence  the  boat  put  off  with  its  ghostly  freight  was 
near  Raz,  a  headland  near  the  Bay  of  Souls,  in  the 
extreme  west  of  Finisterre.  The  bare,  desolate  val- 
leys of  this  cape,  opposite  the  Island  of  Seint,  with 
its  tarn  of  Kleden,  around  which  dance  nightly  the 
skeletons  of  drowned  mariners,  the  abyss  of  Plogoff, 
and  the  wild  moors  studded  with  Druid  monuments, 
make  it  a  scene  most  suitable  for  the  assembly  of 
the  souls  previous  to  their  ghastly  voyage.  Here 
too,  in  Yawdet,  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  town  near 
Llannion,  has  been  identified  the  'YaStroc  of  Straba 

"  On  the  great  island  of  Brittia,"  continues  Pro- 
copius,  "the  men  of  olden  time  built  a  great  wall 
cutting  off  a  great  portion  of  the  land.  East  of  this 
wall,  there  was  a  good  climate  and  abundant  crops, 
but  west  of  it,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  such  that 
no  man  could  live  there  an  hour ;  it  was  the 
haunt  of  myriads  of  serpents  and  other  reptiles, 
and  if  any  one  crossed  the  wall,  he  died  at  once, 
poisoned  by  the  noxious  exhalations."  This  be- 
lief, which  acted  as  a  second  wall  to  the  realm  of 
the  dead,  preserved  strict  privacy  for  the  spirits. 
Procopius  declares  that  this  tradition  was  widely 
spread,  and  that  it  was  reported  to  him  by  many 
people. 

Claudian  also  heard  of  the  same  myth,  but  con- 


The  Fortunate  Isles  583 

fused  it  with  that  of  the  nether  world  of  Odysseus. 
"  At  the  extreme  coast  of  Gaul  is  a  spot  protected 
from  the  tides  of  Ocean,  where  Odysseus  by  blood- 
shed allured  forth  the  silent  folk.  There  are 
heard  wailing  cries,  and  the  light  fluttering  around 
of  the  shadows.  And  the  natives  there  see  pale, 
statue-like  figures  and  dead  corpses  wandering  *." 
According  to  Philemon  in  Pliny,  the  Cimbri  called 
the  Northern  Ocean  Morimarusa,  Le,  mare  mortuum, 
the  sea  of  the  dead. 

In  the  old  romance  of  Lancelot  du  Lac,  the 
Demoiselle  d'Escalot  directed  that  after  death  her 
body  should  be  placed  richly  adorned  in  a  boat,  and 
allowed  to  float  away  before  the  wind ;  a  trace  of 
the  ancient  belief  in  the  passage  over  sea  to  the 
soul-land. 

"  There  take  the  little  bed  on  which  I  died 
For  Lancelot's  love,  ^nd  deck  it  like  the  Queen's 
For  richness,  and  me  also  like  the  Queen 
In  all  I  have  of  rich,  and  lay  me  on  it. 
And  let  there  be  prepared  a  chariot-bier 
To  take  me  to  the  river,  and  a  barge 
Be  ready  on  the  river,  clothed  in  black." 

Tennyson's  Elaine, 

And  the  grave-digger  in  Hamlet  sings  of  being 
at  death 

*  In  Rufin.  i.  123 — 133. 


684  The  Fortunate  IsUs 

^ .  .  .  shipped  intiU  the  land. 
As  if  I  had  never  been  such." 

Act  V.  So.  I. 

When  King  Arthur  was  about  to  die,  with  a 
mortal  wound  in  the  head,  he  was  brought  by  good 
Sir  Bedivere  to  the  water's  side. 

"And  when  they  were  at  the  water's  side,  even 
fast  by  the  banke,  hoved  a  little  bat^e  with  many 
faire  ladies  in  it,  and  among  them  all  was  a  queene, 
and  all  they  had  blacke  hoods,  and  they  wept  and 
shriked  when  they  saw  King  Arthur.  *  Now  put 
mee  into  the  barge,*  said  the  king ;  and  so  hee  did 
softly ;  and  there  received  him  three  queenes  with 
great  mourning,  and  so  these  three  queenes  set 
them  downe,  and  in  one  of  their  laps  King  Arthur 
laide  his  head.  And  then  that  queene  said,  'Ah! 
deer  brother,  why  have  ye  tarried  so  long  from 
me  ?  Alas !  this  wound  on  your  head  hath  taken 
over  much  cold.'  And  so  then  they  rowed  from 
the  land,  and  Sir  Bedivere  cried,  '  Ah !  my  lord 
Arthur,  what  shall  become  of  mee  now  ye  goe 
from  me,  and  leave  me  here  alone  among  mine 
enemies.^'  'Comfort  thy  selfe,'  said  King  Arthur, 
'  and  do  as  well  as  thou  maiest,  for  in  mee  is  no  trust 
for  to  trust  in ;  for  I  wil  into  the  vale  of  Avilion 
for  to  heale  me  of  my  greivous  wound  ;  and  if  thou 


The  Fortunate  Isles  535 

never  heere  more  of  mee,  pray  for  my  soule/  But 
evermore  the  queenes  and  the  ladies  wept  and 
shriked  that  it  was  pity  for  to  heare  them.  And  as 
soone  as  Sir  Bedivere  had  lost  the  sight  of  the  barge, 
he  wept  and  wailed,  and  so  tooke  the  forrest  */' 
This  fair  Avalon — 

"  Where  falls  not  hail,  or  rain,  or  any  snow, 
Nor  ever  wind  blows  loudly ;  but — lies 
Deep-meadoVd,  happy,  fair  with  orchard  lawns 
And  bowery  hollows  crown'd  with  summer  sea," 

is  the  Isle  of  the  Blessed  of  the  Kelts.  Tzetze  and 
Procopius  attempt  to  localize  it,  and  suppose  that 
the  Land  of  Souls  is  Britain  ;  but  in  this  they  are 
mistaken  ;  as  also  are  those  who  think  to  find 
Avalon  at  Glastonbury.  Avalon  is  the  Isle  of 
Apples— a  name  reminding  one  of  the  Garden  of 
the  Hesperides  in  the  far  western  seas,  with  its  tree 
of  golden  apples  in  the  midst  When  we  are  told 
that  in  the  remote  Ogygia  sleeps  Kronos  gently, 
watched  by  Briareus,  till  the  time  comes  for  his 
awaking,  we  have  a  Graecized  form  of  the  myth 
of  Arthur  in  Avalon  being  cured  of  his  grievous 
wound.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  Arthur 
of  romance   is   actually  a  demi-god,   believed   in 

*  La  Mort  d'Arthure,  by  Sir  Thomas  Malory,  ed.  Wright, 
vol.  iii.  c.  168. 


536  The  Fortunate  Isks 

long  before  the  birth  of  the  historic  Arthur.  This 
Ogygia,  says  Plutarch,  lies  due  west,  beneath  the 
setting  sun.  According  to  an  ancient  poein  pub- 
lished by  M.  Villemarqud,  it  is  a  place  of  enchant- 
ing beauty.  There  youths  and  maidens  dance 
hand  in  hand  on  the  dewy  grass,  gpreen  trees  are 
laden  with  apples,  and  behind  the  woods  the 
golden  sun  dips  and  rises.  A  murmuring  rill  flows 
from  a  spring  in  the  midst  of  the  island,  and  thence 
drink  the  spirits  and  obtain  life  with  the  draught 
Joy,  song,  and  minstrelsy  reign  in  that  blessed 
region  *.  There  all  is  plenty,  and  the  golden  age 
ever  lasts  ;  cows  give  their  milk  in  such  abundance 
that  they  fill  large  ponds  at  a  milking  *.  There, 
too,  is  a  palace  all  of  glass,  floating  in  air,  and 
receiving  within  its  transparent  walls  the  soifls  of 
the  blessed  :  it  is  to  this  house  of  glass  that  Merd- 
din  Emrys  and  his  nine  bards  voyage '.  To  this 
alludes  Taliesin  in  his  poem,  "The  Booty  of  the 
Deep,"  where  he  says,  that  the  valour  of  Arthur  is 
not  retained  in  the  glass  enclosure.  Into  this 
mansion  three  classes  of  men  obtain  no  admission 
— the  tailors,  of  whom  it  takes  nine  to  make  a 

•  Villemarqu^,  Barz.  Breiz,  i.  193. 

*  M^m.  de  FAcad.  Celtique,  v.  p.  202. 

'  Davies,  Mythology  of  the  Druids,  p.  522. 


The  Fortunate  Isles  537 

man,  spending  their  days  sitting,  and  whose  hands, 
though  they  labour,  are  white ;  the  warlocks,  and 
the  usurers  ^ 

In  popular  opinion,  this  distant  isle  was  far  more 
beautiful  than  paradise,  and  the  rumours  of  its 
splendour  so  excited  the  mind  of  the  mediaevals, 
that  the  western  land  became  the  subject  of  satyre 
and  jest.  It  was  nicknamed  Cocaigne  or  Schlaraf- 
fenland. 

An  English  poem,  "  apparently  written  in*  the 
latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,"  says  Mr. 
Wright  (S.  Patrick's  Purgatory), "  which  was  printed 
very  inaccurately  by  Hickes,  from  a  manuscript 
which  is  now  Mn  the  British  Museum,"  describes 
Cocaigne  as  far  away  out  to  sea,  west  of  Spain. 
Slightly  modernized  it  runs  thus  : — 

"  Though  Paradise  be  merry  and  bright, 
Cokaygne  is  of  fairer  sight ; 
What  is  there  in  Paradise  ? 
Both  grass  and  flower  and  green  ris  (boughs). 
Though  there  be  joy  and  great  dute  (pleasure), 
There  is  not  meat,  but  fruit. 
There  is  not  hall,  bower,  nor  bench, 
But  water  man's  thirst  to  quench." 

In  Paradise  are  only  two  men,  Enoch  and  Elias ; 
but   Cocaigne  is  full  of  happy  men   and  women. 

*  Barz.  Breiz,  ii.  99, 


688  The  Fortunate  Isles 

There  is  no  land  like  it  under  heaven  ;  it  is  there 
always  day  and  never  night ;  there  quarrelling  and 
strife  are  unknown  ;  there  no  people  die  ;  there  falls 
neither  hail,  rain,  or  snow,  neither  is  thunder  heard 
there,  nor  blustering  winds — 

"  There  is  a  well  fair  abbaye 
Of  white  monks  and  of  grey  ; 
There  both  bowers  and  halls, 
All  of  pasties  be  the  walls, 
Of  flesh,  and  fish,  and  rich  meat, 
The  like  fullest  that  men  may  eat. 
Floweren  cakes  be  the  shingles  all, 
Of  church,  cloister,  bower,  and  hall. 
The  pins  be  fat  pudings. 
Rich  meat  to  princes  and  kings." 

The  cloister  is  built  of  gems  and  spices,  and  all 
about  are  birds  merrily  singing,  ready  roasted 
flying  into  the  hungry  mouths ;  and  there  are 
buttered  larks  and  "  garlek  gret  plente." 

A  French  poem  on  this  land  describes  it  as  a 
true  cookery-land,  as  its  nickname  implies.  All 
down  the  streets  go  roasted  geese  turning  them- 
selves ;  there  is  a  river  of  wine ;  the  ladies  are  all 
fair ;  every  month  one  has  new  clothes.  There 
bubbles  up  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth,  which 
will  restore  to  bloom  and  vigour  all  who  bathe  in 
it,  be  they  ever  so  old  and  ugly. 

However  much  the  burlesque  poets  of  the  Middle 


The  Fortunate  Isles  539 

Ages  might  laugh  at  this  mysterious  western 
region  of  blissful  souls,  it  held  its  own  in  the  belief  of 
the  people.  Curiously  enough,  the  same  confusion 
between  Britain  and  Avalon,  which  was  made  by 
Procopius,  is  still  made  by  the  German  peasantry, 
who  have  their  Engel-land  which,  through  a  simi- 
larity of  name,  they  identify  with  England,  to 
which  they  say,  the  souls  of  the  dead  are  trans- 
ported. In  this  land,  according  to  Teutonic 
mythology,  which  in  this  point  resembles  the 
Keltic,  is  a  glass  mountain.  In  like  manner  the 
Slaves  believe  in  a  paradise  for  souls  wherein  is  a 
large  apple-orchard,  in  the  midst  of  which  rises  a 
glass  rock  crowned  with  a  golden  palace ;  and  in 
olden  times  they  buried  bear's  claws  with  the  dead, 
to  assist  him  in  climbing  the  crystal  mountain '. 

The  mysterious  Western  Land,  in  Irish,  is  called 
Thierna  na  oge,  or  the  Country  of  Youth ;  and  it 
is  identified  v/ith  a  city  of  palaces  and  minsters 
sunk  beneath  the  Atlantic,  or  at  the  bottom  of 
lakes. 

"The  ancient  Greek  authors,"  says  M.  de  Latoc- 
naye  in  his  pleasant  tour  through  Ireland,  quoted 
by  Crofton  Croker,  "  and  Plato  in  particular,  have 

•  Mannhardt,  Germanische  Mythen,  330  et  seq. 


540  The  Fortunate  Isles 

recorded  a  tradition  of  an  ancient  world.  They 
pretend  that  an  immense  island,  or  rather  a  vast 
continent,  has  been  swallowed  up  by  the  sea  to  the 
west  of  Europe.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Connemara  have  never  heard  of 
Plato  or  of  the  Greeks ;  nevertheless  they  have 
also  their  ancient  tradition.  'Our  land  will  re- 
appear some  day/  feay  the  old  men  to  the  young 
folk,  as  they  lead  them  on  a  certain  day  of  the 
year  to  a  mountain-top,  and  point  out  over  the  sea 
to  them ;  the  fishers  also  on  their  coasts  pretend 
that  they  see  towns  and  villages  at  the  bottom  of 
the  water.  The  descriptions  which  they  give  of 
this  imaginary  country  are  as  emphatic  and  ex- 
aggerated as  those  of  the  promised  land :  milk 
flows  in  some  of  the  rivulets,  others  gush  with 
wine ;  undoubtedly  there  are  also  streams  of  whisky 
and  porter  *.** 

The  subject  of  cities  beneath  the  water,  which 
appear  above  the  waves  at  dawn  on  Easter-day,  or 
which  can  be  seen  by  moonlight  in  the  still  depths 
of  a  lake,  is  too  extensive  to  be  considered  here, 
opening  up  as  it  does   questions   of    mythology 

*  Crofton  Croker,  Fairy  Legends  of  the  South  of  Ireland. 
1862,  p.  165.  See  also  Kennedy,  Popular  Fictions  of  the 
Irish  Celts.    London,  1867. 


Tlu  Fortunate  Isles  541 

which,  to  be  fully  discussed,  would  demand  a 
separate  paper.  Each  myth  of  antiquity  touches 
other  myths  with  either  hand,  and  it  is  difficult  to 
isolate  one  for  consideration  without  being  drawn 
into  the  discussion  of  other  articles  of  belief  on 
which  it  leans,  and  to  which  it  is  united.  As  in 
the  sacred  symbol  of  the  Church  each  member 
predicates  that  which  is  to  follow,  and  is  a  logical 
consequence  of  that  which  goes  before,  so  that  the 
excision  of  one  article  would  destroy  the  complete- 
ness, and  dissolve  the  unity  of  the  faith — so,  with 
the  sacred  beliefs  of  antiquity,  one  myth  is  linked 
to  another,  and  cannot  be  detached  without  break- 
ing into  and  destroying  the  harmony  of  the 
charmed  circle. 

But  to  confine  ourselves  to  two  points — the 
phantom  western  land,  and  the  passage  to  it. 

"Those  who  have  read  the  history  of  the 
Canaries,"  writes  Washington  Irving,  "may  re- 
member the  wonders  told  of  this  enigmatical 
island.  Occasionally  it  would  be  visible  from 
their  shores,  stretching  away  in  the  clear  bright 
west,  to  all  appearance  substantial  like  themselves, 
and  still  more  beautiful.  Expeditions  would 
launch  forth  from  the  Canaries  to  explore  this  land 
of  promise.    For  a  time  its  sun-gilt  peaks  and  long 


542  The  Fortunate  Isles 

shadowy  promontories  would  remain  distinctly 
visible ;  but  in  proportion  a^  the  voyagers  ap- 
proached, peak  and  promontory  would  gradually 
fade  away,  until  nothing  would  remain  but  blue 
sky  above  and  deep  blue  water  below. 

"  Hence  this  mysterious  isle  was  stigmatized  by 
ancient  cosmographers  with  the  name  of  Aprositus, 
or  the  inaccessible  *."  The  natives  of  the  Canaries 
relate  of  this  island,  which  they  name  after  S. 
Brandan,  the  following  tale.  In  the  eariy  part  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  there  arrived  in  Lisbon  an 
old  bewildered  pilot  of  the  seas,  who  had  been 
driven  by  the  tempests  he  knew  not  whither,  and 
raved  about  an  island  in  the  far  deep,  upon  which 
he  had  landed,  and  which  he  had  found  peopled 
with  Christians  and  adorned  with  noble  cities. 
The  inhabitants  told  him  they  were  descendants 
of  a  band  of  Christians  who  fled  from  Spain,  when 
that  country  was  conquered  by  the  Moslems.  They 
were  curious  about  the  state  of  their  fatherland, 
and  grieved  to  hear  that  the  Moslem  still  held 
possession  of  the  kingdom  of  Granada.  The  old 
man,  on  his  return  to  his  ship,  was  caught  by  a 
tempest,  whirled  out  once  more  to  sea,  and  saw 

2  Washington  Irving,  Chronicles  of  Wolfert's  Roost,  and 
other  Papers.    Edinburgh,  1855,  p.  312. 


The  Fortunate  Isles  543 

no  more   of  the  unknown   island.     This   strange 
story  caused  no  little  excitement  in  Portugal  and 
Spain.     Those  well  versed  in  history  remembered 
to  have  read  that  in  the  time  of  the  conquest  of 
Spain,  in  the  eighth  century,  seven  bishops,  at  the 
head  of  seven  bands  of  exiles,  had  fled  across  the 
great  ocean  to  some  distant  shores,  where  they 
might  found  seven  Christian  cities,  and  enjoy  their 
faith   unmolested.      The  fate  of  these  wanderers 
had  hitherto  remained  a  mystery,  and  their  story 
had  faded  from  memory;  but  the  report  of  the 
old  pilot  revived  the  long-forgotten  theme,  and  it 
was  determined,  by  the  pious  and  enthusiastic,  that 
this  island  thus  accidentally  discovered  was  the 
identical  place  of  refuge,  whither  the  wandering 
bishops  had  been  guided  with  their  flock  by  the 
hand   of  Providence.     No  one,   however,  entered 
into  the  matter  with  half  the  zeal  of  Don  Fernando 
de  Alma,  a  young  cavalier  of  high  standing  in  the 
Portuguese  court,  and  of  the  meek,  sanguine,  and 
romantic  temperament.     The  Island  of  the  Seven 
Cities   became  now  the   constant   subject   of  his 
thoughts  by  day  and  of  his  dreams  by  night ;  and 
he  determined  to  fit  out  an  expedition,  and  set  sail 
in  quest  of  the  sainted  island.     Don  loacos  II.  fur- 
nished him  with  a  commission,  constituting  him 


544  Tlu  Forttifiatc  Isles 

Adalantado,  or  governor,  of  any  country  he  might 
discover,  with  the  single  proviso,  that  he  should 
bear  all  the  expenses  of  the  discovery,  and  pay  a 
tenth  of  the  profits  to  the  crown.  With  two  vessels 
he  put  out  to  sea  and  steered  for  the  Canaries — ^in 
those  days  the  regions  of  nautical  discovery  and 
romance,  and  the  outposts  of  the  known  world ; 
for  as  yet  Columbus  had  not  crossed  the  ocean. 
Scarce  had  they  reached  those  latitudes,  than  they 
were  separated  by  a  violent  tempest.  For  many 
days  the  caravel  of  Don  Fernando  was  driven 
about  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements,  and  the  crew 
were  in  despair.  All  at  once  the  storm  subsided, 
the  ocean  sank  into  a  calm,  the  clouds  which  had 
veiled  the  face  of  heaven  were  suddenly  withdrawn, 
and  the  tempest-tossed  mariners  beheld  a  fair  and 
mountainous  island,  emerging,  as  if  by  enchant- 
ment, from  the  murky  gloom.  The  caravel  now 
lay  perfectly  becalmed  off  the  mouth  of  a  river,  on 
the  banks  of  which,  about  a  league  off,  was  de- 
scried a  noble  city,  with  lofty  walls  and  towers,  and 
a  protecting  castle.  After  a  time,  a  stately  barge 
with  sixteen  oafs  was  seen  emerging  from  the  river 
and  approaching  the  vessel.  Under  a  silken  canopy 
in  the  stern  sat  a  richly-clad  cavalier,  and  over  his 
head  was  a  banner  bearing  the  sacred  emblem  of 


Tlie  Fortunate  Isles  545 

the  cross.     When  the  barge  reached  the  caravel, 
the   cavalier   stepped   on   board   and,   in  the  old 
Castilian  language,  welcomed  the  strangers  to  the 
Island  of  the  Seven  Cities.     Don  Fernando  could 
scarce  believe  that  this  was  not  all  a  dream.     He 
made    known    his    name  and   the    object   of   his 
voyage.     The   Grand  Chamberlain — such  was  the 
title  of  the  cavalier  from  the  island — ^assured  him 
that,  as  soon  as  his  credentials  were  presented,  he 
would  be  acknowledged  as  the  Adalantado  of  the 
Seven   Cities.     In   the   mean   time,  the   day  was 
waning ;   the  barge  was  ready  to  convey  him  to 
land,  and  would  assuredly  bring  him  back.     Don 
Fernando  leaped  into  it  after  the  Grand  Chamber- 
lain, and  was  rowed   ashore.     Every  thing  there 
bore  the  stamp  of  former  ages,  as  if  the  world  had 
suddenly  rolled  back  for  several  centuries  ;  and  no 
wonder,  for  the  Island  of  the  Seven  Cities  had  been 
cut   off  from   the   rest  of  the  world   ifor  several 
hundred    years.     On  shore   Don  Fernando  spent 
an  agreeable  evening  at  the  court-house,  and  late 
at  night  with  reluctance  he  re-entered  the  barge, 
to  return  to  his  A^essel.     The  barge  sallied  out  to 
sea,  but  no  caravel  was  to  be  seen.     The  oarsinen 
rowed  on — their  monotonous  chant  had  a  lulling 
effect.     A  drowsy  influence  crept  over  Don  Fer- 


54G  Ttu  Fortunate  Isles 

nando :  objects  swam  before  his  eyes,  and  he  lost 
consciousness.  On  his  recovery,  he  found  himself 
in  a  strange  cabin,  surrounded  by  strangers.  Where 
was  he  ?  On  board  a  Portuguese  ship,  bound  for 
Lisbon.  How  had  he  come  there  ?  He  had  been 
taken  senseless  from  a  wreck  drifting  about  the 
ocean.  The  vessel  arrived  in  the  Tagus,  and 
anchored  before  the  famous  capital.  Don  Fer- 
nando sprang  joyfully  on  shore,  and  hastened  to 
his  ancestral  mansion.  A  strange  porter  opened 
the  door,  who  knew  nothing  of  him  or  of  his  family : 
no  people  of  the  name  had  inhabited  the  house 
for  many  a  year.  He  sought  the  house  of  his  be- 
trothed, the  Donna  Serafina.  He  beheld  her  on 
the  balcony ;  then  he  raised  his  arms  towards  her 
with  an  exclamation  of  rapture.  She  cast  upon 
him  a  look  of  indignation,  and  hastily  retired.  He 
rang  at  the  door ;  as  it  was  opened  by  the  porter, 
he  rushed  past,  sought  the  well-known  chamber, 
and  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Serafina.  She 
started  back  with  affright,  and  took  refuge  in  the 
arms  of  a  youthful  cavalier. 

"What  mean  you,  Senor  V^  crj^d  the  latter. 

"What  right  have  you  to  ask  that  question  V 
demanded  Don  Fernando  fiecely. 

"The  right  of  an  affianced  suitor!" 


The  Fortunate  Isles  647 

"  O  Serafina  !  is  this  your  fidelity?"  cried  he  in  a 
tone  of  agony. 

"  Serafina  !  What  mean  you  by  Serafina,  Seiior  ? 
This  lady's  name  is  Maria." 

"What!"  cried  Don  Fernando;  "is  not  this 
Serafina  Alvarez,  the  original  of  yon  portrait  which 
smiles  on  me  from  the  wall  ?" 

"  Holy  Virgin  !"  cried  the  young  lady,  casting 
her  eyes  upon  the  portrait,  "  he  is  talking  of  my 
great-grandmother !" 

With  this  Portuguese  legend,  which  has  been 
charmingly  told  by  Washington  Irving,  must  be 
compared  the  adventures  of  Porsenna,  king  of 
Russia,  in  the  sixth  volume  of  Dodsley's  "  Poetical 
Collection."  Porsenna  was  carried  off  by  Zephyr 
to  a  distant  region,  where  the  scenery  was  enr 
chanting,  the  flowers  ever  in  bloom,  and  creation 
put  on  her  fairest  guise.  There  he  found  a  princess 
with  whom  he  spent  a  few  agreeable  weeks. 
Being,  however,  anxious  to  return  to  his  king- 
dom, he  took  leave  of  her,  saying  that  after 
three  months*  absence  his  return  would  be  neces- 
sary. 

"  *  Three  months !'  replied  the  fair,  *  three  months  alone !  0 
Know  that  three  hundred  years  are  rolFd  away 
Since  at  my  feet  my  lovely  Phoenix  lay.' 


548  The  Fortunate  Isles 

*  Three  hundred  years !  *  re-echoed  bsick  the  prince  : 

*  A  whole  three  hundred  years  completed  since 
I  landed  here?'" 

On  his  return  to  Russia,  he  was  overtaken  by 
all-conquering  time,  and  died.  A  precisely  simi- 
lar legend  exists  in  Ireland. 

In  a  similar  manner  Ogier-le-Danois  found  him- 
self unconscious  of  the  lapse  of  time  in  Avalon. 
He  was  one  day  carried  by  his  steed  Papillon 
along  a  track  of  light  to  the  mystic  Vale  of  Apples ; 
there  he  alighted  beside  a  sparkling  fountain,  around 
which  waved  bushes  of  fragrant  flowering  shruba 
By  the  fountain  stood  a  beautiful  maiden,  extending 
to  him  a  golden  crown  wreathed  with  blossoms. 
He  put  it  on  his  head,  and  at  once  forgot  the  past: 
his  battles,  his  love  of  glory,  Charlemagne  and  his 
preux,  died  from  his  memory  like  a  dream.  He  saw . 
only  Morgana,  and  felt  no  desire  other  than  to  sigh 
through  eternity  at  her  feet.  One  day  the  crown 
slipped  from  Ogier'shead,  and  fell  into  the  fountain: 
immediately  his  memory  returned,  and  the  thoughts 
of  his  friends  and  relatives,  and  military  prowess, 
troubled  his  peace  of  mind.  He  begged  Morgana 
to  permit  him  to  return  to  earth.  She  consented, 
and  he  found  that,  in  the  few  hours  of  rapture  in 
Avalon,  two  hundred  years  had  elapsed.     Charle- 


The  Fortunate  Isles  549 

magne,  Roland^  and  Oliver  were  no  more.  Hugh 
Capet  sat  on  the  throne  of  France,  the  dynasty  of 
the  great  Charles  having  come  to  an  end.  Ogier 
found  no  rest  in  France,  and  he  returned  to  Avalon, 
nevermore  to  leave  the  fay  Morgana. 

In  the  Portuguese  legend,  the  Island  of  the 
Seven  Cities  is  unquestionably  the  land  of  departed 
spirits  of  the  ancient  Celtiberians ;  the  properties 
of  the  old  belief  remain :  the  barge  to  conduct 
the  spirit  to  the  shore,  the  gorgeous  scenery,  and 
the  splendid  castle,  but  the  significance  of  the 
myth  has  been  lost,  and  a  story  of  a  Spanish 
colony  having  taken  refuge  in  the  far  western  sea 
has  been  invented,  to  account  for  the  Don  meeting 
with  those  of  his  own  race  in  the  phantom  isle. 

That  the  belief  in  this  region  was  very  strong 
in  Ireland,  about  the  eleventh  century,  is  certain 
from  its  adoption  into  the  popular  mythology  of 
the  Norsemen,  under  the  name  of  Greater  Ireland 
(Ireland  hit  Mikla).  Till  the  ruin  of  the  Norse 
kingdom  in  the  east  of  Erin,  in  the  g^eat  battle 
of  Clontarf  (1114),  the  Norsemen  were  brought 
much  in  contact  with  the  Irish,  and  by  this 
means  adopted  Irish  names,  such  as  Nial  and 
Cormac,  and  Irish  superstitions  as  well.  The 
name  they  gave  to  the  Isle  of  the  Blessed,  in  the 


550  The  Fortunate  Isles 

western  seas,  was  either  Great  Ireland,  because 
there  the  Erse  tongue  was  spoken, — ^it  being  a 
colony  of  the  souls  of  the  Kelts, — or  Hvitramanna- 
land,  because  there  the  inhabitants  were  robed  in 
white.  In  the  mediaeval  vision  of  Owayne  the 
Knight,  which  is  simply  a  fragment  of  Keltic 
mythology  in  a  Christian  garb,  the  paradise  is 
enclosed  by  a  fair  wall, "  whyte  and  brygth  as  glass," 
a  reminiscence  of  the  glass-palace  in  Avalon,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  that  land — 

"  Fayre  vestymentes  they  hadde  on." 

Some  of  these  met  him  on  his  first  starting  on 
his  journey,  and  there  were  fifteen  in  long  white 
garments. 

The  following  passages  in  the  Icelandic  chronicles 
refer  to  this  land  of  mystery  and  romance. 

"  Mar  of  Holum  married  Thorkatla,  and  their 
son  was  Ari ;  he  was  storm-cast  on  the  White-man's 
land,  which  some  call  Great  Ireland ;  this  lies  in  the 
Western  Sea  near  Vinland  the  Good  (America):  it 
is  called  six  days*  sail  due  west  from  Ireland.  Ari 
could  never  leave  it,  and  there  he  was  baptized 
Hrafn,  who  sailed  to  Limerick,  was  the  first  to  tell 
of  this ;  he  had  spent  a  long  time  in  Limerick  in 
Ireland." 


