On Various Superstitions in the North-West Highlands and Islands Op Scotland, Especially in Relation to Lunacy Arthuy B

ANTIQUABIE1 25 SCOTLANDF SO .

II. ON VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OP SCOTLAND, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO LUNACY ARTHUY B . R MITCHELL, A.M M.D.D .AN , DEPUTY COMMIS- SIONER IN LUNACY FOE SCOTLAND, COKB. MEMBEB Soc. ANT. SCOT.. &c.

Innis Maree. • e autumth n f I laso n t year , e neighbourhoowhilth n i e f Locdo h Maree, whic s beeha hn truly described s barrennesit , "n i lonelid an s - ness, as the most utterly savage and terrific of any part of this land of mountain and flood,"1 I heard much of the marvellous virtues of a well on one of the smallest of the many richly-wooded islands which s watersris it clustern i e f whic d o t an , softeo s hou grandeue nth d an r wildnes scene,.ae th f o s mako t seye e th e , restin than o ge tth par f o t exquisitn a Locht e nothinbu se ,t e i picturn i g f calo e m beautyo S . much was told to me of the power "unspeakable in cases of lunacy"2 possessed by these waters, that I resolved to satisfy curiosity by a visit. Thiaccomplishes swa 14te f August,th o h n do e th 3 d wheha nI advantage of being accompanied by Professor Brown of St Andrews, Ministee th parish e boat'a th d f o rs an ,residenters d creol f wo I shal. l briefly narrate what I saw and heard. Eilean Maree or Innis Maree,4 is a small low island, with clean, gravelly shores, dowhaly e Lochwa fn th t mor no , e tha quartena s mila it f n o eri greatest diameter. Ohighess nit t part therenclosuren a s ei , whose outlin irregulan a s ei r oval (90 x 120 feet). The wall, which is not more than 2 feet high, is now covered with eartd mossan h . Pennant, however, describes a t i s a " stone dyke, wit regulaha r narrow entrance." centre th f thin eo I s5 enclosur remaine therth smale a f ear so l chapel completo s t e bu ;th es i t possiblruino ns i o determinthat et i t e styl th f earchitecture o e . Eound about the chapel are fifty or sixty graves, generally covered by a flat undressed stone, with rude blocke heafeetd th an dt .a s Manf yo 1 Anderson's Highlands, 1834, p. 667. 2 Pennant's Tou Scotlandn ri , 1774 . 330,p . 3 1859. 4 Properly Innis or Eilean Mhaolriiibh. 5 Pennant, op. tit., 303. 252 PROCEEDING E SOCIETTH F F SO YO

these grave recente sar . One, indeed quits i , e fresh—the burial having taken weea plac t kbu e befor visity m e . Severa e oldeth f r o l onee ar s sai contaio dt bodiee e Sassunnachnth th f so artizan ssevene whoth n i ,- teenth century, worked at the iron furnaces of Poolewe.1 With two exceptions , cuttingso thern e ear , carvingse r inscriptionth o , f o y an n so

tombstones. These two have distinct and well-formed incised crosses on them, drawing f whico s e herar h e givene stone Th whicn .o s h these f pig-irono r ba 1A , found during some digging e sit f thesth o e n eo s furnaces has been placed in the Museum of Scottish Antiquities by the author. ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 253

occur have never been dressed or even squared. They are flat, and lie beside each other, nearlendo about d d an , yen t easwestd an t . The celebrated well, whose waters are of such magic power, is near the shore. We found it dry, and full of last year's leaves. It is a built well, anflae dth t stone which serve covea r foune sfo w r d e banklyinth n g.o Near it stands an oak tree, which is studded with nails. To each of these was originally attached a piece of the clothing of some patient whvisited ha oe spotth d . Ther s e hundredar ha e e on f nails o sd an , still fastened to it a faded ribbon. Two bone buttons and two buckles we also found nailed to the tree. Countless pennies and halfpennies are driven edge-ways inte wood,—oveoth r man e bar th ys closing i k , over s alreadmanha t i ye treey th closed sl abouAl e wele .th tar l covered with initials rudA . e M, wit anchon ha r beloe , wtellth it f so seaman's noted credulit d superstitiouyan s character seto f iniso Tw -. tials, with a date between, and below a heart pierced by an arrow, probably recor visie love-sica th df o t k couple, seeking her curea f theieo r solitare follyTh . y interview would probably counterac workine th t f go the waters. The sacred holly grows everywhere on the island. We found it loaded with fruit. The oak, the larch, the alder, the beech, the mountain-ash, the sycamore, the willow, the prickly holly, the dog-rose, the juniper, the honeysuckle, and the heather all abound, and form a most charming grove. Various traditions exist regarding this little island. Several were told lovA e . foundatioe storth tme o s yi f allI o shaln . l e narraton e th e which connect spoe sth t directly with lunacy. A Norwegian princess awaite arrivae lover dth he Incn f ro o lh Maree, where they marriee were b hermit th o e bridegroo t y Th b d . o t s mwa land at Poolewe, and on his safe arrival it was agreed that a white flag shoul showne db cameo H . , soun hearn di t and limb, f frolico butt ou , or to test his sweetheart's love, he caused a black flag to be hoisted. She saw it, went mad, and after a few yenrs died, and was buried on the island. He outlived her but a short time, and found his grave by her side. The two stones, of which I have spoken, are said to mark their resting place. Since the same tale is told with many variations, it is probable that somethin f thigo s kinrealld di d y happen; tut thae th t 254 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

virtuewele th lf o havs y connectioan e n wit e storth h s yimprobablei , as I shall shortly show. Anderson Statisticald Ol d , Fullartonan w AccountsNe e th , wels a , s a l people placee th th f e,o deriv e namth e e fro mdedicatioa t MaryS o t n . This remarkable error is first clearly pointed out in the " Origines Paro- chiales," though Pennant evidently had the right view when he speaks' of it as the favoured isle of the saint (St Maree), the patron of all the coast from Applecross to Lochbroom, and tells us that he, the saint, is hel hign di h esteem name.s countre tha d hi oate th an y ,th tf b ho 1 s yi It appears that Maelrubha came from Ireland to Scotland, and founded e Churcth f Aporcrossao h n 673.i n 2 Afte s deathi re becamh h e th e patron district e sain th s nam f o tHi variousls .ei y know Malrubiuss na , Malrube, Mulray, Murie, Mourie, and as the last corruption, Maree.3 That the island and loch bear the name of this saint there can be no doubt. Eve mode nth pronouncinf eo wore gth d G-aelic-speakine 'byth g population show derivet sno thas i dt ti fro m .Mary;4 while Pennant's remark

1 Pennant, op. cit., 330. Origines Paroch., ii. 402; and Irish Eceles. Journal, 1849—Rev. Dr Eeeves. 2 3 When writing this pape Decemben i r r 186 informatioy 0m n regarding Mael- rubha was derived from the " Origines Parochiales," and from a communication to e " Iristh h Ecclesiastical Journal, Reever D y 1849"n b i s . Since that tim eI hav e had the advantage of seeing a very elaborate and learned paper on the History Churched an t MaelrubhS f o sr Eeeves D y b a , which appear a recen n i s t volume of these Proceedings, and which removes all possible doubt as to the origin of Inis minutelo g t no o yd intMaree I s o A thi. s subject I hav, e scarcely altered whaI t read to the Society. e extractTh s froe Presbytermth y Records, whic e afterwardhar s f giveno e ar , interest showins a , g that abou e middle seventeentth tth f o e h centur Saint'e yth s day was, in the district where his Saintship was earned, popularly fixed as the 25th of August, and not the 21st of April or 27th of August. They are further of interes showins a t g that abou e samth t e perio t t MaelrubhRuffudS S d an s a appear to have been regarde s identicala d d that onls Cronlinbean ,no t ywa g formerly called " St Ruphus's Island," but Inis Maree itself is, in 1678, spoken of as the " Island of St Ruffus." An old man in the district told me that the name was originally Eilean-Mo- Righ (the IslanKing)y m f r Eilean-a-Mhor-Rigdo o , h (the Islane Greath f do t King), and that this king was long ago worshipped as a god in the district. This struck me forcibly. Dr Reeves attaches considerable importance to it. 4 ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 255

prove a centur t s thaye e mistak yt th t oldno s .i e Name e monuar s - ments—pages of history—inscribed stones—yet thus do we find them broken, blotted, and defaced. Mourie died at Applecross on the 21st April 722.' Ther s somi e es buried I doubo wher t wa d s e an a t,h e have nothing to make it probable that it was in Inch Maree. It is certain, or all hut certain, however, that this Vir Dei led a hermit's life, and wrought miracles there; and that, like St Goderick, St Fillan, and a host of others, he continued to do so after his death. Whethe s arrivaSainte hi rth n Scotlandn o ,i l , foun pagada n temple on this little island whether o , himsele h r f first consecrate spote dth s i , a question of interest. Pennant says, " I suspect the Dike to have been originally Druidical, and that the ancient superstition of paganism was taken up by the Saint as the readiest method of making a conquest over the minds of the inhabitants." This opinion I am inclined to adopt. e people placTh th f eeo Mourie,d speaGo ke ofte th instea f t o nS f o d Mourie, which may have resulted from his having supplanted the old god. Tradition als placa o s worshipointf a e o t i o st p befor Christiae eth n epoch, and the curious record I have obtained of the sacrifice of bulls there, strongly confirms this belief, and furnishes fresh proof of the liberal engrafting upon Christianit l formal f f paganiso o sy e earlth yn mi history of the Church. The man, who accompanied me as driver in the district, happened to be a person of intelligence, and it was he who first informed me, that in the Presbytery Eecords some allusion was made to the superstitions of Loch Maree. On reaching Dingwall, I applied to the Eev. Mr Kennedy, who most kindly gave me further information and copie f somso e quotation shimsel d whicha e h f indebtedmadem a I . , however Eeve Macleanr th D .o t , Kiltearnf o , fulr fo ,l extracts, whica y hb curious acciden e Saint'e madth h t n eo s thess dayA .e have nevet ye r been laid before the public I shall give them in full:— t Appilcross"A Septemb:5 1656. " Convened Mr Jo" Mccra, Moderator, Mr Jo" Monro, Mr Thomas Hogg, Mr Jo" McKillican, M" Donald Fraser, M1 Donald M'cra, Mr Eorie M°Kenzie, Mr Alexr McKenzie, and Mr Donald Boss, Incalledd e namGo " Th f o e . Inter alia,e MinisteTh r bein- in g

