the zincali-第19章

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the　silversmiths'　shops　at　Seville。







The　Gitanos　have　nothing　more　to　say　on　this　species　of　sorcery　



than　the　Spaniards；　which　can　cause　but　little　surprise；　when　we　



consider　that　they　have　no　traditions；　and　can　give　no　rational　



account　of　themselves；　nor　of　the　country　from　which　they　come。







Some　of　the　women；　however；　pretend　to　have　the　power　of　casting　



it；　though　if　questioned　how　they　accomplish　it；　they　can　return　no　



answer。　　They　will　likewise　sell　remedies　for　the　evil　eye；　which　



need　not　be　particularised；　as　they　consist　of　any　drugs　which　they　



happen　to　possess　or　be　acquainted　with；　the　prescribers　being　



perfectly　reckless　as　to　the　effect　produced　on　the　patient；　



provided　they　receive　their　paltry　reward。







I　have　known　these　beings　offer　to　cure　the　glanders　in　a　horse　（an　



incurable　disorder）　with　the　very　same　powders　which　they　offer　as　



a　specific　for　the　evil　eye。







Leaving；　therefore；　for　a　time；　the　Spaniards　and　Gitanos；　whose　



ideas　on　this　subject　are　very　scanty　and　indistinct；　let　us　turn　



to　other　nations　amongst　whom　this　superstition　exists；　and　



endeavour　to　ascertain　on　what　it　is　founded；　and　in　what　it　



consists。　　The　fear　of　the　evil　eye　is　common　amongst　all　oriental　



people；　whether　Turks；　Arabs；　or　Hindoos。　　It　is　dangerous　in　some　



parts　to　survey　a　person　with　a　fixed　glance；　as　he　instantly　



concludes　that　you　are　casting　the　evil　eye　upon　him。　　Children；　



particularly；　are　afraid　of　the　evil　eye　from　the　superstitious　



fear　inculcated　in　their　minds　in　the　nursery。　　Parents　in　the　East　



feel　no　delight　when　strangers　look　at　their　children　in　admiration　



of　their　loveliness；　they　consider　that　you　merely　look　at　them　in　



order　to　blight　them。　　The　attendants　on　the　children　of　the　great　



are　enjoined　never　to　permit　strangers　to　fix　their　glance　upon　



them。　　I　was　once　in　the　shop　of　an　Armenian　at　Constantinople；　



waiting　to　see　a　procession　which　was　expected　to　pass　by；　there　



was　a　Janisary　there；　holding　by　the　hand　a　little　boy　about　six　



years　of　age；　the　son　of　some　Bey；　they　also　had　come　to　see　the　



procession。　　I　was　struck　with　the　remarkable　loveliness　of　the　



child；　and　fixed　my　glance　upon　it：　　presently　it　became　uneasy；　



and　turning　to　the　Janisary；　said：　　'There　are　evil　eyes　upon　me；　



drive　them　away。'　　'Take　your　eyes　off　the　child；　Frank；'　said　the　



Janisary；　who　had　a　long　white　beard；　and　wore　a　hanjar。　　'What　



harm　can　they　do　to　the　child；　efendijem？'　said　I。　　'Are　they　not　



the　eyes　of　a　Frank？'　replied　the　Janisary；　'but　were　they　the　eyes　



of　Omar；　they　should　not　rest　on　the　child。'　　'Omar；'　said　I；　'and　



why　not　Ali？　　Don't　you　love　Ali？'　　'What　matters　it　to　you　whom　I　



love；'　said　the　Turk　in　a　rage；　'look　at　the　child　again　with　your　



chesm　fanar　and　I　will　smite　you。'　　'Bad　as　my　eyes　are；'　said　I；　



'they　can　see　that　you　do　not　love　Ali。'　　'Ya　Ali；　ya　Mahoma；　



Alahhu！'　（30）　said　the　Turk；　drawing　his　hanjar。　　All　Franks；　by　



which　are　meant　Christians；　are　considered　as　casters　of　the　evil　



eye。　　I　was　lately　at　Janina　in　Albania；　where　a　friend　of　mine；　a　



Greek　gentleman；　is　established　as　physician。　　'I　have　been　



visiting　the　child　of　a　Jew　that　is　sick；'　said　he　to　me　one　day；　



'scarcely；　however；　had　I　left　the　house；　when　the　father　came　



running　after　me。　　〃You　have　cast　the　evil　eye　on　my　child；〃　said　



he；　〃come　back　and　spit　in　its　face。〃　　And　I　assure　you；'　continued　



my　friend；　'that　notwithstanding　all　I　could　say；　he　compelled　me　



to　go　back　and　spit　in　the　face　of　his　child。'







