Magic was, in ancient times, a favourite study among the
learned. Plato, Pythagoras, and other men of note, travelled over
many countries to learn this art. After studying for a long time,
they publicly communicated the knowledge of magic to students
from every quarter of the globe. The knowledge acquired by
magicians, if real, was wonderful. One discovered that, by tying
a bull to a fig tree, the animal, though of a furious nature,
instantly became subdued. The same authority states that, by
hanging an old tough fowl on the same description of tree, it
would become tender. Another professor of magic taught that the
feathers of an eagle, mixed with those of other birds, would
consume them, and that a small fish called Remora could stop the
progress of a ship at sea. Magicians supplied precious stones to
public speakers, the possession of which made them eloquent, and
brought them into favour with princes. A certain gem carried in a
husband's pocket made him love his wife,[Pg 340]
and enabled him to overcome his enemies. Coral was a preventative
against witchcraft, hence the fashion of ladies and children
wearing necklaces and bracelets of this material. Hyacinth
brought down rain, obscured the sun, and preserved from
lightning. One stone resisted drunkenness, so that the bearer
could be able to drink freely without becoming intoxicated. A
chalcedony made the wearer lucky at law, increased the vigour of
one's body, and prevented illusions of the devil. Those
acquainted with magical art concluded that all stones possessed
virtues, infused into them by the influence of planets.
Alexander, Hermes, Zoroaster, and several other ancients,
entertained this opinion. Magicians were the first to set stones
in rings—an invention which, if not beneficial to man and
woman, has helped to adorn their persons.
Gems used for magical purposes required to be set in such
metals as had affinity with the planets whereby they (the gems)
were influenced. The image of Saturn should be made in lead; of
Sol, in gold; of Luna, in silver; of Jupiter, in tin; of Mars, in
iron; of Venus, in copper; of Mercury, in quicksilver. A proper
time should be observed for the graving of magical figures. If
love is to be procured, the graving must be done under proper and
friendly aspects, as in the hour of Venus. Such signs as ascend
in the day must be taken in the day. If they increase in the
night, then the work must be done in the night. Wise men tell us
that an olive planted by a virgin will thrive, but if by an
unchaste woman it will wither. If a serpent be found in a hole,
it may be safely pulled out by the left hand, but to attempt to
do so with the right would be dangerous.
Learned writers on magic say that if one take a new knife, and
cut a lemon with it while the operator is expressing words of
hatred or dislike against a person he or she may wish evil to,
the object of hatred will feel uneasy, and become unwell. If a
live pigeon be cut through the[Pg 341] heart while an evil
wisher is venting curses against a friend or neighbour, the
individual against whom the evil wishes are made will suffer in
body and mind. A man will be put in great fear if his image,
prepared according to the arts of magic, be suspended by a single
hair or thread, however far distant he may be from the scene of
operation. If a person suffering from toothache or asthma catch a
live frog before sunrise, and spit into its mouth, immediate
relief will be the result. If the plague or any epidemic disease
threaten a village or town, the disorder will be stayed by a live
toad being suspended for three or four days in a chimney. The
dried body of a dead toad, worn in the breast, prevents the
possessor of the charm from being injured by any infectious
disease. Hippocrates had great honours conferred on him on
account of the cures he effected by the application of certain
parts of reptiles to disordered persons. The heart of a toad,
suspended by a blue ribbon round the neck, will cure the king's
evil. Rape seed, sown with cursing and imprecation, grows better,
we are told, than when the seed is blessed. If one wear a girdle
of civet-cat skin in battle, he will escape unhurt. Those skilled
in such secrets say they can be easily explained. In their
arguments they point to the antipathy of certain natural things,
animate and inanimate, to other things in nature. The wing of a
bat and the heart of a lapwing repel evil spirits and wicked
passions; the bustard flies off when a horse comes in sight, and
the hart bounds away at the sight of a ram or viper; a lion
trembles at the crowing of a cock. If one swallow the heart of a
lapwing, mole, or weasel, taken from the animal when alive, it
will improve his understanding, and enable him to prophesy.
Democritus says that if one cut the tongue out of a live frog,
and lay it on a woman's breast opposite her heart, she will be
compelled to answer every question put to her. Dogs will never
attack a person that has a weasel's tail in[Pg 342]
his pocket or breast, provided the appendage has been severed
from the little animal when it was alive. If one has a
chameleon's tongue, cut out before the creature's death, he may
defy all the sharpers in the world. If the blood of a civet-cat
be sprinkled on the doors and windows of a house, witches and
sorcerers will be prevented from entering it or molesting the
inmates thereof. If an enemy desire to render any one hateful to
friends and neighbours, it may be done by the touch of an
ointment composed of the ashes of a calcined ankle-bone of a man,
oil extracted from the left foot of the same body, and the blood
of a weasel. Civet-cat gut tied round a man's left arm, makes all
the ladies look on him with favour; and civet-cat skin worn as a
cap, protects the wearer against the art of witches. If a stone
that has been in a mad dog's mouth be put into ale handed round
at a feast, discord will take place. If a bone taken from a
toad's left side be secretly put into any part of a woman's
dress, it will kindle her love into a burning flame; but if the
corresponding bone of the toad's right side be used, the most
ardent love of the woman will be cooled. If the snaffle of a
bridle be made of a sword that has killed a man, the rider may
with ease control a horse, however wild the animal may be; and if
a sword that has been used in beheading a person be dipped in
wine, it will impart a medicinal virtue to the liquor.