1 Orig. Paroch., ii. 402. 6 25 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO

s brethrequire hi e main th e b df o en enormitie e parochith f o sf o n Lochcarrone and Appilcross, declaires some of his parochiners to he superstitious, especiallie in sacrificeing at certaine tymes at the Loch of Mourie ,f Auchnaseallachespeciallio n me e eth ; quho hes beine summoned, cited, hot not compeiring, execution is lawfullie given be the l. kir . k . office . f Lochcarrono r , quhose namefollowes a r a s s : Donald M°conill chile—Murdo McFerqre vie conill eire—"Wm M'conil eire, Grillipadrick Mcrorie—Duncan Mcconill uayne vie conill biy—Alexr Mcfinlay vc conill diy—Donald Mceain y viro ee choinnich—Johne M°conill reach—Murdo Mceaine roy—Murdo Mceaine voire vc eaine ghlaiss—Finlay McG-illiphadricke.——Ordaine kire sth k office chairgo t r e these againe to compeire at Dingwall the third Wednesday of October nixt—recommend that thaire Minister compeire the said day at Dingwall, thad preace e an vacanh t th t ha d kir f Urquhartko e ensuinth , g Lord's countrye th n i s i .da e yh presbytrie th saie y "dda Th Dingwallf eo , accordin appoyntmene th go t t of Synode for searcheing and censureing such principalls, and superstitious practices as sould be discovered thaire—haveing mett at Appilcross, and findeing amongst uther abhominabl d heathenishan e e practices thate th people in that place were accustomed to sacrifice bulls at a certaine tyme uppon the 25 of August, which day is dedicate, as they conceive, to S' Mourie as they call him; and that there were frequent approaches to some ruinous chappels circulateingand them;of thatand future events refer-in ence especiallie death, lyfeto and taJceingin Journeyisof exspectwas lieto manifested l>y rounda holla of stone quherein they tryed enteringthe theirof heade, which (if they) could doe, to witt lie able to put in thair heade, they exspect thair returning to that place, and failing the considered it ominous ; withalland their adoring wells,of utherand superstitious monumentsand stones, tedious o rehearse,t Have appoynte s followes—Thaa d t quho- soever sail be found to commit such abhominationes, especiallie y tymeSacrificean t y kynd,a an sair f o ,lo s publickly e appeab d an r severa. x rebuke.si '. l. dLord' sseverax dayisi n i sl churches, viz.: Lochcarron, Appilcross, Contane, Fottertie, Dingwall d lasan t, in Garloch paroch church : and that they may, uppon the delatatione

1 Wor legiblet dno . ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 257

of the Sessione and minister of the paroche, he sail cause summoned the guiltie persone to compeire before the pbrie, to be convinced, rebuked, and there to be injoyned his censure, And withall that the session sould be charged to doe thair dewties in suppressing of theforesaid -wickedness, ane foresaidth d censur referencn ei thaio et r sacrificin made b e o get us ocasn i f f convicteo appeiringd an , evidenced an , f remorsso founde eb , and failing, that they be censured with excommunicatione.——Ordaines the minister to exercise himself with his people in such manner as at his coming to Appilcross, once in the five or sax weekes at each Lord's day s comingohi f stae h , y thrie dayes amongs s peoplhi t catechisinn ei ga pair f theo t m each daythad e labouan h ,t convinco rt e the peoplf eo their former error evidenceiny b , d agains e hanGo gth f do t such abhominationes as hes beene practised formerlie.——.Appoynts Mr Allexr MXKenzie to informe the presbiterie of any strangers that resorts to thease feilds as formerlie they have to thair former heathenishe practices, that a course may be taken for their restraint. " KENLOCHEWE Sept'9 , 1656. Inter alia., Ordaines Mr Allexr M'Kenzie, minister at Lochcarron, to cause summond Murdo Mcconill varchue vie conill vie Alliste n Torritoni r d Donalan , d Smyt n Appilcrossi h r fo , sacrificing at Appilcross—to compeire at Dingwall the third Wednesday of October f Auchnaseallacho n , me wit e hth . " The brethren taking to their consideratione the abhominationes within the parochin of Grarloch in sacrificing of leasts upon the 25 August, as also in pouring of milk upon Mils as oblationes quhose names t particularlano r y signifie s yit—referrea d e diligencth e o th t s f o e minister to mak search of thease persones and summond them as said is in the former ordinance and act at Appilcross 5 Sept: 1656, and withall that by his private diligence he have searchers and tryers in everie corner e countreyoth f , especiallie abou Lochmouriee th t e mosth f to , faithful honest men he can find; and that such as ar his elders be particularly poseit, concerning former practice quhan i s t they know f theseo e poore ones quho ar called Mourie his devilans and ownes thease titles, quho receaves the sacrifices and offerings upon the accompt of Mourie his poore ones; d tha t laisan a t t som f theaseo summonee eb compeiro t d e before the pbrie the forsaid day, until the rest be discovered; and such as heve boats about the loch to transport themselves or uthers to the lie of VOL. IV. PART I. R 8 25 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SYO O Mourie, quherein ar monument f Idolatrieso , without warrand from the superiou ministed an r r towards lawfu e ministeth l f i ends d r an knowe; s alreaddi guiltiey an e , that the e nixcitee th yb to d t pbril al e dayd an , coutraveners thereafter, as occasione offers in. all tytne comeing.—— The Brethren heiring be report that Miurie hes Ms monuments and re- membrances n severali l paroches withi e provincenth t morbo , e particularly in the-parocb.es of Lochcarron, Lochalse, Kintaile, Contan, and Fottertie, arid Lochhroome appoyntes i t I , d tha brethree th toone th -f no gregationes hev Correspondenceea tryinn i , curbind gan l suchgal , within their severall congregationes r theasfo d e An tha• . t comes from forren countreyis, that the ministers of Garloch and Lochcarron informe them- selvenamee th f e placetheasef so so th d f theiso an , r residence- in d an , forme the pbrie thereof, that notice may be given to those concerned. " DiNGWALt, 6 August 1678, Inter alia, That day Mr Koderick Mac- kenzie minister at G-erloch, by his letter to the prebrie, declared that he d summoneha s officehi y thio t b dr s prebri Hectoy da e r Mackenzin i e Mellan in the parish of G-erloch, as also Johne Murdoch, and Duncan Mackenzies ,e sai sonth do t sHector—a s also Kenneth M°Kenzis hi e grandson sacrificinr fo , e heathenis an bulga n i l h manner Hande th n i , ' Euffus,S of commonly called, Ellan Moury n Lochew,i e recoverth r fo - ing of the health of Cirstane Mackenzie, spouse to the said Hector Mac- kenzie, who was formerlie sicke and valetudinarie :—Who being all cited, ant l compearingsummoneal dno e b o t e d ar ,again 2°.o epr " KIMEARN, Zlth August 1860.—Extracted from the Old Records of Presbytere th Dingwalf yo y b l ALEX". MACLEAN, D.D., Pby-Clk.

Fuller wittily observes, that as careful mothers and nurses, on condition they can get their children to part with knives, are contented to let them play with rattles, so the early Christian teachers permitted ignorant people to retain some of their former foolish customs, that they might remove from them mose -th t dangerous.1 Fulle s herri e writin f protesting o firse baco th g t o ke t introductio w g f i timet bu s; n of Christianity intr countryou o e shalw , l find that many pagan cere-

1 Fuller's Oh. Hist. p. 375 ; and Brand, " Pop. Antiq." Ixi. ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 259

monies were connived at, and engrafted on the new religion, which we, now-a-days, should feel inclined rather to class with edged tools than rattles. Instead oibreaking monumente th idolatryf so earlr ou , y teachers gave them Christiaa n baptism cuttiny b , then g o symbole mth theif so r own. religion wit d e ritesd ceremoniesan ,th h an f paganiso m they dealt in like manner. The places of Druidical worship, which Maelrubha found on his arrival in Applecross, in all probability became afterwards places of Christian worship; d suc an f the]h o wers ma e believe posseso dt s special virtues, continued to enjoy their special reputation, with this difference, however, that wha Gode th tDemonr o , r Geniuso , locibefored di e Sainth , t took upon himself, toleratin ceremonyd ol elastie e mucs th g a th s a f c ho conscience of the age permitted. '"Une religion chargee de beaucoup de pratiques," says Montesquieu, " attache plus a elle qu'une autre, qui Test moins,"2 and this principle was freely acted on—the more freely, perhaps, that the early Christian teachers came among a people peculiarly given to ceremony, if we may trust the remark of Pliny, " The Britons are so stupendly superstitious in their ceremonies that they go even beyond the Persians." inclinem a I think3o dt , with Pennane th d an t writer in the Old Statistical Account, that Inch Maree was such a locality. The sacrifice of the Bull, and the speaking of the Saint as " the God," make this probable, while the belief expressed by some old writers that facte existind th sucan s , hwa g oral traditions, rende t stilri l mor. eso

I have no earlier allusion to the well on this island than 16560 It was then the resort of the lunatic, and, as I have said, it may possibly have been so from the date of Mourie's arrival, or even before that time. One shrin Belgiun ei ms knowi specia a hav o nt d eha l reputatio f thino s kin morr dfo e than 1200 years I refe t Dympn. thaS o t rf o t Gheeln ai . t FillansS n Ouow r, too bees ha , n e " th resorteblesse r fo do dt purpose of conferring e distressedhealtth n o h " sinc yeae th e r 700.4 Further back still, Orpheus s saii havo do t wh e, writte e hymnth Mercuryo nt ,

1 Many of the mosques of Algeria are now the Christian churches of the French occupants of the country. 2 " De 1'Esprit des Lois," 1. xxv. oh. ii. 3 Burton's Anat. of Melancholy, ed. 1859, p. 667, quoted from Pliny, lib. iii. 4 John Laurie Buchanan's " Def. of Highlanders," pp. 168-224. R2 260 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

speak f Mercury'o s s Grot, wher e hade b lunaticr remedo fo 't s d yan swa lepers.1 moste Th interesting featur thesf eo e extracts, however findine th s i , g so complet formad an e a sacrificial l ceremony commonly practiser ou n di country at so late a period as within 200 years of our own day. The people poin Inverasdalo t t e lasth ts ea plac e wher e sacrificth e s wa e e murrai e curth e her th th f offered e s o stil di r f cattle n no i lFo e . on , sacrificee wholee gooth th f dr o . fo d Thi dons si buryiny eb t galivei . assuredm a I , that withi lase yearn th nte t s suc barbarisha m occurred counte inth Moray.f , yhowevero is t I 2 , happily beyond an , l doubtdal , very rare. The sacrifice of a cock, however, in the same fashion, for the cure of epilepsy, as I shall presently show, is still not unfrequently practised ; but in neither of these cases is the sacrifice offered on the shrine namea o a saintfo t r do , god, though f courseo , botn i , h e therth s ei silent acknowledgmen f somo t e power propitiatede thub o st . I only know one other recorded instance of the formal sacrifice of a bul Scotlann i l feast-days saina hi o n dt o t , "writetwelfte A th f ro h century, Eeginal Durhamf do , sometimes also called Eeginald of Coldingham, takes occasion, in his lively ' Book of .the Miracles of St Cuthbert,' to relate certain incidents which befel the famous St Aelred of Eievaux in the year 1164, during a journey into Pictland,—that is Galloway it would seem, or perhaps, more generally, the provinces of Scotland, lying to the south of the Forth and Clyde. The. Saintlie Abbot ' Cuthbrichtihappene t a e b o dt s Kirche, Kircudr o ' - bright, as it is now called, on the feast-day of its great patron. A bull marvee parise s strengtth it th r f o lhfo ferocity d han dragges e wa , th o dt church, bound with cords e offeren almb a d oblatio o t s ,an s a d Sto nt ~ Cuthbert."3 It is curious to find, in the inaccessible districts both of the north and

