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Page 26
Persons whose _yea_ is unvaryingly _yea_, and whose _nay_ is unvaryingly
_nay_, generally resort to no form of oath or imprecation to gain
credence to their statements, for their truthfulness is seldom called in
question--at least, where they are well known. But with those who are
lax in their statements--who tell the truth or tell lies just as for the
moment the one or the other appears to suit them best--the case is
different. When they speak something strange or important, they find
their veracity questioned, and require to place themselves in
circumstances where it may be thought they are under compulsion, for
their own welfare, to speak the truth. Commonly, they ask Providence to
injure them in some way if in the present instance they have said the
thing which is not true. Well, it was believed in the days of which I
write, and within my own day, that Providence did interfere in this way,
and many stories were current in confirmation of this belief. One such
will suffice as an illustration. A married woman, _enciente_ for the
first time, having had words with her husband about something she denied
having either said or done, wished that, if her statement were untrue,
she might never give birth to the child. She was taken at her word, for
she lived many years in delicate health, but the child was never born.
The villagers who remembered her said that at times she _swelled_ as if
she was about to be confined, and at other times was as _jimp_ as a
young girl.
Akin to belief in the potency of such wishes as were uttered as tests of
truthfulness was doubtless the generally accredited, though of course
seldom witnessed, form of compact with the devil. When a person agreed
to serve the devil, his Satanic Majesty caused the mortals who sought
his service and favour to place one hand under their thigh and the other
over their head, and wish that the devil would take all that lay between
their hands if they were unfaithful to their vow. The form of oath by
expression of a wish was common to both Jews and Gentiles.
There was another kind of wish which was believed to obtain fulfilment
during life, that was the expressed wish of the innocent against those
who had wronged them. The belief in the fulfilment of such wishes was
grounded on the theological supposition that God in his justice would in
time punish the wrong-doer. I remember a rather pertinent example of
this: a proof they would have said in former days--a coincidence we
would say in these days. A simple-minded--_half-witted_--young woman was
taken advantage of by a young man resident in the neighbourhood, to the
public scandal of the village. He denied the paternity of the baby, and
made oath to that effect before the kirk-session. As he did so, the
girl, looking at him, wished that the hand he held up might lose its
cunning, as evidence of God's judgment upon the false swearer. In less
than a year from that time a disease came into his right hand, and he
was never afterwards able to use it. Not many years ago, I saw the same
man going through the village selling tea, and, as he passed along the
street, many of the older inhabitants remarked how wonderfully _Poor
Meg's_ wish had been fulfilled.
Employment of certain charms to influence for good or evil prevailed in
this century to a great extent. Some of these it is difficult to trace
to their origin. About forty years ago, a certain married couple lived
unhappily together. The wife did all she could to make her husband
comfortable, but still he abused her without cause. At length, after
suffering much, she applied to a woman who professed to have power over
the affections, and for this purpose prepared love philters. The woman
gave her a charm, which was to be sewn between the lining and cloth of
her husband's vest without his knowledge. She carried these instructions
out, and with extraordinarily successful results, for, while the husband
wore this vest, he never gave her so much as an angry word.
One Walter Donaldson was in the habit of beating his wife, and making
her life bitter. She made application to Isabell Straguhan, who
possesses magic influences, who took pieces of paper and sewed them
thick with thread of divers colours, and put them in the barn among the
corn. From that time forth the said Walter never lifted hand against his
wife, nor did once find fault with her whatsoever she did, and was
entirely subdued to her love.
The following was related to me as a fact, by a person who said that he
tried it:--There is a certain crooked bone in a frog, which, when
cleaned and dried over a fire on St. John's eve, and then ground fine
and given in food to any person, will win the affections of the
receiver to the giver, and in young persons will produce a desire for
each other's society, culminating eventually in marriage; also, when a
married couple do not agree well together, it will reconcile them, and
bring about a mutual affection.
At the commencement of this century, belief in the influence of the
mandrake plant over the affections still existed in this country. Belief
in this plant is as old as history. Leah, the neglected wife of Jacob,
doubtless intended to influence her husband by the use of it, whilst
Rachel procured the plant for a different purpose, but for both purposes
it was considered efficatious, and in both cases, the narrative shows,
successful. By both eastern and western nations this plant was credited
with wonderful powers, even to the extent of working miracles. In this
country it was believed to be watched by Satan, but if the plant were
pulled during certain holy seasons, or by holy persons, Satan could not
only be robbed with impunity, but he would become the servant of the
person who pulled the plant, and do for him whatever he desired; but woe
to the unholy person who attempted to pull the plant, especially at a
non-sacred time; he drops down dead, and Satan possesses his soul.
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