PART IV.

Astrology. Demonology. Fortune Telling. Moll Pitcher. Conclusion.
STROLOGY, Demonology, Magic, Sorcery, and the many other systems of a hidden, mysterious nature, have held more or less sway in all times. Ages ago they were reduced to form, and ranked as sciences. Poetry is full of their imagery. And many an intricate pass in history has been illumined by the glow which they have shed.
The dreamy light of the fascinating, I had almost said sublime, sys- tem of Astrology, has led to some of the lofty discoveries in astronomy. That system is still prevalent in oriental countries. Through its agency, it is believed, the fates of men may be read in the starry vol- ume which is nightly opened above. The earliest accounts we have of the human race, show that they led a pastoral life. And as they watched their Hocks upon the star lit plains, do we wonder that they should have traced out images of strength, beauty, or mystery, among the marshaled hosts above, or should have fancied the fates of men there recorded in glittering lines. Orion, the most magnificent, of all the celestial constellations upon which the eye of man is permitted to •gaze, and which at the moment I am speaking, is pursuing its stately march across the clear blue vault, may trace its very name to the old mythology.
Demonology has in some ages formed an important part of the very religion of men. In the ^Eneid we have this bold description of one under the influence of a demon:
" Invoke the skies, 1 feel the God, the rushing God, she cries ; "While yet she spoke, enlarged her features grew ; Her color changed, her locks disheveled flew ; The heavenly tumult reigns in every part, Pants in her breast, and swells her rising heart; Still swelling to the sight the priestess glow'd, And heaved impatient of the incumbent God."
But the progress of true science and purified religion has loosened the hold of most forms of superstition. Yet, even now, and among 5
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us, we may perceive lingering traces of these mysteries. How many sober business men constantly carry lucky bones or pocket pieces* How many regard lucky and unlucky days. How many regard the infinite variety of signs. In the ballad ot Cumno? Hall are touching- \y exhibited several superstitions of the latter class, which may well apply forcibly to many cases of our day. Earl Dudley, it will be re- membered, was suspected of having caused the death of his unfortu- nate cotintess, in the vain hope of obtaining the hand of his sovereign. Elizabeth, however, proposed him to Mary of Scots ; but she indignant3 ly rejected him.
tl The death-bell thrice was heard to ring,
An aerial voice was heard to call, And thrice the raven flapped his wing
Around the towers of Cumnor Hall.
The mastiff howled at village door,
The oaks were shattered on the green ;
Wo was that hour — for never more The hapless countess e'er was seen.
And in that manor now no more
Is cheerful feast and sprightly ball; For ever since that dreary hour
Have spirits haunted Cumnor Hall."
The system of fortune telling will probably prevail in ages to come.. The restless spirit of man will ever seek to look beyond the veil. And though his better judgment whispers that the hand which essays to draw aside the curtain is as weak as his own, his trembling hopes and fears beget a confidence. Says Mackenzie, "Of many who say they do not believe in fortune telling, I have known few on whom it had not a very sensible effect." How many a sturdy mariner goes stealth- ily to consult the crone, before embarking upon the treacherous bil- lows. How many a blooming maiden pursues the moonlit path to the habitation of the fortune teller, tremblingly to inquire if the fates have ordained that the concealed, but consuming love of her own gentle heart is to find a response in that heart where alone repose can be found.
The traveler, as he pursues his way eastward from the metropolis of Massachusetts, may observe an abrupt, rocky elevation, upon the left, a furlong or two, from the second railroad depot in Lynn. This elevation is called High Rock, and the view from it is perhaps as expansive, varied and magnificent, as from any spot in all New Eng- land. The broad expanse of the Bay, boundless to the vision, save that under the clearest sky the dim outline of Cape Cod is percepti-
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tale ; trfe many lovely islands lying about the entrance to the spacious harbor of Boston, with the countless vessels moving among them ; the bold cliffs of Nahant, and the rocky headlands against whidh the surly waves constantly dash, and then foam and roll away in spent fury upon the worn pebbles and glittering sands of the coves and beaches ; the spires and indistinct architectural piles of the city, with the blue, hills of Norfolk beyond ; the wide-spread and populous town of Lynn, occupying the broad plain which stretches from the bold ram- part of woody hills upon the north ) the detached habitations, scattered upon the romantic declivities, beside the ponds and among the craggy niches along the wild shores '; the spires of distant towns lifting them- selves above the hills; the river, the meadows, the woods; — these, and a thousand minute objects, make up a picture of rare grandeur and beauty.