1 Le Clerc, "Hist, of Med." 19. "e Elgi Th Morayshir2d nan e Courier 186124tlf y "o noticinn iMa ,i readine gth g of thi se followin paperth s ha , g editorial remark— e cas"Th e referre Dy b r o t d Mitchell took plac t twenteno y miles from Elgin," 3 Joseph Eohertson, Esq. "n o , Scholasti c Scottise Officeth n i sh Churce th n hi Twelft d Thirteentan h h Centuries."—Miscellany Spalding e t I oth f . 57 , Club,56 . v is interesting to find that the clerks of the Church—the Scolofthes—who must have ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 261

sout f Scotlandho , trace similaa f so r Christianised paganism.1 Whether these ceremonies are remains of the vague Druidical, or of the Helio- arkite, or of the Mithraic worship, I am not able to say. As regards the last, which was set up in opposition to Christianity, and which used many of its ceremonies, it is known that the sacrifice of a bull was one of its rites.e stud Th f thi2o y t sreceive ye for t f worshimo no d s froha p m Scottish antiquaries the attention which it probably deserves. It would seem that to some saints the sacrifice of a bull was not confined to the day of honour, but was a thing of frequent occurrence. This appears from a letter3 on the superstitions of Caernarvonshire of the six- bee bese nth t informed and most learned, oppose ceremonye dth attempted an , o t d thro t winti o ridicule proposiny b , baio e bullgt th t , probabl indication ya n that opinio thes nnwa beginnin changeo gt . Durin course papee gth th f reo allusion wil made b l somo et e Welsh supersti- 1 same tionth f eso character. 2 Vide paper by Meyrick, in the " Archseologia Cambrensis," vol. iii., and Well- beloved's " York." orden I destroo rt e influencyth priestse th f Romane eo th , t firsa s t endeavoured to suppress Druidism, and as they could not leave the people without a religion, they probably compelled them to adopt the rites and ceremonies of Romish paganism. Whe powee prieste n th th effectuall s f o rs wa y crippledlongeo n d r an dreaded, e th , worshi native th f po e divinitie tolerateds t resumeswa no s purityt it e bu , n di Th . altars of the second and third centuries prove a mixing of the two paganisms ; and ther reasos ei believo nt e that this modified worshi adoptes pwa dnativee botth y hb s and their invaders. Afte battle th r f Angleseyeo , Druide manth f yo s fle Scotlando dt semid ha -d an , naries somewhere to the north of the Strath Clwyd Britons, which were finally suppressed at the close of the sixth century by Rhydderch, " the imbiber of learning," f Christianitythao , tis .regarde e b Thiy sma ths da e final extinctio f Druidismno . Bu t wouli t d appear probable that s Romisa , h paganism, afte a timer , begao nt acknowledge and worship, covertly and openly, the divinities of the Druids, so Christianit t escapno d similaea ydi r pollution t afte bu ,tima r e tolerate eved dan n adopted not a few of the ceremonies and sacrifices of that modified Druidism with which it had to deal. And since Druidism existed in force to a later period in the North of Scotland than elsewhere, it may be reasonably expected that we shall there finstrongese dth d mostan t enduring evidenc e infusioth f e o f paganisno m into Christianity. A manuscript formerly in the library of John Anstis, Esq., Garter King of 3 Arms d printee Collectanean ,th n i d f Lelando a papea d als Welsn n an oi ,o r h 262 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

teenth century, in whic writee th h r tell thas visitese u h t e localitdth y where bullocks were said to be offered to St Beyno, and that he witnessed such an offering in 1589. This Beyno is described as " the saint of the parish of Glynnog, and the chief est of all saints ;" but we are told t dow t e cu tha treedare peoplth nno o th t es d thadi e te greth n wo saint's grounds, " lest Beyno should kill them r do , them some on e har r another.mo " Thoug o saintlyhs , therefore e deemeb o t e s th da , chiefes alf o tl s evidentlsaintswa e h ,t worshippe yno d solel benea s ya - ficent being sacrificed an , s were offere o avert d angers hi t o s welt a , s a l secur s favourhi e ; thus bringin s successorshihi t gou e s sainpth a f o t place to the demon loci of pure paganism. " They called Barnabas, Jupiter Pauld an ; , Mercuriu svice d ;"an 1 versa. In our own day, belief in the healing virtues of the well on Inch Maree is general over all Eoss-shire, but more especially over the western district lunatie Th . takes ci n there without consideratio consentf no s A . neare h islande suddenlsth s i e h , boae yth jerketf int o loch e t oth d ou a ; rope having been made faso him t s tdraw i thiy e ,b h s n int e boaoth t seconda again e b o ,t , third fourtr ,o h time unexpectedly thrown overboard during the boat's course round the island. He is then landed, made to drink of the waters, and an offering is attached to the tree. Sometimes a secon third dan d circumnavigatio islane th f nthoughs do i t necessary, with a repetition of the immersions, and of the visit to the well. Th Statisticaew e write"Ne th f o r l Account 184n "i 5 says, thae th t poor victi thif mo s superstitious cruelt towes ywa d roun islane dth d after s tender-hearte hi e boa y th b t d friends. Macculloch, writin n 1824gi , says,." Here also a sacrether s wa ed welt Fillans S n whichi ln i s ,a , lunatics were dipped, with the usual offerings of money ; but the well remains and the practice has passed away." He makes two mistakes here. Lunatics are not and cannot be dipped into the well, which is not larger than a bucket, and both practice and well still exist. Pen- nant describes the ceremony in 1774, as having a greater show of religion in the rites, and less barbarity in the form of immersion. Ac-

Superstitions thn . Bi L .o . "E ArcliEeologiy b , a Cambrensis," seriesd vol3 . . .i pp , 235, 236. i Acts xiv. .12 ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 263

cording to him, the patient was taken to the " Sacred Island, made to kneel before the altar, where his attendants left an offering in money— he was then brought to the well, sipped some of the holy water, and a second offerin mads gwa e; tha thricts donewa e h , dippee laketh n ,di ansame dth e operatio repeates nwa dsomr everfo ey weeks."yda ' I could not learn that any form of words is at present in use, nor do any of the writers referred to make mention of such a thing. Nor does t appeai r tha feast-dae regarde w th t saine no th s f i tmors y o da e favourable than any other. There is an unwillingness to tell a stranger of the particular cases in which this superstitious practice had been tried, but several came to my knowledge. About seven years ago furioua , s madma broughs ne wa th o t island fro mneighbourina g parish roppasses A .e wa d roun waists dhi ; and with a couple of men at one end in advance, and a couple at the other behind, like a furious bull to the slaughter-house, he was marched to the loch side, and placed in a boat, which was pulled once round the island, the patient being jerked into the water at intervals. He was then landed , e waterdranth f ko , attache s offerin hi e dtree th o ,gt and, as I was told, in a state of happy tranquillity went home. " In matters of superstition among the ignorant, one shadow of success prevails against a hundred manifest contradictions."2 The last case of which I heard came from a parish in the east of Boss, less an sa thadyouns wa happ f s issueo wa t it t gI n yi woman. s i o wh , r asylumsou f o e . noon Thiwn i s happened about three years ago. Another reportecass "e ewa Invernes th n di s Courier Novemh 4t f "o - ber 1852s quotei d , t an dlengtr Beevea s pape D hi y Sainn n b ho ri s t Maelrubha, already referre . (Seto d e Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. iii. p. 288.)3 . " Every superstition," says Archbishop Whately, e "n ordeb i o t r rightly understood, should be read backward."4 In this manner I have

1 Pennant, op. cit. 330. 2 Le Clerc cit.. . 43 op , In reference to this notice I may mention that some fifteen or twenty years 3 back farmea , r fro mwele th sai s Letteli o t havo e dt n g Ew re do brough d ma a t desecratine th island e curet s th watere t bu s dranwa saiI i d ; th t . d d f gac an ko s to have driven virtue for a time from the well. 4 Whately's Annotation Bacon'n so s Essays . 163p , . 4 26 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO

endeavoured to treat that which is attached to the little known Inch Maree. We have seen it as it exists to-day,—with its ceremonies of cruelty, barbarism ignorancd an , have w e; see , differinnit g little from its present form, a century ago; we have seen it in 1656 and 1678 associated with an" abominabl d heathenisan e h sacrifice e havw ; e con- necte t witd i e saintlth h y founde e monasterth f o r Applecrossf yo d an ; we have adduced some reasons for believing that its real paternity goes back to strictly pagan times. - difficuls i t I uprooo t t t superstition f thio s s nature. The havy yma e to accommodate themselve changeso st t thebu , y will still live, though they may have lost limbs, or put on masks, or changed their name, or even been deserted by their priestly patrons. Their death is always slow. Bathe t rout, pu tha e theb n y consen mano t t y contortion d lossesan s . To Eomanism they only yield that which is imperatively demanded, and here they generally mak faiea r bargain sternea o lesd T .an sr formal Protestantism they make larger concessions t alwaybu , s yieldiny b t gbi t resistinglybi . Macada Watd me deadlan ar t y foes. Turnpiked an s railways they schoolmasteshune Th . sura s i er destroyer againsd an ; t blows hi s they hav shielo n e raiseo dt . e maste"Th f superstition,o r " says Bacon, " is the people ;l and we add, the master of the people is ignorance. In such old superstitions we often find monuments more enduring than stone. A Goth of a Celt, as lately happened, breaks up an ancient e linte a manseth crosr som f r fo o l fo ser o , other equally profane pur- d whaposan e; t tim d sparedmano s ha e r yfo centurie have w s e the: moment—a n i f o d a en complete destruction, from which o thern s i e return. No such complete and sudden death can befal old customs and superstitions. The e tenaciouar y f lifeo s , and n theiri , bill f moro s - tality there is no such heading as violent deaths. One religion condemns them t witye , h some chang f garmeneo t deem t prudensi adopo t t them • another wages open war against them, and appoints an army of faithful searchers and tryers to hunt them to death ; but they retire into corners, where theiarmn f faithfuow ryo l adherents secretly cherishes and keeps them in life. In the obscurity of such retreats we still occasionally fall

