582 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



time went on, it required to be braced somewhat, and in 1692 

 Wedelius, Professor of Medicine at Jena, chose as the subject of 

 his inaugural address " The Physiology of the Destruction of 

 Sodom and of the Statue of Salt." 



It is a masterly example of "sanctified science." At great 

 length he dwells on the characteristics of sulphur, salt, and thun- 

 derbolts ; mixes up scriptural texts, theology, and chemistry after 

 a most bewildering fashion ; and finally comes to the conclusion 

 that a thunderbolt, flung by the Almighty, calcined the body of 

 Lot's wife, and at the same time vitrified its particles into a glassy 

 mass looking like salt.* 



By such demonstrations as these of Quaresmio and Wedelius 

 the theological view of the myth seemed fastened upon the world 

 forever. 



Not only was this view demonstrated, so far as theologico- 

 scientific reasoning could demonstrate anything, but it was clearly 

 shown, by a continuous chain of testimony from the earliest ages, 

 that the salt statue at Usdum had been recognized as the body of 

 Lot's wife by Jews, Mohammedans, and the universal Christian 

 Church, " always, everywhere, and by all." 



Under the influence of teachings like these and of the winter 

 rains new wonders began to appear at the salt pillar. In 1661 

 the Franciscan monk Zwinner published his travels in Palestine, 

 and gave not only all the old myths regarding the salt statue, but 

 a new one, in some respects more striking than any of the old 

 for he had heard that a dog, also transformed into salt, was stand- 

 ing by the side of Lot's wife. 



Even the more solid Benedictine scholars were carried away, 

 and we find in the " Sacred History " by Prof. Metzger, of the Order 



* For Zvallart, see his " Tres devot Voyage a Ierusalem," Antwerp, 1608, book iv, chapter 

 viii. His journey was made twenty years before. For Father Boucher, see his " Bouquet de 

 la Terre Saincte," Paris, 1622, pp. 447, 448. For Heidmann, see his " Patestina," 1689, pp. 

 58-62. For Belon's credulity in matters referred to, see his " Observations de Plusieurs 

 Singularitez," etc., Paris, 1553, pp. 141-144 ; and for the legend of the peas changed into 

 pebbles, p. 145 ; see, also, Lartet in "De Luynes," iii, p. 11. For llauwolf, see the " Reysse- 

 bucb," and Tobler, " Bibliographia." For a good account of the influence of Montaigne in de- 

 veloping French skepticism, see Prevost-Paradol's study on Montaigne prefixed to the Le Clerc 

 edition of the "Essays," Paris, 1865 ; also the well-known passages in Lecky's "Rationalism 

 in Europe." For Quaresmio I have consulted both the Plantin edition of 1639 and the- 

 superb new Venice edition of 1880-'82. The latter, though less prized by book fanciers, 

 is the more valuable, since it contains some very interesting recent notes. For the above 

 discussion see Plantin edition, vol. ii, pp. 758 et seq., and Venice edition, vol. ii, pp. 572- 

 574. As to the effect of Quaresmio on the Protestant Church, for Wedelius, see his " De 

 Statua Salis," Jenae, 1692, pp. 6, 7, and elsewhere. For Eugene Roger, see his "La Terre 

 Saincte," Paris, 1664 ; the map showing various sites referred to is in the preface ; and 

 for basilisks, salamanders, etc., see pp. 89-92, 139, 218, and elsewhere. For thorough dis- 

 cussion of the Old Testament and mediaeval view of Jerusalem as the center of the earth, 

 see Eicken, "Geschichte und System der Mittelalterlicher Weltanschauung," Stuttgart, 1887 y 

 p. 622. See, also, on next page, legend that the grave of Adam was on Mount Calvary. 