Upon the declivity of this elevation, once stood a lonely cottage, which, for more than half a century, was the home of the renowned Moll Pitcher. There, in that then sequestered spot, it may literally be said, she was visited by those of every kindred and nation. And there, on the ninth of April, 1813, at the age of seventy-five, she passed within that veil which she had so often professed to lift for others to catch glimpses of their future destinies. That she was an extraordinary woman, cannot be doubted. Taking the position, which we are assured she herself always assumed, that she possessed no other means for direct intercourse with the unseen world, than those who sought her aid, it must be acknowledged that she had marvelous quickness of perception — ability to compare, combine, and analyze, with wondrous rapidity. And had her mental efforts been directed to loftier pursuits, we can hardly doubt that she might have been a bright star to shed lustre upon the path of men. Few could read the human heart with such precision ; and few could with such unerring certainty discover a true index to the' affections, the hopes, the fears, of others, in a trembling word, a transient glance. Her influence was felt throughout the civilized world ; and fortunes and honors were secured or lost through her predictions. Her maiden name was Mary Diamond. In early life, she experienced severities of fortune ; and it is said pursued her profession for a livelihood. Mr. Lewis, in speaking of her personal appearance, says : " She was of 'the medium height and size for a woman, with a good form and agreeable manners. Her head, phrenologically considered, was some* "what capacious; her forehead broad and full, her hair dark brown, her
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nose inclining to long, and her face pale and thin. There was notfr- ing gross or sensual in her appearance — her countenance was rather intellectual; and she had that contour of face and expression, which, without being positively beautiful, is, nevertheless, decidedly inter- esting— a thoughtful, pensive, and, sometimes downcast look, almost approaching to melancholy — an eye, when it locked at you, of calm and keen penetration — and an expression of intelligent discernment,, half mingled with a glance of shrewdness." She seems to have pos- sessed a benevolent heart, and often to have sacrificed her own com- fort for that of others. The intelligent writer just referred to, says she has been known to rise before the sun, walk two miles to a mill,, purchase meal, and carry it to a poor widow, who would otherwise have had no breakfast for her children. She lived in " homely wise." But her rude cottage was sometimes visited by the nobles of earth, for her fame was as wide as the world. And there, too, came the fairest daughters of the land, the dcivmg student, the anxious business man, the sighing youth. Her predictions seem to have been dispensed with much assurance, and yet with an a-ir of honesty and sincerity. Her name will be known to future generations, in the most distant lands. Even now, we are told, it is chanted in the wild ballads of the old world, and invoked, by the starveling inpsey, as he draws around the evening group of villagers. It cannot be denied that her predic- tions were verifted oftentimes wii-h-.almost startling exactness, and acute reasouers have been most painfully exercised in attempting to account for her extraordinary success on any known principles.
And now, in bidding adieu to those who harve kindly listened to my \ imperfect remarks, I may be allow:"' the simple observation; that su- perset on is a term broad and varied in Us popular meaning and application. Often when it has reigned in its legitimate character, its sceptre has thrown a dark and fe:*r feT*t shadow upon the path of men. i But sometimes its operations have been misapprehended, and men have referred to it occurrences belonging rather to the departments of true- science. Let us remember this; for there are mysteries in the loftest regions of truth.
Note. — While speaking [page 25] of the recantations of some of those who had been zealous in hringiiiH to punishment the supposed witches, in 1C92, mention <>f Judge Sewall wa dentally omitted. After lhe dreadful scenes had closed, tie was so rjeeph affi cteil in view of the part he had taken, that he annually set apart one day for humiliation and prayer, in private. And on the general fast, he arose before the whole congregation at the Old South Church in Boston, and' remained in penitential at ilude, while a papor of his was read from ill * pulpit, expressive of hi" snr'ow. But Chief Justine Stoughton looked hack with very different frel- ings. So far from expressing any regrets, he was displeased at hearing others lament Iher harsh proceedings. We have no reason to doubt that they were both sincere.
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