1 Essa Superstitionn yo . Bacon. ANTIQUABIES OF SCOTLAND. 265

upon these monumental customs t witbu , h those markings which would reveal their origin, eifaced or fragmentary, and not easily deciphered or understood. Tet there are traces of the markings still there, and the reading of them becomes a problem of much interest, but one which demand a learnins d researcan g h possessee de fewth th onl d y ,an b y want of which I plead as an apology for the small success of the effort in this case. " We were hinted by the occasion, not sought the oppor- tunity, to write of old things, or intrude upon the antiquary."1 Old customs, as well as old urns, are to be found lying in silence, or buried among us, or in short accounts passed over; and it appears to be the whose duton f eyo social excavations occasionally bring the mlighto t t no , to repone them in their obscurity. Marx, in his quaint letter to the defunct Albert Thaer, predicts that " a time will come when the amateurs in nosology, like the friends of humanit e primitivth r fo y e race f mankindso , will n abounita n -i e rigines protection society for the conservation of the remnant of human diseases."2 Superstitio e regardeb y a diseasee onl s ma th na d y t bu ; conservation which we desire for it is one in its history on paper. If, firmlhowevero s e saids i yb t s i imbedde,a , n humai d n nature, thaa t phrenologist might discover an organ for it,—a spot in the brain which can discern no truth, as the yellow speck in the eye receives no image,3 —we shall hav waio t e t long befor y unioan e s neededi n , eve keeo nt p the remnant alive. Melista. Ther a littl s i ee island called Melista, separate a narro y b d w sea- way froe coasth m f Uig o t , withou y permanenan t t populationt bu , whicho t formen i , r times, peoplthrer o o ee tw summe resortee th r rfo d months looo t , k afte e cowsth r , which they sake transporteth er fo t i o dt of pasturage. Tradition says of this island, that no one was ever born t frono m s t becom no birtwa o d beforo hdi s ewh o insanet o ni e wh r o , death. In the last generation, three persons had the misfortune, for the firs tthi n timeo sy seunlucklighe o t ,da e th f o t l threyal spot d e weran , e 1 Sir Thomas Browne, iii. 4. Bolin'a ed. 2 Moral Asp. of Med. Life, by Mackness, p. 115. 3 Marx's Letter to Petrus de Apono. 6 26 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO rememberes f themi o o e wh ,mad.on name f th O "f y 1eo d b "Wil d Mur- doch," many strange storie sais i tolde dt sI ar tha .friends hi t s useo dt ropa e eti roun bodys dhi , makboat e stere thed th t th fasei f an , nn o o t t seao t pult , ou ltakin e store wretche towTh gth n yi .goesn ma d, that he was so bouyant that he could not sink; that they " tried to press him down into the water;" that he could swim with a stone fastened to him ; that when carried to the rocky holms of Melista or Greinan, round which the open Atlantic surges, and left there alone, he took to the water, and swam ashore thatd an ; , when bound han kilna footd lef d n i an dtan , , by a miracle of strength he broke his bonds and escaped. It was thus they are said to have treated him during his fits of maniacal excitement; and there are many still alive who saw it all, and gave a helping hand. Not single was this poor man's misfortune. To his insanity was added the calamity of living among an unenlightened people, a thousand years removed fro kindle mth y doctrine gooe th df s o Pinel furthee Th . r story of wild Murdoch will astonish no one. He murdered his sister, was taken south, and died in an asylum; or, as the people say and believe, glooma cele if nth o l y prison, under whic sea-wave hth e cam wend ean t for ever. I am not here detailing what happened in the middle ages. It is of the nineteenth century—of what living men saw—that I write. The towing behind the boat2 establishes a relation between the superstition f Melistso Incd aan h Maree e additionaTh . l beliefe th n i , case of Melista, that an insane man cannot be made to sink, I find is common ove e North-wesrth t Highlands gentlemaA . Dingwaln i l first told me that it was a general opinion that idiots and insane persons do not sink in water. It is popularly accounted for, he stated, by rupture e gall-bladderth th f o e , whic s regardei h e conditioth s a d f no that organ in all such people. When I heard this, I remembered with interest that the learned author of the " Pseudodoxia Epidemica" tells

1 Thiasserte s oveovee d wa m san r r o againt dthinI t t improbabli kbu , e that this smal lbirthplac e threee islanth th s l .dal wa f eo A Lewis gentleman, who read this paper in manuscript, here inserts the follow- 2 g marginain l note:—"The reaso r towingnfo wild Murdoch was, becaus t woulei d not have been safe to have had him in the boat. This was told to me by one of his relatives." ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 267

us, that the popular explanation in his day of the floating of dead bodies waburstine sth gall-bladdere th f go , which sayse h s a ,, being fier e "th y humour, will readiest surmount the water."1 The practice of immersion, and even submersio othen i e sear o th r, watersn ni cure th lunacyf er o fo , , alss i f greaoo t antiquity receives ha d e sanctioan th d, leso n sf ndiso - tinguished a physician than Boerhaave, one of whose celebrated apho- risms is to this eifect: " Prsecipitatio in mare, suhmersio in eo con- tinuata quam-diu ferre potest, princeps remedium est."2 Borlase, in his " Natural History of Cornwall," quoting from Carew, says that, in the paris f Altarnumo h , madnes s cure placinwa y s b d e patiene gth th n o t brink of a pool filled with the water from St Nun's Well, and then, without telling him of the intention, tumbling him into the pool, " where d dows tossean h somwa y enp b d u e person f superioso r strength, till, being quite debilitated, his fury forsook him. He was then carried to church, and masses were sung over him."3 To preclude the demon from lurking in the hair, a special water was sometimes used; the patient was plunged over head and ears in a bath of Gregorian water, and detained there just up to the drowning point. Many writers refer to this. We thu tha e custoe wide-spreadsse d tth probablet an botms i no d s hol i t I , . however s ramification, it tha l al t same s th hav ed origineha . The belief that all born on Melista are or will be insane, has probably originater threo o e tw successiv n di e islane birthth n dso being thu- sun fortunate I kno. wsmala l paris Scotlann hi -whichn di , three idiots were same borth n en o night insanitd an , y appeare familiee lase th th n dti f o s three consecutive occupant housa f so e whic hI kno w well—the families not being relate eaco dt h other. Temple of St Molonah* NeaLewie Bute th rth f so t ther smala s ei l unpretending ruin, whose architecture shows it to be of considerable antiquity. It is called by the people the Teampull-mor, and also the Temple of St Molonah or

Thomar 1Si s Browns cit.,. . 404i op , . Bonn's ed. 2 Pettigrew's Med. Superstitions, p. 63. 3 Dalyell, Darker Superstition Scotlandf so 608. p , , from "Discours admirable d'uno religieuse possesses," p. 38. 4 In Gaelic, Maolonfhadh. 268 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

t Mulvay.S 1 Lunatic e broughsar t from many north-wese partth f so t of Scotlan thio t d s ruin.thisy B 2, t meahoweverno no s d thai I t ,i t a yearl ycome b occurrence -o t y frequenca wa s r y thai o ,an t i t n i y pared with that which once held good at St Fillan's, when, as has been affirmed hundreo tw , d insane persons were carried thither annually.3 The patient walks seven times round the temple, is sprinkled with water fro t Ronan'mS s Well, whic closs hi t handea thes i , n bound and depo- sited for the night on the site of the altar. If he sleeps, it is believed that a cure will follow, if not, the powers are unpropitious, and his friends takhomem ehi wil,e believinHeavef th o l e b o nt t gthai shale th l e wate s formerlTh wa r . is remai ye h brough s na t fron e wela m th n li old stone cup, keepine whicth lef s familyn a i thwa f g o , regardee th s da descendant e clerkth f so oftlie temple. beed ha no takewh Onn n etherema e goowhod th an d, d m I saw ha , fortune to sleep, and was cured. He afterwards married, and had a family. Seven year ho e ag sagai n became insane I foun d m hi an d, labouring under dementia I hear. f severado dayn ,ow l r otherou n si who had been sent to St Molonah—some from the mainland of Scotland, —but no happy issue was reported. This superstition closely resembles that which is attached to the Chapel of St Milan. As it is my object, however, in this paper to confine myself as much as possible to the superstitions of the North-west Highlands of Scotland, I shall do nothing more than allude to the miracle-working r WalteSi f o pool r n Scotwhico t pe ,gives e ha t h th nworld-wida e fame. Would that his words embodied a truth, and not an idle superstition ! ....." Saint Fillan's blessed Well, Whose spring frenzien sca d dreams dispel, And the crazed brain restore."4

1 St Molochus. 2 A Lewis gentleman, reading this paper in manuscript, writes on the margin, " I know two persons who were brought to the temple. The result was favourable, retura maladye d th sai s i f ha n o t d s I .tha churcha o e n e visibua t th s on to t hha efficacy for a return of the disease." 3 Heron's Journey, i. p. 282. 4 Marmion realitn i . t a Editiowell,no y a t s i bu t I n not d 1852. . 124p an e18 , deep rock pool in the river, which is close to the ruin. ANTIQUARIE9 26 SCOTLANDF SO .

Alexander Dewar presene th , t custodie thf ro e Quigric Crozier ho t S f o r Fillan, thus describes the ceremony :—" There is likewise in Strathfillan still standing the walls of an old chapel, where people used to go with those wh of thei o wer t re ou mind afted an ;r dippin gthrer o the o em tw time s ideena p poo waterf o l , they would leave the e mnighe th th tie r n i td fo old chapel, and such as got loose through the night they believed would t betterge t thosbu , e that remained bound were concluded incurable."1 greaTho etw f to dayt visitinr 1s sfo d an gy thiMa s f spoo t t 1s wer e eth August,2 thoug saint'e hth f January.o s h feast-da firse 9t e Th t th 3 s yi of these is the favourite day for a vast number of the virtue wells of Scotland, and beyond doubt is connected with the pagan Beltane. Some- times the first day has been changed to the first Sunday. Convenience may probably explain this change. May Wells. Of the many May wells which I know in Scotland, none appears to be in such repute as that of Craiguck, in the parish of Avoch, Koss- shire. Votive offering e generallar s y left thesa t e wells, often simply consistin e patient' th f bit o gf o s s clothing, attache busa o t dh near the spring. It was not without astonishment that in so protestant a part of protestant Scotland as the parish of Avoch I found the bush above Craiguck Well, when I visited it last summer, literally covered with such offerings. Legio theis nwa r name I migh. t almos wity sa th an old writer, quoted by G-rose, that I saw on it such numbers of rags mighs "a t have mad fayra e e rhem papea n i e r myll."4 These offerings, I doubt not, were at one time of a nature more valuable than the rag which is now deemed sufficient. They were left to propitiate or obtain the favour of the saint, and, before the epoch of saints, perhaps to appeas malevolenea dayr t deity ou I ,believ n I . e definitthero n s ei e recognition of the object; but, at the same time, I am satisfied that there is always a vague feeling that some supernatural power will thereby be made friendly r intercession o d giv d wile an ai ,ef cours on o l o N e.

