ISRAELITE AND INDIAN. 69 



Even so late as the time of Josephus it was believed that Solo- 

 mon had invented incantations by which diseases were cured, and 

 some handed down by tradition were commonly used. Incense 

 banished the devil, which also could be done by the liver of a fish. 

 Certain herbs and roots had the same power. Their medical prac- 

 tices might be recited, with slight change of language, as those of 

 the Indians. The further back examination is made into sav- 

 agery and barbarism, the more prevalent faith-cure appears. 



Witches. The Indians were in constant dread of witches, wiz- 

 ards, and evil spirits ; but the activity of the good spirits was not 

 so manifest. They, however, told Adair how they were warned 

 by what he calls angels, of an ambuscade, by which warning they 

 escaped. Bad spirits, or devils, were the tutelar gods of enemies, 

 to be resisted by a friendly tutelar. The idea of a personal Satan 

 was not found before the arrival of the missionaries. 



Among the Indians witches were often indicated by the dreams 

 of victims. They were sometimes killed merely upon accusation, 

 and it is interesting to notice, with relation to comparatively 

 modern history, that the accused frequently confessed that they 

 were sorcerers, and declared that they could and did transform 

 themselves into animals, become invisible, and disseminate dis- 

 ease. 



A sufficient reference to the Israelites in this connection is to 

 quote the ordinance, " Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." This 

 injunction, in the higher civilization, is observed by destroying 

 the idea that witches live, ever have lived, or ever can live. 



Dreams and Divinations. The topics of inspiration by dreams 

 and divination by oracles may be grouped together. 



The Indians supposed that with, and sometimes without, a spe- 

 cial fasting, and other devices to produce ecstasy, the spirits or 

 daimons manifested themselves in dreams. It was sometimes pos- 

 sible in these dreams for the soul to leave the body, and even to 

 visit the abode of departed spirits. 



Among the Iroquoian tribes the suggestions made by dreams 

 were implicitly followed, not only by the dreamer, but by those 

 to whom he communicated his dreams. For instance, an Iroquois 

 dreamed that his life depended upon his obtaining the wife of a 

 friend, and, though the friend and his wife were living happily, 

 and parted with great reluctance, he dreamer had his wish. The 

 same tribe had a special feast which was called the " feast of 

 dreams," and partook of the nature of Saturnalia. Every object 

 demanded by the dreamers must be given to them. In some in- 

 stances they were unable to remember their dreams, and the spe- 

 cial interposition of the mystery-men was invoked to state what 

 their dreams were in fact and what was their significance. 



Among the invaluable reports of the Jesuit missionaries, one 