The  Fortunate  Isles  551 

This  passage  is  from  the  Landndmabok,  a  work 
of  the  twelfth  century.  A  turbulent  Icelander, 
named  Bjorn  of  Bradwick,  vanished  from  his  home. 
Years  after,  a  native  of  the  same  island,  Gudlief  by 
name,  was  trading  between  Iceland  and  Dublin, 
when,  somewhere  about  the  year  looo,  he  was 
caught  by  a  furious  gale  from  the  east,  and  driven 
further  in  the  western  seas  than  he  had  ever  visited 
before.  Here  he  came  upon  a  land  well  populated, 
where  the  people  spoke  the  Irish  tongue.  The 
crew  were  taken  before  an  assembly  of  the  natives, 
and  would  probably  have  been  hardly  dealt  with, 
had  not  a  tall  man  ridden  up,  surrounded  by  an 
armed  band,  to  whom  all  bowed  the  knee.  This  man 
spoke  to  Gudlief  in  the  Norse  tongue,  and  asked 
him  whence  he  came.  On  hearing  that  he  was  an 
Icelander,  he  made  particular  inquiries  about  the 
residents  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Brad- 
wick, and  gave  Gudlief  a  ring  and  a  sword,  to  be 
taken  to  friends  at  home.  Then  he  bade  him  re- 
turn at  once  to  Iceland,  and  warn  his  kindred  not 
to  seek  him  in  his  new  home.  Gudlief  put  again 
to  sea,  and,  arriving  safely  in  Iceland,  related  his 
adventures,  concluding  that  the  man  he  had  seen 
was  Bjorn  of  Bradwick'.  Another  Icelander 
'  Eyrbyggja  Saga,  c.  64.    Hafniae,  1787,  p.  329. 


662  The  Fortunate  Isles 

brought  away  two  children  from  Vinland,  and 
they  related  that  near  their  home  was  a  land, 
where  people  walked  about  in  flowing  white  robes, 
singing  processional  psalms.  Northern  antiquarians 
attempt  to  identify  this  White-man's  land  with 
Florida,  where  they  suppose  was  settled  the  Welsh 
colony  led  beyond  the  sea  by  Madoc  in  1 169.  I 
have  little  doubt  that  it  is  simply  an  Icelandic  re- 
miniscence of  the  popular  Irish  superstition  relative 
to  the  Soul  Island  beneath  the  setting  sun. 

"  In  his  crystal  ark, 
Whither  saiFd  Merlin  with  his  band  of  bards. 
Old  Merlin,  master  of  the  mystic  lore ; 
Belike  his  crystal  ark,  instinct  with  life, 
Obedient  to  the  mighty  Master,  reached 
The  Land  of  the  Departed ;  there,  belike, 
They  in  the  clime  of  immortality. 
Themselves  immortal,  drink  the  gales  of  bliss 
Which  o'er  Flathinnis  breathe  eternal  spring. 
Blending  whatever  odours  make  the  gale 
Of  evening  sweet,  whatever  melody 
Charms  the  wood  traveller." 

Southey's  Madoc,  xi. 

This  Flath  Innis,  the  Noble  Island,  is  the  Gaelic 
name  for  the  western  paradise.  Macpherson,  in  his 
Introduction  to  the  "  History  of  Great  Britain,"  re- 
lates a  legend  which  agrees  with  those  prevalent 
among  other  Keltic  peoples.  In  former  days  there 
lived  in  Skerr  a  Druid  of  renown.   He  sat  with  his 


The  Fortunate  Isles  568 

face  to  the  west  on  the  shore,  his  eye  following  the 
declining  sun,  and  he  blamed  the  careless  billows 
which  tumbled  between  him  and  the  distant  Isle  of 
Green.  One  day,  as  he  sat  musing  on  a  rock,  a  storm 
arose  on  the  sea ;  a  cloud,  under  whose  squally  skirts 
the  foaming  waters  tossed,  rushed  suddenly  into  the 
bay,  and  from  its  dark  womb  emerged  a  boat  with 
white  sails  bent  to  the  wind,  and  banks  of  gleam- 
ing oars  on  either  side.  But  it  was  destitute  of 
mariners,  itself  seeming  to  live  and  move.  An  un- 
usual terror  seized  on  the  aged  Druid  ;  he  heard 
a  voice  call,  "Arise,  and  see  the  Green  Isle  of 
those  who  have  passed  away!"  Then  he  entered 
the  vessel.  Immediately  the  wind  shifted,  the  cloud 
enveloped  him,  and  in  the  bosom  of  the  vapour 
he  sailed   away.    Seven   days    gleamed   on    him 

ft 

through  the  mist ;  on  the  eighth,  the  waves  rolled 
violently,  the  vessel  pitched,  and  darkness  thickened 
around  him,  when  suddenly  he  heard  a  cry,  "The 
Isle  !  the  Isle  !"  The  clouds  parted  before  him,  the 
waves  abated,  the  wind  died  away,  and  the  vessel 
rushed  into  dazzling  light.  Before  his  eyes  lay 
the  Isle  of  the  Departed  basking  in  golden  light. 
Its  hills  sloped  green  and  tufted  with  beauteous 
trees  to  the  shore,  the  mountain-tops  were  enve- 
loped in  bright  and  transparent  clouds,  from  which 


554  The  Fortunate  Isles 

gushed  limpid  streams,  which,  wandering*  down  the 
steep  hill-sides  with  pleasant  harp-like  murmur, 
emptied  themselves  into  the  twinkling  blue  bays. 
The  valleys  were  open  and  free  to  the  ocean  ;  trees 
loaded  with  leaves,  which  scarcely  waved  to  the 
light  breeze,  were  scattered  on  the  green  declivities 
and  rising  ground  ;  all  was  calm  and  bright ;  the 
pure  sun  of  autumn  shone  from  his  blue  sky  on  the 
fields  ;  he  hastened  not  to  the  west  for  repose,  nor 
was  he  seen  to  rise  in  the  east,  but  hung  as  a  golden 
lamp,  ever  illumining  the  Fortunate  Isle. 

There,  in  radiant  halls,  dwelt  the  spirits  of  the 
departed,  ever  blooming  and  beautiful,  ever  laugh- 
ing and  gay. 

It  is  curious  to  note  how  retentive  of  ancient 
m)^hologic  doctrines  relative  to  death  are  the  memo- 
ries of  the  people.  This  Keltic  fable  of  the  '  Land 
beyond  the  Sea,"  to  which  the  souls  are  borne  after 
death,  has  engrafted  itself  on  popular  religion  in 
England.  The  following  hymn  is  from  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  and  is  founded 
on  this  venerable  Druidic  tenet : — 

**  Shall  we  meet  beyond  the  river, 
Where  the  surges  cease  to  roll, 
Where  in  all  the  bright  For-ever 
Sorrow  ne'er  shall  press  the  soul  ? 


The  Fortunate  Isles  565 

"  Shall  we  meet  in  that  blest  harbour, 
When  our  stormy  voyage  is  o'er  ? 
Shall  we  meet  and  cast  the  anchor 
By  the  fair  celestial  shore  ? 

"  Shall  we  meet  with  many  loved  ones, 
Who  were  torn  from  our  embrace  ? 
Shall  we  listen  to  their  voices. 
And  behold  them  face  to  face  ?" 

So  is  a  hymn  from  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon's 
collection : — 

"  I  launch  into  the  deep, 

And  leave  my  native  land, 

Where  sin  lulls  all  asleep : 
For  thee  I  fain  would  all  resign, 
And  sail  for  heav*n  with  thee  and  thine, 

"  Come,  heavenly  wind,  and  blow 

A  prosp'rous  gale  of  grace, 

To  waft  from  all  below 

To  heaVn,  my  destined  place  : 
There  in  full  sail  my  port  I'll  find, 
And  leave  the  world  and  sin  behind." 

Or  I  might  quote  a  poem  on  "  The  Last  Voyage," 
from  the  Lyra  Messianica,  which  one  would  have 
supposed  to  have  been  founded  on  the  Gaelic 
legend  told  by  Macpherson  : — 

"  On  !  on  !  through  the  storm  and  the  billow, 
By  life's  chequered  troubles  opprest. 
The  rude  deck  my  home  and  my  pillow, 
I  sail  to  the  land  of  the  Blest. 


556  The  Fortunate  Isles 

The  tempests  of  darkness  confound  me. 

Above  me  the  deep  waters  roll, 
But  the  arms  of  sweet  Pity  surround  me, 

And  bear  up  my  foundering  souL 

"  With  a  wild  and  mysterious  commotion 

The  torrent  flows,  rapid  and  strong ; 
Towards  a  mournful  and  shadowy  ocean 

My  vessel  bounds  fiercely  along. 
Yc  waters  of  gloom  and  of  sorrow, 

How  dread  are  your  tumult  and  roar  I 
But,  on !  for  the  brilliant  to-morrow 

That  dawns  upon  yonder  bright  shore  I 

"  O  Pilot,  the  great  and  the  glorious. 

That  sittest  in  garments  so  white. 
O'er  death  and  o'er  hell  *  The  Victorious,' 

The  Way  and  the  Truth  and  the  Light, 
Speak,  speak  to  the  darkness  appalling, 

And  bid  the  mad  turmoil  to  cease : 
For,  hark  !  the  good  Angels  are  calling 

My  soul  to  the  haven  of  Peace. 

"  Now,  ended  all  sighing  and  sadness. 
The  waves  of  destruction  all  spent, 
I  sing  with  the  children  of  gladness 
The  song  of  immortal  content" 

It  would  be  a  study  of  no  ordinary  interest  to 
trace  modern  popular  Protestantism  back  to  the 
mythologic  systems  of  which  it  is  the  resultant. 
The  early  Fathers  erred  in  regarding  the  ancient 
heresies  as  bastard  forms  of  Christianity;  they 
were  distinct  religions,  feebly  tinged  by  contact 
with  the  religion  of  the  Cross.     In  like  manner,  I 


The  Fortunate  Isles  857 

am  satisfied  that  we  make  a  mistake  in  considering 
the  Dissent  of  England,  especially  as  manifested 
in  greatest  intensity  in  the  wilds  of  Cornwall, 
Wales,  and  the  eastern  moors  of  Yorkshire,  where 
the  Keltic  element  is  strong,  as  a  form  of  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  radically  different:  its  framework 
and  nerve  is  of  ancient  British  origin,  passing  itself 
off  as  a  spiritual  Christianity. 

In  S.  Peter's,  Rome,  is  a  statue  of  Jupiter,  de- 
prived of  his  thunderbolt,  which  is  replaced  by  the 
emblematic  keys.  In  like  manner,  much  of  the 
religion  of  the  lower  orders,  which  we  regard  as 
essentially  Christian,  is  ancient  heathenism,  refitted 
with  Christian  symbols.  The  story  of  Jacob's 
stratagem  is  reversed  :  the  voice  is  the  elder  bro- 
ther's voice,  but  the  hands  and  the  raiment  are 
those  of  the  younger. 

I  have  instanced  the  belief  in  angelic  music 
calling  away  the  soul  as  one  heathen  item  in 
popular  Protestant  mythology — 

"  Hark !  they  whisper  !    Angels  say, 
*  Sister  spirit,  come  away  I ' " 

Another  is  embodied  in  the  tenet  that  the  souls  of 
the  departed  become  angels.  In  Judaic  and  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  the  angel  creation  is  distinct  from 
that  of  human  beings,  and  a  Jew  or  a  Catholic 


658  The  Fortunate  Isles 

would  as  little  dream  of  confusing  the  distinct 
conception  of  angel  and  soul,  as  of  believing  in 
metempsychosis.  But  not  so  dissenting  religion. 
According  to  Druidic  dogma,  the  souls  of  the  dead 
were  guardians  of  the  living ;  a  belief  shared  with 
the  ancient  Indians,  who  venerated  the  spirits  of 
their  ancestry,  the  Pitris,  as  watching  over  and 
protecting  them.  Thus,  the  hymn  "  I  want  to  be 
an  Angel,"  so  popular  in  dissenting  schools,  is 
founded  on  the  venerable  Aryan  myth,  and  there- 
fore of  exceeding  interest ;  but  Christian  it  is  not 

Another  tenet  which  militates  against  Christian 
doctrine,  and  has  supplanted  it  in  popular  belief, 
is  that  of  the  transmigration  of  the  soul  to  bliss 
immediately  on  its  departure  from  the  body. 

The  article  stantis  vel  cadentis  Fidei,  of  the 
Apostles,  was  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  If  we 
read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  their  Epistles 
with  care,  it  is  striking  how  great  weight,  we  find, 
is  laid  on  this  doctrine.  They  went  every  where 
preaching — i.  the  rising  of  Christ ;  2.  the  con- 
sequent restoration  of  the  bodies  of  Christians.  "  If 
the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised  ;  and 
if  Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain.  But 
now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the 
first  fruits  of  them  that  slept.     For  as  in  Adam  all 


The  Fortunate  Isles  569 

die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive*." 
This  was  the  key-note  to  the  teaching  of  the 
Apostles  ;  it  runs  through  the  New  Testament,  and 
is  reflected  in  the  writings  of  the  Fathers.  It 
occupies  its  legitimate  position  in  the  Creeds,  and 
the  Church  has  never  failed  to  insist  upon  it  with 
no  faltering  voice. 

But  the  doctrine  of  the  soul  being  transported 
to  heaven,  and  of  its  happiness  being  completed 
at  death,  finds  no  place  in  the  Bible  or  the  Liturgies 
of  any  brstnch — Greek,  Roman,  or  Anglican — of 
the  Church  Catholic.  Yet  this  was  the  tenet  of 
our  Keltic  forefathers,  and  it  has  maintained  itself 
in  English  Protestantism,  so  as  to  divest  the  doctrine 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  of  its  grasp  on  the 
popular  mind.  Among  the  Kelts,  again,  reception 
into  the  sacred  inner  circle  of  the  illuminated  was 
precisely  analogous  to  the  received  dissenting 
doctrine  of  conversion.  To  it  are  applied,  by  the 
bards,  terms  such  as  'the  second  birth,'  *the 
renewal,'  which  are  to  this  day  employed  by 
Methodists  to  designate  the  mysterious  process  of 
conversion. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  this  article.  It  is 
a  singular  fact,  that  only  the  other  day  I  heard  of 

*  I  Cor.  XV.  i6, 17,  30, 21. 


660  The  Fortunate  Isles 

a  man  in  Cleveland^  being  buried  two  years  £^o 
with  a  candle,  a  penny,  and  a  bottle  of  wine  in  his 
coffin  :  the  candle  to  light  him  along  the  road,  the 
penny  to  pay  the  ferry,  and  the  wine  to  nourish 
him,  as  he  went  to  the  New  Jerusalem.  I  was  told 
this,  and  this  explanation  was  given  me,  by  some 
rustics  who  professed  to  have  attended  the  funeral 
This  looks  to  me  as  though  the  shipping  into  the 
other  land  were  not  regarded  merely  as  a  figure  of 
speech,  but  as  a  reality. 


Stoan^iOlatliens 

T  REMEMBER  a  long  scramble  in  Iceland,  over 
-^  the  ruins  of  tuff  rock  in  a  narrow  gorge.  My 
little  pony  had  toiled  sturdily  up  a  dusty  slope 
leading  apparently  to  nothing,  when,  all  at  once, 
the  ravine  terminated  in  an  abrupt  scarp,  whence 
was  obtained  a  sudden  peep  of  entrancing. beauty. 
Far  away  in  front  gleamed  a  snowy  dome  of  silver, 
doubly  refined  and  burnished,  resting  upon  a  base- 
ment of  gentian  blue. 

"  Some  blue  peaks  in  the  distance  rose, 
And  white  against  the  cold-white  sky 
Shone  out  their  crowning  snows." 

To  the  left  started  sheer  precipices  of  ink-black 
fock  to  icy  pinnacles,  from  which  fell  a  continuous 
powder  of  white  water  into  a  lake,  here  black  as 
the  rocks  above  it,  yonder  bluer  than  the  over- 
arching heavens.     Not  a  sound  of  animated  life 

O  o 


562  Swan-Maidens 

broke  the  stillness,  which  would  have  been  oppres- 
sive, but  for  the  patter  of  the  falling  streams.  The 
only  living  objects  visible  were  two  white  swans 
rippling  proudly  through  the  clear  water, 

I  have  never  since  felt  surprise  at  superstition 
attaching  itself  to  these  glorious  birds,  haunting 
lone  tarns,  pure  as  new-fallen  snow.  The  first 
night  I  slept  under  my  tent  in  the  same  island,  I 
was  wakened  with  a  start  by  a  wild  triumphant 
strain  as  of  clarions  pealing  from  the  sky.  I  crept 
from  under  canvas  to  look  up,  and  saw  a  flight  of 
the  Hooper  swans  on  their  way  to  the  lakes  of  the 
interior,  high  up,  lit  by  the  sun,  like  flakes  of  gold- 
leaf  against  the  green  sky  of  an  arctic  night. 

Its  solitary  habits,  the  purity  of  its  feathers,  its 
wondrous  song,  have  given  to  the  wild  swan  a 
charm  which  has  endeared  it  to  poets,  and  ensured 
its  introduction  into  mythology. 

The  ancient  Indians,  looking  up  at  the  sky  over 
which  coursed  the  white  cirrus  clouds,  fabled  of  a 
heavenly  lake  in  which  bathed  the  swan-like 
Apsaras,  impersonifications  of  these  delicate  light 
cloud-flakes.  What  these  white  vapours  were,  the 
ancient  Aryans  could  not  understand ;  therefore, 
because  they  bore  a  more  or  less  remote  resem- 
blance to  swans  floating  on  blue  waters,  they  sup- 


Swan-Maidens  663 

posed  them  to  be  divine  beings  partaking  of  the 
nature  and  appearance  of  these  beautiful  birds. 

The  name  Apsaras  signifies  those  who  go  in  the 
water,  from  ap^  water,  and  saras,  from  sr,  to  go. 
Those  who  bear  tlie  name  skim  as  swans  over  the 
lotus-pond  of  heaven,  or,  laying  aside  their  feather- 
dresses,  bathe,  as  beautiful  females,  in  the  limpid 
flood.  These  swan-maidens  are  the  houris  of  the 
Vedic  heaven ;  receiving  to  their  arms  the  souls  of 
the  heroes.  Sometimes  they  descend  to  earth,  and 
become  the  wives  of  mortals ;  but  soon  their 
celestial  nature  re-asserts  itself,  and  they  expand 
their  luminous  wings,  and  soar  away  into  the 
heavenly  deeps  of  tranquil  azure.  I  have  else- 
where referred  to  the  story  of  Urvagi,  the  Apsaras, 
and  her  lover  Puravaras.  And  Somadeva  relates 
the  adventures  of  a  certain  Ni9cayadatta,  who 
caught  one  of  these  celestial  maidens,  and  then 
lost  her,  but,  full  of  love,  pursued  her  to  the  golden 
city  above  \  He  tells  also  of  Sridatta,  who  beheld 
one  bathing  in  the  Ganges,  and,  plunging  after  her, 
found  himself  in  a  wondrous  land  beneath  the 
water,  in  the  company  of  the  beloved  *. 

In  the  Kalmuk  collection  of  tales  called  Siddhi- 

1  Katha  Sarit  Sagara,  book  viL  c.  37. 
*  Ibid,  bookii.  c.  la 


564  Swan-Maidens 

YAr ',  which  is  a  translation  from  the  Sanskrit,  is  a 
story  of  a  woman  who  had  three  daughters.  The 
girls  took  it  in  turn  to  keep  the  cattle.  An  ox 
was  lost,  and  the  eldest,  in  search  of  it,  entered  a 
cave,  where  she  found  an  extensive  lake  of  rippling 
blue  water,  on  which  swam  a  stainless  swan.  She 
asked  for  her  ox,  and  the  bird  replied  that  she 
should  have  it  if  she  would  become  his  wife.  She 
refused,  and  returned  to  her  mother.  Next  day 
the  second  sister  lost  an  ox,  traced  it  to  the  cave^ 
pursued  it  into  the  land  of  mysteries;  and  saw  the 
blue  lake  surrounded  by  flowery  banks,  on  which 
floated  a  silver  swan.  She  refused  to  become  his 
wife,  as  did  her  sister.  Next  day  the  same 
incidents  were  repeated  with  the  third  sister,  who, 
however,  proved  more  compliant  to  the  wishes  of 
the  swan. 

The  Samojeds  have  a  wild  tale  about  swan- 
maidens.  Two  Samojeds  lived  in  a  desolate  moor, 
where  they  caught  foxes,  sables,  and  bears.  One 
went  on  a  journey,  the  other  remained  at  home. 
He  who  travelled,  reached  an  old  woman  chopping 
birch-trees.  He  cut  down  the  trees  for  her,  and 
drew  them  to  her  tent.      This  gratified   the   old 

»  Siddhi-Kflr,  Tale  vii. 


Swan^'Maidens  565 

woman,  and  she  bade  him  hide,  and  see  what 
would  take  place.  He  concealed  himself;  and 
shortly  after  beheld  seven  maidens  approach.  They 
asked  the  old  woman  whether  she  had  cut  the 
wood  herself,  and  then  whether  she  was  quite 
alone.  To  both  questions  she  replied  in  the  affir- 
mative ;  then  they  went  away.  The  old  woman 
then  drew  the  Samojed  from  his  hiding-place,  and 
bade  him  follow  the  traces  of  the  damsels,  and 
steal  the  dress  of  one  of  them.  He  obeyed. 
Emerging  from  a  wood  of  gloomy  pines,  he  came 
upon  a  beautiful  lake,  in  which  swam  the  seven 
maidens.  Then  the  man  took  away  the  dress 
which  lay  nearest  to  him.  The  seven  swam  to  the 
shore  and  sought  their  clothes.  Those  of  one  were 
gone.  She  cried  bitterly,  and  exclaimed,  "  I  will 
be  the  wife  of  him  who  has  stolen  my  dress,  if  he 
will  restore  it  me."  He  replied,  "  No,  I  will  not 
give  you  back  your  feather  dress,  or  you  will 
spread  your  wings,  and  fly  away  from  me." 
"Give  me  my  clothes,  I  am  freezing !" 
"Not  far  from  here  are  seven  Samojeds,  who 
range  the  neighbourhood  by  day,  and  at  night 
hang  their  hearts  on  the  tent-pegs.  Procure  for 
me  these  hearts,  and  I  will  give  you  the  clothes." 
"  In  five  days  I  will  bring  them  to  you." 


566  Swan-Maidens 

Then  he  gave  her  the  clothes,  and  returned  to 

his  companion. 

One  day  the  maiden  came  to  him  out  of  the 
sky,  and  asked  him  to  accompany  her  to  the 
brothers,  whose  hearts  he  had  set  her  to  procure. 
They  came  to  the  tent,  and  the  man  secreted 
himself,  but  the  damsel  became  invisible.  At 
night  the  seven  Samojeds  returned,  ate  thdr 
supper,  and  then  hitched  up  their  hearts  to  the 
tent-pegs.  The  swan-maiden  stole  them,  and 
brought  them  to  her  lover.  He  dashed  all  but  one 
upon  the  ground,  and  as  they  fell,  the  brothers 
expired.  But  the  heart  of  the  eldest  he  did  not 
kill.  Then  the  man  without  a  heart  awoke,  and 
entreated  to  have  it  returned  to  him. 

"Once  upon  a  time  you  killed  my  mother," 
said  the  Samojed ;  "  restore  her  to  life,  and  you 
shall  have  your  heart." 

Then  the  man  without  the  heart  said  to  his  wife, 
"  Go  to  the  place  where  the  dead  lie,  there  you 
will  find  a  purse,  in  that  purse  is  her  soul ;  shake 
the  purse  over  the  dead  woman's  bones,  and  she 
will  come  to  life."  The  woman  did  as  she  was 
ordered,  and  the  mother  of  the  Samojed  revived. 
Then  he  dashed  the  heart  to  the  ground,  and  the 
last  of  the  seven  brothers  died. 


Swan^Maidens  667 

But  the  swan-maiden  took  her  own  heart  and 
that  of  her  husband,  and  threw  them  into  the  air. 
The  mother  of  the  Samojed  saw  that  they  were 
without  hearts,  so  she  went  to  the  lake  where 
swam  the  six  maidens ;  she  stole  one  dress,  and 
would  not  restore  it  till  the  maiden  had  promised 
to  recover  the  hearts  which  were  in  the  air.  This 
she  succeeded  in  doing,  and  her  dress  was  restored  *. 

Among  the  Minussinian  Tatars  these  mysterious 
ladies  have  lost  their  grace  and  beauty.  They 
dwell  in  the  seventeenth  region  of  the  earth  in 
raven-black  rocks,  and  are  fierce,  raging  demons  of 
the  air.  They  scourge  themselves  into  action  with 
a  sword,  lap  the  blood  of  the  slain,  and  fly  gorged 
with  blood  for  forty  years.  In  number  they  are 
forty,  and  yet  they  run  together  into  one  ;  so  that 
at  one  time  there  is  but  a  single  swan-woman,  at 
another  the  sky  is  dark  with  their  numerous  wings  ; 
a  description  which  makes  it  easy  to  identify  them 
with  clouds.  But  there  are  not  only  evil  swan- 
women,  there  are  also  good  ones  as  well. 

Katai  Khan  lived  on  the  coast  of  the  White  Sea, 
at  the  foot  of  gloomy  mountains.  He  had  two 
daughters,   Kara    Kuruptju   (black    thimble)  and 

^  Castren,  Ethnologische  Vorlesungem&ber  die  Altaischen 
Volker.    St.  Petersburg,  1857,  pp.  173—17.6. 


568  Swan'Maidens 

Kesel  Djibak  (red  silk) ;  the  elder  evil  disposed 
and  in  league  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  a  friend 
of  the  raging  swan-woman  ;  the  younger  beautiful 
and  good. 

"  Kesel  Djibak  often  riseth, 
In  a  dress  of  snowy  swan, 
To  the  realm  where  reign  the  Kudai. 
There  the  Kudai's  daughters  seven 
Fly  on  wings  of  snowy  swan ; 
With  them  sporteth  Kesel  Djibak, 
Swimming  on  the  golden  lake*." 

The  seven  Kudai,  or  gods  of  the  Tatars,  are  the 
planets.  Kara  Kuruptju  is  the  evening  twilight, 
Kesel  Djibak  the  morning  dawn  which  ascends  to 
the  heavens,  and  there  lingers  among  the  floating 
feathery  clouds.  But  Kara  Kuruptju  descends  to 
the  gloomy  realm  of  the  evil-hearted  swan-women, 
where  she  marries  their  son  Djidar  Mos  (bronzen), 
the  thunder-cloud.  These  grimly  swanlike  damsels 
of  the  Tatars  irresistibly  remind  us  of  the  Phor- 
cydae  ;  icvKv6/u)p<l>oi,  as  i£schylus  calls  them. 

The  classic  swan  myths  must  be  considered  in 
greater  detail.  They  are  numerous,  for  each 
Greek  tribe  had  its  own  favourite  myths,  and  ad- 
ditional fables  were  being  constantly  imported  into 

Schiefner,   Heldensagen  der   ^inussinischen  Tataren. 
St.  Petersburg,  1859,  ?•  ^®^' 


Swan-Maidens  569 

religion  from  foreign  sources.  The  swan  was  with 
the  Greeks  the  bird  of  the  Muses,  and  therefore 
also  of  Apollo.  When  the  golden-haired  deity  was 
born,  swans  came  from  the  golden  stream  of  Pacto- 
lus,  and  seven  times  wheeled  about  Delos,  uttering 
songs  of  joy. 

'*  Seven  times,  on  snowy  pinions,  circle  round 
The  Delian  shores,  and  skim  along  the  ground  : 
The  vocal  birds,  the  favourites  of  the  Nine, 
In  strains  melodious  hail  the  birth  divine. 
Oft  as  they  carol  on  resounding  wings, 
To  soothe  Latona's  pangs,  as  many  strings 
Apollo  fitted  to  the  warbling  lyre 
In  aftertimes ;  but  ere  the  sacred  choir 
Of  circling  swans  another  concert  sung. 
In  melting  notes,  the  power  immortal  sprung 
To  glorious  birth  •." 

A  picture,  this,  of  the  white  cloudlets  fleeting 
around  the  rising  sun. 

The  Muses  were  originally  nymphs,  and  are  the 
representatives  of  the  Indian  Apsaras  ;  and  it  is  on 
this  account  that  the  swans  are  their  symbols. 
Beyond  the  Eridanus,  in  the  land  of  the  Lygii 
{Alrfve^,  i.e.  the  clear-ringing),  lived  once  a  songful 
(jiova-iKosi)  king.  Him  Apollo  transformed  into  a 
swan^     "  Cycnus  having  left  his  kingdom,  accom- 

•  Callimachus,  Hymn.  Delos.     Cf.  also  Euripides,  Iphig. 
in  Tauris,  mo. 
'  Paus.  i.  30,  3 ;  Lucian,  de  Electro,  ft. 


570  Swan-Maidens 

panied  by  his  sisters,  was  filling  the  verdant  bai)k% 
and  the  river  Eridanus,  and  the  forest,  with  his  com- 
plaints ;  when  the  human  voice  becomes  shrill,  and 
grey  feathers  conceal  his  hair.  A  long  neck,  too, 
extends  from  his  breast,  and  a  membrane  joins  his 
reddening  toes  ;  plumage  clothes  his  sides,  and  his 
mouth  becomes  a  pointless  bill.  Cycnus  becomes  a 
new  bird  ;  but  he  trusts  himself  neither  to  heavens 
nor  the  air.  He  frequents  the  pools  and  wide 
meers,  and  abhorring  fires,  choses  the  streams '." 
This  Cycnus  was  a  son  of  Sthenelus ;  he  is  the  same 
as  the  son  of  Pelopea  by  Ares,  and  the  son  of  Thy- 
ria  by  Poseidon.  The  son  of  Ares  lived  in  southern 
Thessaly,  where  he  slew  pilgrims  till  Apollo  cut  off 
his  head,  and  gave  the  skull  to  the  temple  of  Ares. 
According  to  another  version  of  the  story,  he  was 
the  son  of  Ares  by  Pyrene.  When  Herakles  had 
slain  him,  the  father  was  so  enraged  that  he  fought 
with  the  hero  of  many  labours. 

Cycnus,  a  son  of  Poseidon,  was  matched  against 
Achilles,  who,  stripping  him  of  his  armour,  sud- 
denly beheld  him  transformed  into  a  swan  ;  or  he 
is  the  son  of  Hyrie,  who  springs  from  a  rock  and 
becomes  the  bird  from  which  he  derives  his  name, 

"  Ovid,  Metam.  ii.  Fab.  4. 


Swan-Maidens  571 

whilst  his  mother  dissolving  into  tears  is  transformed 
into  a  lake  whereon  the  stately  bird  can  glide. 

In  the  fable  of  Leda,  Zeus,  the  heaven  above, 
clothed  in  swan's  shape, — ^that  is,  enveloped  in 
white  mist, — embraces  the  fair  Leda,  who  is  pro- 
bably the  earth-mother  *,  and  by  her  becomes  the 
father  of  the  Dioscuri,  the  morning  and  evening 
twilights,  and,  according  to  some,  of  beautiful 
Helen,  that  is,  Selene,  the  moon.  The  husband  of 
Leda  was  Tyndareos,  a  name  which  identifies  him 
with  the  thunderer,  and  he  is  therefore  the  same  as 
Zeus. 