1 The Quigrich or Crozier of St Fillan. By Daniel Wilson, LL.D. 1859, p. 3. 2 Dalyell. tit.,79 . . op ,p 3 Sir "Walter Scott. Note 3 to Glenfinlas. 4 Pettigrew, op. cit., p. 39. 270 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

acknowledge this. Few, indeed, will admit that they are among the frequenters. Such wells are chiefly in renown for the restoration of " backgane bairns ;" and it not unfrequently happens that children, regarded simpl backwars ya infancyn di laten i , r childhood aduln i r o , t life, e acknowledgear d imbecile idiotsr so d thuan , s come unde noticey m r , and I have often found that the efficacy of these springs had in early life been testedcasee th sucf so n i , h unfortunates, b yMay-daa y visitd an , an additional streamer to the bush. In old times it was the custom, if a cure did not follow a visit to one well, for the patient to go on to another,—from Struthill say to St Fillan, and thence to Loch Maree or St Eonah ; and if all the wells in Scotland failed, those in England were then resorted to. Such a case is given in t G-odricS lif e f womath eo A . n Musselburgi n h became insane after childbirth, and murdered her child. After a time the mania became re- mitting, and " tune cepit loca sancta per Scotiam circuire, cupiens plenam recipere sospitatem: Tandem venit ad sanctum Godricum," wher pietr importunitd ehe yan y were rewarde miraculoua y db s cure.1 In the first volume of the " Archseologia Oambrensis," there is a paper on " Holy Wells, opiniof o Ithel, s b "i y "A o b n tha"wh t they wert ea one time object f pagao s n supporworshin i d f an thi o ptgive; e sh o stw important quotations, whic hI subjoin. 2 It appears that St Patrick found such a worship among the Irish. His motiv visitinr efo g Slan sais ei o havdt fountaia e e beese o nnt theref o , heardd whic whicha d e an h,h e ma'g hth i honoured d madan , e offerings god.a o t 3tos a , But not only do we find that in very remote and pagan as in later times, supernaturabeliethe in f l power sucsof h wells worshior , thempof was , common, we also find that the ceremonies or rites still or lately attending

Vite 1D a Sancti Godrici . 391p , . Surtees Society's publications. Professor Simp- son mentions this caslata n ei numbe "e Medth f ro . Time Gazette.d san " 2 " Neque nominatim inclamitans montes ipsos, aut fontes vel colles, aut fluvios olim exitiabiles, uunc vero humanis usibus utiles, quibus divinus honor a cajco tune populo cumulabatur."—Hist. Gild, § 4. " Prohibemus etiam serio—quod quis adoret Ignem, vel Fluvium Torrens, vel Saxa, vel alicujus generis arborum ligna."—Wilkins, Leg. Ang. Sax. p. 134. 3 Sir W. Betham's Irish Antiquarian Researches. Ap. 29. ANTIQUARIE SCOTLANDF SO . 271

a visi o the t t e substantiallmar e samy th s thosa e e anciently observed. It was the general custom in Scotland, not long ago, to drop into the waters a pin, or small coin, or pebble with, the name of the patient on it, as well as to attach a bit of the clothing to a bush. The same, and other similar offerings (even to the pin), are or were lately dropt into or left at the holy fountains of Wales. And I find that to the springs of the Nile similar gifts were made. Seneca, in Qucsst. Nat., when speak- in themf go stipea or , c ssay sacerdotesha s: " n I t auree , a dona prasfecti cum solemne venit sacrum jaciunt."—" Here, on solemn festivals, the priests thro theiwn i r brass moneygreae thein th me d tr an ,gol d offerings." And Pliny (lib. viii. ep. 8), speaking of the sacred spring of the Clitumnus allusion a same s th ha e,o nt custom, " Fons puru t vitreuse s t numeraru e jactas stipe t relucentese s calculos possis."— sprin"A o gs pure and clear, that you may count the pieces of money that have been thrown into it, and the shining pebbles at the bottom." ' Tha superstitioue th t s virtuee belieth n thesi f so e holy well proa s si - longation of pagan worship, we have a further proof in the choice of the da visitinr yfo g them thio T sI hav . e already alluded. There are, moreover, case whicn si wele hth associates i l d wit hsora f sacrificiao t l ceremony. Suct Tegla'S s hi s e parisWellth f n Llandeglahi o , , whics hwa considered efficacious in cases of epilepsy. The patient repaired to it after sunset, washe , madit n offerinn di ea g f fourpenceo into t i , walked roun t thredi e times repeatin Lord'e gth s Prayer; then offere coca d r ko hen, carrying it round the well and church; after which he went into the church, crept under the altar, and passed the night with the Bible as a pillow, and the communion-cloth as a coverlet—departing at break of day, afte furthea r r offerin f moneyo g leavind an , coce gth hen.r ko 2 This superstitio regardee b n nca nothin s da amalgan a t gbu Chrisf mo - tianit paganismd yan I agre. e witItheb A hthinkinn i l t probablgi e that the early missionaries to Britain appropriated for the church these wells selectiny b , ge "the th Laver s ma regeneration,f so baptismar o " l fonts the-vern I . y paris whicf ho Itheb hA incumbents li , ther sucs ei h indebtem a I 1 r theslaso dfo ttw e quotation papea Holo e "st y W.rb th yn "o Well Monmouthshiren si , printe e " Archseologith n di a Cambrensis,". 87 . p vol . ii . 2 Arch. Camb. 60 .. volp . i . 272 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

a well, from which, though a mile or more from the church, several of parishionerss hi , livin 1846n gi , remembere baptismae dth l water invari- ably to have been brought, i Nay I ,hav e proof, thae enlightenedth t year0 25 ,s ago, regarded the, resortin o thest g e wella sor f s devio a ts l worshi n disguisepi . littla n eI quarto r AndersotracD y b t n (the invento pille th s f whicro h name)s hi y b stil, o entitleg l dColde "Th e Spring f Kinghorneo e Craig. His admirable and New Tryed Properties, so far foorth as yet are found by Experience. Writte Patricy nb k Anderson f Physickeo . D , , Edin- burgh. 1618., e assure"h s readerhi s s tha waterKinghorne s th hi t f o s e well " are not lyk the superstitious or mud-earth wells of Menteith, or Lady Well of Strath-Erne, and our Lady Well of Euthven, with a number of others in this countrie, all tapestried about with old rags, as certaine signes and sacraments wherewith they arle the divell with ane arls-pennie of their health; so suttle is that false knave; making them believe thin thaonls o i e virtuwatern e t th i ytth d g f an eo els, . Such people cannot say with David, The Lord is my helper, but the Devill."2 Pennant, in his Tour (ii. 336) gives an account of the well of St G-eorge parise th Cegidozf n hi ,o . near Abergelen. sayse H 3, " S* George parise th ha Hols n dhi hi y well t whica , Britise hth s hoffer hi Mar d - sha wors wa e -Britis Belid f horses.o th o go w g wh , e hin No th Mar" s swa "shippe leade e s "da th battle.n i r "

Superstitions relating Epilepsy.to Some disgusting superstitions, associated with epilepsy, still exist in Scotland:— In the parish of Barvas, an epileptic maniac was put into bed wit s deahi h d mother d lef an t night,e t th no ther cur A r d . fo eedi follow, and he ultimately died in a fit. I met many persons who had known this unfortunate lad. e paristh f Kintailn o hI , wher e peoplth ee verar e y backward dan 1 Arch. Camb. 54 . . volp . i . indebtem a I 2thir dfo s quotatio Josepr M o ht n Robertson e earlynoticTh . e of the bits of clothing as an offering is of interest, 3 Arch. Camb. i. 184. ANTIQUARIE273 SCOTLANDSOF . credulous I encountere, d the same superstitio stila n nli more offensive form. I saw a poor epileptic idiot there who had been made to drink the water in which his dead sister had been washed. The fits are said to have been less sever lesd esan frequent eve ralss sinceowa tolI .d of another epileptic in one of the western islands, who had been bathed watee th whicn n i ri deas hhi d wifbeed ha en washed. Hebridese th wese n i Bos f th d o t n I hav,san I e seen several epileptic beed ha idiotn o mads wh drin o t e ksmala l quantit f theiblooyo n ow rd for the cure of the disease. Caithnessn I e skula suicidth ,f uses o a drinkinl s n ewa i da p gcu orde o curt r e epilepsy r B. a schoolmasteM , . Orkneyn i r , states that he knew the remedy to have been tried in the case of J. B., an epileptic, disinterres nowa . wB . boddeade C ordedn i f Th yo obtai. o rt skulr nhe l for this purpose e committeSh . d suicid y leapinb e g from Duncansbay Head, and, fallinroce th kn gbelowo r bod recoveres he , ywa buriedd dan . frese Th h blooa crimina f o d s lon wa la gmuc h esteemed remedy. Barrington, in his "Observations on the More Ancient Statutes," quotes the following:—" A notion still (1769) prevails in Austria, that when a criminal is beheaded, the blood drank immediately that it springs from the neca certai s i k ne fallin th cur r gefo sickness." s singulari t I ' , indeed, how mystic has ever been the value attached to the blood and corpses criminalsf o encountee W . mann i t i r y superstitions. Crollius, in his receipt for the weapon-salve, makes choice of moss that grows on the skull of a man that hath died a violent death; but his commen- tator, Hartman, expressly "preferre thae on st hath been hanged."n I 2 an old Dispensatory published in 1670, I find the following:—" Some say human blood drunk hot cures epilepsy, if violent exercise be used vers aftei t yi r t dangerousitbu ; oftentimer fo , t causei s s epilepsyd an , brings great tremblings on those that take it."3

For the cure of the same disease, there is still practised in the North of Scotlan formaa d l sacrifice—no n obliquea t literaa t d downbu ,an l - right sacrifice to a nameless but secretly acknowledged power, whose propitiation is desired. 1 Timbs' Pop. Errors . 189p , . " "Wittie's Translatio Primrosef no . 402p , . 3 Salmon's Dispensatory. , II.16 . i , VOL. IV. PART I. S 4 27 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F P SO YO