Perhaps　there　is　no　nation　in　the　world　amongst　whom　this　belief　is　



so　firmly　rooted　and　from　so　ancient　a　period　as　the　Jews；　it　being　



a　subject　treated　of；　and　in　the　gravest　manner；　by　the　old　



Rabbinical　writers　themselves；　which　induces　the　conclusion　that　



the　superstition　of　the　evil　eye　is　of　an　antiquity　almost　as　



remote　as　the　origin　of　the　Hebrew　race；　（and　can　we　go　farther　



back？）　as　the　oral　traditions　of　the　Jews；　contained　and　commented　



upon　in　what　is　called　the　Talmud；　are　certainly　not　less　ancient　



than　the　inspired　writings　of　the　Old　Testament；　and　have　unhappily　



been　at　all　times　regarded　by　them　with　equal　if　not　greater　



reverence。







The　evil　eye　is　mentioned　in　Scripture；　but　of　course　not　in　the　



false　and　superstitious　sense；　evil　in　the　eye；　which　occurs　in　



Prov。　xxiii。　v。　6；　merely　denoting　niggardness　and　illiberality。　　



The　Hebrew　words　are　AIN　RA；　and　stand　in　contradistinction　to　AIN　



TOUB；　or　the　benignant　in　eye；　which　denotes　an　inclination　to　



bounty　and　liberality。







It　is　imagined　that　this　blight　is　most　easily　inflicted　when　a　



person　is　enjoying　himself　with　little　or　no　care　for　the　future；　



when　he　is　reclining　in　the　sun　before　the　door；　or　when　he　is　full　



of　health　and　spirits：　　it　may　be　cast　designedly　or　not；　and　the　



same　effect　may　be　produced　by　an　inadvertent　word。　　It　is　deemed　



partially　unlucky　to　say　to　any　person；　'How　well　you　look'；　as　the　



probabilities　are　that　such　an　individual　will　receive　a　sudden　



blight　and　pine　away。　　We　have　however　no　occasion　to　go　to　



Hindoos；　Turks；　and　Jews　for　this　idea；　we　shall　find　it　nearer　



home；　or　something　akin　to　it。　　Is　there　one　of　ourselves；　however　



enlightened　and　free　from　prejudice；　who　would　not　shrink；　even　in　



the　midst　of　his　highest　glee　and　enjoyment；　from　saying；　'How　



happy　I　am！'　or　if　the　words　inadvertently　escaped　him；　would　he　



not　consider　them　as　ominous　of　approaching　evil；　and　would　he　not　



endeavour　to　qualify　them　by　saying；　'God　preserve　me！'　…　Ay；　God　



preserve　you；　brother！　　Who　knows　what　the　morrow　will　bring　forth？







The　common　remedy　for　the　evil　eye；　in　the　East；　is　the　spittle　of　



the　person　who　has　cast　it；　provided　it　can　be　obtained。　　'Spit　in　



the　face　of　my　child；'　said　the　Jew　of　Janina　to　the　Greek　



physician：　　recourse　is　had　to　the　same　means　in　Barbary；　where　the　



superstition　is　universal。　　In　that　country　both　Jews　and　Moors　



carry　papers　about　with　them　scrawled　with　hieroglyphics；　which　are　



prepared　by　their　respective　priests；　and　sold。　　These　papers；　



placed　in　a　little　bag；　and　hung　about　the　person；　are　deemed　



infallible　preservatives　from　the　'evil　eye。'







Let　us　now　see　what　the　TALMUD　itself　says　about　the　evil　eye。　　The　



passage　which　we　are　about　to　quote　is　curious；　not　so　much　from　



the　subject　which　it　treats　of；　as　in　affording　an　example　of　the　



manner　in　which　the　Rabbins　are　wont　to　interpret　the　Scripture；　



and　the　strange　and　wonderful　deductions　which　they　draw　from　words　



and　phrases　apparently　of　the　greatest　simplicity。







'Whosoever　when　about　to　enter　into　a　city　is　afraid　of　evil　eyes；　



let　him　grasp　the　thumb　of　his　right　hand　with　his　left　hand；　and　



his　left…hand　thumb　with　his　right　hand；　and　let　him　cry　in　this　



manner：　　〃I　am　such　a　one；　son　of　such　a　one；　sprung　from　the　seed　



of　Joseph〃；　and　the　evil　eyes　shall　not　prevail　against　him。　　



JOSEPH　IS　A　FRUITFUL　BOUGH；　A　FRUITFUL　BOUGH　BY　A　WELL；　（31）　etc。　　



Now　you　should　not　say　BY　A　WELL；　but　OVER　AN　EYE。　（32）　　Rabbi　



Joseph　Bar　Henina　makes　the　following　deduction：　　AND　THEY　SHALL　



BECOME　（the　seed　of　Joseph）　LIKE　FISHES　IN　MULTITUDE　IN　THE　MIDST　



OF　THE　EARTH。　（33）　　Now　the　fishes　of　the　sea　are　covered　by　the　



waters；　and　the　evil　eye　has　no　power　over　them；　and　so　over　those　



of　the　seed　of　Joseph　the　evil　eye　has　no　power。'







