engraving of the French Emperor be thousands of times, so as to Napoleon, in a gilt frame, before secure a wonderful multiplication which incense was burning. The of power. The contrivances are old man, to whom the picture be- commonly found in the houses of longed, in their presence paid it the Moguls. divine honours, bowing himself in various antic attitudes, and offering a prayer for blessings upon himself and family. When we asked him why he worshipped a European engraving, he replied, "Oh, we worship anything.

486. Rev. John Thomas and the Idol.-The Rev. John Thomas, a missionary in India, was one day travelling alone through the country, when he saw a great number of people waiting near an idol temple. He went up to them, 485. Praying Machines. The and, as soon as the doors were votaries of Lamaism actually use opened, he walked into the temple. prayer-mills. The following is a Seeing an idol raised above the description of these labour-saving people, he walked boldly up to it, machines, by Zewick. The kurdu, held up his hand, and asked for or prayer-machine, consists of silence. He then put his finger on hollow wooden cylinders of dif- its eyes, and said, 66 "It has eyes, ferent sizes, filled with Tangud but it cannot see! It has ears, writings. The cylinders are painted but it cannot hear! It has a nose, with red stripes, and adorned with but it cannot smell! It has hands, handsome gilt letters in the San- but it cannot handle! It has a scrit character, commonly making mouth, but it cannot speak! a distinct sentence. Each of these Neither is there any breath in it!" is fixed upon an iron axis, which Instead of doing injury to him for goes through a square frame; this affronting their god and themselves, frame is capable of being shut up the natives were all surprised; flat, and is formed upon a small and an old Brahmin was so conscale, much like a weaver's shear- vinced of his folly by what Mr. ing machine. Where the lower Thomas said, that he also cried parts of the frame cross there is a out, "It has feet, but cannot run hole in which the axis of the cylinder turns; by means of a string which is attached to a crank in the spindle, the machine can be kept in motion, so that the cylinder turns in the frame like a grindstone upon its axis. Before the fire at Sarepta, there were two kurdus of this kind, with Tangud writings of all sorts, rolled one upon another round the spindle, in the inside of the cylinder, to the length of some hundred feet. The Moguls believe that it is meritorious respectfully to set in motion, whether by the wind or otherwise, such writings as contain prayers and other religious documents, that the knowledge of these scraps of theology may reach to the gods, and bring down their blessing. These prayer-mills contain the above-named sentence-a comprehensive request-repeated it may

away

י!

The people raised a shout, and being ashamed of their stupidity, they left the temple, and went to their homes.

487. Two Kinds of Idolatry.The more intelligent Chinese object to many parts of the Roman Catholic system, particularly to what they call preaching down Chinese idolatry, and preaching up European idolatry, for they say they have more reason to worship their own saints than those of Europe, of whom they know nothing; they are willing to lay aside their worship of images wholly, but will not exchange them for those of Europe. They are also offended at the indulgences sold for money; for this, they say, is priesteraft. "I knew a merchant," says a gentleman who resided among them, "who threw

off his (Romish) religion in con- He therefore told the Padre, that sequence of being denied to eat if his salvation depended on so pork in Lent without paying the nice a point as the difference church, which he was not then between fat and lean, he should no disposed to do; and without it he longer be of that religion, and so understood he was to be damned, returned to Paganism. He often which startled him; upon this he asked why the English did not inquired why he might not as send Padres who worshipped no well eat the flesh as fish fried in images, and teach their religion, pork fat, which all the Christians for it would be better approved by in Macao were allowed to do. the people."

IGNORANCE.

Job viii. 9.; Psalm lxxxii. 5; Eccles. vii. 23; Luke xi. 52; Heb. v. 1, 2. 488. Absurd Controversy. - A use of the Musarabic liturgy was question was agitated in Spain, in permitted only in certain churches the eleventh century, whether the -a determination no less extraMusarabic liturgy and ritual, which ordinary than the whole transhad been used in the churches of action. Spain, or that approved by the See of Rome, which differed in many particulars from the other, contained the form of worship most acceptable to the Deity. The Spaniards contended zealously for the ritual of their ancestors. The Popes urged them to receive that to which they had given their infallible sanction. A violent contest arose. The nobles proposed to decide the controversy by the sword. The King approved of this method of decision. Two knights in complete armour entered the lists. John Ruys de Matanca, the champion of the Musarabic liturgy, was victorious. But the Queen and the Archbishop of Toledo, who favoured the other form, insisted on having the matter submitted to another trial, which was granted. A great fire was kindled. A copy of each liturgy was thrown into the flames; and it was agreed that the book which stood this proof, and remained untouched, should be received in all the churches of Spain. The Musarabic liturgy, we are gravely told, triumphed likewise upon this trial; for if we may believe Roderigo de Toledo, it remained unhurt by the fire, when the other was reduced to ashes. The Queen and Archbishop had power or art to elude this decision also; and the