According  to  the  Cyprian  legend.  Nemesis,  fly- 
ing the  pursuit  of  Zeus,  took  the  form  of  a  swan, 
and  dropped  an  egg,  from  which  issued  Helen. 
Nemesis  is  a  Norn,  who,  with  Shame,  "having 
abandoned  men,  depart,  when  they  have  clad  their 
fair  skin  in  white  raiment,  to  the  tribe  of  the 
immortals  \" 

Swans  were  kept  and  fed  as  sacred  birds  on  the 
Eurotas,  and  were  reverenced  in  Sparta  as  emblems 

•  Arfia  is  probably  from  lada^  i.  e.  woman.  Leda,  however, 
bears  a  close  resemblance  to  Leto,  the  dark-robed  {Kvav&nt 
irXos),  who  takes  her  name  from  \€iv6dvn  or  \ii6<o,  latea,  and 
signifies  darkness,  which  gives  birth  to  Apollo,  the  sun,  and 
Artemis,  the  moon. 

*  Hesiod,  W.  and  D.,  200. 


572  Swan-Maidens 

of  Aphrodite :  this  is  not  surprising^  as  Aphrodite 
is  identical  with  Helen,  the  moon,  which  swims  at 
night  as  a  silver  swan  upon  the  deep  dark  sky-sea. 
A  late  fable  relates  how  that  Achilles  and  Helen 
were  united  on  a  spirit-isle  in  Northern  Pontus, 
where  they  were  served  by  flights  of  white  birds '. 

In  the  North,  however,  is  the  home  of  the  swan, 
and  there  we  find  the  fables  about  the  mystic  bird 
in  great  profusion.  There,  as  a  Faroese  ballad 
says — 

"  Fly  along,  o'er  the  verdant  ground. 
Glimmering  swans  to  the  rippling  sound  ;*• 

or,  as  an  Icelandic  song  has  it — 

"  Sweetly  swans  are  singing 

In  the  summer  time. 
There  a  swan  as  silver  white, 

In  the  summer  time, 
Lay  upon  my  bosom  light 

Lily  maiden, 
Sweetly  swans  are  singing  I" 

The  venerable  Edda  of  Soemund  relates  how 
that  there  were  once  three  brothers,  sons  of  a  king 
of  the  Finns ;  one  was  called  Slagfid,  the  second 
Egil,  the  third  Volund,  the  original  of  our  Wayland 
smith.    They  went  on  snow-shoes  and  hunted  wild 

^  Pausan.  ill  19. 


Swan-Maidefts  573 

beasts.  They  came  to  Ulfdal,  and  there  made 
themselves  a  house,  where  there  is  a  water  called 
the  Wolflake.  Early  one  morning  they  found,  on 
the  border  of  the  lake,  three  maidens  sitting  and 
spinning  flax.  Near  them  lay  their  swan  plumages : 
they  were  Valkyries.  Two  of  them,  Hladgud,  the 
Swan-white,  and  Hervor,  the  All-white,  were  daugh- 
ters of  King  Hlodver;  the  third  was  Olrun,  a 
daughter  of  Kiar  of  Valland.  They  took  them 
home  with  them  to  their  dwelling  :  Egil  had 
Olrun,  Slagfid  had  Swan-white,  and  Volund  All- 
white.  They  lived  there  seven  years,  and  then 
they  flew  away,  seeking  conflicts,  and  did  not 
return.  Egil  then  went  on  snow-shoes  in  search 
of  Olrun,  and  Slagfid  in  search  of  Swan-white,  but 
Volund  remained  in  Wolfdale.  In  the  German 
story  of  the  mighty  smith,  as  preserved  in  the 
Wilkina  Saga,  this  incident  has  disappeared ;  but 
that  the  myth  was  Teutonic  as  well  as  Scandi- 
navian, appears  from  the  poem  on  Frederick  of 
Suabia,  a  composition  of  the  fourteenth  century ', 
wherein  is  related  how  the  hero  wanders  in  search 
of  his  beloved  Angelburga.  By  chance  he  arrives 
at  a  fountain,  in  which  are  bathing  three  maidens, 

'  Bragur,  Leipzig,  1800,  vi.  p.  204. 


674  Swan-Maidens 

with  their  dresses,  consisting  of  doves'  featfaen^  lying 
at  the  side.  Wicland,  armed  with  a  iDOt  idiidi 
renders  him  invisible,  approaches  the  bank  and  steals 
the  clothes.  The  maidens,  on  discovering  their 
loss,  utter  cries  of  distress.  Wieland  appears,  and 
promises  to  return  their  bird-skins  if  one  of  them 
will  consent  to  be  his  wife.  They  agree  to  the 
terms,  leaving  the  choice  to  Wieland,  who  selects 
Angclburga,  whom  he  had  long  loved  without 
having  seen.  Brunhild,  who  was  won  by  Sigord, 
and  who  died  for  him,  is  said  to  ''  move  on  her  seat 
as  a  swan  rocking  on  a  wave*;"  and  the  three  sea- 
maids from  whom  Hagne  stole  a  dress,  which  is 
simply  described  as  "  wonderful "  in  the  Nibelungen- 
Lied,  arc  said  to— 

**  swim  as  birds  before  him  on  the  flood  •." 
An  old  German  story  tells  of  a  nobleman  who 
was  hunting  in  a  forest,  when  he  emerged  upon  a 
lake  in  which  bathed  an  exquisitely  beautiful 
maiden.  He  stole  up  to  her,  and  took  from  her 
the  gold  necklace  she  wore ;  then  she  lost  her  power 
to  fly,  and  she  became  his  wife.  At  one  birth  she 
bore  seven  sons,  who  had  all  of  them  gold  chains 
round  their  necks,  and  had  the  power,  which  their 

*  Fornaldur-Sogur,  i.  p.  i86. 

*  Nibelungen-Lied,  1476. 


Swan- Maidens  575 

mother  had  possessed,  of  transforming  themselves 
into  swans  at  pleasure.  In  the  ancient  Gudrun-Lied, 
an  angel  approaches  like  a  swimming  wild-bird. 

A  Hessian  forester  once  saw  a  beautiful  swan 
floating  on  a  lonely  lake.  Charmed  with  its  beauty, 
he  prepared  to  shoot  it,  when  it  exclaimed,  "  Shoot 
not,  or  it  will  cost  you  your  life  !"  As  he  persisted 
in  taking  aim,  the  swan  was  suddenly  transformed 
into  a  lovely  girl,  who  swam  towards  him,  and  told 
him  that  she  was  bewitched,  but  could  be  freed  if 
he  would  say  an  "Our  Father  "  every  Sunday  for  her 
during  a  twelvemonth,  and  not  allude  to  what  he 
had  seen  in  conversation  with  his  friends.  He 
promised,  but  failed  to  keep  silence,  and  lost  her. 

A  hunter  in  Southern  Germany  lost  his  wife,  and 
was  in  deep  affliction.  He  went  to  a  hermit  and 
asked  his  advice ;  the  aged  man  advised  him  to 
seek  a  lonely  pool,  and  wait  there  till  he  saw 
three  swans  alight  and  despoil  themselves  of  their 
feathers,  then  he  was  to  steal  one  of  the  dresses, 
and  never  return  it,  but  take  the  maiden  whose  was 
the  vesture  of  plumes  to  be  his  wife.  This  the 
huntsman  did,  and  he  lived  happily  with  the 
beautiful  damsel  for  fifteen  years.  But  one  day 
he  forgot  to  lock  the  cupboard  in  which  he  kept 
the  feather-dress ;  the  wife  discovered  it,  put  it  on. 


576  Swan-Maidens 

spread  her  wings,  and  never  retumed.  In  some 
household  tales  a  wicked  step-mother  throws  white 
skirts  over  her  step-children,  and  they  are  at  once 
transformed  into  swans.  A  similar  story  is  that  of 
Hasan  of  Basra  in  the  Arabian  Nights. 

The  old  fables  of  Valkyries  were  misunderstood, 
when  Christianity  had  cast  these  damsels  from 
heaven,  and  the  stories  were  modified  to  account 
for  the  transformation.  The  sweet  maidens  no 
more  swam  of  their  own  free  will  in  the  crystal 
waves,  but  swam  thus  through  the  force  of  an 
enchantment  they  were  unable  to  break.  Thus,  in 
the  Irish  legend  of  Fionmala,  the  daughter  of 
King  Lir,  on  the  death  of  the  mother  of  Fingula 
(Fionmala)  and  her  brothers,  their  father  marries 
the  wicked  Aoife,  who,  through  spite,  transforms  the 
children  of  Lir  into  swans,  which  must  float  on  the 
waters  for  centuries,  till  the  first  mass-bell  tingles. 
Who  does  not  remember  Tom  Moore's  verses  on 
this  legend } — 

"  Silent,  O  Moyle,  be  the  roar  of  thy  water ; 

Break  not,  ye  breezes,  your  chain  of  repose, 
While,  murmuring  mournfully,  Lir's  lovely  daughter 

Tells  to  the  night-star  the  tale  of  her  woes. 
When  shall  the  swafi,  her  death-note  singing. 

Sleep  with  wings  in  darkness  furl'd  ? 
When  will  heaven,  its  sweet  bells  ringing. 

Call  my  spirit  from  this  stormy  world  ? 


Swan-Maidens  577 

**  Sadly,  O  Moyle,  to  thy  winter-wave  weeping, 

Fate  bids  me  languish  long  ages  away ; 
Yet  still  in  her  darkness  doth  Erin  lie  sleeping. 

Still  doth  the  pure  light  its  dawning  delay. 
When  will  that  day-star,  mildly  springing. 

Warm  our  isle  with  peace  and  love  ? 
When  will  heaven,  its  sweet  bells  ringing, 

Call  my  spirit  to  the  fields  above?" 

In  another  version  of  the  story  there  is  no  term 
fixed  for  the  breaking  of  the  enchantment;  but 
when  the  bells  of  Innis-gloria  rang  for  the  mass, 
four  white  birds  rose  from  the  loch  and  flew  to 
church,  where  they  occupied  daily  a  bench,  sitting 
side  by  side  and  exhibiting  the  utmost  reverence 
and  devotion.  Charmed  at  the  piety  of  the  birds, 
S.  Brandan  prayed  for  them,  when  they  were  trans- 
formed into  children,  were  baptized,  and  then  died. 

In  a  Sclavonian  legend,  a  youth  was  reposing  in 
a  forest.  The  wind  sighed  through  the  trees,  filling 
him  with  a  tender  melancholy  which  could  find  no 
expression  in  words.  Presently  there  fluttered 
through  the  branches  a  snowy  swan,  which  alighted 
on  his  breast.  The  youth  clasped  the  beautiful 
bird  to  his  heart,  and  resisted  all  its  struggles  to 
escape.  Then  the  swan  changed  into  a  beautiful 
girl,  who  forthwith  accompanied  him  to  church, 
where  they  were  united. 

A  weird  Icelandic  saga  tells  of  a  battle  fought 


57S  Swan-Maidens 

on  the  ice  of  Lake  Vener,  between  two  Swedish 
kings,  assisted  by  the  chief  Helg^  and  King  Olaf 
of  Norway,  supported  by  Hromund  Greipsson,  the 
betrothed  of  the  king's  sister  Swan-white.  Above 
the  heads  of  the  combatants  flew  a  great  swan; 
this  was  Kara,  the  mistress  of  Helgi,  who  had 
transformed  herself  into  a  bird.  She,  by  her  in- 
cantations, blunted  the  weapons  of  King  Olafs 
men,  so  that  they  began  to  give  way  before  the 
Swedes.  But  accidentally  Helgi,  in  raising  his 
sword,  smote  off  the  leg  of  the  swan  which  floated 
on  expanded  wings  above  his  head.  From  that 
moment  the  tide  of  battle  turned,  and  the  N(m> 
wegians  were  victorious '. 

It  is  a  fair  subject  for  inquiry,  whether  the 
popular  iconography  of  the  angel-hosts  is  not  in- 
debted to  the  heathen  myth  for  its  most  striking 
features.  Our  delineations  of  angels  in  flowing 
white  robes,  with  large  pinions,  are  derived  from  the 
later  Greek  and  Roman  representations  of  victory; 
but  were  not  these  figures — half  bird,  half  woman- 
derived  from  the  Apsaras  of  the  Vedas,  who  were 
but  the  fleecy  clouds,  supposed  in  the  ages  of  man's 
simplicity  to  be  celestial  swans  ? 

•  Fomaldur  Sogur,  ii.  p.  374. 


Cj^e  itnigj^t  of  t$e  Stoan 

"TTJE  rede  in  the  auncient  and  autentike 
^  ^  cronicles  that  sometime  ther  was  a  noble 
king  in  Lilefort,  otherwise  named  the  strong  yle,  a 
muche  riche  lande,  the  which  kinge  had  to  name 
Pieron.  And  he  tooke  to  wife  and  spouse  Mata- 
brunne  the  doughter  of  an  other  king  puissaunt 
and  riche  mervaiiousiy."  By  his  wife  Matabrune, 
the  king  became  father  of  Oriant,  "  the  which  after 
the  dyscease  of  his  father  abode  with  his  mother 
as  heir  of  the  realme,  whiche  he  succeded  and 
governed  peasiabli  without  to  be  maried." 

One  day  King  Oriant  chased  a  hart  in  the  forest, 
and  lost  his  way;  exhausted  with  his  ride,  he  drew 
rein  near  a  fountain  which  bubbled  out  from  under 
a  mossy  rock. 

"And  there  he  sat  downe  under  a  tree,  to  the 
which  he  reined  his  horse  the  better  to  solace  and 

P  p  a 


580  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

sporte  him  at  his  owne  pleasure.  And  thus  as 
he  was  in  consolacion  there  came  to  him  a  yongc 
damoysel  moche  grevous  and  of  noble  maintene, 
named  Beatrice,  accompanied  of  a  noble  knight, 
and  two  squires,  with  iiii  damoyselles,  the  which 
she  held  in  her  service  and  famyliarite." 

This  Beatrice  became  the  wife  of  Oriant,  mudi 
to  the  chagrin  of  his  mother,  who  had  hitherto 
held  rule  in  the  palace,  and  who  at  once  hated 
her  daughter-in-law,  and  determined  on  her  de- 
struction. 

The  king  had  not  been  married  many  months 
before  war  broke  out,  and  he  was  called  from 
home  to  head  his  army.  Before  leaving,  he  con- 
signed his  wife  to  the  care  of  his  mother,  who 
promised  to  guard  her  with  the  utmost  fidelity. 
"Whan  the  time  limited  and  ordeined  of  almighti 
god  approched  that  the  noble  and  goodly  quenc 
Beatrice  should  be  delivered  after  the  cours  of 
nature,  the  false  matrone  aforsaid  went  and 
delibered  in  herselfe  to  execute  and  put  in  effecte 
her  malignus  or  moste  wicked  purpose.  .  .  ,  But 
she  comen  made  maners  of  great  welth  to  the  said 
noble  quene  Beatrice.  And  sodainly  in  g^reat 
paine  and  traivable  of  bodye,  she  childed  vi  sonnes 
and  a  faire  doughter,  at  whose  birthe  eche  of  them 


The  Knight  of  tJu  Swan  681 

brought  a  chaine  of  silver  about  their  neckes 
issuing  out  of  their  mothers  wombe.  And  whan 
Matabrune  saw  the  vii  litle  children  borne  having 
echone  a  chaine  of  silver  at  necke,  she  made  them 
lightli  and  secretli  to  be  borne  a  side  by  her 
chamberer  of  her  teaching,  and  than  toke  vii  litle 
dogges  that  she  had  prepared,  and  all  bloudy  laide 
them  under  the  quene  in  maner  as  they  had  issued 
of  her  bodye." 

Then  Matabrune  ordered  her  squire  Marks  to 
take  the  seven  children  to  the  river  and  drown 
them ;  but  the  man,  moved  by  compassion,  left 
them  in  the  forest  on  his  cloak,  where  they  were 
found  by  a  hermit  who  "  toke  and  lapped  them 
tenderly  in  his  mantel  and  with  al  their  chaines  at 
their  neckes  he  bare  them  into  the  litle  hous  of  his 
hermitage,  and  there  he  warmed  and  sustened 
them  of  his  poore  goodnes  as  well  as  he  coulde." 
Of  these  children,  one  excelled  the  others  in 
beauty.  The  pious  old  man  baptized  the  little 
babes,  and  called  the  one  who  surpassed  the  others 
by  the  name  Helias.  *'  And  whan  that  they  were 
in  the  age  of  theyr  pleasaunt  and  fresshe  grene 
yougth  thei  reane  all  about  sporting  and  playinge 
in  the  said  forest  about  the  trees  and  floures." 

One  day  it  fell  out  that  a  yeoman  of  Queen 


582  The  Knight  of  tlie  Swan 

Matabrune,  whilst  chasing  in  the  forest,  saw  the 
iven  children  sitting  under  a  tree  eating  wild 
apples,  each  with  a  silver  chain  about  his  nedc 
Then  he  told  Matabrune  of  the  marvel  he  had 
seen,  and  she  at  once  concluded  that  these  were 
her  grandchildren  ;  wherefore  she  bade  the  yeoman 
take  seven  fellows  with  him  and  slay  the  children. 
But  by  the  grace  of  God  these  men's  hearts  were 
softened,  and,  instead  of  murdering  the  little  ones^ 
they  robbed  them  of  their  silver  chains.  But  they 
only  found  six  children,  for  the  hermit  had  taken 
Helias  with  him  on  a  begging  excursion.  Now, 
"  as  soone  as  their  chaines  were  of,  they  were  al 
transmued  in  an  instaunt  in  faire  white  swannes  by 
the  divine  grace,  and  began  to  flee  in  the  ayre 
through  the  forest,  making  a  piteous  and  lament- 
able crye." 

Helias  grew  up  with  his  godfather  in  the  forest 
The  story  goes  on  to  relate  how  that  the  hermit 
was  told  by  an  angel  in  vision  whose  the  children 
were ;  how  a  false  charge  was  brought  against 
Beatrice,  and  she  was  about  to  be  executed,  when 
Helias  appeared  in  the  lists,  and  by  his  valour 
proclaimed  her  innocence;  and  how  Matabnine's 
treachery  was  discovered. 

"  But  for  to  returne  to  the  subject  of  the  cax)ixy- 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  588 

kill  of  the  noble  Helias  knight  of  the  swanne.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  the  said  Helias  knight  of  the 
sWanne  demanded  of  Kyng  Oriant  his  father  that 
it  wolde  please  him  to  give  him  the  chaines  of 
silver  of  his  brethern  and  sister  that  the  goldesmith 
had  brought.  The  which  he  delivered  him  with 
good  herte  for  to  dispose  them  at  his  pleasure. 
Than  he  made  an  othe  and  sware  that  he  wolde 
never  rest  tyll  he  had  so  longe  sought  by  pondes 
and  stagnes  that  he  had  founde  his  v  brethren  and 
his  sister,  which  were  transmued  into  swannes. 
But  our  Lorde  that  consoleth  his  freendes  in 
exaltinge  their  good  will  shewed  greatly  his  vertue. 
For  in  the  river  that  ranne  about  the  kinges  palays 
appeared  visibly  the  swannes  before  all  the  people. 
— And  incontinent  the  kynge  and  the  queene  de- 
scended wyth  many  lordes,  knightes,  and  gentilmen, 
and  came  with  great  diligence  upon  the  water 
syde,  for  to  see  the  above  sayde  swannes.  The 
king  and  the  queene  behelde  them  piteousli  in 
weeping  for  sorrow  that  they  had  to  se  theyr  poore 
children  so  transmued  into  swannes.  And  whan 
they  saw  the  good  Helias  come  nere  them  they 
began  to  make  a  mervaylous  feast  and  rejoyced 
theni  in  the  water.  So  he  approched  upon  the 
brinke :  and  whan  they  sawe  him  nere  them,  they 


584  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

came  lightli  fawning  and  flickering  about  him 
making  him  chere,  and  he  playned  lovingly  their 
fethers.  After  he  shewed  them  the  chaynes  of 
silver,  whereby  they  set  them  in  good  ordre  before 
him.  And  to  five  of  them  he  remised  the  chaynes 
about  their  neckes,  and  sodeynlye  they  began  to 
retourne  to  theyr  propre  humayne  forme  as  they 
were  before."  But  unfortunately  the  sixth  ckun 
had  been  melted  to  form  a  silver  goblet,  and  there- 
fore one  of  the  brothers  was  unable  to  regain  his 
human  shape. 

Helias  spent  some  time  with  his  father  ;  but  a 
voice  within  his  breast  called  him  to  further  ad- 
ventures. 

"  After  certayne  tyme  that  the  victoryous  kyngc 
Helyas  had  posseded  the  Realme  of  Lyleforte  in 
good  peace  and  tranquilite  of  justice,  it  happened 
on  a  day  as  he  was  in  his  palais  looking  towarde 
the  river  that  he  apperceived  the  swanne,  one  of  his 
brethren  that  was  not  yet  tourned  into  his  fourme 
humayne,  for  that  his  chaine  was  molten  for  to 
make  Matabrune  a  cup.  And  the  sayd  swanne 
was  in  the  water  before  a  ship,  the  which  he  had 
led  to  the  wharfe  as  abiding  king  Helias.  And 
when  Helias  saw  him,  he  saide  in  himselfe  :  Here 
is  a  signification  that  God  sendeth  to  me  for  to 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  585 

shew  to  me  that  I  ought  to  go  by  the  guyding  of 
this  swanne  into  some  countrey  for  to  have  honour 
and  consolacion. 

"And  when  Helyas  had  mekelye  taken  his  leave 
of  all  his  parentes  and  freendes,  he  made  to  here  his 
armures  and  armes  of  honoure  into  the  shyppe, 
with  hys  target  and  his  bright  sheelde,  of  whiche  as 
it  is  written  the  felde  was  of  sylver,  and  thereon  a 
double  crosse  of  golde.  So  descended  anon  the 
sayd  Helyas  with  his  parentes  and  freendes,  the 
which  came  to  convey  him  unto  the  brinke  of  the* 
water." 

About  this  time,  Otho,  Emperor  of  Germany, 
held  court  at  Neumagen,  there  to  decide  between 
Clarissa,  Duchess  of  Bouillon,  and  the  Count  of 
Frankfort,  who  claimed  her  duchy.  It  was  decided 
that  their  right  should  be  established  by  single 
combat.  The  Count  of  Frankfort  was  to  appear 
in  person  in  the  lists,  whilst  the  duchess  was  to 
provide  some  doughty  warrior  who  would  do  battle 
for  her. 

"Than  the  good  lady  as  al  abasshed  loked 
aboute  her  if  there  were  ony  present  that  in  her 
need  wolde  helpe  her.  But  none  wolde  medle 
seynge  the  case  to  her  imposed.  Wherefore  she 
committed  her  to  God,  praying  Him  humbly  to 


586  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

succour  her,  and  reprove  the  injury  that  wickedly 
to  her  was  imposed  by  the  sayd  erle." 

The  council  broke  up,  and  lords  and  ladies  were 
scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  Meuse. 

"  So,  as  they  stray'd,  a  swan  they  saw 

Sail  stately  up  and  strong. 
And  by  a  silver  chain  she  drew 

A  little  boat  along, 
Whose  streamer  to  the  gentle  breeze, 

Long  floating,  fluttered  light, 
Beneath  whose  crimson  canopy 

There  lay  reclined  a  knight 

"  With  arching  crest  and  sweUing  breast 
On  sail'd  the  stately  swan. 
And  lightly  up  the  parting  tide 

The  little  boat  came  on. 
And  onward  to  the  shore  they  drew. 

And  leapt  to  land  the  knight, 
And  down  the  stream  the  little  boat 
Fell  soon  beyond  the  sight." 

SOUTHEY'S  Rudiger. 

Of  course  this  knight,  who  is  Helias,  fights  the 
Count  of  Frankfort,  overcomes  him,  and  wins  the 
heart  of  the  daughter  of  the  duchess.  Thus  Helias 
became  Duke  of  Bouillon. 

But  before  marrying  the  lady,  he  warned  her 
that  if  she  asked  his  name,  he  would  have  to  leave 
her. 

At  the  end  of  nine  months,  the  wife  of  Helias 


Tlu  Knight  of  the  Swan  587 

gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  was  named  Ydain  at 
the  font,  and  who  afterwards  became  the  mother  of 
Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  King  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  his 
brothers  Baldwin  and  Eustace. 

One  night  the  wife  forgot  the  injunction  of  her 
husband,  and  began  to  ask  him  his  name  and 
kindred.  Then  he  rebuked  her  sorrowfully,  and 
leaving  his  bed,  bade  her  farewell  Instantly  the 
swan  reappeared  on  the  river,  drawing  the  little 
shallop  after  it,  and  uttering  loud  cries  to  call 
its  brother.  So  Helias  stepped  into  the  boat,  and 
the  swan  swam  with  it  from  the  sight  of  the 
sorrowing  lady. 

The  romance  of  Helias*  continues  the  story  to 
the  times  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  but  I  shall 
leave  it  at  this  point,  as  it  ceases  to  deal  with 
the  myth  which  is  the  subject  of  this  article.  The 
story  is  very  ancient  and  popular.  It  is  told  of 
Lohengrin,  Loherangrin,  Salvius,  and  Gerhard  the 
Swan,  whilst  the  lady  is  Beatrice  of  Cleves,  or  Else 
of  Brabant.  In  the  twelfth  century  it  seems  to 
have  localized  itself  about  the  Lower  Rhine. 

Probably  the  most  ancient  mention  of  the  fable 

*  Helyas,  the  Knight  of  the  Swanne.  From  the  edition 
of  Copland,  reprinted  in  Thorns :  "  Early  English  Prose 
Romances,"  1858,  voL  iii. 


588  The  Knight  of  tlic  Swan 

is  that  of  William  of  Tyre  (i  i8o),  who  says :  "We 
pass  over,  intentionally,  the  fable  of  the  Swan, 
although  many  people  regard  it  as  a  fact,  that 
from  it  he  (Godfrey  de  Bouillon)  had  his  origin, 
because  this  story  seems  destitute  of  truth."  Next 
to  him  to  speak  of  the  story  is  Helinandus  (circ 
laao),  quoted  by  Vincent  de  Beauvais':  "In  the 
diocese  of  Cologne,  a  famous  and  vast  palace  over- 
hangs the  Rhine,  it  is  called  Juvamen.  Thither 
when  once  many  princes  were  assembled,  suddenly 
there  came  up  a  skiff,  drawn  by  a  swan  attached 
to  it  by  a  silver  chain.  Then  a  strange  and  un- 
known knight  leaped  out  before  all,  and  the  swan 
returned  with  the  boat.  The  knight  afterwards 
married,  and  had  children.  At  length,  when  dwell- 
ing in  this  palace,  he  saw  the  swan  return  again 
with  the  boat  and  chain :  he  at  once  re-entered  the 
vessel,  and  was  never  seen  again ;  but  his  progeny 
remain  to  this  day." 

A  genealogy  of  the  house  of  Flanders,  in  a  MS. 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  states :  "  Eustachius  venit 
ad  Buillon  ad  domum  ducissae,  quae  uxor  erat 
militis,  qui  vocabatur  miles  Cigni^"     Jacob  van 

Specul.  Nat  ii.  127. 
■  Reiffenberg,  Le  Chevalier  au  Cygne.    Bruxelles,  1846 
p.  viii. 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  589 

Maerlant  (b.  i  j?/35),  in  his^Spieghel  HistoriaelV' 

alludes  to  it — 

"  Logenaers  niesdaet  an  doen, 
Dat  si  hem  willen  tien  ane, 
Dat  tie  ridder  metter  swane 
Siere  moeder  vader  was. 
No  wijt  no  man,  als  ict  vemam 
Ne  was  noint  swane,  daer  hi  af  quam 
Als  ist  dat  hem  Brabanters  beroemen 
Dat  si  van  der  Swane  sim  coemen." 

And  Nicolaes  de  Klerc,  who  wrote  in  131 8,  thus 
refers  to  it  in  his  "  Brabantine  Gests  :"  "  Formerly 
the  Dukes  of  Brabant  have  been  much  belied  in 
that  it  is  said  of  them  that  they  came  with  a 
swan  *."  And  Jan  Veldenar  (1480)  says  :  "  Now, 
once  upon  a  time,  this  noble  Jungfrau  of  Cleves 
was  on  the  banks  by  Nymwegen,  and  it  was  clear 
weather,  and  she  gazed  up  the  Rhine,  and  saw  a 
strange  sight :  for  there  came  sailing  down  a  white 
swan  with  a  gold  chain  about  its  neck,  and  by  this 
it  drew  a  little  skiff  .  .  ." — and  so  on. 

There  is  an  Icelandic  saga  of  Helis,  the  Knight 
of  the  Swan,  translated  from  the  French  by  the 
Monk  Robert,  in  1226.  In  the  Paris  royal  library 
is  a  romance  upon  this  subject,  consisting  of  about 
30,000  lines,  begun  by  a  Renax  or  Renant,  and 

•*  Maerlant,  Fig.  i.  29. 

*  Von  Wyn,  Avondstonden,  p.  270. 


590  Tlu  Knight  of  the  Swan 

finished  by  a  Gandor  de  Douay.  In  the  British 
Museum  is  a  volume  of  French  romances,  contain- 
ing, among  others,  "L'Ystoire  du  Chevalier  au 
Signe,"  told  in  not  less  than  3000  lines. 

The  "  Chevelere  Assigne,"  a  shorter  poem  on  the 
same  subject,  was  reprinted  by  M.  Utterson  for  the 
Roxburghe  Club,  from  a  MS.  in  the  Cottoniian 
library,  which  has  been  quoted  by  Percy  and 
Warton  as  an  early  specimen  of  alliterative  ver- 
sification. It  is  certainly  not  later  than  the  reign 
of  Henry  VI. 

The  next  prose  romance  of  Helias  is  that  of 
Pierre  Desrey,  entitled  "  Les  faictz  et  gestes  du 
preux  Godsffroy  de  Boulion,  aussi  plusieurs  croni- 
ques  et  histoires ;"  Paris,  without  date.  "  La 
Genealogie  avecques  les  gestes  et  nobles  faitz 
darmes  du  tres  preux  et  renomme  prince  Godeflfroy 
de  Boulion :  et  de  ses  chevalereux  freres  Baudouin 
et  Eustace :  yssus  et  descendus  de  la  tres  noble  et 
illustre  lignee  du  vertueux  Chevalier  au  Cyne ;" 
Paris,  Jean  Petit,  1504;  also  Lyons,  1580.  This 
book  was  partly  translated  into  English,  and 
printed  by  Wynkyn  de  Worde,  "The  hystory  of 
Hilyas  Knight  of  the  Swann,  imprynted  by 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,"  &c.,  1512;  and  in  full  by 
Caxton,  under  the  title,  "  The  last  Siege  and  Con- 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  691 

queste  of  Jhenisalem,  with  many  histories  therein 
comprised ;"  Westmester,  foL  148a 

It  is  from  the  first  thirty-eight  chapters  of  the 
French  "Faits  et  Gestes,"  that  Robert  Copland 
translated  his  Helias,  which  he  dedicated  "  to  the 
puyssant  and  illustrious  prynce,  lorde  Edwarde, 
duke  of  Buckynghame,"  because  he  was  lineally 
descended  from  the  Knight  of  the  Swan.  This 
duke  was  beheaded,  May  17th,  151^1. 