I　have　been　thus　diffuse　upon　the　evil　eye；　because　of　late　years　



it　has　been　a　common　practice　of　writers　to　speak　of　it　without　



apparently　possessing　any　farther　knowledge　of　the　subject　than　



what　may　be　gathered　from　the　words　themselves。







Like　most　other　superstitions；　it　is；　perhaps；　founded　on　a　



physical　reality。







I　have　observed；　that　only　in　hot　countries；　where　the　sun　and　moon　



are　particularly　dazzling；　the　belief　in　the　evil　eye　is　prevalent。　　



If　we　turn　to　Scripture；　the　wonderful　book　which　is　capable　of　



resolving　every　mystery；　I　believe　that　we　shall　presently　come　to　



the　solution　of　the　evil　eye。　　'The　sun　shall　not　smite　thee　by　



day；　nor　the　moon　by　night。'　Ps。　cxxi。　v。　6。







Those　who　wish　to　avoid　the　evil　eye；　instead　of　trusting　in　



charms；　scrawls；　and　Rabbinical　antidotes；　let　them　never　loiter　in　



the　sunshine　before　the　king　of　day　has　nearly　reached　his　bourn　in　



the　west；　for　the　sun　has　an　evil　eye；　and　his　glance　produces　



brain　fevers；　and　let　them　not　sleep　uncovered　beneath　the　smile　of　



the　moon；　for　her　glance　is　poisonous；　and　produces　insupportable　



itching　in　the　eye；　and　not　unfrequently　blindness。







The　northern　nations　have　a　superstition　which　bears　some　



resemblance　to　the　evil　eye；　when　allowance　is　made　for　



circumstances。　　They　have　no　brilliant　sun　and　moon　to　addle　the　



brain　and　poison　the　eye；　but　the　grey　north　has　its　marshes；　and　



fenny　ground；　and　fetid　mists；　which　produce　agues；　low　fevers；　and　



moping　madness；　and　are　as　fatal　to　cattle　as　to　man。　　Such　



disorders　are　attributed　to　elves　and　fairies。　　This　superstition　



still　lingers　in　some　parts　of　England　under　the　name　of　elf…shot；　



whilst；　throughout　the　north；　it　is　called　elle…skiod；　and　elle…



vild　（fairy　wild）。　　It　is　particularly　prevalent　amongst　shepherds　



and　cow…herds；　the　people　who；　from　their　manner　of　life；　are　most　



exposed　to　the　effects　of　the　elf…shot。　　Those　who　wish　to　know　



more　of　this　superstition　are　referred　to　Thiele's　…　DANSKE　



FOLKESAGN；　and　to　the　notes　of　the　KOEMPE…VISER；　or　popular　Danish　



Ballads。















CHAPTER　IX















WHEN　the　six　hundred　thousand　men；　（34）　and　the　mixed　multitude　of　



women　and　children；　went　forth　from　the　land　of　Egypt；　the　God　whom　



they　worshipped；　the　only　true　God；　went　before　them　by　day　in　a　



pillar　of　cloud；　to　lead　them　the　way；　and　by　night　in　a　pillar　of　



fire　to　give　them　light；　this　God　who　rescued　them　from　slavery；　



who　guided　them　through　the　wilderness；　who　was　their　captain　in　



battle；　and　who　cast　down　before　them　the　strong　walls　which　



encompassed　the　towns　of　their　enemies；　this　God　they　still　



remember；　after　the　lapse　of　more　than　three　thousand　years；　and　



still　worship　with　adoration　the　most　unbounded。　　If　there　be　one　



event　in　the　eventful　history　of　the　Hebrews　which　awakens　in　their　



minds　deeper　feelings　of　gratitude　than　another；　it　is　the　exodus；　



and　that　wonderful　manifestation　of　olden　mercy　still　serves　them　



as　an　assurance　that　the　Lord　will　yet　one　day　redeem　and　gather　



together　his　scattered　and　oppressed