489. Aged Scholar. A recent writer says: "In a morning walk, some years ago, I called upon an aged man for the purpose of reading the Scriptures to him, having been requested by a friend to do so. He was one of those who were beginning to inquire the way to Zion. I found him sitting alone; his cottage was small, but it had a neat appearance; his chief employment was that of mending sacks, being too lame, from the effects of rheumatic fever, to do any harder work. He told me that he passed many hours alone, without anything to occupy his time or attention, and that he felt it very dull, his wife, who went out nursing, sometimes being out for many weeks together. I inquired if he could read, and found he did not even know his letters. I then proposed his trying to learn them; and that his little girl, who was put to school by some kind lady, and had just learned them, should teach him; and I promised to call and hear him frequently. He had never even thought of such a thing before, but he willingly consented. I had no cause to complain of his progress. In two years he was able to read a chapter in his Testament, so as to understand it tolerably. He then

subscribed his penny a-week, and had a Bible. At this time I left the neighbourhood, and five years elapsed before I visited that place again. One of my first walks was to this cottage, to see my old pupil. Almost my first inquiry was, 'How do you get on with reading?' 'Why, I have not forgotten; I can now, thank God, read a chapter almost anywhere in the Bible; and I bless Him for having sent such a friend to me. You have been my best friend; but for you I should never have learned to read my Bible. Now I am never dull; the long winter evenings pass off quickly, and I am surprised when I find it is time to sleep.' I asked how he managed the difficult words. He said,When I come to one, I spell it over and over again, till I puzzle it out somehow; but I have learned a great many by reading the Sunday lessons on my return home, and taking notice how the minister spoke them.""

492. Delusion. During the Irish rebellion, a Roman Catholic priest of the name of Roche is said to have told the soldiers that he would catch the bullets in his hand, and actually exhibited some which he pretended to have got in that manner. The imposture was by 490. Barbarian Education.-The no means new. The demagogue Goths had no national literature; Muncer, who, adding the fanaticism literature, in fact, they despised. of religion to the extremest enA curious instance of this is given thusiasm of republicanism, by his in the opposition they raised to the harangues to the populace of Mulpurpose of Amalasunta, who was hausen soon found himself at the eager to give the advantage of a head of forty thousand troops, thus liberal education to her son Alaric. addressed them: " Everything must "No, no," said the assembled war- yield to the Most High, who has riors, "the idleness of study is un-placed me at the head of you. In worthy of a Goth; high thoughts of glory are not fed by books, but by deeds of valour; he is to be a king whom all should dread. Shall he be compelled to dread his instructors? No."

491. Bible Knowledge.-A Roman Catholic priest in Ireland was one day passing by some men and boys who were engaged in breaking stones for a new road. He said that the road there would be of great use; "and it is a long time," said he, "since there was a road in this place." "Not since Adam was a boy," remarked one of the men. "And when was that? can you tell me?" said the priest. "No, sir, I

66

vain the enemy's artillery shall thunder against you; in vain, indeed, for I will receive in the sleeve of my gown every bullet that shall be shot against you, and that alone shall be an impregnable rampart against all the efforts of the enemy." Muncer, however, was not so good as his word, for the Landgrave of Hesse and many of the nobility marching against him, his troops were defeated, himself taken prisoner, and carried to Mulhausen, where he perished upon a scaffold in 1525.

493. Depraved Neighbourhood Altered.-A justice of the peace near Bristol, in 1820, speaking of

the neighbourhood in which a Sunday-school had been established, said that formerly it was dangerous even to go through the parish, in consequence of the ignorant and depraved state of the inhabitants; but now he saw such an alteration for the better, and was so pleased with the sight of the children, that on one occasion he invited them all to his house, and gave them refreshment.

495. End of the World.-There was a prevalent, nay, almost universal idea, in the tenth century, that the end of the world was approaching. Many charters began with these words: "As the world is now drawing to its close." An army marching under the Emperor Otho I. was so terrified by an eclipse of the sun, which it conceived to announce this consummation, as to disperse hastily on all sides. As this notion seems to have been founded on some confused theory of the Millennium, it died away when the seasons proceeded to the eleventh century with their usual regularity.