Pliny is accountable for a few of the foregoing and many other
similar stories, all of which were believed at one time.
Fires kindled with human fat or oil frightens away evil
spirits. On the other hand, vapours exhaled from certain
suffumigations induce spirits to appear. The lungs of an ass,
when burned, drive evil spirits away. Magicians say that if gold
or silver be hid when the moon is in conjunction with the sun,
and the place be perfumed with saffron, henbane, and black poppy,
the treasure will never be feloniously carried away, for spirits
will[Pg
343] constantly watch over it. The blood of doves,
lapwings, and bats possesses peculiar virtues—attracting
spirits to places where they may be required to appear, and
exciting love passions.
Magicians, when sacrificing to the planets with the view of
securing their diabolical ends, throw into the flames such things
as raise a pleasant perfume when they wish to perform good
actions; but when they desire to bring about wicked results, they
raise disagreeable smells. When soliciting the aid of the sun, it
was customary to take the brain of an eagle or the blood of a
white cock; when appealing to the moon, the blood of a goose was
supposed to be good; when sacrificing to Saturn, the brain of a
cat and the blood of a bat were indispensable; when soliciting
Jupiter's assistance, the blood of a swallow or stork and the
brains of a hart were recommended; when sacrificing to Mars, the
blood of a man or of a black cat was thought best; and when
Mercury was sacrificed to, the brain of a fox or of a weasel and
the blood of a magpie were burned on the altar.
All instruments, vessels, and other things used for magical
purposes were recommended to be new; and when a magical missive
was to be written, the parchment was prepared from the skin of a
black kitten, the pen was a feather plucked from a live crow or
raven, and the ink consisted of human blood, or a preparation of
calcined cuttle-fish bones, nutgalls, and rain water, prepared in
the day and hour of Saturn.
In order to secure success in the magical art, it was
necessary for the operator to have his whole soul in his work,
otherwise his labour was in vain. Ancient philosophers have
informed us that when the human mind is intent upon magical work,
it is joined with the mind and intelligence of the stars, and
hence the wonderful result of secret art.
Magicians pretended to possess the power of
producing[Pg 344] monstrous creatures, even devils.
They could, if their statements can be relied upon, create a
cockatrice by artificially hatching an egg in a preparation of
arsenic and the poison of serpents. The ashes of a burned duck,
treated in a magical manner, produced a huge toad. Numerous
writers conclude that there are two species of toads—the
one produced by ordinary generation, and the other by devilish
science. Plutarch and more modern writers say that frogs descend
from the clouds in rain. Egyptian magicians produced proof of
mice, frogs, and serpents growing out of earth and flowers. It
was said that Damnatus Hispanus could make them in any number he
pleased.
By certain charms, magicians could place a horse or an ass's
head upon a man's shoulders, and change the head of an inferior
animal into that of a human pate.
Magicians attached great importance to their circles. One of
the fraternity, when about to proceed with his secret art,
clothed himself with a black robe reaching to the knee, and under
that a white garment of fine linen. He then took his position in
the centre of the place where he intended to perform his
conjurations, and, throwing his old shoes about ten yards from
the circle, put on consecrated sandals with curious figures on
each. (Here we may observe that not a few antiquarians are of
opinion that from these practices arose the custom of persons
throwing old shoes after newly-wedded pairs and others for luck,
and of shoemakers making fanciful outlines on shoes by means of
pegging and stitching.) With a magical wand of hazel the magician
stretched forth his arm to the four winds, turning himself round
to every wind, and beseeching his "master" to consecrate the
circle. All these ceremonies being performed, he claimed the
consecrated ground as a defence from all malignant spirits, that
they might not have power over his soul or body.