We  need  hardly  follow  the  story  in  other  trans- 
lations. 

The  romance,  as  we  have  it,  is  a  compilation  of 
at  least  two  distinct  myths.  The  one  is  that  of 
the  Swan-children,  the  other  of  the  Swan-knight 
The  compiler  of  the  romance  has  pieced  the  first 
l^end  to  the  second,  in  order  to  explain  it  In  its 
original  form,  the  knight  who  came  to  Neumagen, 
or  Cleves,  in  the  swan-led  boat,  and  went  away 
again,  was  unaccounted  for :  who  he  was,  no  man 
knew ;  and  Heywood,  in  his  "  Hierarchies  of  the 
Blessed  Angels,"  1635,  suggests  that  he  was  one 
of  the  evil  spirits  called  incubi;  but  the  romancer 
solved  the  mystery  by  prefixing  to  the  story  of  his 
marriage  with  the  duchess  a  story  of  transforma- 
tion, similar  to  that  of  Fionmala,  referred  to  in  the 
previous  article. 


592  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

We  shall  put  aside  the  story  of  the  swan-children, 
and  confine  our  attention  to  the  genuine  myth. 

The  home  of  the  fable  was  that  border-land  where 
Germans  and  Kelts  met,  where  the  Nibelungen 
legends  were  brought  in  contact  with  the  romances 
of  Arthur  and  the  Sangreal. 

Lohengrin  belongs  to  the  round  table ;  the  hero 
who  releases  Beatrice  of  Cleves  is  called  Elias 
Grail.  Fighius  relates  that  in  ancient  annals  it  is 
recorded  that  Elias  came  from  the  blessed  land  of 
the  earthly  paradise,  which  is  called  Graele  *.  And 
the  name  Helias,  Helius,  Elis,  or  Salvius,  is  but  a 
corruption  of  the  Keltic  ala,  eala,  ealadh,  a  swan. 
I  believe  the  story  of  the  Knight  of  the  Swan  to 
be  a  myth  of  local  Brabantine  origin.  That  it  is  not 
the  invention  of  the  romancer  is  evident  from  the 
variations  in  the  tale,  some  of  which  we  must  now 
consider. 

I.  Lohengrin. 

The  Duke  of  Limburg  and  Brabant  died  leaving 
an  only  daughter.  Else  or  Elsam.  On  his  death- 
bed he  committed  her  to  the  care  of  Frederick  von 
Telramund,  a  brave  knight,  who  had  overcome  a 
dragon  in  Sweden.    After  the  duke's  death,  Frede- 

•  Hercules  Prodicus,  Colon.  1609. 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  593 

rick  claimed  the  hand  of  Else,  on  the  plea  that  it 
had  been  promised  him ;  but  when  she  refused  it, 
he  appealed  to  the  emperor,  Henry  the  Fowler, 
asking  permission  to  assert  his  right  in  the  lists 
against  any  champion  Else  might  select. 

Permission  was  granted,  and  the  duchess  looked 
in  vain  for  a  knight  who  would  fight  in  her  cause 
against  the  redoubted  Frederick  of  Telramund. 

Then,  far  away,  in  the  sacred  temple  of  the 
Grail,  at  Montsalvatsch,  tolled  the  bell,  untouched 
by  human  hands,  a  signal  that  help  was  needed. 
At  once  Lohengrin,  son  of  Percival,  was  sent  to  the 
rescue,  but  whither  to  go  he  knew  not  He  stood 
foot  in  stirrup,  ready  to  mount,  when  a  swan 
appeared  on  the  river  drawing  a  ship  along.  No 
sooner  did  Lohengrin  behold  this,  than  he  ex- 
claimed: "Take  back  the  horse  to  its  stable;  I 
will  go  with  the  bird  whither  it  shall  lead!" 

Trusting  in  God,  he  took  no  provision  on  board. 
After  he  had  been  five  days  on  the  water,  the  swan 
caught  a  fish,  ate  half,  and  gave  the  other  half  to 
the  knight 

In  the  mean  while  the  day  of  ordeal  approached, 
and  Else  fell  into  despair.  But  at  the  hour  when 
the  lists  were  opened,  there  appeared  the  boat 
drawn  by  the  silver  swan  ;  and  in  the  little  vessel 

Q  q 


594  The  Knight  of  tlie  Swan 

lay  Lohengrin  asleep  upon  his  shield.  The  swan 
drew  the  boat  to  the  landing,  the  knight  awoke, 
sprang  ashore,  and  then  the  bird  swam  away  with 
the  vessel. 

Lohengrin,  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  story  of  the 
misfortunes  of  the  Duchess  Else,  undertook  to  fight 
for  her.  The  knight  of  the  Grail  prevailed,  and  slew 
Frederick.  Then  Else  surrendered  herself  and  her 
duchy  to  him ;  but  he  would  only  accept  her  hand 
on  condition  that  she  should  not  ask  his  race.  For 
some  time  they  lived  together  happily.  One  day, 
in  a  tournament,  he  overthrew  the  Duke  of  Cleves. 
and  broke  his  arm,  whereat  the  Duchess  of  Cleves 
exclaimed :  "  This  Lohengrin  may  be  a  strong  man 
and  a  Christian,  but  who  knows  whence  he  has 
sprung!"  These  words  reached  the  ears  of  the 
Duchess  of  Brabant;  she  coloured  and  hung  her 
head. 

At  night,  Lohengrin  heard  her  sobbing.  He 
asked:  "My  love,  what  ails  thee  ?" 

She  replied :  "The  Duchess  of  Cleves  has  wounded 
me. 

Lohengrin  asked  no  more. 

Next  night  she  wept  again  ;  her  husband  again 
asked  the  reason,  and  received  the  same  answer. 

On  the  third  night  she  burst  forth  with:  "Husband, 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  595 

be  not  angry,  but  I  must  know  whence  you  have 
sprung." 

Then  Lohengrin  told  her  that  his  father  was 
Percival,  and  that  God  had  sent  him  from  the  cus- 
tody of  the  Grail.  And  he  called  his  children  to 
him,  and  said,  kissing  them :  "Here  are  my  horn 
and  my  sword,  keep  them  carefully  ;  and  here,  my 
wife,  is  the  ring  my  mother  gave  me — never  part 
with  it.'' 

Now,  at  break  of  day,  the  swan  reappeared  on 
the  river,  drawing  the  little  shallop.  Lohengrin 
re-entered  the  boat,  and  departed  never  to  return. 

Such  is  the  story  in  the  ancient  German  poem  of 
Lohengrin,  published  by  Gorres  from  a  MS.  in  the 
Vatican  ;  and  in  the  great  Percival  of  Wolfram  von 
Eschenbach,  verses  24,614 — 24,715. 

2.  The  swan-knight  of  Conrad  von  Wurzburg  re- 
sembles Lohengrin  and  Helias  in  the  outline  of  the 
story,  but  no  name  is  given  to  the  hero.  He  marries 
the  daughter  of  the  deceased  Duke  Gottfried  of 
Brabant,  and  fights  against  the  Duke  of  Saxony. 
His  children  are  the  ancestors  of  the  great  houses  of 
Gelders  and  Cleves,  which  bear  a  swan  as  their  arms. 

3.  Gerard  Swan. 

One  day  Charlemagne  stood  at  his  window 
overlooking  the  Rhine.     Then  he  was  ware  of  a 

Q  q  2 


/ 


596  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

swan  floating  on  the  water,  drawing  a  boat  by  a 
silken  band  fastened  round  its  neck.  When  the 
boat  came  alongside  of  the  quay,  the  swan  ceased 
to  row,  and  the  emperor  saw  that  a  knight  armed 
cap-a-pie  sat  in  the  skiff,  and  round  his  neck  hung 
a  ribbon  to  which  was  attached  a  note.  Navilon 
(Nibelung),  one  of  the  emperor's  men,  gave  the 
stranger  his  hand  to  help  him  out  of  the  bark,  and 
conducted  him  to  Charlemagne.  The  monarch  in- 
quired of  the  stranger  his  name;  for  answer  he 
pointed  to  the  letter  on  his  breast.  This  the  king 
read.  It  stated  that  Gerard  Swan  sought  a  wife 
and  lands. 

Navilon  then  unarmed  the  strange  knight,  and 
the  king  gave  him  a  costly  mantle.  So  they  went 
to  table.  But  when  Roland  observed  the  man,  he 
asked  who  he  was.  Charlemagne  replied,  "  He  is  a 
godsend  ;"  and  Roland  observed,  "  He  seems  to  be 
a  man  of  courage." 

Gerard  proved  to  be  a  worthy  knight;  he  served 
the  monarch  well.  He  soon  learned  to  talk.  The 
king  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  gave  him  his  sister 
Adalis  in  marriage,  and  made  him  Duke  of 
Ardennes '. 

7  Northern  Chapbooks  of  the  Emperor  Charlemagne. 
Nyerup,  Morskabslasning,  p.  90.  \ 


\ 


Tlte  Knight  of  the  Swan  697 

4.  Helias. 

In  the  year  711  lived  Beatrice  only  daughter  of 
Dietrich,  Duke  of  Cleves,  at  her  castle  of  Nymwe- 
gen.  One  bright  day  she  sat  at  her  window  looking 
down  the  Rhine,  when  she  saw  a  swan  drawing  a 
boat  by  a  gold  chain.  In  this  vessel  was  Helias. 
He  came  ashore,  won  her  heart,  became  Duke  of 
Cleves,  and  lived  happily  with  her  for  many  years. 
One  thing  alone  interfered  with  her  happiness :  she 
knew  not  whence  her  husband  came,  and  he  had 
strictly  forbidden  her  to  ask.  But  once  she  broke 
his  command,  and  asked  him  whence  he  had  come 
to  her.  Then  he  gave  his  children  his  sword,  his 
horn,  and  his  ring,  bidding  them  never  separate  or 
lose  these  legacies,  and  entering  the  boat  which 
returned  for  him,  he  vanished  for  ever®.  One  of 
the  towers  of  Cleves  is  called,  after  this  event,  the 
Swan-tower,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  swan. 

5.  Salvius  Brabo. 

Gottfried-Carl  was  King  of  Tongres,  and  lived  at 
Megen  on  the  Maas.  He  had  a  son  named  Carl- 
Ynach,  whom  he  banished  for  some  misdemeanour. 
Carl-Ynach  fled  to  Rome,  where  he  fell  in  love 
with  Germana,  daughter  of  the  Proconsul  Lucius 

B  Grimm,  Deutsche  Sagen,  1866,  ii.  p.  267. 


59S  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

Julius,  and  fled  with  her  from  the  eternal 
city.  They  took  ship  to  Venice,  whence  they 
travelled  on  horseback  to  Burgundy,  and  reached 
Cambray.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  a  place  called 
SeneSy  and  finding  a  beautiful  valley,  they  dis- 
mounted to  repose.  Here  a  swan,  at  which  one  of 
the  servants  aimed  an  arrow,  took  refuge  in  the 
arms  of  Germana,  who,  delighted  at  the  incident, 
asked  Carl-Ynach  the  name  of  the  bird  in  his 
native  tongue.  He  replied  "Swana."  "Then," 
said  she,  "let  me  be  henceforth  called  by  that 
name,  lest,  if  I  keep  my  former  name,  I  be  re- 
cognized and  parted  from  thee." 

The  lady  took  the  swan  with  her  as  they  pro- 
ceeded on  their  journey,  and  fed  it  from  her  hand. 

They  now  reached  Florimont,  near  Brussels,  and 
there  Carl-Ynach  heard  that  his  father  was  dead. 
He  was  therefore  King  of  Tongres.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  at  Megen,  his  wife  gave  birth  to  a  son, 
whom  he  named  Octavian,  and  next  year  to  a 
daughter,  whom  they  called  Swan.  Shortly  afler, 
Ariovistus,  King  ot  the  Saxones,  waged  war  against 
Julius  Caesar.  Carl-Ynach  united  his  forces  with 
those  of  Ariovistus,  and  fell  in  the  battle  of 
Besangon.  Swan,  his  widow,  then  fled  with  his 
"hildren  and  her  husband's  body  to  Megen,  fearing 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  599 

her  brother  Julius  Caesar.    There  she  buried  Carl- 
Ynach,  and  daily  fed  her  swan  upon  his  grave. 

In  the  Roman  army  was  a  hero,  Salvius  Brabon 
by  name,  descended  from  Frankus,  son  of  Hector 
of  Troy.  Caesar  rested  at  Cleves,  and  Salvius 
Brabon  amused  himself  with  shooting  birds  in  the 
neighbourhood.  One  day  he  wandered  to  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine.  On  its  discoloured  waters 
swam  a  snow-white  swan,  playfully  pulling  at  the 
rope  which  bound  a  small  skiff  to  the  shore. 
Salvius  leaped  into  the  boat,  and  cast  it  loose  from 
its  mooring.  Then  the  bird  swam  before  him  as  a 
guide,  and  he  rowed  after  it  On  reaching  the 
castle  of  Megen,  the  swan  rose  from  the  water,  and 
flew  to  the  grave  of  Carl-Ynach,  where  its  mistress 
was  wont  to  feed  it.  Salvius  pursued  it,  bow  in 
hand,  and  was  about  to  discharge  an  arrow,  when 
a  window  of  the  castle  opened,  and  a  lady  cried  to 
him  in  Latin  to  spare  the  bird,  Salvius  consented  ; 
and  casting  aside  his  bow  and  arrow,  entered  the 
castle.  There  he  learned  the  story  of  the  lady. 
He  hastened  to  Julius  Caesar,  and  told  him  that 
his  sister  was  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  con- 
queror accompanied  Salvius  to  the  castle,  and 
embraced  Germana  with  joy.  Salvius  Brabon  then 
asked  the  emperor  to  give  him  the  young  damsel 


600  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

Swan  in  marriage,  and  he  readily  complied  with 
the  request,  creating  him  at  the  same  time  Duke 
of  Brabant ;  Octavian  took  the  name  of  Ger- 
manicus,  and  became  King  of  Cologrne,  and 
Tongres  exchanged  its  name  for  Germania,  after 
the  sister  of  the  emperor,  its  queen  *. 

It  was  in  commemoration  of  the  beautiful  myth 
of  the  Swan-knight,  that  Frederick  II.  of  Branden- 
burg instituted  the  Order  of  the  Swan,  in  1440. 
The  badge  was  a  chain  from  which  was  suspended 
an  image  of  the  Virgin,  and  underneath  that  a 
swan.  The  badge  of  the  Cleves  order  of  knight- 
hood was  also  a  silver  swan  suspended  from  a  gold 
chain.  In  1453,  Duke  Adolph  of  Cleves  held  a 
tournament  at  Lille,  "au  nom  du  Chevalier  au 
Cygne,  serviteur  des  dames." 

On  the  13th  May,  1548,  the  Count  of  Cleves 
presented  the  players  with  a  silver  swan  of  con- 
siderable value.  Charles,  Duke  of  Cleves,  attempted, 
in  1615,  to  revive  the  order  of  the  swan.  When 
Cleves  fell  to  Prussia,  the  Count  de  Bar  endea- 
voured to  persuade  Frederick  the  Great  to  resusci- 
tate the  order,  but  in  vain.  With  Anne  of  Cleve^ 
the  white  swan  passed  to  our  tavern  signboards. 

•  Jehan  le  Maire,  Illustrations  de  Gaule.  Paris,  1548,  iii 
-pp.  30 — 23. 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  601 

The  myth  is  a  Belgic  religious  myth.  Just  as 
in  the  Keltic  legends  of  the  Fortunate  Isles,  we 
hear  of  mortals  who  went  by  ship  to  the  Avalon  of 
Spirits,  and  then  returned  to  their  fellow-mortals ; 
so  in  this  Belgic  fable  we  have  a  denizen  of  the 
distant  paradise  coming  by  boat  to  this  inhabited 
land,  and  leaving  it  again. 

In  the  former  legends  the  happy  mortal  lives  in 
the  embraces  of  a  divine  being  in  perpetual  youth ; 
in  the  latter,  a  heavenly  being  unites  himself,  for 
a  while,  to  a  woman  of  earth,  and  becomes  the 
ancestor  of  an  aristocracy. 

An  Anglo-Saxon  story  bears  some  traces  of  the 
same  legend.  A  ship  once  arrived  on  the  coast  of 
Scandia,  without  rudder  or  sail ;  in  it  lay  a  boy 
asleep  upon  his  arms.  The  natives  took  and 
educated  him,  calling  him  Scild,  the  son  of  Sceaf 
(the  skiff).  In  course  of  time  he  became  their 
king.  In  Beowulf,  it  is  added  that  Scild  reigned 
long ;  and  when  he  saw  that  he  was  about  to  die, 
he  bade  his  men  lay  him  fully  armed  in  a  boat, 
and  thrust  him  out  to  sea.  Among  the  Norse 
such  a  practice  was  not  unknown.  King  Haki, 
when  he  died,  was  laid  in  a  ship,  the  vessel  fired, 
and  sent  out  upon  the  waves.  And  the  same  is 
told  of  Baldur.     But  the  shipping  of  the  dead  had 


60%  The  Knight  of  the  Swan 

no  significance  in  Scandinavian  mytholc^y,  whilst 
it  was  full  of  meaning  in  that  of  the  Kelts.  The 
Scandinavian  Valhalla  was  not  situated  beyond 
the  Western  Sea,  but  on  the  summit  of  a  great 
mountain  ;  whereas  the  Keltic  Avalon  lay  over  the 
blue  waters,  beneath  the  setting  sun.  Conse- 
quently, I  believe  the  placing  of  the  dead  in  ships 
to  have  been  a  practice  imported  among  the 
Northern  and  Germanic  nations,  and  not  indi- 
genous *. 

The  classic  fable  of  Helios  sailing  in  his  golden 
vessel  deserves  notice  in  connexion  with  the  myth 
of  Helias.  That  the  sun  and  moon  travel  in  boats 
of  silver  or  gold  is  an  idea  common  to  many 
mythologies.  At  first  sight  it  seems  probable  that 
Helias  is  identical  with  Helios ;  but  the  difficulty 
of  explaining  how  this  classic  deity  should  have 
become  localized  in  Brabant  is  insurmountable, 
and  I  prefer  the  derivation  of  the  name  Helias 
from  the  Keltic  appellation  of  the  swan. 

The  necessity  of  the  knight  leaving  his  bride  the 
moment  she  inquired  his  race  connects  this  story 
with  the  Grail  myth.  According  to  the  rules  of 
the  order  of  the  Sangreal,  every  knight  was  bound 
to  return  to  the  temple  of  the  order,  immediately 

*  Appendix  D. 


The  Knight  of  the  Swan  603 

that  any  one  asked  his  lineage  and  office.  In  the 
popular  legend  this  reason  does  not  appear,  because 
the  Grail  was  a  genuine  Keltic  myth,  with  its  roots 
in  the  mysteries  of  Druidism. 

Of  the  different  editions  of  Lohengrin,  Helias, 
and  the  other  Swan-knight  legends,  I  will  give  no 
list,  as  the  principal  are  referred  to  in  the  notes  of 
this  article. 


Cfie  Sangreal 

\  T  THEN  Sir  Lancelot  came  to  the  palace  of 
^  ^  King  Pcllcs,  in  the  words  of  Sir  Thomas 
Malory',  "cither  of  them  made  much  of  other,  and 
so  they  went  into  the  castle  for  to  take  their  repast 
And  anon  there  came  in  a  dove  at  the  window,  and 
in  her  bill  there  seemed  a  little  sencer  of  gold,  and 
therewith  there  was  such  a  savour  as  though  all 
the  spicery  of  the  world  had  been  there ;  and  forth- 
with all  there  was  upon  the  table  all  manner  of 
meates  and  drinkes  that  they  could  thinke  upon. 
So  there  came  a  damosell,  passing  faire  and  young, 
and  she  beare  a  vessell  of  gold  betweene  her  hands, 
and  thereto  the  king  kneeled  devoutly  and  said 
his  prayers,  and  so  did  all  that  were  there :  *  Oh, 
Jesu  !'  said  Sir  Launcelot,  'what  may  this  meane?' 

*  La  Mort  d^Arthure,  compiled  by  Sir  Thomas  Malory; 
reprinted  from  the  text  of  1634  by  Thomas  Wright,  iii.,  c.  a, 
&c. 


The  Sangreal  605 

This  is/  said  King  Pelles,  '  the  richest  thing  that 
any  man  hath  living;  and  when  this  thing  goeth 
about,  the  round-table  shall  bee  broken.  And  wit 
yee  well/  said  King  Pelles,  '  that  this  is  the  holy 
Sancgreall  which  yee  have  heere  scene.'  ** 

The  next  to  see  the  sacred  vessel  was  the  pious 
Sir  Bors.  And  after  that  he  had  seen  it,  "  he  was 
led  to  bed  into  a  faire  large  chamber,  and  many 
doores  were  shut  about  that  chamber.  And  when 
Sir  Bors  espied  all  those  doores,  he  made  all  the 
people  to  avoide,  for  he  might  have  no  body  with 
him ;  but  in  no  wise  Sir  Bors  would  unarme  him, 
but  so  laid  him  upon  the  bed.  And  right  so  he 
saw  come  in  a  light  that  he  might  wel  see  a 
speare  great  and  long  which  come  straight  upon 
him  pointlong.  And  so  Sir  Bors  seemed  that  the 
head  of  the  speare  brent  like  a  taper ;  and  anon,  or 
Sir  Bors  wist,  the  speare  head  smote  him  into  the 
shoulder  an  hand  breadth  in  deepness,  and  that 
wound  grieved  Sir  Bors  passing  sore." 

One  day,  when  King  Arthur  and  his  court  were 
at  Camelot,  sitting  at  supper,  "anon  they  heard 
cracking  and  crying  of  thunder,  that  hem  thought 
the  place  should  all  to-rive ;  in  the  midst  of  the 
blast  entred  a  sunne-beame  more  clear  by  seaven 
times  than  ever  they  saw  day,  and  all  they  were 


606  The  Sangreal 

alighted  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost  Then 
began  every  knight  to  behold  other;  and  either 
saw  other  by  their  seeming  fairer  than  ever  they 
saw  afore,  nor  for  then  there  was  no  knight  that 
might  speake  any  word  a  great  while ;  and  so  they 
looked  every  man  on  other  as  they  had  beene 
dombe.  Then  there  entred  into  the  hall  the  holy 
grale  covered  with  white  samite,  but  there  was 
none  that  might  see  it,  nor  who  beare  it,  and  there 
was  all  the  hall  fulfilled  with  good  odours,  and 
every  knight  had  such  meate  and  drinke  as  he 
best  loved  in  this  world  ;  and  when  the  holy  grale 
had  beene  borne  through  the  hall,  then  the  holy 
vessel  departed  suddenly,  and  they  wist  not  where 
it  became." 

Then  the  knights  stood  up  in  their  places  one 
after  another,  and  vowed  to  go  in  quest  of  the 
Sangreal,  and  not  to  return  to  the  round-table  till 
they  had  obtained  a  full  view  of  it. 

We  must  leave  the  knights  to  start  upon  their 
quest,  and  turn,  for  the  history  of  the  Grail,  to  the 
romance  of  the  San  Greal,  the  Perceval  of  Chretien 
de  Troyes,  written  at  the  close  of  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, and  the  Titurel  and  Parcival  of  Wolfram  von 
Eschenbach,  translated  into  German  from  romances 
older  than  that  of  Chretien  de  Troyes. 


TJie  Sangreal  607 

When  Christ  was  transfixed  by  the  spear, 
there  flowed  from  His  side  blood  and  water.  Joseph 
of  Arimathaea  collected  the  blood  in  the  vessel 
from  which  the  Saviour  had  eaten  the  last  su|^per. 
The  enraged  Jews  cast  Joseph  into  prison,  and  left 
him  to  die  of  hunger.  But  for  forty-two  years  he 
lay  in  the  dungeon  nourished  and  invigorated  by  the 
sacred  vessel  which  was  in  his  possession.  Titus 
released  Joseph  from  prison,  and  received  baptism 
at  his  hands.  Then  Joseph  started  with  the  vessel 
and  the  blood,  or  the  Sangreal,  for  Britain.  Before 
he  died,  he  confided  the  sacred  treasure  to  his 
nephew.  But  according  to  another  version  of  the 
legend,  the  Grail  was  preserved  in  heaven,  till  there 
should  appear  on  earth  a  race  of  heroes,  worthy  to 
become  its  guardians.  The  chief  of  this  line  was 
an  Asiatic  prince,  named  Perillus,  who  came  to 
Gaul,  where  his  descendants  allied  themselves  with 
the  family  of  a  Breton  prince.  Titurel,  who  sprang 
from  this  heroic  lineage,  was  the  one  chosen  of  God 
to  found  the  worship  of  the  Sangreal  among  the 
Gauls.  Angels  brought  the  vessel  to  him,  and  in- 
structed him  in  its  mysteries.  He  erected,  on  the 
model  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  a  magnificent 
temple  to  the  Grail.  He  organized  a  band  of 
guardians  of  the  vessel,  and  elaborated  the  cere- 


608  The  Sangreal 

monial  of  its  worship.  The  Grail,  we  are  told,  was 
only  visible  to  the  baptized,  and  only  partially  if 
they  were  tainted  by  sin.  To  the  pure  in  heart 
alon#  was  it  perfectly  visible. 

Every  Good  Friday  a  white  dove  descended 
from  heaven,  bearing  a  white  oblation  which  it  laid 
before  the  Grail.  The  holy  vessel  gave  oracles,  ex- 
pressed miraculously  in  characters  which  appeared 
on  the  surface  of  the  bowl,  and  then  vanished. 
Spiritual  blessings  attended  on  the  vision  and  cus- 
tody of  the  sacred  vessel ;  the  guardians,  and  those 
who  were  privileged  to  behold  it,  were  conscious  of  a 
mysterious  internal  joy,  a  foretaste  of  that  of  heaven. 
The  material  blessings  are  easier  to  be  described. 
The  Grail  stood  in  the  place  of  all  food,  it  supplied 
its  worshippers  with  the  meats  they  most  desired 
and  the  drinks  most  to  their  taste ;  it  maintained 
them  in  perpetual  youth.  The  day  on  which  the 
Grail  had  been  seen,  its  guardians  were  incapable  of 
being  wounded  or  suffering  any  hurt.  If  they 
fought  for  eight  days  after  the  vision,  they  were 
susceptible  of  wounds  but  not  of  death. 

Every  thing  in  the  construction  of  the  temple 
was  full  of  mystery.  It  was  erected  on  Montsal- 
vatsch,  of  precious  stones,  gold,  and  aloe- wood.  In 
form  it  was   circular;  there  were  three  principal 


The  Sangreal  609 

entrances.  The  knights  who  watched  the  Grail  were 
patterns  of  virtue.  All  sensual  love,  even  within 
the  limits  of  marriage,  was  strictly  forbidden.  A 
single  thought  of  passion  would  obscure  the  eye 
and  conceal  the  mystic  vessel.  The  chief  of  this 
order  of  knights  was  entitled  King.  As  his  office 
was  hereditary,  he  was  permitted  to  marry. 

When  the  faith  or  the  right  was  in  jeopardy,  a 
bell  rang  in  the  chapel  of  the  Grail,  and  a  knight 
was  bound  to  go  forth  sword  in  hand  to  the  defencei 
Wherever  he  was,  should  a  question  be  asked  him 
of  his  condition  or  office  in  the  temple,  he  was  to 
refuse  to  answer,  and  at  once  to  return  to  Montsal* 
vatsch, 

Titurel  reigned  four  hundred  years,  and  he,  to  all 
appearances,  seemed  of  the  age  of  forty*  He  was 
succeeded  in  his  office  by  his  son  Frimutelle,  who 
transgressed,  by  loving  a  damsel,  Floramie  by  name. 
Consequently  he  lost  the  grace  of  the  holy  Grail, 
and  fell  in  a  joust,  engaged  in  to  give  pleasure 
and  do  honour  to  his  mistress. 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Amfortas,  who  fell 
into  grievous  sin,  and  was  given  over  by  the  Grail 
to  be  wounded  by  a  lance.  Then  it  was  announced 
that  he  should  not  be  healed  of  his  wound  till  one 
came,  pure  and  young,  to  Montsalvatsch  who  would 


fllO  The  Sangreal  ^ 

Hcc  the  mysteries  of  the  sacred  vessel,   and  ask 
their  sij^rnification. 

This  Amfortas  is  the  Pelles  or  Pellam  of  the 
"  Mort  d'Arthurc." 

Years  passed,  and  the  king  lay  wounded  in  his 
palace.  The  brotherhood  of  the  Grail  was  dissolved, 
and  the  existence  of  the  temple  and  its  mystic  rites 
was  ahnost  forgotten.  Sir  Thomas  Malory  gives  a 
different  account  of  the  wounding  of  the  king  from 
that  in  the  Romans  du  San  Greal,  and  makes  his 
healing  depend  on  the  arrival  of  a  knight  who  is  a 
"  clean  maid,"  who  shall  apply  to  him  the  sacred 
blood. 

In  the  fulness  of  time,  Galahad,  the  Good  Knight, 
came  to  king  Arthur's  court,  and  went  forth,  with 
the  other  knights,  to  the  quest  of  the  holy  Grail. 

Let  us  follow  Launcelot  who  was  on  a  ship. 

"  The  winde  arose  and  drove  Sir  Launcelot  more 
than  a  moneth  throughout  the  sea,  where  he  slept 
but  little  and  prayed  unto  God  that  he  might  have 
a  sight  of  the  Sancgreall.  So  it  befell  upon  a 
night  at  midnight  hee  arived  afore  a  castle  on  the 
backe  side,  which  was  rich  and  faire,  and  there 
was  a  posterne  that  opened' toward  the  sea,  and 
was  open  without  any  keeping,  save  two  lions 
kept  the  entrie,  and  the  moone  shined  cleare. 