On the spot where the epileptic first falls a black cock is buried alive, along witpatient'e th loca h f ko s somhaid an re paring nailss hi f .o s I have see t leastna three epileptic idiot whor fo s m thi sais si o havt d e been done. A woman who assisted at such a sacrifice minutely described ordee th f procedure o e r tom thin I .s instance addition i , whao t n I t have named, three coins were also buried a "curn"onionsd d re an f , o , pounded small, were applied to the patient's navel. Dr Gr——, of N——, informs me that some time ago he was called on visio t a poobelonginn t ma rfishine th o t gg population sudd ha -o wh , denly died, and who had been subject to epileptic seizures. His friends tol doctoe dth r tha t leasta comfore tth the d knowinf yo ha t g that every- thing had been done for him which could have been done. On asking what remedies they had tried, he was told that among other things a cocd beekha n buried alive belo e s pointespo s th bedwwa thi d ,dan yearw fe st havoutBu .e elapsed since this sacrific s openlewa y offered unknowe th o t n demo epilepsf o n n improvina n yi g town whico t , e hth railway now conveys the traveller, and which has six churches and ten schools for a population of about 4000. Its occurrence so recently in a community so advanced and so privileged, is certainly a marvel deserv- ing of record. An old fisherman was asked by the Doctor if he knew of other cases in which this heathen ceremony had been performed, and he at once pointed out two spots, on the public road or street where epileptics had fallen, and where living cocks had been cruelly buried, to appeas powee eth r whic strucd hha k them down. I have always found performed tha people ha tth o ewh d this ceremony hesitated to speak of it with freedom. There is evidently a secret, slavish drea a powe f do r which they dee t mi pruden offendo t t y no b t, speaking contemptuousl t whef ityo ye ; n charged with acknowledging ita denia, s alwayi l s given—not d broadful an t cautiousll bu , d yan evasively worded. The same thing may be said in reference to all superstitions among the Highlanders. This sacrifice of a cock for epilepsy and insanity is of great antiquity. In 1597, at the trial of Christian Lewingstoun, the " earding of a quik grand,e th co n ki remeda spokes "i s a -insanity.r f yfo o n Moore Th 1s

1 Dalyell cit. . 190. p op , . ANTIQUARIE5 27 SCOTLANDF SO .

and negroes of Algeria drown a living cock in a sacred well for the cure of epileps madnessd yan anothed an ; r Arab cur epilepsyr efo , with losf so memory, is the drinking of the bile of a cock every morning.1 Hens were offered to St Vitus for the cure of chorea, or the dance of St Vitus, a disease related to epilepsy. " The next is Vitus sodde in Oyle, before whose ymage faire, Both men and women bringing hennes for offering do repairs, cause Th e t knowwhereono o I thin,d somr I f kfo e disease, Which he is thought to drive away from such as do him please." 2 e s cocconsecrateTh wa k f medicineo n d i Apolloo t dgo d an e , th , Egyp a cocs sacrificet wa k o Osirist d , whom some identify wite th h Apollo of the Greeks.3 During the prevalence of infectious diseases in the East, the cock forms an oblation to a sanguinary divinity; it is sacri- entrance th templeficee t th a df o e s dedicate e correspondinon o t d o gt the Hecate of the Greeks; or it is killed over the bed of the invalid.4 The women of Malabar offer the same oblation for the cure of disease.6 Sick person Ceylon i s n frequently dedicat a cocmalignand re o t k ea t divinity; and if they recover, it is sacrificed.6 The Collyrium which restored sigh Valeriuo t t e sbloowhita th Aper f s o de wa ,coc k mixed with honey, and Esculapius himself prescribed it.7 Cocks and hens were offere Walen i dcure t Tegl S th epilepsy.f eo r o st afo 8 It is interesting to find what we must regard as modifications of the same superstition widelo s , y spread e inferencTh . s thai e t they have probabl commoa yhad grea of n torigin one antiquity and ,coc The k. appear havo t s e been sacre o pagat d n divinitie l ages al earld f an o s;y Christians, preaching a religion the spiritual nature of which made it unpalatabl incomprehensibld ean rud a ignoran d o et ean t people, seem to

1 Bertherand, Med. des Arabes, p. 465. 2 Googe's Trans Naogeorgusf o . . Brand. . 298p . cit.. . vi op , 3 Dalyell cit.. 191. p .op , 4 Barthelemy's Voyage aux Indes Orientales 418-2. ,Dalyel) d pp vol . i an .0 . ; op , cit. p. 419. 5 Moor's Hindu Pantheon, pp. 149, 150, from Dalyell, p, 419. 6 Knox's Relatio Ceylonf n o , fro 78 m . p ,Dalyell . 420p , . Olerc'e iL s Hist Pliysickf o , . , 169985 . p , 8 Arch. Oamb.. 50 ,. volp . i . s2 276 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

have tolerate de superstitionsomth f o e r ceremonieso e religioth f o s n which they struggle supplanto dt mord an ,e especially those whicd hha wit o bodile d hth o t y rather than wit spirituae hth l par f mano t .

It is more true of epilepsy and epileptic mania, than of any other form of nervous or mental disease, that in old times it was regarded as a demoniacal possession. In the miracles of St Godric,1 there are fifteen or sixteen referring to the insane. All of these, and more particularly .the epileptics, are'described as possessed of devils. One under the heading " De Deemoniaca ibi liberata," refers to a woman who is said to have been " Sedecim annis a daamonibus, quos Eumenides 2 vocant ita seducta et pergravata, . Anothe"&c Daamoniosa;e , "is D r anotherd an " , e "D insana et dcemoniosa." While the cure of a furious maniac is thus announced vesaniA " , a sinm t dsemonie l o liberatus, sanus surrexit." Those who have witnessed a severe epileptic seizure, with its appalling- convulsive stragglings, will have little difficult understandinn i y a w gho primitive and ignorant people should regard it as having a supernatural cause. morbuse th t came i b When y Greek e o saceret th wh Romansf r d o ,o san , unablm a I sayo et . Hippocrates ridicule e ide sth f ther ao e being any- thing divine about it,3 and there are many reasons for believing that it was treated as sacred, only in the sense of being a peculiar or special infliction equall fro m t came godsi e a b m th w I o et y. ho unably sa o et designated the morbus sonticus, an epithet in which the idea of guilt ap- involvedpear e alss b o ha st beet I . n calle Herculeae th d n distemper, " not," says Le Clerc, " that he was ever troubled with it, or knew how to cure it, but because a power equal to that of Hercules is required to subdue so difficult a malady."4 We are told, however, that Hercules was twice insanet is.possibli d an , havy e ema tha labouree h t d under convulsive seizures wase H . , moreover f epilepticspatroe o th , d ngo . Whatever was the understanding of the Greeks and Eomans, it is certain that by the Jews' epilepsy was looked on as diabolical.5 This indeed was the case with Orientals generally. Among the Arabs, to this 1 De Vita Sanoti Godrici. 2 The use of this word is interesting. 3 Work Hippocratesf so . ,Clerce bransL cit.33 . . * Adamsp op y , b , . 5 Dalyell cit.. op , 615. ANTIQTJABIES OF SCOTLAND. 277 day, epilepsy, and all convulsive affections, are regarded as a horrible sexual union of the djenounes (or bad spirits) with the patients. In our

own countr s weli t i yl known that, til a periol t verno dy remotee th , 1 notion epileptia f no c being possesse t uncommon no a devi s f o dwa l . " The sorcerie, incantations, and devillische charmeing," by which they were cured in the seventeenth century, clearly point to such a belief. Every year, however losins i t i ,holds git , tracee anonls i b w t do i yt d no in remot littld ean e frequented regions. Many of the signs of possession point particularly to the epileptic. Thus e entranc,th demoa f sometimees o nwa s denote sensatioa y b d f no cold water running down the back;2 farther, the demons were felt " creeping like ants between the flesh and the skin, or as the pricking of needles."3 These are neither more nor less than the aura and formica- tion, e well-knowth n premonitorie epileptin a f so c fit. Again, personal suffering, distortion of the visage, and barbarous screams, were signs, if not essentials of possession, as they are also of epilepsy. e e detailsacrificth th f n o theso t I s ed ele whic comments ha h s ther severae ear l indication devises e expulsios th thawa r t i da fo t f no daamon. The mind at first refuses to leave the major fact,— the actual sacrific animan e Protestanta th f eo y b l f Scotlano s nineteente th n i d h century. The secondaries, however, are of interest. The hair and nails, which were buried wit e cock hth e ofte ar , n oddly introduced inte oth histor f possessionyo always wa t sI recognise. d that these evil spirits " can lurk among the hair, or conceal themselves under a nail."1 The exorcist, when he failed in complete dispossession, sometimes actually caused the daemon to recede from the head and heart, and fixed him in the toes,5 and there was a desperate but special remedy,—viz., the Gre- gorian bath, to which allusion has been made, for expelling the dsemon from his final retreat in the hair.

While St Buffin and St Eomamis were invoked against madness, St t ValentinS Joh d nan e succeeded Hercule n beini s speciae gth l patrons

1 Bertherand, Med. des Arabes, pp. 54, 57. 3 Dalyell, op. cit. p. 604. 3 Dalyell, op. cit. p. 604. 4 Ibid., op. cit. p. 604. 6 Ibid., op. cit. p. 609. 8 27 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO

of epileptics;1 and these saints not only removed, but sent the diseases with .which they were associated. " Saint Valentine beside to such as doe his power despise, falline Th g sickness crie sendesm than hi s ; helped o t ma an , e sth The raging mind of furious folkes doth Vitas pacific, And doth restore them to their witte, being called on speedilie." 2 n BritainI t JohS , n appear havo st e been generally recognisee th s da patron of epileptics, and accordingly we find numerous superstitions in whic ie shh involved. " Three nail e nativits vigi th e t mad Johf S th o lf n nyi eo Baptist, called Midsummer Eve, and driven in so deep that they cannot be seen, in the place where the party doth fall that hath the falling sickness, and namin e saigth d party's name whils doingi t i e , doth drive awae yth disease quite."3 " Some, by a superstition of the Gentiles, fall down before his image (St John Baptist's), and hope thus to be freed from the epileps thed e farthean y;ar r persuaded, t gentltha bu f the i to n yg y ca t disorderly inte saint'ou oth y cr s r t holloshrineo ,no d w an ,lik e mad- men, when the thereo yg , they shala whol e b l e year free from this disease ; but if they attempt to bite with their teeth the saint's head they go to kisse, and to revile him, then they shall be troubled with this disease every month, which commonly comes with the course of the moon ; yet extreme juglings and frauds are wont to be concealed under this matter." *

Cure epilepsyr sfo stila f o ,l more meaningless character, were common, especially in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