The most suitable time for making circles was
during[Pg
345] bright moonlight, or when storms of wind or
thunder were raging, because then the infernal spirits were
nearer the earth than at other times, and could more easily hear
the invocations of those who sought their assistance. Magical
circles were recommended to be formed at dark lonely
places—either in woods or deserts, or in places where three
ways met, or among ruins of castles, abbeys, or monasteries, or
on the sea-shore. But if the conjuration was to raise the ghost
of one deceased, the fittest places for the purpose were spots
where persons had been slain, woods in which suicides had been
committed, churchyards, and burying-vaults. If any one doubts the
correctness of what is here stated, perhaps he will change his
mind after reading the following story:—
"A certain hangman, passing the image of our Lady, saluted
her, and commended himself to her protection. Afterwards, while
he prayed before her, he was called away to hang an offender, but
his enemies slew him by the way. And lo! a certain priest, who
walked nightly about every church in the city, rose that night to
go to our Lady's church. In the churchyard he saw the ghosts of
many dead men. On demanding what was the matter, he was told that
the hangman was slain, and that the devil demanded his soul, but
which our Lady said was hers, and that the judges were at hand to
hear the cause. The priest having made up his mind to be at the
trial, hid himself behind a tree. When the judges had taken their
seats, the hangman was brought forward pinioned, and proof
adduced that his soul belonged to the devil. On the other side it
was pleaded by our Lady, that at the hour of death the hangman
commended his soul to her. The judges gave sentence that the
hangman's soul should return to his body until he made sufficient
satisfaction. The priest was called from his hiding-place and
sent to the Pope with a rose of rare beauty, and instructions to
crave the prayers of his Holiness for the poor man."[Pg 346]
Although we are not made acquainted with the result of the
application to the Pope, there can be little doubt but that,
through our Lady and his Holiness, Satan lost his eagerly desired
victim.
Directions are given by the learned how to raise ghosts and
evil spirits. To raise the ghost of one who had hanged himself,
the exorcist was to provide himself with a straight hazel wand,
and bind the head of an owl with a bunch of St. John's-wort to
the end thereof. This done, he was to repair to a place where a
miserable wretch had strangled himself, and at twelve o'clock at
night, while the body remained suspended, begin his conjurations.
First, he was directed to stretch forth his wand towards the four
corners of the world, saying, "I conjure and exorcise thee, thou
distressed spirit, to present thyself here and reveal unto me the
cause of thy calamity—why thou didst offer violence to
thine own life, where thou art now in being, and where thou wilt
hereafter be?" Then, gently striking the body nine times with the
wand, he was to demand the spirit of the deceased to reveal unto
him what secrets he wished made known, whether these referred to
the past or future. The conjuration being thrice repeated, we are
assured the spirit would rise and answer the exorcist's
questions. Directions were next given for laying the spirit, and
that might be done by burying the body naked with lime, salt, and
sulphur. If the ghost which the exorcist consulted was of one who
died a common death, and received the usual burial, it was
essential to dig the body out of the grave at twelve o'clock at
night; and while the exorcist held a torch in his left hand, he
was to smite the corpse three times with his consecrated rod,
held in the right hand, and demand answers to his questions. When
the ceremonies were gone through in a regular way, the
interrogatories were truly answered. A caution was offered to the
practiser of this art. The magician of no great[Pg 347]
experience was told that if the constellation and position of the
stars at his nativity were not favourable, it would be dangerous
for him to encounter a ghost for fear of being slain, as the
ghosts of men could easily destroy magicians not protected by the
stars.
Magicians were instructed how to raise the spirits Paymon,
Bathin, and Barma, and secure their assistance. These spirits,
though of various ranks and orders, were of one power, ability,
and nature, and the mode of raising them is the same. The
magician who desired to consult with these spirits had to appoint
a night in the waxing of the moon, when the planet Mercury
reigned, at eleven o'clock at night. But for four days before the
appointed night he was required to shave his beard every morning,
change his linen, and put on a consecrated girdle made of a black
cat's skin. When all was prepared for the summoning of the
spirits, the magician was instructed to enter a dark parlour or
cellar, to light seven candles, and draw a circle with his own
blood. When the candles were lighted, it was essential for the
magician to protect himself with two drawn swords, and consecrate
the circle, so that all evil spirits might be expelled.
Everything being ready, the conjuration commenced in these words:
"I conjure and exorcise you, the three gentle and noble spirits
of the power of the north, by the great and dreadful name of your
king, and by the silence of the night, and by the holy rites of
magic, and by the number of the infernal legions, I adjure and
advocate you that without delay ye present yourselves here before
the northern quarter of the circle, all of you, or any one of
you, and answer my demands." This, we are informed, had to be
repeated three times, and then the three spirits appeared, or one
of them by lot, if the others were engaged elsewhere. Before
their appearance, they sent in advance three swift hounds in
pursuit of a hare, which ran round the circle for seven and a
half minutes. After this chase more hounds came in,[Pg 348]
and after all a little ugly Ethiopian, who snatched the hare from
the hounds. Next was heard a hunter's horn, and a herald on
horseback came galloping swiftly with three hunters behind him
upon black horses. After riding round the circle seven times,
they stood at the northern quarter. The magician then demanded
the demons to be faithful and obedient, which they readily agreed
to be. Valuable information was obtained from the spirits, who
gave the magician the powerful girdle of victory, which, on being
tied about him, enabled him to conquer armies, and all men,
however powerful. The spirits also were compelled to bring, at
the magician's bidding, the richest treasure earth could afford,
and to reveal the positions of hidden gold and silver mines.
The spirits could bestow the gift of invisibility, and the
foreknowledge of the change of the weather; they could teach the
exorcist how to raise storms and tempests, and how to calm them
again; they could bring news in an instant of the result of any
battle or other important event, wherever it took place. They
could also teach the language of birds, and how to fly unseen
through the air.
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