The  Sangreal  611 

"Anon  Sir  Launcelot  heard  a  voice  that  said, 
'  Launcelot,  goe  out  of  this  ship,  and  enter  into  the 
castle  where  thou  shalt  see  a  great  part  of  thy  de- 
sire.' Then  he  ranne  to  his  armes,  and  armed  him, 
and  so  hee  went  unto  the  gate,  and  saw  the  two 
lions  ;  then  hee  set  hands  to  his  sword  and  drew  it ; 
then  came  there  sudainly  a  dwarfe,  that  smote'him 
upon  the  arme  so  sone  that  the  sword  fell  out  of  his 
hand.  Then  he  heard  a  voice  that  said,  *  Oh  man  of 
evill  faith  and  poore  beliefe,  wherefore  believest 
thou  more  in  thy  harneis  than  in  thy  Maker }  for 
Hee  might  more  availe  thee  than  thine  armour,  in 
whose  service  thou  art  set.* — Thne  Sir  Launcelot 
entered  in  so  armed,  and  hee  found  no  gate  nor  doore 
but  it  was  opened.  And  so  at  the  last  he  found  a 
chamber  whereof  the  doore  was  shut,  and  hee  set 
his  hands  thereto  for  to  have  opened  it,  but  hee 
might  not.  Then  he  enforced  him  much  for  to  un- 
doe  the  doore.  Then  he  listened  ;  and  heard  a  voice 
which  sung  so  sweetly,  that  it  seemed  none  earthly 
thing,  and  him  thought  that  the  voice  said,  *Joy  and 
honour  be  to  the  Father  of  heaven.'  Then  Sir 
Launcelot  kneeled  downe  before  the  chamber,  for 
well  he  wist  that  there  was  the  Sancgreall  in  that 
chamber.  Then  said  he,  *Faire  sweete  Father, 
Jesu  Christ,  if  ever  I  did  thing  that  pleased  the 

R  r  :j 


612  TJie  Sangreal 

Lord,  for  thy  pittie  ne  have  me  not  in  despite  for 
my  foull  sins  done  here  before  time,  and  that  thou 
shew  me  some  thing  of  that  which  I  seek.* 

"And  with  that  he  saw  the  chamber  doore 
open,  and  there  came  out  a  great  clearenesse, 
that  the  house  was  as  bright  as  though  all  the 
torches  of  the  world  had  beene  there.  So  came 
hee  to  the  chamber  doore,  and  would  have  entered, 
and  anon  a  voice  said  unto  him,  'Flee,  Sir 
Launcelot,  and  enter  not,  for  thou  oughtest  not 
to  doe  it,  and  if  thou  enter  thou  shalt  forethinke 
it.'  And  hee  withdrew  him  back,  and  was  right 
heavie  in  his  mind. 

"  Then  looked  hee  up  in  the  midst  of  the  chamber, 
and  saw  a  table  of  silver,  and  the  holy  vessell 
covered  with  red  samite,  and  many  angels  about  it, 
whereof  one  of  them  held  a  candell  of  waxe  burn- 
ing, and  the  other  held  a  crosse,  and  the  ornaments 
of  the  altar.  And  before  the  holy  vessell  hee  saw 
a  good  man  clothed  like  a  priest,  and  it  seemed 
that  hee  was  at  the  sakering  of  the  masse  ;  and  it 
seemed  unto  Sir  Launcelot  that  above  the  priest's 
hands  there  were  three  men,  whereof  the  two  put 
the  youngest  by  likeness  betweenethe  priest's  hands, 
and  so  hee  lift  it  up  on  high,  and  it  seemed  to  shew 
so  to  the  people.     And  then  Sir  Launcelot  mer-.. 


The  Sangreal  613 

vailed  not  a  little,  for  him  thought  that  the  priest 
was  so  greatly  charged  of  the  figure,  that  him 
seemed  that  heem  should  have  fallen  to  the  ground ; 
and  when  hee  saw  none  about  him  that  would  helpe 
him,  then  hee  came  to  the  doore  a  great  pace — and 
entred  into  the  chamber,  and  came  toward  the 
table  of  silver ;  and  when  he  came  nigh  he  felt  a 
breath,  that  him  thought  was  intermedled  with  fire, 
which  smote  him  so  sore  in  the  visage  that  him 
thought  it  all  to-brent  his  visage,  and  therewith  hee 
fell  to  the  ground,  and  had  no  power  to  arise." 

Sir  Galahad,  Sir  Percival,  and  Sir  Bors  met  in  the 
forest,  and  rode  together  to  the  castle  of  King  Pelles. 
There  they  supped,  and  after  supper  they  beheld 
-         a  g^eat  light,  and  in  the  light  were  four 
/V       angels  bearing  up  an  ancient  man  in  bishop's 
^  *{c)    vestments,  and  they  set  him  down  before  a 
'       table  of  silver,  on  which  appeared  the  San- 
greaL     And  this  aged  prelate  was  Joseph 
of  Arimathaea, "  the  first  bishop  of  Christen- 
dom." Then  other  angels  appeared  bearing 
candles,  and  a  spear  from  which  fell  drops 
of  blood,  and  these  drops  were  collected 
by  an  angel  in  a  box.     Then  the  angels 
set  the  candles  upon  the  table,  and  "  the 
fourth  set  the  holy  speare  even   upright 


CM  The  Sangreal 

upon   the  vessel/'  as   represented   on   an  ancien 
churchyard  crucifix,  in  rude  sculpture,  at  Sancreed, 
in  Cornwall. 

Joseph  next  celebrated  the  sacred  mysteries, 
and,  at  the  consecration,  our  Blessed  Lord  appeared 
and  said,  ''Galahad,  sonne,  wotest  thou  what  I 
hold  between  My  hands?"  "Nay,"  replied  the 
maiden  knight,  *'  but  if  yee  tell  mee."  "  This  is," 
lie  said,  "  the  holy  dish  wherein  I  eate  the  lambe 
on  Sher-Thursday,  and  now  hast  thou  seene  that 
thou  dcsirest  most  to  see,  but  yet  hast  thou  not 
scene  it  so  openly  as  thou  shalt  see  it  in  the  citie 
of  Sarras,  in  the  spirituall  place.  Therefore  thou 
must  j;oe  hence,  and  bcare  with  thee  this  holy 
vessel!,  li)X  this  night  it  shall  depart  from  the 
realme  of  Logris,  that  it  shall  never  be  seen  more 
heere." 

So  Galahad,  after  having  anointed  the  wounded 
king  with  the  blood  which  dropped  from  the  spear, 
and  made  him  whole,  departed  with  his  friends 
Bors  and  Perceval  to  the  mystic  city  of  Sarras, 
where  he  was  made  king. 

The  story  is  somewhat  different  in  the  Perceval 
of  Chretien  de  Troyes.  This  romance  was  com- 
menced by  Chretien  at  the  request  of  Phillip  of 
Alsace,  Count  of  Flanders;  it  was  continued  by 


The  Sangreal  615 

Gauthier  de  Denet,  and  finished  by  Manessier, 
towards  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century.  It  is 
the  history  of  the  quest  of  the  San  Greal. 

Perceval  was  the  son  of  a  poor  widow  in  Wales, 
brought  up  by  her  in  a  forest,  far  removed  from  all 
warlike  images.  One  day  he  saw  a  knight  ride 
past,  and  from  that  moment  he  had  no  rest,  till  his 
mother  gave  him  arms  and  let  him  ride  to  the 
court  of  King  Arthur.  On  his  way  he  saw  a  tent 
in  which  lay  a  beautiful  damsel  asleep.  Perceval 
took  the  ring  from  her  finger,  ate  and  drank  at 
the  table  which  was  spread  in  the  tent,  and  then 
pursued  his  course.  As  he  entered  the  court  at 
Cardueil,  a  felon  knight  stole  the  goblet  from  the 
king's  table.  Perceval  went  in  pursuit  One 
evening  he  entered  a  castle  where  lay  a  sick  king 
on  a  couch.  The  door  of  the  hall  opened,  and 
there  came  in  a  servant  bearing  a  bleeding  lance, 
others  with  golden  candlesticks,  and  finally  the 
holy  Grail.  Perceval  asked  no  questions,  and  was 
reproached  on  his  leaving  the  castle  for  not  making 
inquiries  into  the  mystery  of  the  Grail.  After- 
wards he  undertook  the  quest  of  this  marvellous 
vessel,  but  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  again  the 
castle  of  the  wounded  king.  When  his  search  was 
crowned  with  success,  he  asked  the  signification  of 


616  The  Sangreal 

the  mystic  rite  which  took  place  before  his  eyes, 
and  was  told  that  the  king  was  a  Fisher,  descended 
from  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  and  uncle  of  Perceval ; 
that  the  spear  was  that  which  had  pierced  the 
Saviour's  side,  and  that  the  Grail  was  the  vessel  in 
which  the  sacred  blood  of  Christ  had  been  col- 
lected. The  king  had  been  wounded  in  trying  to 
mend  a  sword  which  had  been  broken  by  a  knight 
named  Pertinax,  and  which  could  only  be  welded 
together  by  a  knight  without  fear  and  reproach. 
The  Fisher-king  would  recover  health  only  when 
Pertinax  died.  On  hearing  this,  Perceval  sought 
out  and  slew  Pertinax,  healed  his  uncle,  obtained 
in  return  the  sacred  vessel  and  the  bleeding  lance, 
and  retired  to  a  hermitage.     On  his  death — 

"  Fut  au  ciel  remis  sans  doutance 
Et  le  Saint- Graal  et  la  Lance." 

It  IS  very  certain  that  Chretien  de  Troyes  was 
not  the  inventor  of  this  mystic  tale,  for  there 
exists  in  the  "Red  Book"  a  Welsh  tale  entitled 
Pheredur,  which  is  indisputably  the  original  of 
Perceval. 

The  "  Red  Book "  is  a  volume  of  Welsh  prose 
and  verse  romances  and  tales,  begun  in  the  year 
3318,  and  finished  in  1454.     It  is  preserved  in  the 


The  Sangreal  617 

library  of  Jesus  College,  Oxford.  Although  Phe- 
redur  was  transcribed  after  Perceval  was  composed, 
it  bears  evidence  of  a  higher  antiquity. 

Pheredur  is  not  a  Christian.  His  habits  are 
barbarous.  The  Grail  is  not  a  sacred  Christian 
vessel,  but  a  mysterious  relic  of  a  past  heathen 
rite.  The  same  incidents  occur  in  Perceval  as  in 
Pheredur,  but  in  the  former  they  are  modified  and 
softened,  and  various  points  indicative  of  barbarism 
and  paganism  are  omitted. 

Pheredur  enters  a  castle,  and  "  Whilst  he  and 
his  uncle  were  discoursing  together,  they  beheld 
two  young  men  entering  the  hall,  bearing  a  lance 
of  unusual  length,  from  the  point  of  which  dis- 
tilled three  gouts  of  gore  ;  and  when  the  company 
beheld  this,  they  began  to  wail  and  lament.  But 
the  old  man  continued  to  talk  with  Pheredur ;  and 
as  he  did  not  tell  Pheredur  the  reason  of  what 
took  place,  Pheredur  did  not  venture  to  ask  him. 
And  when  the  cries  ceased,  there  entered  two 
damsels  with  a  basin  in  which  was  the  head  of  a 
man  swimming  in  blood.  Then  the  company 
uttered  a  piercing  wail." 

In  the  Perceval,  and  in  the  Mort  d'Arthure,  the 
head  is  omitted,  and  to  the  lance  and  grail  are 
attributed  a  Christian  value ;  but  in  the  Pheredur 


618  The  Sangreal 

there  is  no  trace  whatever  of  these  symbols  having 
any  Christian  signification. 

Pheredur  signifies,  according  to  M.  de  la  Ville- 
marque  ^  "  The  Companion  of  the  Basin,"  and  is  a 
synonym  of  Perceval ;  Per  being  a  basin,  and  Keval 
and  Kedur  having  alike  the  meaning  of  companion. 

Pheredur  is  mentioned  as  well  in  the  Annales 
Cambriae,  which  extend  from  the  year  444  to  1066. 
Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  also  speaks  of  the  reign  of 
Peredure,  "who  governed  the  people  with  gene- 
rosity and  mildness,  so  that  he  even  excelled  his 
other  brothers  who  had  preceded  him ';"  and  the 
anonymous  author  of  the  **  Life  of  Merlin"  speaks  of 
him  as  the  companion  and  consoler  of  the  bard  *• 
Aneurin,  the  contemporary  of  Hengst  and  Horsa, 
the  author  of  the  Gododin,  terms  him  one  of  the 
most  illustrious  princes  of  the  Isle  of  Britain  \ 

Taliesin  ben  Beirdd,  the  famous  poet  of  the  same 
age,  speaks  of  the  sacred  vessel  in  a  manner  which 
connects  it  with  bardic  mythology.  "  This  vessel," 
he  says,  "inspires  poetic  genius,  gives  wisdom, 
discovers  the  knowledge  of  futurity,  the  mysteries 

2  Les  Romans  de  la  Table-Ronde  i86r. 
^  Geoffr.  Monm.,  lib.  iii.  c.  18. 

*  Vita  Merlini,  pp.  2.  4. 

*  Villemarqu^,  Po^mes  des  Bardes  Bretons  du  sixi^me 
siexle,  p.  298. 


The  Sangreal  619 

of  the  world,  the  whole  treasure  of  human  sciences." 
And  he  describes  it  as  adorned  like  the  Grail,  with  a 
beading  of  pearls  and  diamonds'.  One  of  his  poems 
contains  the  history  of  Bran  the  Blessed,  in  which 
the  mystic  vessel  occupies  a  prominent  position. 

One  day,  whilst  hunting  in  Ireland,  Bran  arrived 
on  the  banks  of  a  lake,  called  the  Lake  of  the 
Basin.  He  saw  there  a  black  and  hideous  giant, 
a  witch,  and  a  dwarf,  rise  from  the  water  holding  a 
vessel  in  their  hands.  He  persuaded  them  to 
accompany  him  to  Wales,  where  he  lodged  them 
in  his  palace,  and  in  return  for  his  hospitality, 
received  the  basin.  This  vase  had  the  property  of 
healing  all  mortal  ills,  of  staunching  blood,  of  re- 
suscitating the  dead.  But  those  who  were  restored 
to  life  by  it  were  not  enabled  to  speak,  lest  they 
should  divulge  the  mysteries  of  the  vessel.  At  a 
banquet  given  by  Bran  to  Martholone,  King  of  Ire- 
land, the  Welsh  prince  presented  the  bowl  to  his 
guest.  He  regretted  that  he  had  made  this  present, 
when  some  years  later  war  broke  out  between  the 
King  of  Ireland  and  himself.  Then  he  found  him- 
self unable  to  cope  with  his  adversary,  whose  every 
slain  soldier  recovered  life  by  means  of  the  sacred 
vessel.     But  Bran  smote  off  the  head  of  a  hostile 

•  Mywrian,  i.  pp.  17,  18, 19,  20.  37.  45.  67. 


620  The  Sangreal 

chief,  and  cast  the  bloody  head  into  the  bowl,  when 
it  burst,  and  its  virtues  ceased. 

This  basin  was  reckoned  as  one  of  the  thirteen 
wonders  of  the  Isle  of  Britain,  brought  by  Merdhyn, 
or  Merlin,  in  his  crystal  ark.  That  it  is  the  same 
as  Ceridwen's  cauldron  is  not  improbable.  Cerid- 
wen  was  the  Keltic  Great  Mother,  the  Demeter, 
the  source  of  life,  and  the  receptacle  of  the  dead. 
The  story  of  her  cauldron  is  told  in  the  Pair 
Ceridwen  (vessel  of  Ceridwen),  or  Hanes  Taliesin 
(History  of  Taliesin). 

In  ancient  times  there  was  a  man,  Tegid  Voel 
by  name,  who  had  a  wife  called  Ceridwen,  by 
whom  he  had  a  son  Morvran  ap  Tegid,  and  a 
daughter  Creirwy,  both  very  beautiful ;  also 
Aragddu,  the  most  hideous  of  beings.  Ceridwen, 
knowing  that  the  poor  deformed  child  would  have 
little  joy  of  life,  determined  to  prepare  for  him 
the  Water  of  Inspiration.  She  placed  a  cauldron 
on  a  fire,  filled  it  with  the  requisite  ingredients, 
and  left  little  Gwion  to  attend  to  its  seething,  and 
blind  Morda  to  keep  up  the  fire  for  a  year  and  a 
day,  without  suffering  the  operation  to  cease  for  a 
moment.  One  day,  near  the  end  of  the  twelve- 
month, three  drops  spirted  out  of  the  bubbling 
liquid,  and  Gwion  caught  them  on  his  finger.     As 


The  Sangreal  6iJl 

tliey  scalded  him,  he  put  his  finger  into  his  mouth, 
and  at  once  obtained  the  knowledge  of  futurity. 
He  saw  that  Ceridwen  would  attempt  his  death, 
in  consequence  of  his  having  tasted  the  precious 
drops ;  so  he  prudently  took  to  flight.  Then  the 
cauldron  burst  and  extinguished  the  fire. 

Ceridwen,  in  her  rage,  struck  Morda  on  the  head, 
and  rushed  in  pursuit  of  Gwion  the  Little.  He 
transformed  himself  into  a  hare  ;  then  she  took  the 
form  of  a  hound.  He  sprang  into  a  river  and  took 
that  of  a  fish ;  instantly  she  became  an  otter. 
Then  he  rose  from  the  water  as  a  little  bird ;  but 
she  soared  after  him  as  a  hawk.  Then  he  dropped 
as  a  grain  of  wheat  on  a  corn-heap  ;  but  Ceridwen, 
instantly  taking  the  shape  of  a  hen,  swallowed  him. 
She  became  pregnant  thereby,  and  in  nine  months 
gave  birth  to  a  lovely  child  which  she  hid  in  a 
leather  coracle  and  committed  to  the  waves,  on  the 
apth  of  April. 

In  this  bardic  tale  we  have  certainly  a  very  ancient 
Keltic  myth.  What  the  cauldron  signifies  it  is 
difficult  to  ascertain.  Some  suppose  it  to  represent 
the  ocean,  others  the  working  of  the  vital  force  of 
earth,  which  produces  the  three  seasons  which  are 
good,  symbolized  by  the  drops.  But  we  know  too 
little  of  druidic  mythology,  and  those  legends  which 


022  TJic  Sangreal 

have  come  to  ushave  descended  in  a  too  altered  form, 
for  us  to  place  much  confidence  in  such  conjectures. 

IJut  that  this  vessel  of  the  liquor  of  Wisdom  held 
a  prominent  place  in  British  mythology  is  certain 
from  the  allusions  made  to  it  by  the  bards. 
Taliosin,  in  the  description  of  this  initiation  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  basin,  cries  out,  "  I  have  lost 
my  speech  !"  because  on  all  who  had  been  admitted 
to  the  privileges  of  full  membership  secrecy  was  im- 
posed. This  initiation  was  regarded  as  a  new  birth; 
and  those  who  had  once  become  joined  members 
were  regarded  as  elect,  regenerate,  separate  from  the 
rest  of  mankind,  who  lay  in  darkness  and  ignorance. 

That  originally  the  ceremonies  of  initiation  in- 
cluded human  sacrifices  is  more  than  probable 
from  the  vessel  being  represented  as  containing 
human  blood,  and  a  lance  forming  part  of  the 
paraphernalia,  from  which  dropped  blood.  In  the 
story  of  Pheredur,  the  vessel  contained  a  man's  head 
floating  in  gore.  In  that  of  Bran  the  Blessed,  the 
head  is  thrown  into  the  basin  to  destroy  its  eflUcacy. 
Taliesin  also  refers  to  Pheredur  as  "  the  hero  of  the 
bleeding  head  ^" 

The  lance  is  also  referred  to  by  Welsh  authors. 
One  of  the  predictions  attributed  to  Taliesin  holds 

'  Myvyrian,  L  p.  Sa 


TJie  Sangreal  623 

out  to  the  Britons  the  hope  that  "  the  Kingdom  of 

Logres  (England)  shall  perish  before  the  bleeding 

lance ;"  and  five  centuries  later,  Chretien  de  Troyes 

quotes  this  saying— 

"II  est  ^crit  qu'il  est  une  heure, 
Ou  tout  le  royaume  de  Logres, 
Qui  jadis  fut  la  terre  ^s  Ogres, 
Sera  d^truit  par  cette  lance." 

This  lance  was  probably  a  symbol  of  war. 

The  first  to  adapt  the  druidic  mystery  to  Chris- 
tianity was  a  British  hermit,  who  wrote  a  Latin 
legend  on  the  subject.  Helinandus  (d.  1227)  says, 
"At  this  time  (A.D.  720),  in  Britain,  a  marvellous 
vision  was  shown  by  an  angel  to  a  certain  hermit : 
it  was  of  the  basin  or  paropsis  in  which  the  Saviour 
supped  with  His  disciples ;  concerning  which  the 
history  was  written  by  the  same  hermit,  which  is 
called  the  Gradal."  And  he  adds,  "In  French 
they  give  the  name  gradal,  or  graal,  to  a  large, 
rather  deep  vessel,  in  which  rich  meats  with  their 
gravy  are  served  to  the  wealthy'." 

The  date  at  which  lived  this  anchorite  is  not 
certain,  for  though  Helinandus  says  he  had  his 
vision  in  720,  Usher  places  him  later  than  1140'. 

After  the  composition  of  this  legend,  the  roman- 

■  Vincent.  Belov.  Speculum  Hist.,  lib.  xxiii.  c.  147. 
•  Usserius,  Primordia,  p.  16. 


624  The  Sangreal 

cers  took  possession  of  the  myth  and  adapted  it 
to  Christian  chivalrous  exigencies.  The  bardic 
table  of  the  elect  became  the  round-table  of 
Arthur's  knights,  and  the  sacred  vessel  of  mysteries 
became  the  Grail.  The  head  of  the  victim  was 
forgotten,  and  the  sacrificial  blood  was  supposed 
to  be  that  of  Christ 

It  is  likely  that  the  tradition  of  the  ancient 
druidic  brotherhood  lingered  on  and  gained  con- 
sistency again  among  the  Templars.  Just  as  the 
Miles  Templi  fought  for  the  holy  sepulchre,  so  did 
the  soldier  of  Montsalvatsch  for  the  holy  GraiL 
Both  orders  were  vowed  to  chastity  and  obedience, 
both  were  subject  to  a  head,  who  exercised  regal 
authority.  The  ancient  temple  of  the  Grail,  like 
Stonehenge,  was  circular ;  so  also  were  the  churches 
dedicated  to  S.  Sepulchre,  by  the  soldier-monks. 
The  charge  of  heresy  was  brought  against  the  order 
of  the  Templars,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  they 
were  imbued  with  gnosticism.  That  this  Eastern 
heresy  should  have  influenced  a  mediaeval  Western 
society,  I  think  very  unlikely ;  no  other  traces  of 
gnosticism  are  to  be  found  in  the  religious  history 
of  the  Occident,  which  certainly  would  have  been 
the  case  had  the  heresy  been  sufficiently  powerful  to 
have  obtained  mastery  over  an  ecclesiastical  society. 


The  Sangreal  625 

I  think  the  root  of  the  false  doctrine  or  practices  of 
the  Templars  must  be  looked  for  in  the  West 

The  Templars  were  charged  with  having  an  idol 
which  the  Chronicles  of  S.  Denys  (which  terminate 
1461)  describe  as  "an  old  skin  embalmed  and 
polished,  in  which  the  Templar  places  his  very 
vile  faith  and  trust,  and  in  which  he  confidently 
believes:  and  it  has  in  the  sockets  eyes  of  car- 
buncle shining  with  the  brightness  of  the  sky." 
Abraham  Bzov,  in  his  continuation  of  the  "  Church 
History  "  of  Baronius,  quotes  a  charge  brought  by 
the  Italian  bishops  against  the  Templars,  to  this 
effect :  "  They  have  a  certain  head,  the  face  pale 
like  that  of  a  man,  with  black  curled  hair,  and 
round  the  neck  a  gilded  ornament,  which  indeed 
belonged  to  no  saint,  and  this  they  adored,  making 
prayers  before  it."  And  one  of  the  questions  'asked 
by  the  Pope  of  the  witnesses  was,  "  whether  they 
had  not  a  skull  or  some  sort  of  image,  to  which 
they  rendered  divine  homage  ?"  So  also  the  Chro- 
nicle of  Meaux  states,  that  on  the  first  day  of  the 
General  Council  of  the  Templars,  a  head  with  a 
white  beard,  which  had  belonged  to  a  former  Grand 
Master  of  the  Order,  was  set  at  midnight  before 
the  altar  in  a  chapel,  covered  with  silken  robes  and 

precious  stuffs.     Mass  was  sung  before  daylight, 

S  s 


626  Tlu  Sangreal 

and  the  head  was  then  adored  by  the  Master  and 
the  other  knights. 

It  seems  to  me  probable  that  this  head,  if  there 
were  truth  in  the  charge,  was  revered  because  it 
was  part  of  an  ancient  druidic  rite  to  produce  a 
head  upon  a  vessel,  though  for  what  purposes  we 
do  not  know.  Friar  Bacon  constructed  a  head 
which  gave  oracles.  Possibly  some  such  property 
was  attributed  to  the  Templar,  and  previously  to 
the  druidic  head.  Livy  tells  us  that  a  bloody 
head  of  an  enemy  was  a  national  Keltic  symbol 
(xxiii.  24),  and  that  the  Boii  brought  the  head  into 
their  temples,  where  they  cleansed  it  and  adorned  it 
with  gold,  and  then  used  it  on  festivals  for  a  sacred 
vessel,  out  of  which  to  make  drink-offerings. 

To  enter  with  any  thing  like  completeness  into 
the  most  interesting  and  intricate  subject  of 
druidic  mythology  and  ceremonial  would  occupy 
too  much  space.  This  paper  will  necessarily  be 
imperfect ;  the  religion  of  our  British  ancestors  has 
yet  to  be  written.  Those  who  have  hitherto 
approached  the  subject  have  so  done  with  pre- 
conceived theories  which  have  caused  them  to  read 
wrong  the  sacred  myths  and  rites  they  were 
interpreting.  Much  is  to  be  learned  from  the 
Arthurian  Romances,  much  from  bardic  remains^ 


The  Sangreal  627 

and  much  from  Breton,  Welsh,  Gaelic,  and  Irish 
folk-lore. 

That  all  thus  recovered  will  be  in  a  corrupted 
form  I  am  well  aware,  but  a  practised  eye  will  be 
able  to  restore  what  is  disintegrated,  and  will  know 
to  detect  antiquity,  though  disguised  under  the 
newest  robe. 

A  careful  study  of  these  sources,  conducted  by 
the  light  of  comparative  mythology,  will,  I  am 
satisfied,  lead  to  the  discovery  that,  under  the 
name  of  Methodism,  we  have  the  old  druidic 
religion  still  alive,  energetic,  and  possibly  more 
vigorous  than  it  was  when  it  exercised  a  spiritual 
supremacy  over  the  whole  of  Britain.  With  the 
loss  of  the  British  tongue,  much  of  the  old  ter- 
minology has  died  out,  and  a  series  of  adaptations 
to  Christianity  has  taken  place,  without  radically 
affecting  the  system  *. 

^  Exception  has  been  taken  to  this  remark  by  some  of  the 
reviews ;  but  the  writer  believes  unjustly.  Those  who  have 
made  the  fragments  of  Bardic  religious  poems,  and  the 
scheme  of  Druidic  rites  their  study,  cannot  fail  with  astonish- 
ment to  note  the  remarkable  coincidence  which  exists  between 
modem  Wesleyanism  and  the  religion  of  our  British  fore- 
fathers. 


S  S  2 


A  FEW  years  before  the  Persian  invasion  in 
538,  there  lived,  in  the  town  of  Adana  in 
Cilicia,  a  priest  named  Theophilus,  treasurer  and 
archdeacon.  He  lived  in  strict  observance  of  all  his 
religious  duties,  was  famous  for  his  liberality  to  the 
poor,  his  sympathy  with  the  afflicted,  his  eloquence 
in  the  pulpit,  his  private  devotion,  and  severe  asce- 
ticism. On  the  decease  of  the  bishop,  by  popular 
acclamation  he  was  summoned  to  the  episcopal 
oversight  of  the  diocese,  but  his  deep  humility 
urged  him  to  refuse  the  office,  even  when  it  was 
pressed  upon  him  by  the  metropolitan.  Seldom 
has  a  nolo  episcopari  been  carried  out  to  such  an 
emphatic  refusal  as  was  given  by  Theophilus.  A 
stranger  was  raised  to  the  vacant  seat,  and  the  trea- 
surer resumed  the  course  of  life  he  had  pursued  for 
so  many  years  with  credit  to  himself  and  advan- 


Theophilus  629 

tage  to  others,  content  in  his  own  mind  at  having 
refused  the  office,  which  might  have  aroused  his 
pride,  and  which  certainly  would  have  diminished 
his  opportunities  of  self-sacrifice.  Virtue  invariably 
arouses  the  spirit  of  detraction,  and  Theophilus,  by 
his  refusal  of  the  bishopric,  was  thrust  into  public 
notice,  and  attracted  public  attention.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  the  evil-minded  and  envious  origi- 
nated slanders,  which,  circulating  widely,  produced 
a  revulsion  of  feeling  towards  Theophilus  and,  from 
being  generally  reported,  were  accepted  as  substan- 
tially true.  These  stories  reaching  the  ears  of  the 
new  bishop,  he  sent  for  the  archdeacon,  and  with- 
out properly  investigating  the  charges,  concluding 
he  was  guilty,  deprived  him  of  his  offices. 

One  would  have  supposed  that  the  humility  which 
had  required  the  holy  man  to  refuse  a  mitre,  would 
have  rendered  him  callous  to  the  voice  of  slander, 
and  have  sustained  him  under  deprivation.  But  the 
trial  was  too  great  for  his  virtue.  He  brooded  over 
the  accusations  raised  against  him,  and  the  wrongs 
inflicted  upon  him,  till  the  whole  object  of  his 
labour  was  the  clearing  of  his  character.  He 
sought  every  available  means  of  unmasking  the 
calumnies  of  his  maligners,  and  exposing  the  falsity 
of  the  charges  raised  against  him.     But  he  found 


630  Theophilus 

himself  unable  to  effect  his  object:  one  man  is 
powerless  against  a  multitude,  and  slander  is  a 
hydra  which,  when  maimed  in  one  head,  produces 
others  in  the  place  of  that  struck  off.  Baffled, 
despairing,  and  without  a  friend  to  sustain  his 
cause,  the  poor  clerk  sought  redress  in  a  manner 
which  a  month  ago  would  have  filled  him  with 
horror.  He  visited  a  necromancer,  who  led  him  at 
midnight  to  a  place  where  four  cross-roads  met,  and 
there  conjured  up  Satan,  who  promised  reinstate- 
ment in  all  his  offices  to  the  unfortunate  Theophilus, 
and,  what  he  valued  more,  a  complete  clearing  of 
his  character.  The  priest,  to  obtain  these  boons, 
signed  away  his  soul  with  a  pen  dipped  in  his  own 
blood,  and  abjured  for  ever  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
spotless  mother. 

