phesied by the use of certain herbs. (Plin. histor. nat. xxiv. 17.) To make themselves susceptible to the gods, the Magi led a life peculiar to themselves, and their chief commands were to abstain from wine and from flesh. (Clemens, Alex. strom. iii. p. 446.) Everything which could excite the senses of the body was strictly forbidden. According to Cicero, however, they only possessed the power of natural prophecy. I will only mention here, Buddha the son of Maja, the ninth Avatars or Incantation of Vischnu, who is revered by the Indians, the Thibetans, as the symbol of Divine wisdom, under the form of a handsome youth sunk in deep meditation. He usually is robed in a scarf called Dschara, the sign of penance. The eyes are cast down in deep internal reflection. The universally spread Buddhism of India, which is everywhere the same in its principal features, is a proof of the common origin of these nations. The present nations of Asia among whom ecstatic states and visions are to be met with are worthy of mention from their habitations rather than the time. Among them are the Siberian Schamans, the Arabian Dervishes, and the Samozedes and Lapps. Among all these nations a species of somnambulism is common, into which they fall either by means of natural susceptibility or by peculiar movements and exercises of the body, and rarely by the use of narcotic substances. Among the northern nations the phenomenon of second-sight is said to be frequent. Among the many Mongolian tribes, and also the Lapps, particularly excitable and susceptible persons are chosen as ghostseers and sorcerers; in India as Jongleurs; in Siberia as Schamans. With such natural disposition, strengthened by practice and mode of life, the majority require nothing more than to shout violently, to storm, to dance and to drum, to turn round in a circle, to induce insensibility and convulsive rigidity. Among the Siberian Schamans, as we learn from Georgi (Russian Völkerschaften) narcotic substances are used, such as a decoction of fungus or other exciting vegetable substances, to produce visions, in which they see and communicate with spirits, learning from them future and distant events. They also see distant countries and the souls of the dead, to whom they ascend from the body through the air to the seats of the gods, which Högstrom especially relates of the Lapps, among whom such a high degree of susceptibility exists, that the most remarkable phenomena are witnessed. If anyone opens his mouth or closes it, or points to anything with his fingers, or dances, or makes other gesticulations, there are many who will imitate all this, and when they have done so enquire whether they have done anything improper, as they knew nothing of what they did. These Lapps are excitable to such a degree that they are thrown into insensibility and convulsions by the most trifling and unexpected occurrence, such as a sound, or a spark of fire. In the church, they often fall into insensibility when the preacher speaks too loud or gesticulates too much; while others, on the contrary, jump up as if mad, rush out of the church, knock down all who oppose them, and even strike their friends and neighbours." Pallas relates (Reisen durch verschiedene Provinzen des Russischen Reichs, p. iii.), that the Schamans among the East and West Jakes, the Samojedes, Tunguses, the Burates, Katschinzes, and other north Asiatic nations, are so extremely excitable that it is only requisite to touch them unexpectedly to disturb their whole organization, to excite their imagination, and make them lose all self-command. Each one infects the person next to him sympathetically; so that in this manner whole neighbourhoods fall into fear, uneasiness, and confusion. Pallas relates of some girls among the Katschinzes, that they feel simultaneous suffering as soon as one of the number becomes ill. "For the last few years," says he, "a species of insanity has made its appearance among the young girls of the Katschinzes as if by infection. When they have these fits they run out of the villages, scream, and behave with the greatest wildness, tear their hair, and endeavour to hang and drown themselves. These attacks last usually some hours, and occur, when their sympathy has been excited by the sight of other girls in a similar condition, without any certain order, sometimes weekly, at other times not appearing for months." All these and similar phe nomena are related by Georgi of the Mongol and Tartar races, who all have the same common origin. From this remarkable excitability and mobility, Horst deduces with great probability that mechanical imitation which is observable in all rude nations-among Asiatic as well as negro tribes. The weaker but more