called Constantinople), he made there also many telesms at the instance of the citizens, as that against the storks, that against the river Lycus, which passes through the middle of the city, that against the tortoises, that against the horses, and other strange things. Then afterwards, leaving Byzantium, he went and did the like in other cities. From Tyanis he came into Syria, and so to Antioch the Great, where also he was requested by the chief men of the city to make such telesms as they had need of. And he made one against the north wind, and set it up in the east part of the city.' This author goes on, and describes at some length the charms of Apollonius against the gnats and scorpions; adding, moreover, that walking one day with the chief men of the town to observe the situation of the place, he came to a ruinous pillar, and on inquiring for what object it had been erected, was told that in the days of Caius Cæsar, when the city had been shaken by an earthquake, one Debboris, a talismanic philosopher, had set up this pillar as a telesm to protect the city in time to come. On the pillar he had fixed a brazen pectoral inscribed with certain words; but this had in process of time been consumed by lightning, and the citizens were now urgent with Apollonius to set up a new one. But the philosopher, fetching a deep sigh, refused to make any more telesms against earthquakes. That which has most bearing upon the present case is the telesms against scorpions. It is related that Apollonius caused an image of a scorpion to be molten in brass, and set it up upon a small pillar in the midst of the city of Antioch, whereupon the scorpions vanished out of all the district. Telesms of this kind are noticed as existing in various places. There was one at Hamah (the Hamath of Scripture), in Syria. In the midst of this town, says an Arabian geographer, there is a stone fixed in a wall, having upon it the figure of a scorpion; and when any one is bitten by one of these animals, he takes in clay the figure of this scorpion, and on applying it to the part affected, is immediately cured. It used to be reported, that in the lower part of the district in which Cairo is situated, the crocodiles were harmless, but in the upper part devoured the people. To provide against this, the wise men cast a crocodile in lead, and inscribing it with an Egyptian charm, buried it in the foundations of a temple. The crocodiles of the upper region then became as harmless as those of the lower. But when, at the command of the Sultan Achmet-ibn Tulon, the image was melted down, the crocodiles again became as injurious as of old. This superstition was not confined to the East. It is related by Gregory of Tours, that at the repair of an old bridge in Paris there were found the images of a serpent and a mouse in brass; and when they were taken away, the serpents and the mice came up in great numbers. Travellers have speculated much upon the possible object of the Serpentine Column (now broken) in the grand square (hippodrome) of Constantinople. It consists of the bodies of three intertwisted serpents, in hollow bronze. It formerly terminated at the top in three serpents' heads; but these have now disappeared, and it is related that when the victorious Mohammed the Second entered the city, either flushed with the excitement of triumph, or desirous of exhibiting his personal strength, he struck off one of the serpents' heads at a single blow. This curious work once belonged to the Persians, and was among the spoils taken from them at the battle of Platea. It was even then supposed to have been very ancient, and could not well have been less than 3000 years old. The result of our own inquiries on the spot, as to the existing notions concerning its original design, coincides with the intimations of old authors, that it was a telesm designed to protect from serpents the locality in which it might be found. It is known that there once existed in the same square an equestrian statue set up against the plague, the destruction of which was supposed to have left the city exposed to fearful periodical mortalities.1 Again, there is said to have been in the same city a talismanic 1 LEUNELAV. Pandect. Hist. Turc. 130. Much more of this sort may be found in MIZALD, Cent. M.S., and GAFFAREL, Curiositez inouyes, sur la sculpture talismanique des Persans, etc. Paris, 1629; chap. 6. ship of brass, set up against the dangers of the tempestuous sea. While it stood entire, the raging of that sea was repressed; but some parts having been (no one knew how) broken off and removed, the sea became again unruly and troubled. The cause of this being inquired into, the broken parts of the marvellous ship of brass were diligently sought out and put together, and once more the wind and the sea obeyed the mighty spell thus laid upon them. That it might be seen beyond question whether this were really the cause why vessels could not safely come into port, the broken parts