On  the  morrow,  the  bishop  discovering  his  error, 
how  we  know  not,  sent  for  Theophilus,  and  ac- 
knowledged publicly  that  he  had  been  misled  by 
false  reports,  the  utter  valuelessness  of  which  he 
was  ready  frankly  to  acknowledge ;  and  he  asked 
pardon  of  the  priest,  for  having  unjustly  deprived 
him  of  his  office.  The  populace  enthusiastically 
reversed  their  late  opinion  of  the  treasurer,  and 
greeted  him  as  a  saint  and  confessor.  For  some 
davs  all  went  well,  and  in  the  excitement  of  a  re- 


Theophiltis  631 

turn  to  his  former  occupations  the  compact  he  had 
made  was  forgotten.  But  after  a  while,  as  reason 
and  religion  resumed  their  sway,  the  conscience  of 
Theophilus  gave  him  no  rest.  He  paced  his  room 
at  nights  in  an  agony  of  terror,  his  face  lost  its 
colour,  his  brow  was  seamed  with  wrinkles,  an  un- 
utterable horror  gleamed  from  his  deep-set  eyes. 
Hour  by  hour  he  prayed,  but  found  no  relief.  At 
length  he  resolved  on  a  solemn  fast  of  forty  days. 
This  he  accomplished,  praying  nightly  in  the  church 
of  the  Panhagia  till  the  grey  of  morning  stole  in  at 
the  little  windows  of  the  dome  and  obscured  the 
lamps.  On  the  fortieth  night,  the  Blessed  Virgin 
appeared  to  him,  and  sadly  rebuked  him  for  his  sin. 
He  implored  her  pardon  and  all-prevailing  inter- 
cession, and  this  she  promised  him.  The  following 
night  she  re-appeared  and  assured  him  that  Christ 
had,  at  her  prayer,  forgiven  him.  With  a  cry  of 
joy  he  awoke  ;  and  on  his  breast  lay  the  deed 
which  had  made  over  his  soul  to  Satan,  obtained 
from  the  evil  one  by  the  mercy  of  the  sacred 
Mother  of  God. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  He  rose,  spent  some 
time  in  acts  of  thanksgiving,  and  then  went  to 
church  where  the  divine  liturgy  was  being  cele- 
brated.   After  the  reading  of  the  gospel,  he  flung 


63a  Tluophibis 

himself  at  the  bishop's  feet,  and  requested  permis- 
sion to  make  his  confession  in  public  Then  he 
related  the  circumstances  of  his  fall,  and  showed 
the  compact  signed  with  his  blood  to  the  assembled 
multitude.  Having  finished  his  confession,  he 
prostrated  himself  before  the  bishop  and  asked 
for  absolution.  The  deed  was  torn  and  burned 
before  the  people,  he  was  reconciled  and  received 
the  blessed  sacrament,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  house  in  a  fever,  and  died  at  the  expiration 
of  three  days.  The  Church  honours  him  as  a 
penitent,  on  the  4th  February. 

The  original  account  of  this  famous  compact  with 
the  devil  is  in  the  Greek  of  Eutychianus,  disciple  of 
Theophilus,  who  declares  that  he  relates  what  he 
had  seen  with  his  own  eyes,  and  heard  from  the 
mouth  of  Theophilus  himself.  From  the  Greek  of 
Eutychianus,  two  early  Latin  versions  are  extant, 
one  by  Paulus  Diaconus,  the  other  by  Gentianus 
Hervetus.  The  former  of  these  is  published  in 
the  great  work  of  the  BoUandists,  who  fix  the  date 
of  the  event  in  538.  The  version  of  Gentianus 
Hervetus  purports  to  be  a  translation  from  Symeon 
Metaphrastes,  who  flourished  in  the  tenth  century, 
and  who  embodied  the  narrative  of  Eutychianus 
in  his  great  collection  of  the  Lives  of  the  Saints. 


Theophilus  633 

In  the  tenth  century,  Hrosvitha,  the  illustrious 
nun  of  Gandersheim  in  Saxony,  composed  a  Latin 
poem  on  the  story  of  Theophilus.  In  the  eleventh 
century  the  legend  was  versified  by  Marbodus, 
Bishop  of  Rennes.  There  is  a  poem  on  the  subject 
by  Gaultier  de  Coincy.  Other  rhymed  versions 
have  been  published  by  M.  Achille  Jubinal,  and  M. 
Paulin  Paris.  One  of  the  best  of  the  ancient  poems 
is  that  of  Rutebeuf,  a  trouvere  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  There  are  several  older  miracle  plays  on 
mysteries  of  Theophilus  :  one  in  French,  published 
by  M.  Francisque  Michel  * ;  another  in  low  German, 
published  by  M.  Dasent'.  The  latter  gentleman 
has  collected  a  great  number  of  pieces  on  Theophi- 
lus in  various  European  languages,  and  quotes  re- 
ferences to  the  legend  in  early  French,  Anglo-Saxon, 
Anglo-Norman,  and  German  writers. 

Archbishop  iElfric  (d.  1006)  alludes  to  the  story 
in  his  "  Homilies  ;"  S.  Bernard  also,  in  his  "  Depre- 
catio  ad  gloriosam  Virginem  Mariam  ;"  Vincent  of 
Beauvais,  in  his  wonderful  "  Speculum  Historiale ;" 
S.  Bonaventura,  as  a  passionate  devotee  to  the 
Virgin,   could   not   omit   it   from   his  "  Speculum 

*  Le  Theatre  Fran^ais  au  moyen  age.     Paris,  p.  137. 

*  Theophilus,  in  Icelandic,  Low  German,  &c.     London, 

P-23. 


6S4  Tluophiliis 

Beats  Marise ;"  Jacques  de  Voragine  inserts  it  in  his 
"  Golden  Legend,"  and  Albertus  Magnus  includes 
it  in  his  "  Biblia  B.  Mariae  Virginis."  It  is  again 
mentioned  by  the  great  German  poet  of  the  twelfth 
century,  Hartmann  von  der  Aue,  and  by  Konrad 
von  Wiirzburg,  in  the  thirteenth  century.  A  Flemish 
Theophilus  was  published  by  M.  Philipp  Blom- 
maert,  from  an  old  MS.  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
in  1836.  To  the  same  century  belongs  one  version 
of  tlie  Theophilus  legend  in  Icelandic,  published 
by  M.  Dasent ;  the  other  is  younger  by  a  century. 
An  old  Swedish  Theophilus  of  1350  exists  in  the 
royal  library  at  Stockholm. 

In  the  cathedral  of  Notre- Dame,  at  Paris,  are 
two  sculptured  representations  of  the  fable  ;  one  is 
on  the  north  porch.  In  the  cathedral  of  Laon  if 
is  painted  on  a  window  in  the  choir,  in  eighteen 
medallions.  It  is  also  to  be  seen  in  the  church  of 
S.  Peter,  at  Troycs,  and  in  that  of  S.  Julien  at 
Mans,  in  both  instances  on  stained  glass. 

Further  information  as  to  the  legend,  with  the 
texts,  can  be  found  in — "  Theophilus,  in  Icelandic, 
Low  German,  and  other  tongues,  from  MSS.  in  the 
Royal  Library,  Stockholm,  by  G.  Webbe  Dasent, 
M.A.  Stockholm,  1845;"  in  "E.  F.  Sommer,  De 
Theophili  cum  Diabole  foedere.    Halle,  1844;''  and 


Theophilus  635 

in  "Miracle  de  Theophile,  mis  en  vers  au  com- 
mencement du  Xlllme  siecle,  par  Gauthier  de 
Coincy,  publie  par  M.  D.  Maillet.  Rennes,  1838." 
I  do  not  think  it  improbable  that  this  famous 
story  may  rest  on  a  foundation  of  truth ;  indeed 
it  bears  on  the  face  of  it  tokens  of  authenticity. 
Theophilus  is  driven  from  his  position  by  slanders : 
this  preys  on  his  mind.  By  some  means  he  is 
reinstated.  The  revulsion  of  feeling  upsets  his 
reason,  he  undertakes  a  prodigious  fast,  goes  crazy, 
tells  a  long  rambling  story  about  a  compact  with 
the  devil,  and  dies  three  days  after  in  brain-fever. 
His  narrative  is  the  only  extraordinary  item  in  the 
tale.  If  we  remember  that  this  was  told  after  a 
forty-days'  fast,  and  immediately  before  a  mortal 
fever,  the  only  thing  to  be  wondered  at  in  the 
l^end  is  that  any  sane  persons  believed  his  ravings 
to  have  in  them  a  foundation  of  truth. 


APPENDIX  A 


tS^  aBUiiiTTcring  3lctD 

IN  the  Bragda  Migus  Saga,  an  Icelandic  version  of  the  Ro- 
mance of  Maugis,  but  with  considerable  alterations  in  the 
story,  is  the  following  very  curious  passage,  which  seems  to 
indicate  a  belief  in  a  life  indefinitely  prolonged,  not  attached 
to  the  Jew,  Cartaphilus.  I  quote  from  the  edition  "  Bragda 
M4gus  Saga,  med  tilheyrandi  Fattum,  skrif.  af  Gunnlaugi 
ThordarsynL    Kaupmannahofn,  1858.     Cap.  35 — 40." 

**  M&gus  went  before  the  king  (Charlemagne),  and  greeted 
him  courteously.  The  king  received  him  well,  and  asked 
him  his  name.  He  said  he  was  called  *Vidforull.*  The 
king  said,  '  You  are  a  vigorous  man,  though  you  seem  very 
old' 

"  Vidforull  replied,  *  Sire,  you  say  right  that  I  am  very  old, 
but  I  have  been  much  older,  and  it  may  fall  out  that  I  be- 
come younger.* 

"  *  How  can  that  possibly  be,*  asked  the  king,  *  that  you 
could  have  been  older  than  you  are,  and  will  be  younger  ?' 

"  Vidforull  said,  *  That  I  will  make  clear  to  you.  Twice 
have  I  cast  my  old  skin,  and  become  each  time  younger  than 
before.' 

"  When  he  said  this  all  the  guard  of  the  king  sprang  up, 
laughing,  and  said  he  should  not  venture  to  talk  such  non- 


638  Appendix  A 

sense  before  the  king.     Then  the  king  took  up  the  word, 
and  said, 

**  *  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  twice  cast  your  skin?' 

"  *  It  is  quite  true,  sire  ! '  answered  VidforuU. 

"  The  king  asked,  *  Do  you  suppose  that  you  will  cast  it 
again  V 

"  *  I  am  sure,'  answered  VidforuU,  *  that  in  this  very  month 
I  shall  have  to  slough  it  off,  and  that  not  many  days  hence.' 

"*How  old  are  you  wont  to  be,'  asked  the  king,  'before 
you  cast  it  ?' 

"  VidforuU  replied,  *  The  time  is  not  always  the  same.  The 
first  time  I  was  aged  330,  and  then  when  I  had  undergone 
the  process  I  was  only  about  thirty,  and  I  regained  aU  the 

vigour  of  youth Now,  sire,  if  you  wish  to  know  my 

powers,  and  see  me  cast  my  skin,  then  show  me  a  seat,  and  I 
wUl  remain  in  your  court  a  few  days,  tiU  the  time  comes.  . . . 

"36 The   second  time  I  cast  my  skin,  I  was  aged 

315 ;  and  when  I  found  the  time  arrive  for  my  change  I  sought 
Rome,  where  then  reigned  Hermanric'  The  king  asked 
how  the  operation  had  taken  place.  VidforuU  answered, 
*  The  first  time  it  was  rather  strange ;  I  was  then  much  more 
vigorous,  though  I  had  lived  longer,  for  then  men's  ages  were 
longer  than  they  are  now,  and  though  I  was  over  300  years 
old,  I  was  sturdy  and  could  hunt ;  and  one  day  as  I  was  at 
the  chase  I  felt  thirst,  and  I  lay  down  by  the  water  with  the 
intention  of  drinking;  then  there  flew  over  me  a  dragon, 
which  grabbed  me  up,  and  carried  me  off  to  a  lofty  crag, 
where  was  a  cave.  Then  I  .  .  .  .  escaped  after  a  struggle, 
and  fled  to  a  beautiful  plain,  and  there,  exhausted  with  age, 
there  came  over  me  a  lassitude,  and  then  there  peeled  off  me 
my  first  skin,  as  I  was  in  a  fainting  fit.  A  little  while  after  I 
revived,  and  I  was  as  hale  and  hearty  as  a  youth  of  thirty. . . 
37.  Now  I  will  tell  you  how  I  cast  my  skin  the  second  time. 
I  had  been  a  little  while  in  Rome,  and  I  learned  by  a  dream 
that  I  was  to  undergo  the  change.    I  was  then  some  two  eUs 


Appendix  A  639 

taller  than  before,  and  I  was  exceedingly  able-bodied  and 
strong,  though  very  old.*  (The  king  then  asks  him  about  the 
heroes  of  olden  time,  and  VidforuU  describes  to  him  their 
personal  appearance,  the  colour  of  their  hair,  eyes,  and  their 
stature.)  *  And  one  day  I  was  wrestling  in  the  water  with  the 
knights  of  King  Gunnar,  and  I  was  reluctant  to  do  it,  because 
I  doubted  my  powers.  However,  to  please  the  king  I  went 
in  ;  and  when  I  was  fresh  I  held  most  of  the  knights  under 
water,  but  I  soon  tired,  and  then  came  my  exhaustion  over 
me,  and  they  then  held  me  under,  and  I  could  not  rise,  so  I 
sank  to  the  bottom,  and  lay  there  all  day.  And  I  woke  up 
as  I  was  washed  ashore ;  and  it  was  like  as  when  a  man 
strips  off  his  clothes,  for  I  was  younger  then  again,  as  though 
I  was  thirty.* 

"  40.  It  was  one  festival,  in  the  morning,  that  the  king  and 
his  court  went  to  chiu^ch,  and  they  saw  that  a  great  log  had 
come  under  the  hall-wall,  and  by  it  stood  VidforuU,  and  he 
came  to  the  king  and  greeted  him,  and  he  was  very  cheerfuL 
The  king  said,  *  What  is  the  cause  of  your  merriment  V 

"  VidforuU  replied,  *  Sire,  you  must  not  be  surprised  when 
I  tell  you  that  to-day  is  the  time  when  I  shall  have  to  cast 
my  skin,  and  I  should  like  you  and  all  the  court  to  witness 
the  process.'  The  guard  were  right  pleased,  and  laughed  for 
joy.  The  king  smiled  and  said,  *  We  must  go  to  church 
first  and  hear  mass,  and  after  that  we  shall  be  ready.'  Vid- 
foruU said  it  was  well  that  they  should  do  so.  And  when  all 
the  ofi&ce  was  over,  the  guard  scampered  out  of  the  church, 
for  all  were  eager  to  see  what  would  happen.  The  king  went 
forth  as  usual,  and  back  to  his  hall.  And  when  he  got  there 
VidforuU  went  to  him,  and  fell  on  his  knee,  and  said,  *  Now  I 
wish,  sire,  that  you  and  all  your  suite  should  take  your  places, 
and  watch  me  accomplish  my  desire,  for  I  have  long  desired 
to  quit  this  age  and  become  young  again.'  .  .  .  Then  he 
bared  his  head,  and  stroked  his  arms,  and  aU  his  body  and 
beUy  and  his  legs,  then  he  roUed  together  the  skin  he  was 


640  Appefidix  A 

in,  and  lay  down  before  the  post,  and  muttered  to  himself^ 
*  Away  with  age,  that  I  may  have  my  desire  I*  Then  all  the 
court  laughed  as  loud  as  they  well  could,  but  he  lay  a  little 
while  motionless.  And,  when  they  were  least  aware,  he 
dragged  at  the  post,  and  worked  himself  headforemost  into 
the  post,  and  it  closed  upon  him  as  his  feet  entered.  The 
king  ran  to  it  with  all  his  men,  but  the  beam  was  solid. 
Then  they  began  to  discuss  what  was  to  be  done. 

"  Earl  Uppi  said : — *  It  was  a  Troll,  and  he  has  vanished  into 
the  earth.'  But  next  they  heard  a  great  noise  in  the  beam. 
They  thought  it  very  strange  that  the  post  was  at  one  time 
bigger  than  at  another.  And  after  this  had  gone  on  a  while, 
they  saw  come  out  at  the  end  of  the  beam  a  man's  feet,  then 
a  man  as  far  as  to  his  middle.  They  saw  the  beam  shrink 
and  expand,  and  it  was  like  a  woman  in  her  pangs  ;  at  last 
the  post  contracted,  and  shot  VidforuU  completely  out,  and 
he  lay  a  while  as  though  dead ;  but  when  tlie  assistants  were 
least  expecting  it,  he  sprang  up,  rolled  up  the  skin  from  oflf 
his  head,  stepped  up  to  the  king,  and  saluted  him.  And  they 
saw  that  he  was  no  other  than  a  beardless  youth,  and  fair 
faced" 


APPENDIX  B 

ifttountain  of  Vtnnn 

(Extract from  Vincent  of  Beauvais :  Speculum  Historialef  I.  xxvi,) 

THE  youth  having  returned  for  his  ring  to  the  statue, 
^'videt  digitum  statuae  usque  ad  volam  manus  recur- 
vatum,  et  quantumvis  conatus  annulum  recuperare,  nee 
digitum  inilectare  nee  annulum  valuit  extrahere.  Redit  ad 
sodales,  nee  illis  ea  de  re  quiequam  indicavit.  Noete  intem- 
pesta  cum  iamulo  ad  statuam  revertitur,  et  extensum  ut 
initio  digitum  repperit,  sed  sine  annulo  ;  jactura  dissimulata 
domum  se  confert  ad  novam  nuptam.  Cumque  thorum 
genialem  ingressus  sponsae  se  jungere  vellet,  sensit  impedire 
sese  et  quiddam  nebulosum  ae  densum  inter  suum  conjugis< 
que  corpus  volutari ;  sentiebat  id  tactu,  videre  tamen  nequie- 
bat  Hoc  obstaculo  ab  amplexu  prohibebatur,  audiebat 
etiam  voeem  dicentem :  *meeum  coneumbe,  quia  hodie  me 
desponsastl  Ego  sum  Venus,  eui  digito  annulum  inseruisti, 
nee  reddam.'  Territus  ille  tanto  prodigio  nihil  referre  ausus 
est  vel  potuit;  insomnem  duxit  noctem  illam,  multum  secum 
deliberans. 

"Sic  factum  est  per  multum  tempus  ut  quacunque  hora 
cum  sponsa  concumbere  vellet,  illud  idem  sentiret  et  audiret 
Erat  sane  alias  valens  et  domi  aptus  et  militise.    Tandem 

T  t 


042  Appendix  B 

iixoris  querelis  commonitus,  rem   parentibus    detulit.    lUi 
habito  concilio  Palumbo  cuidam,  presbytero  suburbano,  rem 
pandunt.      Is  autem  erat  necromanticus  et    in    maleficiis 
potens.      Illectus  ergo  promissis  multis    compositam  epi- 
stolam  dedit  juveni  dicens  :  *  Vade  ilia  hora  noctis  ad  compi- 
tum,  ubi  quatuor  viae  conveniunt,  et  stans  tacite  considera. 
Transient  ibi   figuraj  hominum  utriusque   sexus,    omnisque 
;ctatis  et  conditionis,  equites    et  pedites,  quidam  laeti  et 
cjuidani  tristcs ;   quicquid  audieris  non  loquaris.     Sequetur 
illam  turbam  quidam  statura  procerior,  forma  corpulentior, 
curru  sedens ;  huic  tacitus  epistolam  trades  legendam,  statim- 
que  fiet  quod  postulas.'    Ille  autem  juvenis  totum  implevit 
prout  edoctus  erat.    Viditque  inter  caeteros  ibi  mulierem  in 
habitu    meretricio  mulam  inequitantem,    crine    solute  per 
humeros  jactato,  vitta  aurea  superius    constricto,  auream 
virgam  gerentem  in  manibus,  qua  mulum  regebat;  prse 
tcnuitate  vestium  pene  nuda  apparebat,  gestus  exsequens 
impudicos.      Ultimus  dominus  turbaj  terribiles  in  juvenem 
oculos  exacuens,  ab  axe  superbo  .smaragdis  et  nnionibils 
composite  causas  viae  ab  eo  exquirebat.      Nihil  ille  contra, 
sed  protenta  manu   epistolam  ei  porrigit ;    daemon  notum 
sigillum   non    audens    contemnere  legit  scriptum,  moxque 
brachiis  in  coelum  elevatis  ;    *  Deus/   inquit,    *  omnipotens, 
quamdiu  patieris  nequitias  Palumbi  presbyteri  V  Nee  mora, 
satellites  suos  a  latere  mittit  qui  annulum  extorquerent  a 
\'^enere.     Ilia  multum  tergiversata  vix  tandem  reddidit     Ita 
juvenis  voti  compos  sine  obstaculo  potitus  est  diu  suspiratis 
amoribus.     Palumbus.  autem,  ubi  daemonis  clamorem    ad 
Deum  audivit  de  se,  intellcxit  sibi  praesignari  finem  dierum. 
Quocirca   omnibus    in    membris  ultro  tnmcatis  miserabili 
poena  defunctus  est" 


APPENDIX  C 

I  HAVE  said  that  the  phallic  origin  attributed  to  the  cross 
is  destitute  of  evidence.  In  a  work  like  this,  which  will 
be  in  the  hands  of  general  readers,  it  is  impossible  to  enter 
into  the  subject 

I  believe  I  have  conscientiously  examined  the  question.  If 
I  saw  that  there  was  sufficient  evidence  to  substantiate  the 
theory,  I  would  adopt  it  without  hesitation.  But  I  think  a 
better  claim  may  be  made  for  the  lightning,  and  a  better 
still  for  the  ancient  instrument  of  two  sticks  used  for  pro- 
ducing fire  by  friction. 

An  article  on  Sun  worship  in  the  "  English  Leader,"  copied 
into  "Public  Opinion"  (Sept.  14,  1867),  assumes  the  identity 
of  the  cross  with  the  phallus.  The  article  is  full  of  assertions, 
rather  bold  and  reckless  than  well  supported  by  evidence. 

It  asserts  on  the  authority  of  the  Abb^  Pluche  that  the 
crux  ansata  was  the  symbol  of  the  annual  inundation  of  the 
Nile.  The  speculations  of  the  learned  on  the  signification 
of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  previous  to  the  discoveries  of 
Champollion,  are,  however,  devoid  of  weight.  "The  crux 
ansata,"  it  adds,  "  that  is,  the  cross  and  circle,  was  the  sign 
of  Venus  or  sensual  love, — the  goddess  from  whose  name  our 
word  venery  is  derived,— and  it  is  still  the  astronomical 

T  t  2 


au  Appendix  C 

sym))ol  of  the  planet  which  bears  her  name.**  As  we  have 
already  seen,  the  crux  ansata  was  not  exclusively  the  symbol 
of  AsUirtc ;  it  was  a  sign  of  divinity  and  was  placed  near 
every  god  to  indicate  him  as  being  Divine.  It  appears  beside 
Haal  as  well  as  Astarte. 

If  used  more  frequently  with  her  than  with  other  deities, 
it  was  because  it  symbolized  her  power  over  moisture,  she 
being  the  Moon.  The  cross  did  not  belong  to  her  as  a 
;:oddcss  of  sensuality,  but  as  presiding  over  the  month  and 
its  rains ;  to  I^aal  it  belonged  as  a  year-god  guiding  the 
seasons. 

The  same  article  refers  to  the  Indian  cross  as  though  it 
were  a  phallus ;  whereas  the  symbols  are  entirely  and 
radically  distinct,  as  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  plates 
of  Mtillcr's  "  Glauben,  Wissen,  und  Kunst  der  Hindus.* 


APPENDIX  D 


Shipping  t^e  Beatr 

THE  following  curious  passage  from  Gervase  of  Tilbury 
may  not  prove   uninteresting  when   treating  of  the 
transport  of  the  dead  by  boats. 

Otia  Imperialia,  Decisio  iii  c.  90. 

Insig^e  minim  ac  ex  divina  virtute  miraculum  audi,  Prin- 
ceps  Sacratissime.  Caput  regni  Burgundionum,  quod  Are- 
latense  dicitur,  civitas  est  Arelas,  antiquissimis  dotata  pri- 
vilegiis.  Hanc  ordinatus  ab  Apostolis  Petro  et  Paulo, 
Trophimus,  qui  ....  deliberavit  coemeterium  solemne  ad 
meridianam  urbis  partem  constituere,  in  quo  omnium  ortho- 
doxorum  corpora  sepulturse  traderentur,  ut,  sicut  ab  Arela- 
tensi  ecclesia  tota  Gallia  fidei  sumsit  exordium,  ita  et  mortui 
in  Christo  undecimque  advecti  sepulturae  communis  haberent 
beneficium.  Facta  itaque  consecratione  solemni  per  manus 
sanctissimorum  antistitum  ad  Orientalem  portam,  ubi  nunc 
est  ecclesia  ab  ipsis  in  honorem  B.  Virginis  consecrata,  illis 
Christus,  pridem  in  came  familiariter  agnitus,  apparuit,  opus 
eorum  sua  benedictione  profundens,  dato  coemeterio  ac  illis 
sepeliendis  munere,  ut  quicunque  inibi  sepelirentur,  nullas  in 
cadaveribus  suis  paterentur  diabolicas  iUusiones.  Ex  hujus- 
modi  ergo   Dominicas  benedictionis  munere,  apud  omnes 


646  Appendix  D 

9 

majoris  auctontatis  Galliarum  principes  ac  clericos  inolevit, 
quod   maxima  patentum  pars  illuc  sepulturam  habent,  et 
quidam  in  plaustris,  alii  in  curribus,  nonnulli  in  equis,  plurimi 
per  dcpendulum  fluentis  Rhodani  ad  ccemeteriimi  Campi  Elisii 
deferebantur.      Est  ergo    omni    admiratione    dignissimum, 
quod  nullus  in  thecis  positus  mortuus  ultimos  civitatis  Arela- 
tensis  terminos,  quos  Rochetam  nominant,  quantalibet  vi 
ventorum    aut    tempestate    compulsus    praeterit,   sed    infra 
semper  subsistens  in  aqua  rotatur,  donee  applicet,  aut  ad 
ripam  fluminis  ductus  coemeterio  sacro  inferatur.     Mirandis 
magis   miranda   succedunt,  quae    oculis   conspeximus   sub 
innumera  utriusque  sexus  hominum   multitudine.     Solent, 
ergo  praemisimusy  mortui  in  doliis  bituminatis  ac  in  thecis 
corpora  mortuorum  a  longinquis  regionibus  fluminis  Rhodani 
dimitti  cum  pecunia  sigillata,  quae  ccemeterio  tarn  sacro, 
nomine   eleemosynae,  confertur.     Uno  aliquo  die,  nondum 
decennio  delapso,  dolium  cum  mortuo  suo  descendit  inter 
illud  angustum,  quod  ex  altemis  ripis  castrum  Tarasconense 
et  castrum  Belliquadri  prospectant.    Exilientes  adolescentes 
Belliquadri    dolium  ad  terram  trahunt,  et  relicto   mortuo 
pecuniam  reconditam  rapiunt.    Depulsum  dolium  inter  im- 
petuosi  amnis  fluctus  subsistit,  et  nee  vi  fluminis  praecipitis 
nee  juvenum  impulsibus  potuit  descendere,  verum  rotans  et 

in  se  revolvens,  eosdem  circinabat  fluminis  fluctus 

Tandem,  restitute  censu,  confestim  mortuus  sine  omni  im- 
pellentis  adjutorio  viam  aggreditur,  et  infra  modicam  horam 
apud  civitatem  Arelatensem  applicans,  sepulturas  honorifice 
traditur. 


APPENDIX  E 

Jpatalitp  of  i^umiers 

THE  laws  governing  numbers  are  so  perplexing  to  the 
uncultivated  mind,  and  the  results  arrived  at  by  calcu- 
lation are  so  astonishing,  that  it  cannot  be  matter  of  surprise 
if  superstition  has  attached  itself  to  numbers. 

But,  even  to  those  who  are  instructed  in  numeration,  there 
is  much  that  is  mysterious  and  unaccountable,  much  that 
only  an  advanced  mathematician  can  explain  to  his  own 
satisfJEiction.  The  neophyte  sees  the  numbers  obedient  to 
certain  laws,  but  why  they  obey  these  laws  he  cannot  under- 
stand ;  and  the  fact  of  his  not  being  able  so  to  do,  tends  to 
give  to  numbers  an  atmosphere  of  mystery  which  impresses 
him  with  awe. 

For  instance,  the  property  of  the  number  9,  discovered,  I 
believe,  by  W.  Green,  who  died  in  1794,  is  inexplicable  to 
any  one  but  a  mathematician.  The  property  to  which  I 
allude  is  this,  that  when  9  is  multiplied  by  2,  by  3,  by  4,  by 
5,  by  6,  &c.,  it  will  be  found  that  the  digits  composing  the 
product,  when  added  together,  give  9.    Thus  : 

2  X  9  =  18,  and  1  +  8  =  9 
3x9  =  27  „  2  +  7  =  9 
4  X  9  =  36     „     3  +  6  =  9 


648  Appendix  E 

5  X  9  =  45  and  4  +  5  =  9 

6x9  =  54     „    5  +  4  =  9 
7x9  =  63     „    6  +  3  =  9 

8x9  =  72     „     7  +  2  =  9 

9x9  =  81     „     8  +  1=9 

10  X  9  =  90     „    9  +  0  =  9 

It  will  be  noticed  that  9x11  makes  99,  the  sum  of  the 
digits  of  which  is  18  and  not  9,  but  the  sum  of  the  digits 
1x8  equals  9. 

9x12  =  108,  and  I  +04-8  =  9 
9  X  13  =  117  „  T  +  I  -+-  7  =  9 
9  X  14  =  126     „     1  +  2  +  6  =  9 

And  so  on  to  any  extent. 

M.  de  Maivan  discovered  another  singular  property  of  the 
same  number.  If  the  order  of  the  digits  expressmg  a  num- 
ber be  changed,  and  this  number  be  subtracted  from  the 
former,  the  remainder  will  be  9  or  a  multiple  of  9,  and,  being 
a  multiple,  the  sum  of  its  digits  will  be  9. 

For  instance,  take  the  number  21,  reverse  the  digits,  and 
you  have  12;  subtract  12  from  21,  and  the  remainder  is  9. 
Take  63,  reverse  the  digits,  and  subtract  36  from  63 ;  you 
have  27,  a  multiple  of  9,  and  2  +  7=9.  Once  more,  the 
number  13  is  the  reverse  of  31 ;  the  difference  between  these 
numbers  is  18,  or  twice  9. 

Again,  the  same  property  found  in  two  numbers  thus 
changed,  is  discovered  in  the  same  numbers  raised  to  any 
power. 

Take  21  and  12  again.  The  square  of  21  is  441,  and  the 
square  of  12  is  144 ;  subtract  144  from  441,  and  the  remainder 
is  297,  a  multiple  of  9  ;  besides,  the  digits  expressing  these 
powers  added  together  give  9.  The  cube  of  21  is  9261,  and 
that  of  12  is  1728;  their  dilfference  is  7533,  also  a  multiple 
of  9. 