excitable nations far excel the stronger and more civilized inhabitants of Europe, in the free use of their limbs, and in the most difficult postures of the body, and resemble in climbing, rope-dancing, and jumping, in fact in every description of jugglery and feats of agility, monkeys and other families of animals. How soon the imagination creates objective pictures among these excitable people, is shown by an anecdote recounted by Pallas, of a Samojedic sorcerer, upon whose hand he drew a black glove. He looked fixedly at his hand, began to tremble, and in a few seconds to scream aloud, and, lastly, to roll upon the ground, exclaiming that Pallas had changed his hand into a bear's paw. He could not be tranquillized before the black glove was drawn off his hand. The sorcerers by profession, have a drum, which they call Caunus, or Quobdas, a hollowed piece of wood, with painted ass-skin stretched across it, and which is struck by bone hammers. They accompany this with a certain song, and turn rapidly round. The ecstasy does not take place with regularity; it often lasts several hours, so that the face and the limbs are distorted, and they remain lying insensible on the ground. While a species of coma, or stolid rigidity, takes place, the Schaman falls into a species of convulsive mania, in which he utters obscure speeches, and answers questions regarding the future. A letter from H. von Matjuschkin, the travelling companion of Baron Wrangel in his North Pole Expedition, to a friend in St. Petersburg, in 1820, which was first published in the "Morgenblatt," then in Horst's "Deuteroskopie," and in Fischer's "Somnambulismus," describes particularly the magical appearances of such a Schaman in the notorious Alar Siciit (Murder Forest)—on the banks of the Tabalog. The Schaman, who was dressed in skins and wore long black hair, commenced his incantation in an assembly of Tunguses, in a Jurta, in whose centre a bright fire burned, and which was hung round with everything necessary to incantation, amulets, bells, and pieces of metal; he fell into insensibility and convulsions, with dancing and various movement, till the inspiration seized upon him, and he replied to the questions put to him by Matjuschkin; he awoke after four hours, but remembered nothing of his trance. A few days later Matjuschkin met another Schaman, whom he begged to exhibit his powers, which he did after some little hesitation, being promised brandy and tobacco. On this occasion a daughter of the family became uneasy, and wished to absent herself from the exhibition, as she felt in herself a susceptibility to a state similar to that of the Schaman, which turned out to be the fact. H. v. Matjuschkin now received answers to various questions he put respecting his journey and its results, and these answers proved to be correct. "Many of the answers were, however, so obscure, almost poetical," says Matjuschkin, "that none of my dragomans were able to translate them the language was, they said, that of romance." : Similar bodily movements, particularly turning round in a circle, are found among the Arabs, by which they produce dizziness and spasmodic ecstasy; and this is extremely common in religious processions and gatherings. The Dervishes, like the Schamans, endeavour to impress the common people by their mystic ceremonies, partly with intention, and partly from hereditary custom, having at the same time visions and revelations. Schubert describes, in his Travels in the East (second volume) such a Dervish dance, which he saw at Cajoro. There is but little difference between this and those of the Schamans; convulsions, rigid insensibility, unconscious ecstasy, and visions, are found in the former as in the latter. But it is worthy of remark, that among the Arabs the belief in spirits is preserved much in its ancient state, as the Arabian romances show. The Dschins and Devs are male and female, good and bad, but with the difference I have already mentioned, that the modern Devs are the ideals of female beauty. Such Devs are considered the especial guardians and guides of the Arabian seers. The male Dschins are evil and dangerous, and are regarded as spies and deceivers, and anecdotes are told of them which remind us of Goethe's Mephistopheles; of that hellish brood, Who still denied and still accused, I am that spirit still denied ; And that with justice, for whate'er is done The visions which the Arabian seers describe remind us also of those of the ancient Persians ;-the celestial gardens, the moonlit rose bowers, the nectar drops of the rainbow, and the houris of paradise. In fact, Arabian romance is so much of a fairy vision, that we ask, is life a vision, or is the mind's vision life itself? |