494. Effects of Ignorance.-The Greek churches are well known to be overwhelmed with ignorance. Among the Russians, the common people were not long ago so very stupid and the priests either so blind or so wicked, that the least excel- 496. Fruit of Fanaticism.lence in art or science was attribu- When Alexandria was taken by the ted to some diabolical commerce, Mohammedans, Amrus, their comand a man ran great risk of being mander, who was fond of literature, hanged or burned for knowing more became acquainted with Philoponus, than his neighbours. The secretary whose conversation pleased him of a Persian Ambassador unad- much. One day Philoponus said to visedly foretold at Moscow an eclipse him, "You have examined the public of the sun that was to happen. His repositories in Alexandria, and put being able to foretell made the your seal upon all the effects you Russians foolishly imagine he had found in them. With respect to the power and malice to cause the such things as may be useful to you obstruction of the glorious luminary. I presume to say nothing; but Accordingly, when it happened, the among those which you think of no Ambassador's protection was hardly value, there may be some, perhaps, sufficient to preserve his servant, very serviceable to me.' "And whom the enraged multitude were what," answered Amrus, for putting to death as a sorcerer. things you want?" "The philoA French surgeon in the same sophical books," replied Philoponus, place had attained to some degree "that are preserved in the public of reputation, but, being so un- libraries." "This," returned Amrus, fortunate as to be skilled in anatomy," is a request upon which I cannot it entirely ruined his business, and had well-nigh cost him his life. He had found means to procure a body, which having dissected and cleansed the bones, he put them to gether and hung them up at a chamber window to dry, leaving the casement open. The wind blowing, the skeleton consequently moved, which some very wise person seeing from a window on the other side of the way, the poor surgeon was taken up, accused of magic, and had difficulty enough to prove his innocence before the magistrate.

66

are the

decide till I have received orders from the Caliph Omar, the Commander of the Faithful." He wrote immediately to Omar, to lay before him the request of Philoponus; and the Caliph returned this answer: "If there be nothing in the books concerning which you write contrary to the book of God (meaning the Koran), they are utterly useless, the book of God being sufficient for our instruction. But if they contain anything repugnant to that book, they ought to be suppressed. I command you, therefore, to destroy them all." Amrus

distributed all the books immedi- with the express condition that no ately among the baths of Alexandria, Abbot should be permitted to transthat they might be employed in fer them to any other place, but heating them; and by this method, that they should be kept for the in the space of six months, they monks of the monasteries specified were all consumed. Such was then in the will, who should accommothe triumph of ignorance and fana- date each other as much as possible ticism over learning and philosophy. in the use of them. The will is subscribed by the King and Queen, as well as by the bishops and other persons of rank.

497. Mediæval Dignitaries.Guymond, chaplain to King Henry I., observing that for the most part ignorant men were advanced 499. Metempsychosis. Among to the best dignities in the church, the doctrines taught by the Bonzes as he celebrated Divine service or Priests of the Chinese god Fo before the King, and was about to is the Pythagorean doctrine of the read these words out of St. James, transmigration of souls. The im"It rained not upon the earth three years and six months," he read it pression which this doctrine makes upon the credulous Chinese may thus: "It rained not upon the earth be judged of by a fact related by one-one-one years and five-one Father le Compte in his Memoirs, months." Henry noticed the sin-"I recollect," says he, "that being gularity, and afterwards took occasion to blame the chaplain for it. "Sir," answered Guymond, "I did it on purpose; for such readers I find are sooner preferred by your Majesty." The King smiled, and in a short time afterwards presented Guymond to the benefice of St. Frideswid's in Oxford.

498. Mediæval Ignorance.-The tenth century, which presents one of the darkest periods of the Christian era, was an age of the profoundest ignorance and of the most degrading superstition. Some who filled the highest situations in the Church could not so much as read, while others who pretended to be better scholars, and attempted to perform the public offices, committed the most egregious blunders. In Spain, books were become so scarce that one and the same copy of the Bible, St. Jerome's Epistles, and some volumes of ecclesiastical offices and martyrologies, served several monasteries; and in the famous monastery of Iona there seems to have been in the ninth century no other work, even of the Fathers, than one of the writings of Chrysostom. Germadius, a Spanish bishop, by his will, bearing date A.D. 953, bequeathed about sixteen volumes of books to certain religious houses,

I was called to baptize a sick one day in the province of Chanci, person. This was a man of seventy years of age, who lived on a small pension the Emperor granted to him. The moment I entered his chamber, he exclaimed, 'How much I am obliged to you, my

dear father! You will deliver me from the greatest of misery! You know, my father, that I have lived for a long time on the bounty of the Emperor. The Bonzes, who are well informed of what passes in the other world, assure me that in gratitude I shall be obliged to serve my benefactor after my death, and that my soul will infallibly pass into one of his post-horses, in order to carry the despatches of the Court to distant provinces. They exhort me, therefore, to perform my duty well when I enter upon my new state; not to stumble, to kick, to bite, nor to hurt any one. Run well, they tell me; eat little, and be patient. By this you will excite the compassion of the gods, who often as a result convert a good beast into a man of quality and a considerable Mandarin. I confess, my father, that this idea makes me tremble; it haunts me day and night. In my sleep sometimes I already imagine myself