Appendix  E  649 

The  number  37  has  also  somewhat  remarkable  properties ; 
when  multiplied  by  3  or  a  multiple  of  3  up  to  27,  it  gives  in 
the  product  three  digits  exactly  similar.  From  the  knowledge 
of  this  the  multiplication  of  37  is  greatly  facilitated,  the 
method  to  be  adopted  being  to  multiply  merely  the  first 
cipher  of  the  multiplicand,  by  the  first  of  the  multiplier ;  it  is 
then  unnecessary  to  proceed  with  the  multiplication,  it  being 
sufficient  to  write  twice  to  the  right  hand  the  cipher  obtained, 
so  that  the  same  digit  will  stand  in  the  imit,  tens,  and  hun- 
dreds places. 

For  instance,  take  the  results  of  the  following  table : — 

37  multiplied  by  3  gives  iii,  and  3  times  1=3 


37 

» 

6 

222, 

3 

„ 

2=  6 

37 

» 

9 

333, 

3 

n 

3=  9 

37 

12 

444, 

3 

n 

4=  12 

37  • 

15 

555, 

3 

n 

5  =  15 

37 

18 

(^e^. 

3 

n 

6=18 

37 

21 

777, 

3 

n 

7  =  21 

37 

34 

888, 

3 

n 

8  =  24 

37 

27 

999, 

3 

9t 

9  =  27 

The  singular  property  of  numbers  the  most  dififerent,  when 
added,  to  produce  the  same  sum,  originated  the  use  of  magical 
squares  for  talismans.  Although  the  reason  may  be  ac- 
counted for  mathematically,  yet  numerous  authors  have 
written  concerning  them,  as  though  there  were  something 
"  uncanny **  about  them.  But  the  most  remarkable  and  ex- 
haustive treatise  on  the  subject  is  that  by  a  mathematician  of 
Dijon,  which  is  entitled,  "Trait^  complet  des  Carres 
magiques,  pairs  et  impairs,  simple  et  composes,  a  Bordures, 
Compartiments,  Croix,  Chassis,  jSquerres,  Bandes  ddtach^es, 
&C. ;  suivi  d'un  Trait^  des  Cubes  magiques  et  d'un  Essai  sur 
les  Cercles  magiques  ;  par  M.  VioUe,  G^omfetre,  Chevalier 
de  S.  Louis,  avec  Atlas  de  54  grandes  Feuilles,  comprenant 


6^0  Appendix  E 

400  figures."     Paris,  1837.     2  vols.  8vo.,  the  first  of  593 
pages,  the  second  of  616.     Price  36  fr. 

I  give  three  examples  of  magical  squares : — 

376 

9        5        I 

438 

These  nine  ciphers  are  disposed  in  three  horizontal  lines ; 
add  the  three  ciphers  of  each  line,  and  the  sum  is  15 ;  add 
the  three  ciphers  in  each  column,  the  sum  is  15 ;  add  the 
three  ciphers  forming  diagonals,  and  the  sum  is  15. 


I     2 

3 

4 

I 

7 

13 

19 

25 

3    3 

3 

3 

18 

24 

5 

6 

12 

4    t 

4 

I 

10 

II 

17 

23 

4 

3    4 

1 

2 

23 

3 

9 

15 

16 

14 

20 

21 

2 

8 

The  sum  is 

10. 

The 

sum  is 

65. 

But  the  connexion  of  certain  numbers  with  the  dogmas  of 
religion  was  sufficient,  besides  their  marvellous  properties,  to 
make  superstition  attach  itself  to  them.  Because  there  were 
thirteen  at  the  table  when  the  Last  Supper  was  celebrated, 
and  one  of  the  number  betrayed  his  Master,  and  then  hung 
himself,  it  is  looked  upon  through  Christendom  as  unlucky  to 
sit  down  thirteen  at  table,  the  consequence  being  that  one  of 
the  number  will  die  before  the  year  is  out  "  When  I  see," 
said  Vouvenargues,  "  men  of  genius  not  daring  to  sit  down 
thirteen  at  table,  there  is  no  error  ancient  or  modem  which 
astonishes  me." 

Nine,  having  been  consecrated  by  Buddhism,  is  regarded 
with  great  veneration  by  the  Moguls  and  Chinese :  the  latter 
bow  nine  times  on  entering  the  presence  of  their  Emperor. 

Three  is  sacred  among  Brahminical  and  Christian  peoples, 
because  of  the  Trinity  of  the  Godhead. 


Appendix  E  651 

Pythagoras  taught  that  each  number  had  its  own  peculiai 
character,  virtue,  and  properties. 

"  The  unit,,  or  the  monad,"  he  says,  "  is  the  principle  and 
the  end  of  all ;  it  is  this  sublime  knot  which  binds  together 
the  chain  of  causes ;  it  is  the  symbol  of  identity,  of  equality^ 
of  existence,  of  conservation,  and  of  general  harmony. 
Having  no  parts,  the  monad  represents  Divinity;  it  an- 
nounces also  order,  peace,  and  tranquillity,  which  are 
founded  on  unity  of  sentiments ;  consequently  One  is  a  good 
principle 

"  The  number  Two,  or  the  dyad,  the  origin  of  contrasts,  is 
the  symbol  of  diversity,  or  inequality,  of  division  and  of 
separation.  Two  is  accordingly  an  evil  principle,  a  num- 
ber of  bad  augury,  characterizing  disorder,  confusion,  and 
change. 

**  Three,  or  the  triad,  is  the  first  of  unequals ;  it  is  the 
number  containing  the  most  sublime  mysteries,  for  every 
thing  is  composed  of  three  substances;  it  represents  God, 
the  soul  of  the  world,  the  spirit  of  man."  This  number, 
which  plays  so  great  a  part  in  the  traditions  of  Asia,  and  in 
the  Platonic  philosophy,  is  the  image  of  the  attributes  of  God. 

"  Four,  or  the  tetrad,  as  the  first  mathematical  power,  is 
also  one  of  the  chief  elements ;  it  represents  the  generating 
virtue,  whence  come  all  combinations ;  it  is  the  most  perfect 
of  numbers ;  it  is  the  root  of  all  things.  It  is  holy  by  nature, 
since  it  constitutes  the  Divine  essence,  by  recalling  His 
unity,  His  power.  His  goodness,  and  His  wisdom,  the  four 
perfections  which  especially  characterize  God.  Consequently, 
Pythagoricians  swear  by  the  quaternary  number,  which 
gives  the  human  soul  its  eternal  nature. 

"  The  number  Five,  or  the  pentad,  has  a  peculiar  force  in 
sacred  expiations ;  it  is  every  thing ;  it  stops  the  power  of 
poisons,  and  is  redoubted  by  evil  spirits. 

*'  The  number  Six,  or  the  hexad,  is  a  fortunate  number, 
and  it  derives  its  merit  from  the   first  sculptors  having 


652  Appendix  E 

divided  the  face  into  six  portions ;  but,  according  to  the 
Chaldeans,  the  reason  is,  because  God  created  the  world  in 
six  days. 

*^  Seven,  or  the  heptad,  is  a  number  very  powerful  for 
good  or  for  evil.    It  belongs  especially  to  sacred  things. 

"  The  number  Eight,  or  the  octad,  is  the  first  cube,  Aat 
is  to  say,  squared  in  all  senses,  as  a  die,  proceeding  from 
its  base  two,  an  even  number ;  so  is  man  four-square,  or 
perfect 

**  The  number  Nine,  or  the  ennead,  being  the  multiple  of 
three,  should  be  regarded  as  sacred. 

"  Finally,  Ten,  or  the  decad,  is  the  measure  of  all,  since 
it  contains  all  the  numeric  relations  and  harmonies.  As  the 
reunion  of  the  four  first  numbers,  it  plays  an  eminent  part, 
since  all  the  branches  of  science,  all  nomenclatures,  emanate 
from,  and  retire  into  it" 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  here  to  do  more  than  mention 
the  peculiar  character  given  to  different  numbers  by  Chris- 
tianity. One  is  the  numeral  indicating  the  Unity  of  the  God- 
head ;  Two  points  to  the  hypostatic  union ;  Three  to  the 
Blessed  Trinity ;  Four  to  the  Evangelists ;  Five  to  the 
Sacred  Wounds  ;  Six  is  the  number  of  sin  ;  Seven  that  of 
the  gifts  of  the  Spirit ;  Eight  that  of  the  Beatitudes  ;  Ten  is 
the  number  of  the  Commandments :  Eleven  speaks  of  the 
Apostles  after  the  loss  of  Judas ;  Twelve,  of  the  complete 
apostolic  college. 

I  shall  now  point  out  certain  numbers  which  have  been 
regarded  with  superstition,  and  certain  events  connected  with 
numbers  which  are  of  curious  interest 

The  number  14  has  often  been  observed  as  having  isingu- 
larly  influenced  the  life  of  Henry  IV.  and  other  French 
princes.     Let  us  take  the  history  of  Henry. 

On  the  14th  May,  1029,  the  first  king  of  France  named 
Henry  was  consecrated,  and  on  the  14th  May,  1610,  the  last 
Henry  was  assassinated. 


Appendix  E  6^^ 

Fourteen  letters  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  name  of 
Henri  de  Bourbon,  who  was  the  14th  king  bearing  the  titles 
of  France  and  Navarre. 

The  14th  December,  1553,  that  is,  14  centuries,  14  decades, 
and  14  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  Henry  IV.  was  bom ; 
the  ciphers  of  the  date  1553,  when  added  together,  giving  the 
number  14. 

The  14th  May,  1554,  Henry  II.  ordered  the  enlargement 
of  the  Rue  de  la  Ferronnerie.  The  circumstance  of  this 
order  not  having  been  carried  out,  occasioned  the  miurder  of 
Henry  IV.  in  that  street,  four  times  14  years  after. 

The  14th  May,  1552,  was  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Mar- 
guerite de  Valois,  first  wife  of  Henry  IV. 

On  the  14th  May,  1588,  the  Parisians  revolted  against 
Henry  III.,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Duke  of  Guise. 

On  the  14th  March,  1590,  Henry  IV.  gained  the  battle  of 
Ivry. 

On  the  14th  May,  1590,  Henry  was  repulsed  from  the 
Fauxbourgs  of  Paris. 

On  the  14th  November,  1590,  the  Sixteen  took  oath  to  die 
rather  than  serve  Henry. 

On  the  14th  November,  1592,  the  Parliament  registered 
the  Papal  Bull  giving  power  to  the  legate  to  nominate  a  king 
to  the  exclusion  of  Henry. 

On  the  14th  December,  1599,  ^®  Duke  of  Savoy  was 
reconciled  to  Henry  IV. 

On  the  14th  September,  1606,  the  Dauphin,  afterwards 
Louis  XIII.,  was  baptized. 

On  the  14th  May,  1610,  the  king  was  stopped  in  the  Rue 
de  la  Ferronnerie,  by  his  carriage  becoming  locked  with  a 
cart,  on  accoimt  of  the  narrowness  of  the  street  Ravaillac 
took  advantage  of  the  occasion  for  stabbing  him. 

Henry  IV.  lived  four  times  14  years,  14  weeks,  and  four 
times  14  days ;  that  is  to  say,  56  years  and  5  months. 

On  the  14th  May,  1643,  died  Louis  XIII.,  son  of  Henry 


654  Appendix  E 

IV. ;  not  only  on  the  same  day  of  the  same  month  as  his 
father,  but  the  date,  1643,  when  its  ciphers  are  added 
together,  gives  the  number  14,  just  as  the  ciphers  of  the  date 
of  the  birth  of  his  father  gave  14. 

Louis  XIV.  mounted  the  throne  in  1643  : 

1+64-4  +  3  =  14. 

He  died  in  the  year  1715:  i+7  +  i-f5  =  i4- 

He  lived  77  years,  and  7  -f-  7  =  14. 

Louis  XV.  mounted  the  throne  in  the  same  year  ;  he  died 
in  1774,  which  also  bears  the  stamp  of  14,  the  extremes  being 
14,  and  the  sum  of  the  means  7  +  7  making  14. 

Louis  XVL  had  reigned  14  years  when  he  convoked  the 
States  General,  which  was  to  bring  about  the  Revolution. 

The  number  of  years  between  the  assassination  of  Henry 
IV.  and  the  dethronement  of  Louis  XVI.  is  divisible  by  14. 

Louis  XVII.  died  in  1794  ;  the  extreme  digits  of  the  date 
are  14,  and  the  first  two  give  his  number. 

The  restoration  of  the  Bourbons  took  place  in  1814,  also 
marked  by  the  extremes  being  14 ;  also  by  the  sum  of  the 
ciphers  making  14. 

The  following  are  other  curious  calculations  made  respect- 
ing certain  French  kings. 

Add  the  ciphers  composing  the  year  of  the  birth  or  of  the 
death  of  some  of  the  kings  of  the  third  race,  and  the  result  of 
each  sum  is  the  titular  number  of  each  prince.     Thus  : — 

Louis  IX.  was  bom  in  12 15  ;  add  the  four  ciphers  of  this 
date,  and  you  have  IX. 

Charles  VII.  was  born  in  1402  ;  the  sum  of  i  +  4  -f  2 
gives  VII. 

Louis  XI  I.  was  born  in  1461 ;  and  i-f4-f6-fi  =  XII. 

Henry  IV.  died  in  1610 ;  and  i  -f-  6  -f-  i  =  twice  IV. 

Louis  XIV.  was  crowned  in  1643  J  ^^^  these  four  ciphers 
give  XIV.  The  same  king  died  in  17 15;  and  this  date 
gives  also  XIV.     He  was  aged  77  years,  and  again  7  +  7 


Appendix  E  655 

Louis  XVIII.  was  bom  in  1755;  add  the  digits,  and  you 
have  XVIII. 

What  is  remarkable  is,  that  this  number  18  is  double  the 
number  of  the  king  to  whom  the  law  first  applies,  and  is  triple 
the  number  of  the  kings  to  whom  it  has  applied. 

Here  is  another  curious  calculation  : — 
Robespierre  fell  in  1794 ; 
Napoleon  in  1815,  and  Charles  X.  in  1830. 

Now  the  remarkable  fact  in  connexion  with  these  dates  is, 
that  the  sum  of  the  digits  composing  them,  added  to  the 
dates,  gives  the  date  of  the  fall  of  the  successor.  Robespierre 
fell  in  1794 ;  1  +  7  +  9  +  4  =  21,  1794  -|-  21  =  1815,  the 
date  of  the  fall  of  Napoleon ;  i-f8-fi+5=i5,  and 
1815  -h  15  =  1830,  the  date  of  the  fall  of  Charles  X. 

There  is  a  singular  rule  which  has  been  supposed  to  deter- 
mine the  length  of  the  reigning  Pope's  life,  in  the  earlier  half 
of  a  century.  Add  his  number  to  that  of  his  predecessor,  to 
that  add  ten,  and  the  result  gives  the  year  of  his  death. 

Pius  VII.  succeeded  Pius  VI.;  6  +  7  =  13  ;  add  10,  and 
the  sum  is  23.     Pius  VII.  died  in  1823. 

Leo  XII.  succeeded  Pius  VII.;  12  +  7  +  10  =  29;  and 
Leo  XII.  died  in  1829. 

Pius  VIII.  succeeded  Leo  XII. ;  8  -f-  12  -|-  10  =  30;  and 
Pius  VIII.  died  in  1830. 

However,  this  calculation  does  not  always  apply. 

Gregory  XVI.  ought  to  have  died  in  1834,  but  he  did  not 
actually  vacate  his  see  till  1 846. 

It  is  also  well  known  that  an  ancient  tradition  forbids  the 
hope  of  any  of  S.  Peter's  successors,  pervenire  ad  annos 
Petri;  i.  e.  to  reign  25  years. 

And  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  all  have  vacated  the 
throne  before  that  time  is  complete  ;  Pius  IX.  must  not  reigu 
beyond  187 1. 

The  Popes  who  have  sat  longest  are 


656 


Appendix  E 

Years. 

Months. 

Da>'S. 

Pius  VI.,  who  reigned 

24 

6 

14 

Hadrian  I.           „ 

n 

10 

17 

Pius  VII.             „ 

n 

5 

6 

Alexander  III,    „ 

21 

II 

23 

S.  Silvester  I.      „ 

21 

0 

4 

There  is  one  numerical  curiosity  of  a  very  remarkable 
character,  which  I  must  not  omit 

The  ancient  Chamber  of  Deputies,  such  as  it  existed  in 
1830,  was  composed  of  402  members,  and  was  divided  into 
two  parties.  The  one,  numbering  221  members,  declared 
itself  strongly  for  the  revolution  of  July;  the  other  party, 
numbering  181,  did  not  favour  a  change.  The  result  was  the 
constitutional  monarchy,  which  re-established  order  after  the 
three  memorable  days  of  July.  The  parties  were  known  by 
the  ^following  nicknames.  The  larger  was  commonly  called 
La  queue  de  Robespierre^  and  the  smaller,  Les  honnites  gens. 
Now  the  remarkable  fact  is,  that  if  we  give  to  the  letters  of 
the  alphabet  their  numerical  values  as  they  stand  in  their 
order,  ais  i  for  A,  2  for  B,  3  for  C,  and  so  on  to  Z,  which  is 
valued  at  25,  and  then  write  vertically  on  the  left  hand  the 
words.  La  queue  de  Robespterrt,  with  the  number  equivalent 
to  each  letter  opposite  to  it,  and  on  the  right  hand,  in  like 
manner,  Les  honnites  gens,  if  each  column  of  numbers  be 
summed  up,  the  result  is  the  number  of  members  who 
formed  each  party. 

I    a    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    II     12    13    14    15    16 
ABCDEFGHI      J      KLMNOP 

17   18   19  20  21   22   23  24  25 
QRSTUVXYZ 


Appendix  E 

r— 12 

* 

t-"— la 

> —  I 

w— 5 

0-17 

w — 10 

c— 21 

K-8 

w—  5 

0—15 

c— 21 

s:— 14 

w— 5 

s:— 14 

0—  4 

w— 5 

» —  5 

H — 20 

w-  5 

5;d— 18 

w  —19 

0—15 

c— 7 

w —  2 

w— 5 

w—  5 

!z!--r4 

ui — 19 

CO — 19 

M t/\ 

— -  9 

181 

w—  5 

JO     18 

5«— 18 

w— 6 

231 

Majority  ,    .    .    . 

22! 

Minority  .... 

181 

Total 

402 

657 


Some  coincidences  of  dates  are  very  remarkable. 

On  the  25th  August,  1569,  the  Calvinists  massacred  the 

itholic  nobles  and  priests  of  B^am  and  Navarre. 

On  the  same  day  of  the  same  month,  in  1572,  the  Cal- 

nists  were  massacred  in  Paris  and  elsewhere. 

On  the  25th  October,  1615,  Louis  XIII.  married  Anne  of 

astria,  infanta  of  Spain;  whereupon  we  may  remark  the 

Qowing  coincidences : — 

U   U 


658  Appendix  E 

The  name  Loys*  de  Bourbon  contains  13  letters,  so  does 
the  name  Anne  d'Autriche. 

Louis  was  13  years  old  when  this  marriage  was  decided 
on.    Anne  was  the  same  age. 

He  was  the  thirteenth  king  of  France  bearing  the  name  of 
Louis,  and  she  was  the  thirteenth  infanta  of  the  name  of 
Anne  of  Austria. 

On  the  23rd  of  April,  j6i6,  died  Shakspeare  :  on  the  same 
day  of  the  same  month,  in  the  same  year,  died  the  great  poet 
Cervantes. 

On  the  apth  May,  1630,  King  Charles  IL  was  bom. 

On  the  29th  May,  1660,  he  was  restored. 

On  the  29th  May,  1672,  the  fleet  was  beaten  by  the  Dutch. 

On  the  29th  May,  1679,  the  rebellion  of  the  Covenanters 
broke  out  in  Scotland. 

The  Emperor  Charles  V.  was  bom  on  February  24th, 
1500  ;  on  that  day  he  won  the  battle  of  Pavia,  in  1525,  and 
on  the  same  day  was  crowned  in  1530. 

On  the  29th  January,  1697,  M.  de  Broquemar,  president  of 
the  Parliament  of  Paris,  died  suddenly  in  that  city;  next  day 
his  brother,  an  officer,  died  suddenly  at  Bergue,  where  he 
was  governor.  The  lives  of  these  brothers  present  remark- 
able coincidences.  One  day  the  officer,  being  engaged  in 
battle,  was  wounded  in  his  leg  by  a  sword-blow.  On  the 
same  day,  at  the  same  moment,  the  president  was  sifflicted 
with  acute  pain,  which  attacked  him  suddenly  in  the  same 
leg  as  that  of  his  brother  which  had  been  injured. 

John  Aubrey  mentions  the  case  of  a  fi*iend  of  his  who  was 
bom  on  the  15th  November ;  his  eldest  son  was  bom  on  tne 
15th  November ;  and  his  second  son's  first  son  on  the  same 
day  of  the  same  month. 

At  the  hour  of  prime,  April  6th,  1327,  Petrarch  first  saw 

^  Up  to  Louis  XII I.  all  the  kings  of  this  name  spelled 
Louis  as  Loys. 


Appendix  E  659 

his  mistress  Laura,  in  the  Church  of  S.  Clara  in  Avignon. 
In  the  same  city,  same  month,  same  hoiu-,  1348,  she  died. 

The  deputation  charged  with  offering  the  crown  of  Greece 
to  Prince  Otho,  arrived  in  Munich  on  the  13th  of  October, 
1833 ;  and  it  was  on  the  13th  October,  1862,  that  King  Otho 
left  Athens,  to  return  to  it  no  more. 

On  the  2ist  April,  1770,  Louis  XVL  was  married  at 
Vienna,  by  the  sending  of  the  ring. 

On  the  3ist  June,  in  the  same  year,  took  place  the  fatal 
festivities  of  his  marriage. 

On  the  3ist  January,  1781,  was  Xh&fite  at  the  H6tel  de 
Ville,  for  the  birth  of  the  Dauphin. 

On  the  2 1  St  June,  1791,  took  place  the  flight  to  Varennes. 

On  the  2 1  St  January,  1793,  he  died  on  the  scaffold. 

December  2nd  is  as  remarkable  a  day  in  Bonapartist 
annals  as  September  3rd  in  Cromwellian.  On  that  day  in 
1804,  Napoleon  L  was  crowned.  The  same  day  in  the  next 
year  he  won  his  chief  victory  of  Austerlitz.  On  December 
2nd,  1 851,  Napoleon  IIL  made  himself  master  of  France,  on 
December  2nd,  1852,  he  was  proclaimed  Emperor. 

There  is  said  to  be  a  tradition  of  Norman-monkish  origin, 
that  the  number  3  is  stamped  on  the  Royal  line  of  England, 
so  that  there  shall  not  be  more  than  three  princes  in  suc- 
cession without  a  revolution. 

William  L,  William  IL,  Henry  L ;  then  followed  the  revo- 
lution of  Stephen. 

Henry  H.,  Richard  L,  John;  invasion  of  Louis,  Dauphin 
of  France,  who  claimed  the  throne. 

Henry  III.,  Edward  L,  Edward  IL,  who  was  dethroned 
and  put  to  death. 

Edward  III.,  Richard  1 1.,  who  was  dethroned. 

Henry  IV.,  Henry  V,  Henry  VI. ;  the  crown  passed  to  the 
house  of  York. 

Edward  IV.,  Edward  V.,  Richard  III.;  the  crown  claimed 
and  won  by  Henry  Tudor. 


66o  Appendix  E 

I  lenry  VI  I.,  Henry  VI 1 1.,  Edward  VI. ;  usurpation  of  Lady 
Jane  Grey. 

Mary  I.,  Elizabeth ;  the  crown  passed  to  the  House  oC 
Stuart. 

James  I.,  Charles  I. ;  Revolution. 

Charles  11.,  James  II.;  invasion  of  William  of  Orange. 

William  of  Orange  and  Mary  II.,  Anne;  arrival  of  the 
House  of  Brunswick. 

George  I.,  George  II.,  George  III.,  George  IV.,  William 
IV.,  Victoria,  The  law  has  proved  faulty  in  the  last  case; 
but  certainly  there  was  a  crisis  in  the  reign  of  George  IV. 

The  number  88  seems  to  have  been  fatal  to  the  House  of 
Stuart,  and  the  date  September  3,  had  influence  on  the 
fortunes  of  Oliver  CromwelL 

Robert  II.,  the  first  Stuart  king,  died  in  1388,  James  II. 
was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Roxburgh  in  1488,  Mary  Stuart  was 
beheaded  in  1588  (new  style),  James  II.  dethroned  in  1688, 
Charles  Edward  died  in  1788,  and  with  him  the  last  hopes  of 
the  Jacobites.  Oliver  Cromwell  was  bom  September  3, 
1599,  won  the  battle  of  Dunbar  September  3,  1650,  that  of 
Worcester  September  3,  1651,  and  died  September  3,  1658. 

As  I  am  on  the  subject  of  the  English  princes,  I  will  add 
another  singular  coincidence,  though  it  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  fatality  of  numbers. 

It  is  that  Saturday  has  been  a  day  of  ill  omen  to  the  later 
kings. 

William  of  Orange  died  Saturday  i8th  March,  1703. 

Anne  died  Saturday  ist  August,  1704. 

George  I.  died  Saturday  loth  June,  1727. 

George  II.  died  Saturday  25th  October,  1760. 

George  III.  died  Saturday  30th  January,  1820. 

George  IV.  died  Saturday  26th  June,  1830. 

THE  END. 


^ND   ftlVINGTON,    PRINTERS,   ST.   J0HN*8  SqiTARE,   LONDON. 


October^  1869. 


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lo  ittcisrs.  l&tbington's  ^eto  publications 


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Christ. 

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Introduction  to  the  Devout  Life, 

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Vestiarivm  Christianvm:  the  Origin 

and  Gradual  Development  of  the  Dress  of  the  Holy  Ministry  in 
the  Church,  as  evidenced  by  Monuments  both  of  Literature 
and  of  Art,  from  the  Apostolic  Age  to  the  present  time. 

By  the  Rev.  Wharton  B.  Harriott,  M.  A.,  F.S.  A.  (sometime 
Fellow  of  Exeter  Collie,  Oxford,  and  Assistant-Master  at 
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licence  from  the  Bishop,  in  the  Diocese  of  Oxford. 

Royal  8vo.    38J. 

The    Annotated    Book    of    Common 

Prayer;  being  an  Historical,   Ritual,  and  Theological  Com- 
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Fourth  Edition.     Imperial  8vo.    36X. 

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Light  in  the  Heart ;  or,  Short  M edit  a- 

tions  on  Subjects  which  concern  the  Soul.     Translated  from 
the  French. 

Edited  by  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Butler,  M.  A.,  Vicar  of  Wantage. 

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The  True  Passover. 

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Sickness;    its    Trials  and  Blessings. 

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Hymns  and  Poems  for  the  Sick  and 

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The    Dogmatic    Faith:    an    Inqttiry 

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Surbiton. 

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&C.   &C. 

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Curious  Myths  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

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{ 


The  History  of  the  Church  of  Ireland. 

In  Eight  Sermons  preached  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

By  Chr.  Wordsworth,  D.D.,   Bishop  of  Lincoln,  fonnerly 
Canon  of  Westminster  and  Archdeacon. 

Crown  8vo.     6j. 

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V.  The  Books  of  Kings,  Chronicles, 
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Edition I     I     o 

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X.  Jeremiah,      Lamentations,      and 

Vol.  V.  -^  Eiekiel .110 

XI.  The  Minor  Prophets.     {In  Pre- 
paration, ) 

Manual  of  Family  Demotions,  arranged 

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By  the  Hon.  AngustuB  Dunoomhe,  D.D.,  Dean  of  York. 
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{ 


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Anglo-Saxon  Witness  on  Four  Alleged 

Requisites  for  Holy  Communion — Fasting,  "Water,  Altar 
Lights,  and  Incense. 

By  Rev.  J.  Baron,  M.A.  Rector  of  Upton  Scudamore, 
Wilts. 

8vo.     5J. 

Perranzabuloe,  the  Lost  Church  Found; 

or.  The  Church  of  England  not  a  New  Church,  but  Ancient, 
Apostolical,  and  Independent,  and  a  Protesting  Church  Nine 
Hundred  Years  before  the  Reformation. 

By  the  Rev.  C.  T.  ColliiiB  Trelawny,  M.A.,  formerly  Rector  of 
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Catechesis ;   or,  Christian  Instruction 

preparatory  to  Confirmation  and  First  Communion. 

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Andrew's. 

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Service. 
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Warnings  of  the    Holy   Week,  &c.; 

being  a  Course  of  Parochial  Lectures  for  the  Week  before 
Easter  and  the  Easter  Festivals. 

By  the  Rev.  W.  Adami,  M.  A.,  late  Vicar  of  St  Peter's-in- 
the-East,  Oxford,  and  Fellow  of  Merton  College. 
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A  Glossary  of  Ecclesiastical  Terms ; 

containing  Explanations  of  Terms  used  in  Architecture,  Eccle- 
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Crown  8vo.     (/«'  the  Press. ) 

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Common  Prayer,  printed  in  Red  and  Black,  on  fine  toned  Paper; 
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a  Vols.    Impl.  8vo.    4/*       ' 
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tinctly  considered  and  explained,  with  many  Useful  Rules  for 
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Collie,  Oxford, 
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§ 

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33  ildessrs.  l&fbfngton's  £UtB  ^^vlblitatieiis 


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Vol.  III. — Galatians  to  Philemon.     Fourth  Edition,     i&r. 
Vol.  IV. — Hebrews  to  Revelation.     Hiird  Edition,     33x, 

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Readers ;  containing  the  Authorized  Version,  with  a  revised 
English  Text ;  Marginal  References ;  and  a  Critical  and 
Explanatory  Commentary.  By  Heipry  Alford,  D.D.,  Dean  of 
Canterbury. 

Now  complete  in  3  Vols,  or  4  Parts,  price  54?.  6^. 

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Edition,     1 2s, 
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I  or.  dd. 
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Edition,     \^s. 
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>ftii,  ^xforlr,  anlr  Cambrilri^e 


J^ssrs.  l&i&ington's  i^io  ^ttibUtBtiiiiis  35 


The  Sword  and  the  Keys* 

The  Civil  Power  in  its  Relations  to  The  Church;  considered 

with  Special   Reference  to  the  Court  of  Final  Ecclesiastical 

Appeal  in  England.     With  Appendix  containing  all  Statutes 

on  which  the  Jurisdiction  of  that  Tribunal  over  Spiritual  Causes 

is  Founded,  and  also,  all  Ecclesiastical  Judgments  delivered  by 

it  since  those  published  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London  in  1865. 

By  James  Waylaad  Joyce,  M.A.,  Rector  of  Burford,  Salop. 

8^0.     I  ox.  (id. 

An  Attempt  to  determine  yohn  JVes- 

ley's  place  in  Church  History,  with  the  aid  of  Facts  and 
Documents  unknown  to,  or  unnoticed  by,  his  Biographers. 

By  E.  Denny. Urlin,  M.R.LA.,    of  the  Middle  Temple, 
Barrister-a^Law  ;  Author  of  "The  Office  of  Trustee,"  &c.,  &c. 