1 Brand, op. cit. i. p. 357. "Ruffinus et Komanus phrenesiprsesnnt. Morbo sontico, olim Hercules, nunc Joannes et Valentinus praesunt."—(Moresini Papatus, p. 16; from Brand , cit.)e differenop , Th t form madnessf o s , indeed d eac ha s ,saintl hit y physician. t Maturi"S physitias nwa foolsr nfo , having relatio wore th do n t Matto . St Acaire cureth the acariastres, i.e., frantic or furious bedlams. St Avertin cureth e avertineuxth , i.e., fantastical lunati e diseasec th e head. personsl th al f o sd " an , —(World of Wonders, p. 308 ; from Brand, op. cit. i. p. 362.) 2 Googe's translation of Naogeorgus, pp. 98, 99 ; Brand, op. cit. i. 363. 3 Lupton's Book of Notable Things, ed. 1660, p. 40; Brand, op. cit. i. p. 336. 4 Levinus Lemnius, 1658, Eng. trans., p. 28; Brand, op. cit. i. 305-6. ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 279 Paracelsus recommende amulen a d f corao t l against epilepsyt i d an , was thus use England n s i alsd owa t giveI . n internallys , whewa t i n thought advantageou May-dewtakn o i s t e great ei th d t exponenan , f o t vulgar errors does not altogether deny its efficacy.1 The root of the peony was often suspended round the necks of children a charsa m against epilepsycalles wa dt I Baaras;. Solomod an 8 n himself is said to have pointed out its value, which rested on its being a noted expulsor.3 widela s i yk el know e th foone f o consideres remedytTh wa t I . d infallible, and was believed in by the Indians, and by the Norwegians and other northern nations ;4 while in Britain, it was at one time regarded a s"a specific against epilepsy."3 Eings of various kinds were believed in and worn. Those, for instance, mad a piec f eo f silver eo , collecte e communionth t a d , curel dal fitf o s kinds;6 and there was a gain of power if the silver were collected on Easter Sunday. Almose preciouth l al t s stones, wor s amuletsa n , wer reputn ei s a e " noble antepilepticks," as was also the loadstone, fed with filings of steel, and wrapped up in a purple cloth, and hung about the neck. navee e blooth th f f ldo o stringAo drotw r ,po being first givea o nt new-born chil littla n di e breast-milk believes ,wa preveno dt falline tth g sickness; and Lupton says that a piece of .a child's navel string borne in a ring is good against it. The " aqu t oleuae m sterci human callee i "ar d " very effectual,d an " there were other remedies even more filthy than this. Brendelius says of the " essentia cranii humani," that it " is prevalent against epilepsy beyond all other things whatsoever." beae urine th rf Th o edrun mullen i k d vinegar e blooboaa th , f o rd t takeca n with wine testiclee otter,th e , th f 7so powdered hare's hearn i t Thomar 1Si s Browne . 190 cit.. p . i .op , 2 Le . Clerc cit.45 . . op p , 3 Tak Bucknilld ean , Psych .. MedQuotatio12 . p . n from Josephus. 4 Pettigrew. cit.66 . . op p , LendNew . Disp., 1676-7. From this work followinmucthe hof g information 5 is derived. 0 Pettigrew, op. cit. p. 61. I recently saw an epileptic, residing in Upper Strathdon, to whom the liver of 7 otte e beed th rha n given. 280 PBOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

Bhenis e shee hth e gal f th winep o l d witan , h honey, weree somth f o e disgusting remedie thir sfo s disease commo hundreo ntw d years ago. hign Ivori s h yreputewa hencd an , e perhap virtuee th s f Barheck'so s e museu th e boneScottis th n i f m,o w which no Antiquaries s i h s It . history is thus given :— curiou"A s relic, consistin tablea . g of ivoryf o lonts gwa , preserven di this family (Campbel f Barbeck) o calles l wa dt I Barbeck'. s boned an , was esteemed a sovereign cure for madness. When borrowed, a deposit of L.100 was exacted in order-to ensure its safe return."1

e cannoW t rea f suco d h gross superstitio d ignorancan n e without thankfulness that they belong to past times. It must be remembered, however, that in out-of-the-way corners of our land there still exists a faith in practices and remedies as barbarous and coarse as the worst of the obsolete superstitions to which I have alluded. I have found nothing more heathenish than the sacrifice of the cock, and nothing coarser than e drinkinth e wateth whicn f i gro deaha d siste s beeha rn washedr o , the using of the suicide's skull as a drinking cup. Fortunately such things are nowhere common, but everywhere the reverse, and in nine- tenthcountre th f so y the probable yar y wholly unknown. The superstitions of an excessive credulity appear to have been characteristic of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. If we go back moro t e remote periods fine w ,deliberata d e cruelt treatmene th n yi f o t the poor epileptic which appals our age, marked as it is by a tender regard for all who are crippled in purse, body, or mind. One reads the following quotation from Boece's chapter on the manners of the ancient Scots with a doubting inquiry as to its truth :— " He that was trublit with the falling evil, or fallin daft or wod, or havan c infirmitsi d s succedia e e heritag e sonb e sfadeth th o ,t a r fr e was geldit, thainfectis hi t t blude suld sprea firthira e women d Th . n that was fallin lipper, or had any other infection of blude, was banist fra the company of men, and, gif she consavit barne under sic infirmite, r barn buryir he d ewa baitan t quik."e hsh 2

1 Stat. Account, Craignish parish. 2 Boeoe, Translation by Bellenden, ed. 1821, p. 58. ANTIQUARIE1 28 SCOTLANDF SO .

commoe don th this d r s"ewa fo An n good, leswhole th t e nation should be injure corruptedr do severA . usee b doom d o wilt u t lyo , no say d ,an among Christians e t lookemorh ye ,o t ed into tha t is.i n " Sucs i h Burton's commen thin o t s passage from Boece.1

The notion that Idiots are favourites of God, persons whom the Almight takes yha n unde s peculiahi r r protection sais i ,exis o dt t still among some Eastern nations. Of its existence in this country, in our own or in other times, I have found little or no evidence. There has, however, long been, and in some parts of Scotland there still is, a feeling that these unfortunates illustrate a special providence—an extraordinary divinf o t ac e power—bu e sens speciaa th f n eo i t l affliction, perhaps even abandonmenn oa f malignano t t t spirits tendee Th . r regard with which many helpless idiot thei y caree b sar r r dfo mothers simpls i , fruie yf th o t maternal affection, which sees in the idiot, though an adult, the depen- dence of the infant, and gives the same care and nursing in answer. Neglect, however frequentlo to s i , y encountered worse coldesd Th an t. t bed in the house is too often that in which the idiot sleeps. But it is pleasant to know that a kindness founded on a knowledge of the real nature of the calamity is becoming more general, and sentiments like followine th g less rare :— " An' is there ane amang ye, but your best wi' him wad share? Ye mauna scait fecklesse hth , they're God's peculiar care." (BALLANTYNE.) SUICIDES. In Lewis, till recently, burial in a churchyard was refused to the suicide. clergymaa t lon o No gag 2 n there destroyef do t himselfi a n i f s witwa insanityh t i difficult d an , y thas friendhi t s foun a restingd - place for his body in the graveyard of the church in which he had been accustomed to preach. A e gravLewith n ei s usually lies westeasd an t , e wit heae th hth o dt

Burton's Anat. of Mel., p. 140. 2 A Lewis gentleman, who read this paper in manuscript, inserts the following marginal note against this :—" Quite true, and the feeling still exists in the minds o f Lewie mosth f o ts people." 2 28 PEOCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO

west, and the body is carried to it feet first. The poor suicide, however s carriei , d head foremost s hea hi e east dd spotth A lie an ,.o t s, too, is sometimes chosen for his grave on which the sun cannot shine. The custom on the west and east coast of Eoss-shire differed some- what. Ther e bods usuallth e wa y y burie t low-watea d r markn I . 1822 poo a woma, old r n nea melancholiaof r D———fit a her in , cut , buries wa throat t low-watee a d Sh . re semarkth a t disturbebu , r dhe grave, and her body floated and was washed ashore. It was found there, and not being at first recognised, the people proceeded to carry it neighbourina o t g house. "Whe thein o n r e waythroa gasth e th ,n i ht was observed e bodth , y recognised d instantlan , y o droppedtw r Fo . days it lay at the roadside on the snow, till a person of influence in the neighbourhoo t buriei d dha a dsecon d time mord an , e securelye th n i , same fashion as at first. My informant was an eye-witness. Not far from the same place, and about the same time, a gentleman committed suicide s friendHi . s conceale deaths e caushi th dd f o an e, he was buried in the churchyard. The truth came out, however, and the people took up his body by night, and buried it on the shore. Within the memory of those living, a suicide was thus buried on the shore f Locho s yearo . tw Dhuigs r herringaftew Fo fe .r se camth o t e lochpeople Th . e attribute dsuicide'e thith o st s grave; and, accordingly, a mountai f o the p yto n raise e whic th bod e tooo d t th hyt an k i sepa- rates Inverness-shire from Eoss-shire. The story says that thereon the herrings returned. This habit of burying suicides on the march between two counties was commo a hile south th n l O between ni . n Lanar d Dumfriean k s gravee therth e manf seo ar y suicides bode carries Th ywa . d thera n ei cart unhol,n e spot a whic th s lefs a n , yo th e wa e thineateth b y o ngt b weather lase tTh .buria s saii l havo t d e occurred fift r sixto y y years agod reporan , t says tha a fearfut l scen f drunkenneso e s took place on the occasion,—the coffin being torn open, and the body baptised in whisky. There are those living who remember to have seen frag- mentcare thiy th b tf sso man's grave. t morNo e than seven years agosais i o havpooa t dn , ema r drowned himsel n Lochcarroni f s bodhi yd caman , e ashore near Strome Ferry. e herringTh s deserte e locth d h about tha e peoplt th time d e an , con- ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 283 nected f self-destructiothio t s ac wit e hth s watersit overcomo n ni T . e this injurious influence, about three years ago, I am told that they gathere e spoth tn o dwher e bods foundth e d lightewa y an , a largd e (purifying) fire ove . it rWithi lase nth t thirty year sa simila r thins gi sai havo dt e been don Lochalshn ei informany M . t remember havo st e seen the poor suicide in life. The grandfather of a lunatic, who was last year sent to an asylum, drowned himself off the sand of Laide. He was washed ashore at Coig- each, and his body found there ; and I was informed that the people of the adjoining township took it to sea again and set it adrift. It was again carried ashorethin o st occasiobu , e placth t ea n d wherha e h e committe acte dth Air.f o Frodp Dhubhto mcarrie s e thiwa th t o sdi t , a hill not visible from the sea, where it was buried. The ropes by which rude th e coffi carries wa ne sai dar d recentl havo yt e com sighto et y M . informant remembere e occurrencdth e well.