were again removed, and forthwith all ships that touched upon the coast were driven back by the violence of the waves. This confirmed the opinion, that the injury to the brazen ship was the cause of the impeded navigation, and it was therefore most carefully repaired, to the great comfort of the city.1 The results of these examples, and of many others which might be cited, illustrate the prevalence of the notion, that in case of any extraordinary plague, either of disease or of noxious creatures visiting a town or country, it was usual, by way of remedy, to erect an image or symbol of the evil, under the supposed influence of celestial configurations. That the Philistines meant something of this sort, is in the highest degree probable. Had the ark remained among themselves, these memorials would no doubt have been set up in the temple; but as it was to be sent away, there was no mode of suitable appropriation but by placing these things thereon. As to the mice, Parcelsus thought that he had found the way in which they might be prepared with reference to such an object. He gives this recipe for purging a house of mice: 'Make an iron mouse, under the conjunction of Saturn and Mars, in the house of 24. Imprint upon its belly ALBAMATATOX, etc. Then place the telesm in the middle of the house, and the vermin will instantly leave the place.' He furthermore declares, that if a live mouse be tied to this image, it will die immediately.2 1 ZONARÆ Annales, tom. iii., in Anastasio. With regard to the images of emerods, Maimonides, who lived in an age and country which entertained these old beliefs, supposes that they were so called, not from their external form, which indeed it would be difficult to give, but from a secret influence which resided in them, remedial against the malady.1 Again, the Philistine astrologers could not but have heard that this God had shown his divine complacency in the brazen serpent set upon a pole in the wilderness. This they, with their notions, would regard as a telesm, constructed on some such principles as have been indicated; and as that image of a serpent was effectual against the plague of serpents, they might not unreasonably infer that similar images of their own inflictions might be equally effectual. Indeed, there have not been wanting persons to suggest that the whole of this set of ideas regarding telesms may have originated in a distorted view of this transaction. Twenty-ninth Week-Fourth Day. THE ARK RESTORED.-I SAMUEL VI. 7-21. WITH all their anxiety to repair the error they had committed, the Philistines had a lurking suspicion that, after all, there might be no real connection between the ark of the Lord and the inflictions under which they had been suffering. It might have been a chance' that happened to them. The plan to which they resorted for making this matter clear, doubtless seemed to themselves very ingenious and conclusive, and was certainly so overruled in the providence of God as to confirm them in the conviction that all these things were the work of his hand. First, they prepared a 'new cart.' The word rendered ‘cart' is the same which is translated by 'waggon' at an earlier period, in the mention of the vehicles which the king of Egypt sent to assist in transporting the family of Israel from Canaan. It would seem that carts, at least as adapted to purposes of travel, 1 More Nevochim, Pt. i. ch. I. were not then used in that country, seeing that the king would scarcely have sent conveyances that might have been obtained in Canaan, and since the sight of them convinced Jacob of the truth of the strange story told by his sons. The Israelites themselves brought carts into Palestine; for although the more sacred utensils, as the ark, the altars, the table of shew-bread, and the golden candlestick, were borne on the shoulders of priests and Levites, six covered carts were prepared in the wilderness, and employed in the removal of the parts of the tabernacle itself, each being drawn by two oxen.1 In the pagan East, at the present day, wheel carriages or cars are still employed in the conveyance of the idols in sacred processions; but in south-western Asia carts are only used for the transport of agricultural produce. They are of rude construction, with solid wheels, and exceedingly like those represented in Egyptian paintings. Indeed, all carts so represented have the wheels solid, although all chariots have light wheels with spokes. We find that although the sacred arks of the Egyptians were usually borne on the shoulders of priests, carts were sometimes employed. As shown in the annexed engraving, these cars were little more than platforms mounted on small wheels ; and it is likely that the cart prepared by the Philistines for the ark, and subsequently that in which David first attempted to remove it to Jerusalem, were of the same kind. In the latter case, its construction will explain the anxiety of Uzzah lest it 1 Num. vii. 3-9; compare iv. 4–15. |