Small  8vo.     {In  the  Press,) 

Consoling  Thoughts  in  Sickness. 

Edited  by  Henry  Bailey,  B.D.,  Warden  of  St.  Augustine's 
College,  Canterbury. 

Large  type.     Small  Svo.     2J.  6d, 

Thoughts  on  Personal  Religion  ;  being 

a  Treatise  on  the  Christian  Life  in  its  Two  Chief  Elements, 
Devotion  and  Practice. 

By  Edward  Meyrick  Goulbiim,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Norwich* 
New  Edition,     Small  Svo.     6^.  dd. 

An  Edition  for  Presentation,  Two  Volumes,  small  Svo.     lor.  dd. 

AlsOy  a  Cheap  Edition,     Small  Svo.     ^s,  6d, 

On    Miracles;    being    the    Bampton 

Lectures  for  1865. 

By  J.  B    Mozley,  B.D.,  Canon  of  Worcester,  late  Fellow 
of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford. 

Second  Edition,     Svo.     lor.  dd. 


Jttctsn.  lEUbittgtitt's  JkiD  fttbliortions 


Nearly  ready,  in  Imperial  870. 
PART   I.   (containing  A— I.) 

A  DICTIONARY  OK  DOCTRINAL  AND 
HISTORICAL  THEOLOGY, 

BY  rAKIOUS   JfTRITERS. 

EDITED    BY  THK 

Rev,  JOHN   HENRY   BLUNT,   M.A.,   F.S.A, 

KDITOR  OF  "THK  ANNOTATED  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PItATi*KR." 


THIS  is  the  first  portion  of  the  "  Summary  of  Tlieology 
and  Ecclesiastical  History^^  which  Messrs,  Rruington  pro- 
pose to  publish  in  eight  volumes  as  a  "  Thesaurus  Theo- 
logicus^^  for  the  Clergy  and  Reading  Laity  of  the  Church 
of  England. 

It  consists  of  original  articles  on  all  the  important  Doc- 
trines of  Tlieology^  and  on  other  questions  tiecessaty  for  their 
further  illustrcUion,  the  articles  being  carefully  written  with 
a  view  to  modem  thought^  as  well  as  a  respect  for  ancient 
authority. 

The  Dictionary  will  be  completed  in  two  parts. 


il^ssrs.  l^tbtngtoii's  fitto  ^uliiicattons  25 


JV£  W  PAMPHLETS 

BY  THE  BISHOP  OF  ST.  DAVID'S. 

The  Spirit  of  Truth  the  Holy  Spirit:  a  Sermon, 

preached  before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  on  Whitsunday,  May  i6,  1869. 
8vo.     IS, 

BY  ARCHDEACON  BICKERSTETH. 

Christian    Mourners    not   Hopeless  Mourners:    a 

Sermon,  preached  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Monks'  Risborough,  on  Sunday, 
June  27, 1869,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Death  of  Mrs.  Evetts,  vrife  of  the  Rector 
of  that  parish.     8vo.     xs. 

TIte  Filling  of  all  Things  by  our  Ascended  Lord:  a 

Sermon,  preached  in  Westminster  Abbey,  on  St  Matthias'  Day,  Feb.  24. 
1869,  on  the  Occasion  of  the  Consecration  gf  Dr.  Wordsworth,  Bishop  Elect 
of  Lincoln  ;  Dr.  Hatchard,  Bishop  Designate  of  Mauritius  ;  and  Dr.  Turner, 
Bishop  Designate  of  Grafton  and  Armidale.    8vo.     xs. 

BY  THE  REV.  H.  P.  LIDDON. 

Life  in  Death:  a  Sermon,  preached  in   Salisbury 

Cathedral,  on  the  xzth  Sunday  after  Trinity,  August  8,  1869,  being  the  day 
after  the  Funeral  of  Walter  Kerr  Hamilton,  D.D.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Salisbur>'. 
8vo.     xs, 

A  Sister's  Work:  a  Sermon,  preached  in  substance 

at  All  Saints',  Margaret  Street,  on  the  Second  Sunday  after  Trinity,  1869. 
8vo.     If. 

Christ  and  Hinnan  Law :  a  Sermon,  preached  be- 

fore  the  University,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Justice  Hannen,  and  the  Hon.  Mr.  Justice 
Keating,  Her  Majesty's  learned  Judges  of  Assize,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Mary 
the  Virgin,  Oxford,  on  the  Third  Sunday  in  Lent,  February  28,  1869.  SecoTui 
Edition.    With  a  Note  on  Divorce.    8vo.    xs. 

Christ  and  Education :  a  Sermon,  preached  at  St. 

James's,  Piccadilly,  on  the  Third  Sunday  after  Trinity,  1869.    8vo.     xs. 


Xontion,  Oxfortr,  atcti  Cambritrgc 


26  jpSU»K%.  18JMimiimCfk  fiitiD  ^u^UcoUoius 


iVE  W  PAMPHLETS 

KY  THE  REV.  R.  W.   BARNES. 

Three  Sermous,  prcacltcd  in  Exeter  Catfiedraly  oil  the 

7th,  8th,  and  9th  Sundays  after  Trinity,  July  xith,  xMi,  and  astfa,  1869. 
8vo.    IX.  td, 

BY  THE  REV.  C.  N.  GRAY. 

Statement  on   Confession,       With   full  Catena  of 

Anglican  Divines.     Third  Edition.    6dm 

BY  THE  REV.  JAMES  GERALD  JOYCE. 

Can  the  Liturgy  be  used  to  attach  the  People  to  the 

Church?  .\  Paper,  read  before  the  Churchman's  Association  for  the. Rural 
Deaneries  of  Andovcr,  Basingstoke,  and  Chilbolton.    8w».    xs. 

BY  THE  REV.  GEORGE  HENRY  SUMNER. 

Peace,  Christ's  Legacy  to  His  Ckurcft:  a  Sermon 

preached  in  Westminster  Abbey,  at  the  Consecration  of  the  Rev.  Ashton 
(^.vendcn,  D.D.,  to  the  Metropolitan  See  of  Montreal,  on  Sunday,  August  i, 
1869.    8vo.     \s. 

BY  THE  REV.  G.  I.  PELLEW. 

A  Semton,  preached  at  St,  Mary's  Churchy  Putney ^ 

\\\  the  Defence  of  the  Athanasian  Creed,  on  the  first  Sunday  after  Trinity*, 
1S69.     8vo.     6d. 


A  Rnnciu  of  Mariolatry,   Liturgical,   Devotional , 

Doctrinal,  as  exhibited  in  the  Offices,  the  Devotional  and  Dogmatic. Books, 
at  present  used  in  the  Romish  Communion.    8vo.     if.  6^ 


The    Reformation    of    the    CJmrch    of    England, 

[a.d.  1514 — 1547.]    A  Review,  Reprinted  by  Permisaon  fix)m  the-  "Times," 
of  Februacy  27th  and  March  xst,  1869.    8vo.    td. 

Xontron,  ^xfortr,  antr  €Dambr(lrs< 


J^essrs.  l&iijin^ton's  Jttto  ^publicationB  :  7 


CATENA    CLASSICORUM, 

A  SERIES  OF  CLASSICAL  AUTHORS, 

EDITED     BY     MEMBERS    OF    BOTH     UNIVERSITIES     UNDER 

THE   DIRECTION   OF 

THE  REV.  ARTHUR  HOLMES,  M.A. 

FELLOW  AND  LECTURER  OF  CLARB  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE,  LECTURER  AND  LATR 

FELLOW  OF  ST.   JOHN's  COLLEGE, 

AND 

THE  REV.  CHARLES  BIGG,  M.A. 

LATE  SENIOR  STUDENT  AND  TUTOR  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH,  OXFORD,  SBCOND 
CLASSICAL  MASTER  OF  CHELTENHAM  COLLEGE. 

The  following  Parts  have  been  already  pnblidied:— 

SOPHOCLIS   TRAGOEDIAE, 

Edited  by  R.  C.  Jebb,  M.A.  Fellow  and  Assistant  Tutor  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge. 
[Part  I.   The  Electra.    3s.  6d,       Part  II.  The  Ajax.     3s.  6d. 

JUVENALIS   SATIRAE, 
Edited  by  G.  A.  SiMCOX,  M.A  Fellow  and  Classical  Lecturer  of 
Queen's  College,  Oxford.  [Thirteen  Satires.    3s.  6d, 

THUCYDIDIS   HISTORIA, 
Edited  by  Charles  Bigg,  M.A  late  Senior  Student  and  Tutor  of 
Christ  Church,  Oxford.     Second  Classical  Master  of  Chelten- 
ham College. 

[Vol.  I.  Books  I.  and  II.  with  Introducti(His.  6s. 

DEMOSTHENIS   ORATIONES   PUBLICAE, 
Edited  by  G.  H.  Heslop,  M.A.  late  Fellow  and  Assistant  Tutor 
of  Queen's  College,  Oxford.    Head  Master  of  St.  Bees. 

[Parts  I.  &  II.     The  Olynthiacs  and  the  Philippics.     4s.  6d. 

ARISTOPHANIS   COMOEDIAE, 
Edited  by  W.  C.   Green,   M.A.  late  Fellow  of  Kmg's  College, 
Cambridge.     Classical  Lecturer  at  Queens'  College. 

[Part  I.     The  Achamians  and  the  Knights.     4^. 
[Part  II.     The  Clouds.    3s.  6d. 
[Part  III.     The  Wasps.     3s.  dd. 

ISOCRATIS  ORATIONES, 
Edited  by  John  Edwin  Sandys,  B.A.  Fellow  and  Lecturer  of 
St.  John's  College,  and  Lecturer  at  Jesus  College,  Cambridge. 
[Part  I.     Ad  Demonicum  et  Panegyricus.    4J»  6</. 

A  PERSII  FLACCI  SATIRARUM  LIBER, 
Edited  by  A.   Pretor,    M.A.,  of  Trinity  College,    Cambridge, 
Classical  Lecturer  of  Trinity  Hall.     3s.  dd, 

IContron,  ^xfortr,  antr  Camlbrits^e 


28 


J^tMxs,  Hibington's  i^etD  ^ublicattons 


CA  TEN  A  CLA  SSIG^OR  UM-^Opinions  of  the  Press. 


*j: 


Mr,  /ebb's  Sophocles, 


"  Of  Mr.  JebVs  scholarly  edition  of 
the  '  Electra'  of  Sophocles  we  cannot 
speak  too  highly.  The  whole  Play 
bears  evidence  of  the  taste,  leanung, 
and  fine  scholarship  of  its  able  editor. 
Illustrations  drawn  from  the  literature 
of  the  Continent  as  well  as  of  England, 
and  the  researches  of  the  highest  clas- 
sical authorities  are  embodied  in  the 
notes,  which  are  ^  brief,  clear,  and 
always  to  the  point" — London  Re- 
zneWf  March  x6,  1867. 

"  The  editors^p  of  the  work  before 
us  is  of  a  very  high  order,  displaying 
at  once  ripe  scholarship,  soimd  judg- 
ment, and  conscientious  care.  An  ex- 
cellent Introduction  gives  an  account 
of  the  various  forms  assumed  in  Greek 
literature  by  the  legend  upon  which 
'  The  Electei '  is  founded,  and  institutes 
a  comparison  between  it  and  ^he 
*  Choephorae'  of  -^schylus.  The  text 
is  mainly  that  of  Dindorf.  In  the  notes, 
which  are  admirable  in  every  respect, 
is  to  be  foimd  exactly  what  is  wanted^ 
and  yet  they  rather  suggest  and  direct 
further  inqmry  than  supersede  exertion  • 
on  the  part  of  the  student." — Athe- 
naufti. 

"The  Introduction  proves  that  Mr. 
Jebb  is  something  more  than  a  mere 
scholar,  —  a  man  of  real  taste  and 
feeline.  His  criticism  upon  Schlej^el's 
remarks  on  the  Electra  are,  we  believe, 
new,  and  certsdnly  just.  As  we  have 
often  had  occasion  to  say  in  this  Review, 
it  is  impossible  to  pass  any  reliable 
criticism  upon  school-bcoks  until  they 
have  been  tested  by  experience.  The 
notes,  however,  in  this  case  appear  to 
be  clear  and  sensible,  and  duvet  at- 
tention to  the  points  where  attention  is 
most  needed." — Westminster  Review. 

*'We  have  no  hesitation  in  sajring 
that  in  style  and  manner  Mr.  Jebb|s 
notes  are  admirably  suited  for  their 


pur^se.  The  explanations  of  gram- 
matical points  are  singularly  lucid,  the 
parallel  passiges  generally  well  chosen, 
the  translations  bright  and  graceful, 
the  analysis  of  azKuments  terse  and 
luminous.  Mr.  Jebo  has  clearly  shown 
that  he  possesses  some  of  the  qualities 
most  essential  for  a  commentator." — 
Spectator. 

"The  notes  appear  to  us  exactly 
suited  to  assist  boys  of  the  Up^r 
Forms  at  Schools,  and  University 
students ;    they  give    suflSdent  help 

without  over-doing  explanations 

His  critical  remarks  show  acute  and 
exact  scholar^p,  and  a  very  useful 
addition  to  ordinary  notes  is  the  sdieme 
of  metres  in  the  choruses. " — Guardian. 

**  If,  as  we  are  fain  to  believe,  the 
editors  of  the  Catena  Classkorunt 
have  got  together  such  a  pick  of 
scholars  as  have  no  need  to  pmy  their 
best  card  first,  there  is  a  bright  promise 
of  success  to  their  series  in  uie  first 
sample  of  it  which  has  come  to  hand 
— Mr.  Jebb's  *  Electra.'  We  have  seen 
it  suggested  that  it  is  unsafe  to  pro- 
nounce on  the  merits  of  a  Greek  Play 
edited  for  educational  purposes  until  it 
has  been  tested  in  the  hands  of  pupils 
and  tutors.  But  our  examination  of  the 
instalment  of,  we  hope,  a  complete 
*  Sophocles,'  which  Mr.  Jebb  has  put 
forth,  has  assured  us  that  this  is  a 
needless  suspension  of  judgment,  and 
prompted  us  to  commit  the  justifiable 
rashness  of  pronouncing  upon  its  con- 
tents, and  of  asserting  after  due  perusal 
that  it  is  calculated  to  be  admirably 
serviceable  to  every  class  of  scholars 
and  learners.  And  this  assertion  is 
based  upon  the  fact  that  it  is  a  by  no 
means  one-sided  edition,  and  that  it 
looks  a^  with  the  hundred  eyes  of 
Argus,  here,  there,  and  every  where,  to 
keep  Uie  reader  from  straying.    In  a 


Xontron,  ^xfortr,  antr  CDambritigc 


iiltsdis.  Eibtnston's  i^ko  publications 


29 


CA  TEN  A  CLASSICORUM— Opinions  of  the  Press. 


concise  and  succinct  style  of  English 
annotation,  forming  the  best  substitute 
for  the  time-honoured  Latin  notes  which 
had  so  much  to  do  Mrith  making  eood 
scholars  in  days  of  yore,  Mr.  Jebb 
keeps  a  steady  eye  for  all  questions  of 
grammar,  construction,  scholarship,  and 
philology,  and  handles  these  as  they 
arise  with  a  helpful  and  sufficient  pre- 
cision. In  matters  of  grammar  and 
syntax  his  practice  for  the  most  part  is 
to  refer  his  reader  to  the  proper  section 
of  Madvig's  *  Manual  of  Greek  Syn- 
tax :*  nor  does  he  ever  waste  sjiace 
and  time  in  explaining  a  construction, 
unless  it  be  such  an  one  as  is  not  satis- 
factorily dealt  with  in  the  grammars 
of  Madvig  or  Jelf.  Experience  as  a 
pupil  and  a  teacher  has  probably  taught 
him  the  value  of  the  wholesome  task 
of  hunting  out  a  grammar  reference 
for  oneself  instead  of  finding  it,  handy 
for  slurring  over,  amidst  the  hundred 
and  one  pieces  of  information  in  a 
voluminous  foot-note.  But  whenever 
there  occurs  any  peculiarity  of  con- 
struction, which  is  hard  to  reconcile 


to  the  accepted  usage,  it  is  Mr.  Jebb*s 
general  practice  to  be  ready  at  hand 
with  manful  assistance." — Content^ 
rarv  Review. 

'Mr.  Jebb  has  produced  a  work 
which  will  be  read  with  interest  and 
profit  by  the  most  advanced  scholar, 
as  it  contains,  in  a  compact  form,  not 
only  a  careful  summary  of  the  labours 
of  preceding  editors,  but  also  many 
acute  and  ingenious  original  remarks. 
We  do  not  know  whether  the  matter 
or  the  manner  of  this  excellent  com- 
mentary is  deserving  of  the  higher 
praise  :  the  skill  with  which  Mr.  Jebb 
has  avoided,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
wearisome  prolixity  of  the  Germans, 
and  on  the  other  the  jejune  brevity  of 
the  Porsonian  critics,  or  the  versatility 
which  has  enabled  him  in  turn  to 
elucidate  the  plots,  to  explain  the 
verbal  difficulties,  and  to  illustrate  the 
idioms  of  his  author.  All  this,  by  a 
studious  economy  of  space  and  a  re- 
markable precision  of  expression,  he 
has  done  for  the  *Ajax'  in  a  volume 
of  some  200  pages." — Athett/eum, 


Mr.  Simcox^s  Juvenal. 


*'  Of  Mr.  Simcox's  *  Jnvenal'  we  can 
only  speak  in  terms  of  the  highest  com- 
mendation, as  a  simple,  unpretending 
work,  admirably  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  the  school-boy  or  of  a  college  pass- 
man. It  is  clear,  concise,  and  scru- 
pulously honest  in  shirking  no  real 
difficulty.  The  pointed  epigrammatic 
hits  of  the  satirist  are  every  where  well 
brought  out,  and  the  notes  really  are 
what  they  profess  to  be,  explanatory  in 
the  best  sense  of  the  term." — London 
Review. 

"  This  is  a  link  in  the  Catena  Classi- 
corunt  to  which  the  attention  of  oixr 
readers  has  been  more  than  once  di- 
rected as  a  good  Series  of  Classical 
works  for  School  and  College  purposes. 
The  Introduction  is  a  very  comprehen- 
sive and  able  accoimt  of  Juvenal,  his 


satires,  and  the  manuscripts." — A  the' 
neeum. 

"This  is  a  very  original  and  en- 
joyable Edition  of  one  of  our  favourite 
classics. " — spectator. 

**  Every  class  of  readers— those  who 
use  Mr.  Simcox  as  their  sole  inter- 
preter, and  those  who  supplement 
larger  editions  by  his  concise  matter 
— will  alike  find  interest  and  careful 
research  in  his  able  Preface.  This 
indeed  we  should  call  the  great  feature 
of  his  book.  The  three  facts  which 
sum  up  Juvenal's  history  so  far  as  we 
know  it  are  soon  despatched ;  but  the 
internal  evidence  both  as  to  the  dates 
of  his  writing  and  publishing  his  Sa- 
tires, and  as  to  his  character  as  a 
writer,  occupy  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
pages,  which  will  repay  methodical 
study."  —  Churchman. 


IContJon,  ©ifortJ,  anlf  Cambritrge 


30 


iVUssrs.  Bibington's  i^to  judications 


CA  TEN  A  CLASSICORUM—Opintons  of  the  Press, 


Mr,  Bigg^s  Thucydides. 


*'Mr.  Bigg  in  his  'Thucydidcs* 
prefixes  an  analysis  to  each  book,  and 
an  admirable  introduction  to  the  whole 
work,  containing  full  information  as  to 
all  that  is  known  or  related  of  Thucy- 
dides,  and  tiie  date  at  which  he  wrote, 
followed  by  a  very  masterly  critique  on 
some  of  his  characteristics  as  a  writer." 

*'  While  disclaiming  absolute  ori- 
giiiality  in  his  book,  Mr.  Bigg  has  so 
tnoroughly  digested  the  works  of  so 
many  eminent  predecessors  in  the  same 
field,  and  is  evidently  on  terms  of  such 
intimacy  with  his  author  as  perforce 
to  in^ire  confidence.  A  well-pondered 
and  well-written  introduction  has  formed 
a  part  of  each  link  in  the  '  Catena ' 
hitherto  published,  and  Mr.  Bigg^  in 
addition  to  a  general  introduction, 
has  given  us  an  essay  on  '  Some  Cha- 
racteristics of  Thucydides,*  which  no 
one  can  read  without  being  iVnprcssed 


with  the  leamingand  judgment  brought 
to  bear  on  the  subject." — Standard. 

"  We  need  hardly  say  that  these 
books  are  carefully  edited;  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  editor  is  an  assurance  on 
this  point  If  the  rest  of  the  history  is 
edited  with  equal  care,  it  must  become 
the  standard  book  for  school  and 
college  purposes." — Jokn  Bull, 

"  Mr.  Bigs  first  discusses  the  facts 
of  the  life  of  Thucydides,  then  passes 
to  an  examination  into  the  date  at 
which  Thucydides  wrote  ;  and  in  the 
third  section  expatiates  on  s(une  cha- 
racteristics of  Thucydides.  These 
essays  are  remarkably  well  written, 
are  judicious  in  their  opinions,  and 
are  calculated  to  give  the  student  much 
insight  into  the  work  of  Thucydides, 
and  Its  relation  to  his  own  times,  and  to 
the  works  of  subsequent  historians." — 
Museum. 


Mr,  Heslofs  Demosthenes, 


**  The  usual  introduction  has  in  this 
case  been  dispensed  with.  The  reader 
is  referred  to  the  works  of  Grote  and 
'ITiirlwaU  for  information  on  such 
points  of  history  as  arise  out  of  these 
famous  orations,  and  on  points  of 
critical  scholarship  to  'Madvig's 
Grammar,'  where  that  is  available, 
while  copious  acknowledgments  are 
made  to  those  commentators  on  whose 
works  Mr.  Heslop  has  based  his  own. 
Mr.  Hcslop's  editions  are,  however, 
no  mere  compilations.  That  the  points 
required  in  an  oratorical  style  differ 
materially  from  those  in  an  historical 
style,  will  scarcely  be  questioned,  and 
accordingly  we  find  that  Mr.  Heslop 
has  given  special  care  to  those  cha- 
racteristics of  style  as  well  as  of  lan- 
guage, which  constitute  Demosthenes 
the  very  first  of  classic  orators." — 
Standard. 


"We  must  call  attention  to  New 
Editions  of  various  classics,  in  the 
excellent  '  Catena  Classiconim '  series. 
The  reputation  and  high  standing  of  the 
editors  are  the  best  guarantees  for  the 
accuracy  and  scholarship  of  the  notes." 
—  Westminster  Review. 

*'  The  notes  are  thoroughly  good,  so 
far  as  they  go.  Mr.  Heslop  has  care- 
fully digested  the  best  foreign  com- 
mentaries, and  his  notes  are  forthe  most 
part  judicious  extracts  firom  them." — 
Museum. 

"The  annotations  are  scarcely  less  to 
be  commended  for  the  exclusion  of 
superfluous  matter  than  for  the  excel- 
lence of  what  is  supplied.  Well-known 
works  are  not  quoted,  but  simply  re- 
ferred to,  and  information  which  ought 
to  have  been  previously  acquired  is 
omitted. " — A  thenaum. 


Xont^on,  ^xfortT)  antr  Cambritrgc 


i^cssrs.  Hibin^ton's  0ztD  ^lilicatuns 


31 


CA  TEN  A  CLA  SSICOR  UM— Opinio  fts  of  the  Press. 


Mr.  Greenes  Aristophanes. 


"  Mr.  Green  has  discharged  his  part 
of  the  work  with  uncommon  «kill  and 
ability.  The  notes  show  a  thorough 
study  of  the  two  Plays,  an  independent 
judgment  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
poet,  and  a  wealth  of  illustration,  from 
which  the  Editor  draws  whenever  it  is 
necessary. " — Museum. 

*'Mt.  Green'sadmirable  Introduction 
to  'The  Clouds'  of  the  celebrated 
comic  poet  deserves  a  careful  perusal, 
as  it  contains  an  acciuate  analysis  and 
many  original  comments  on  this  re- 
markable play.  The  text  is  prefaced 
by  a  table  of  readines  of  Dindorf  and 
Mdneke,  which  willbe  of  great  service 
to  students  who  wish  to  indulge  in 
verbal  criticism.  The  notes  are  copious 


and  lucid,  and  the  volume  will  be  foimd 
useful  for  school  and  college  puxposes, 
and  admirably  adapted  for  private 
reading. " — Examiner. 

"Mr.  Green  fwnuBhes  an  excellent 
Introduction  to  'The  Clouds'  of 
Aristophanes,  explaining  the  circum- 
stances imder  which  it  was  produced, 
and  ably  discussing  the  probable  object 
of  the  author  in  writing  it,  which  he 
considers  to  have  been  to  put  down 
the  Sophists,  a  class  whom  Aristo- 
phanes thought  dangerous  to  the  morals 
of  the  conununity,  and  therefore  ca- 
ricatured in  the  person  of  Socrates, — 
not  tmnaturally,  though  irreverently, 
choosing  him  as  their  repr^entative. 
— Athemeum, 


Mr,  Sandy's  Isocrates. 


"  Isocrates  *  has  not  received  the 
attention  to  which  the  simplicity  of 
his  style  and  the  purity  of  his  Attic 
language  entitle  him  as  a  means  of 
education.  Now  that  we  have  so  ad- 
mirable an  edition  of  two  of  his  Works 
best  adapted  for  such  a  purpose,  there 
will  no  longer  be  any  excuse  for  this 
neglect .  For  carefulness  and  thorough- 
ness of  editing,  it  yill  bear  comparison 
with  the  best,  whether  English  or 
foreign.  Besides  an  ample  supply  of 
exhmistive  notes  of  rare  exceflence, 
we  find  in  it  valuable  remarks  on  the 
style  of  Isocrates  and  the  state  of  the 
text,  a  table  of  various  readings,  a  list 
of  editions,  and  a  special  introduction 
to  each  piece.  As  m  other  editions  of 
this  series,  short  summaries  of  the 
argument  are  inserted  in  suitable 
places,  and  will  be  found  of  great 
service  to  the  student.  The  commen- 
tary embraces  explanations  of  difficult 
passages,  with  instructive  remarks  on 
^p-ammatical  usages,  and  the  deriva- 
tion and  meanings  of  words  illus- 
trated by  quotations  and  references." 
— A  thencettm. 

"This  Work  deserves  the  warmest 
welcome  for  several  reasons.  In  the 
first  place,  it  is  an  attempt  to  introduce 
Isocrates  into  our  schools,  and  this 
attempt  deserves  encouragement.  The 


Ad  Demonicunt  is  very  easy  Greek. 
It  is  eood  Greek.  And  it  is  reading  of 
a  healthy  nature  for  boys.  The  prac- 
tical wisdom  of  the  Greeks  is  in  many 
respects  fitted  to  the  capacities  of  boys ; 
and  if  books  containing  this  wisdom  are 
read  in  schools,  along  with  others  of  a 
historical  and  poetical  nature,  they  will 
be  felt  to  be  far  from  dry.  Then  the 
Editor  has  done  every  thing  that  an 
editor  should  do.  We  have  a  series  of 
short  introductory  essays ;  on  the  style 
of  Isocrates,  on  the  text,  on  the  .^</ 
Demonicum,  and  on  the  Panegyricus. 
These  are  characterized  by  sound  sense, 
Made  and  thorough  learning,  and  the 
capabihty  of  presenting  thoughts  clearly 
and  well" — Museum. 

"  By  editing  Isocrates  Mr.  Sandys 
does  good  service  to  students  and 
teachers  of  Greek  Prose.  He  places 
in  our  hands  in  a  convenient  form  an 
author  who  will  be  found  of  great  use 
in  public  schools,  where  he  has  been 
hitherto  almost  unknown.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Sandys  worthily  sustains  as  a  com- 
mentator the  name  which  he  has 
already  won.  The  historical  notes  are 
good,  clear,  and  concise ;  the  gram- 
matical notes  scholar-like  and  practi- 
csUly  useful.  Many,  will  be  welcome 
alike  to  master  and  pupil." — Cambridi^e 
University  Gazette. 


XontroH)  ^xforrtY,  antr  Cambrilrge 


o- 


->-  iilcssrs.  ISlibington's  i^cto  ^pubUcaiioriA 


CATENA  CLASSICORUM, 
The  following  Farts  ate  in  conrse  of  preparation:— 

PLATONIS   PHAEDO, 
Edited  by  Alfred  Barry,  D.D.  late  Fellow  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge ;  Principal  of  King's  College,  London. 

DEMOSTHENIS   ORATIONES   PUBLICAE, 
Edited  by  G.  H.  Heslop,  M.A.  late  Fellow  and  Assistant  Tutor 
of  Queen's  College,  Oxford ;  Head  Master  of  St  Bees. 

[Part  III.    De  Falsa  L^atione. 
MARTIALIS   EPIGRAMMATA, 
Edited  by  George  Butler,  M.A.  Principal  of  Liverpool  College ; 
late  Fellow  of  Exeter  College,  Oxford. 

DEMOSTHENIS   ORATIONES   PRIVATAE, 
Edited  by  Arthur  Holmes,  M.A.  Fellow  and  Lecturer  of  Clare 

College,  Cambridge.  [Part  I.     De  Coronl 

HOMERI   ILIAS, 
Edited  by  S.  H.  Reynolds,  M.A.  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Brasenose 

College,  Oxford.  [Vol.  I.  Books  I.  to  XII. 

HORATI  OPERA, 
Edited  by  J.  M.  Marshall,  M.A.  Fellow  and  late  Lecturer  of 
Brasenose  College,   Oxford ;  one  of  the  Masters  in  Clifton 
College.' 

TERENTI   COMOEDIAE, 
Edited  by  T.  L.  Papillon,  M.A.  Fellow  and  Classical  Lecturer  of 
s  '^Merton  College,  Oxford.  [Part  I.  Andfia  et  Eunuchus. 

HERODOTI   HISTORIA, 
Edited  by  H.   G.  Woods,  M.A.   Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Trinity 
College,  Oxford. 

TACITI   HISTORIAE, 
Edited  by  W.  H.  SiMCOX,  M.A.  Fellow  and  Lecturer  of  Queen's 
College,  Oxford. 

OVIDI  TRISTIA, 
Edited  by  Oscar  Browning,   M.A.  Fellow  of  King's  College, 
Cambridge  ;  and  Assistant  Master  at  Eton  College. 

CICERONIS  ORATIONES, 
Edited  by  Charles  Edward  Graves,  M.A.   Classical  Lecturer 
and  late  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge. 

[Part  I.  Pro  P.  Sextio. 

THEOPHRASTI  CHARACTERES, 
Edited  by  A.    Pretor,    M.A.    of  Trinity   College,    Cambrid^^e ; 
Classical  Lecturer  of  Trinity  Hall. 

Xontron,  ©xfortr,  antr  ©amljrtoge  y^ 


\c 


*<;  ■ 


'   I