SEVENTH SON. That the touch of the seventh son can cure scrofula is still extensively believed in our north-west Highlands. I have seen more than one poor idiot, with strumous complications, for whom this magic touch had been sought. The ceremony is simple. The hand of the mystic mortal is laid on the patient, " in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one onlo Godwh y ,work s cures."1 These word t always e oftenno ar t s bu , tolm a d I usedtha d t an ;thi justifies si e ground th n do , thavirtue th t e being God's gift, is exercised in his name. I have often been assured, that when seven sons are born in succes- sion parente th , s consider themselves bound possiblef i , mako t , doctoea r

The Lewis gentleman whoo t , m I hav e referre othen i d r notes, here writes 1 margie omanuscript:—e nth th f no customars i t "I e seventLewin yth i r n fo sh so to give the patient a sixpenny piece with a hole in it, through which a string is passed. This the patient wears constantly round his neck. In the event of its being removed or lost, the malady breaks out again. I am not aware that they in- vok hole eth y Trinity—probably som I hav f thee o . em do know n adults resorting t mor no seventa e f o o tha t yearo n nh tw so agef so perso A . n caughte holth f do bairnie's wrist applied an , littls dhi e patient'e hanth o dt s sore," 284 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF of the seventh. We have here nothing but a modification of the superstition under the influence of civilisation. Dalyell1 says, that seven is one of .the chief mystical numbers of Scot- I landhav t oftet no ebu , n encountere e superstitionth n i r t ou i d f o s country. Three and nine are infinitely more common. It is undoubt- edly, however, the chief mystical number of the East; and the origin of this founs strangele I it ,thinkb o n dt i s i , y frequent occurrenc holn ei y writ. In the same way we might account for its acquiring a mystic value in our own country; but I am inclined to think that the particular superstitio undew no n r consideration doet depene generano sth n do l value attached to the number seven. I think it more probable that it has its origin in the story of the seven sons of Sceva the Jew.2 It is true that in this case the power of casting out evil spirits, in the name of Jesus claimes l seved possiblwa ,al an y dnb ; y this claihavy mma e reste somn di e measur e facth t n thao e t they wer et doei seven.t sBu not appear to me difficult to understand how the gift which the seven claimed came eventually to be regarded as the possession of the seventh alonestore Th thesf yo . e seven son ignorann tols a si o dt t people, who, thinkin powee gth r claimed depende thin do s number, accord that power suco t h seven brothers e bor bornar e nar s a amon ,x si e gth themt Bu . gife th havt t t tilsevente ye eno lth h comeswits i t hI him. factn i , , that e gifth t appears then, t e bringseemI H me likela , . . o t it s y thing, that such a people would soon begin to acknowledge it only in him—the seventh—with whom it arrives. e " th Secre n I t Commonwealth," writteEeve th y . nb Eober t Kirk, ministe f Aberfoyleo r 1691n i , t paga , ther8 3 speculatioea s ei o t s na whether the mystic power of the seventh son may not have its origin in this, that " the parents of the Seventh child put forth a more eminent virtue to his production than to all the Best, as being the certain Meri- dian and Eight to which their Vigour ascends, and from that furth have a graduall declyning into a Feebleness of the Bodie and its Production." " Politica religioud an l s prejudices," says Quetele Essas hi n n yo i t Man, " appea havo t r el time beeal t nsa favourable to-the multiplication e specie oth d greaf an s; t productivenes s considerewa s unequin a s da -

1 Darker Superstitions of Scotland, 395. 2 Acts xix. 13. ANTIQUARIE5 28 SCOTLANDF SO .

vocal proof of celestial benediction, and of a prosperous state ;" and in a foot-note, referring to this passage, he goes on to say, " When a seventh son was torn, it was customary for the Prince to hold it at the baptismal font. This practice has not become obsolete in Belgium ; and we might quote several examples, in which the magistrate, or one of his officers, has been the representative of the monarch in such cases." This superstitio s commo whed nwa ol nd nPrimrosan e wrot 1639n ei . He regarded it as an attempt of the devil to manifest, in his " cursed Emissaries," that wondrous power blessine whicth y h b f G-od g, o " is , granted to the Kings of Great Brittaine and France, and denied to other Christian Kings."' In this royal gift it is well known that Sir Thomas Browne, whose " Vulgar Errors" were published in 1646, had a practical belief;2 yet had its full brother—the birth-right of the seventh son— been discussed by this learned man, I doubt not he also would have attributed it to " Satan, the great promoter of false opinions."3 EVIL EYE. No superstitio mors ni e commo e north-westh n ni f Scotlanto d than belief in the influence of the evil eye. gira U——n w i l sa whosI n ,i e case idioc attributes ywa thio dt s cause. An evil eye had fallen on her in childhood, and this was the result. Time and place were named with precision. The gold and silver water was, in her case, tried as a cure. A shilling and a sovereign were put into water, whic thes hwa n sprinkled ove Fathere name r herth th f n eo i , , Sond an , Holy G-host.4 So said her mother, a seemingly pious old woman, who told me, in all seriousness, that though her child's mental health was evers a r bodil d he , stilba ys a lhealt beed hha n much improved. In some districts of the north-west of Scotland, a very sudden or peculiar illness seldom occurs which is not submitted to this ceremony. I know person havo eswh frequently see t practisedni .

1 Primrose. Popular Errors ; or, Errors of the People in matter of Physio. Trails, by Wittie, 1651 . 434p , . 2 John Browne's Adenochoiredelogia, part 3, pp. 187,189. 3 Sir T. Browne. Bolm's edit., vol. i. p. 88. In the parishes on the west of Boss-shire, in order to give greater efficacy, the 4 wate takes ri n fro mrivulea t through whic hfuneraa l processio latels nha y passed. 286 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF inclinem allegeda s i I t thinI o d dt an , k correctly, tha Lewin i t s even some elders of the church have a firm belief in the evil eye and witch- craft. ' CHAKMS. Lewie th n sI thes commone stile ar ar l d mucan , h used t morr bu , efo diseasee th cattlf so e tha f menno I hav. e presente Museue th o dt f mo Antiquities two which were recently in use. The sickness of cattle is sometimes ignorantly attributed to the bite of a serpent, and a Lewis correspondent informs me that the people make the diseased animals drin f wateo k r into which these charm stone e put ar d thas ,an t they curesweae th o st r thereby effected.

CHANGE OF NAME. There is another curious superstition with referenc preventioe th o et n of insanity in a family where cases have already occurred, which I encountered in the Lewis. An effort is made to extirpate the tendency by the introduction of a new name into the family. I saw one case in which this had been tried without success.

CHANGELINGS. FAIRIES. I saw at M————, in Uig, an emaciated, shrivelled, helpless idiot, a dwarf with that puzzling expressio f face—no a compoun senilitf do d yan babyhood3—which is not rare. He is believed to be a changeling of the supposee fairiesar o steawh ,o d t l awa humae yth n child leavd an , e forie on t of theiyoung-oldn ow r childre e nursedb e onlo t nTh y. remedr fo y this of which I heard, is to place the changeling on the beach by the water side, when the tide is out, and pay no attention to its screams. e fairiesTh , rather than . drownesuffe e risinbe th o rt y gb dthein ow r waters, spiri t awayi t restord an , chile eth d thestolend sige yha nTh . that thibees sha n cessatioe don th child' e s ei th f no s crying.

Lewie 1Th s gentlema annotateo nwh manuscripy dm t here says :—" Most true.

DrMitchell nee t hav dno point. e doubea th n o t" 2 I know two idiots in one of the Western Islands exactly of the same character, alsd oan believe changelinge b o dt fairiese th f so . ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 287

I shall here conclude this notic superstition e f someo th f o e e th f o s north-west Highlands and Islands of Scotland. They relate chiefly to lunacy, regarding the nature and management of which opinions still prevail which are far behind the kindly teachings of Pinel—far even behind the practice in the temples of Egyptian Saturn, if we may trust the following:—" A formula of worship was there proposed as a charm, and not as a moral medicine, and under this guise the crowds which frequented these shrines were engage successioa n di f healthfuno d an l amusing exercise s; the y were require marcbeautifuo e dt th n hi l gardens and to row on the majestic Nile; delightful excursions were planned for them, under the plea of pilgrimages. In short, a series of powerful and pleasing impressions was communicated at a time when the feelings were impressed wit mostha extravagant hope witd an ,h perfect reliance upon the power whose pity every act was intended to propitiate. The priests triumphed, and the disease was subdued."1 What else do our most advanced psychologists now recommend ? Where is the new thing ?n 2undesu e th r But in no way wedded to wisdom, as in the foregoing, are the superstitions of the north-west Highlands of Scotland. On the contrary, they are intimately unite backwardneso t d t con ignoranced no - an I s d Ha . fined myselsuperstitione th o t f s relatin lunacyo gt , this would have been still more apparent. Erysipelas, for instance, to this day is cured by cutting off one-half of the ear of a cat, and letting the blood drop on the affected part gooI havn .o dt ei authority, that withi lase nth t few years morthis swa e than onc eparise trieth Lochcarronf n dhi o abaidil,e Th . a sort of colic to which cows on hill pasture are subject, is thus cured:— firse Th t perso see o sufferine nsth wh g animal twist ropa s e againse th t sun, passe t rounsi cow'e dth s body, cut t intsi o three part burnd san . sit Amornine n th islande n i o g encounterwh r snaibara sa n eo l rock with taie himo th t l , turns fros froa prophema t mi f evilgoeo d t an ,s home

1 Quote . W0 .y Morrisb d , fro n authoma t named no ra pape n d i thn ,i r32 e Yorw ReporkNe Legislature Institutioth e Yorth o w t n Deae Ne ko th f r fo en fo and Dumb, page 199. Even Esculapius is said to have relieved those " whose violent agitations of 2 mind raised an intemperate heat in their bodies, with songs, farces, and miisick."— Le Clerc, op. cit. 41. 8 28 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO

again. I know a lady, who, when a child, labouring under hooping-cough, was passed three times unde hope belief d bellth asse n an a erth n f ,i yo that therefrom a cure would come. "Warts are rubbed with a piece of beef, whic thes i h n buried with three barley-corn s; whe n e theseth t -ro warts are expected to fall off. I know cases in which this has lately been done; and I could retail hundreds of similar childish superstitions presently practised. Some of them we are sorry to find vanities. We mourn over their impotency f thI e. hear lapwina f o t g could really improv intellecte eth , war imaginatione mth sharped an , wit,e th n 1 wha trada t lapwingn ei s would arise! What number f theso shoule mw l swalloal d w ! Wha t wi t and talent would fill the world ! How glad the heart of the lapwing must be that it has no such mystic power, and that wisdom has detected the emptiness of the conceit. chrysolitee th f I , bored throug filled wit p h an mane assdu n a hth f ,eo could really "drive away all folly,"1 who would want one about his person? The poor would be supplied with chrysolites either by the charitable or by the state. Wisdom would walk the streets, madness woul unknowne d b writer'e th d an s, occupation gone. I trust that this communicatio t lea no inferenceo t d y ma n s more unfavourabl Highlande people th th f o o et s tha reae nth l e statth f eo case warrants. As a rule, the superstitions in question are confined to the more ignorant; and perhaps, after all, it is not more difficult to understand an ignorant man's faith in the traditional value of " earding a quik cok in the grand" for the cure of epilepsy, than it is to understand the belief in spirit-rapping, which is not uncommon in our times, even among the more cultivated classes. The superstitious practices which I have described, necessarily illustrate the social condition of the people t theibu , r chief interest lie n theii s r being relic f antiquityo s ; ans suca d h thee herar ye discussed I hav. e done wha I coult o t d secure accuracy, and I feel satisfied that all my statements will be found substantially correct. " Si de veritate scandalum sumitur, utilius permittitur nasci scandalum, quam ut veritas relinquatur."2

t i1I s doubtful if these superstitions exis Scotlandn i t . t AugustineS 2 .