412 



may be found— Istly, in the fact that the phenomenon under 

 discussion (supposing it to exist) can be utilised for the benefit 

 of mankind ; and, 2ndly, in the character of the evidence which 

 I shall submit, in my endeavour to show that the subject is 

 not altogether unworthy of your attention. 



The belief in Ehabdomancy, or divination by means of a 

 rod or wand, extends over a long period of time and a wide 

 geographical area. The term itself connects it with the Greeks, 

 and allusions in early writings sufficiently show that it was 

 practised by the Eomans, Scythians, Medes, Persians and other 

 ancient peoples, including, of course, the Chinese, who, unless 

 they are over-rated, seem to have known everything that any- ' 

 body else ever did, and a good deal more besides. Cassiodorus, • 

 in one of his epistles written in the 6th century, speaks of the 

 utility of the professional water discoverers, but this allusion 

 is exceptional^ as, until much later times^ the divining rod 

 appears to have been mainly regarded as a medium for the 

 detection of crime, or as an indicator of desirable courses of' 

 action in the affairs of life. As no one nowadays claims for it 

 the position either of a police detective or a confidential adviser 

 it is unnecessary to make further reference to that branch of the 

 subject. 



The alchemistic literature of the 15th century drew attention 

 to the more utilitarian purposes of the divining rod by dwelling 

 upon its power to discover hidden treasure or metallic ore. Its 

 use with I'eference to metals, especially, became general in 

 Germany, and was extended thence through Flanders, England, 

 Sweden, France, Italy and Spain before the end of the 17th 

 century. Many works v,^ere published on the subject, in which 

 various theories were advanced to account for its attributes. 

 Scientific explanations were given by some, others regarded the 

 rod and its operator as recipients of a divinely-given faculty, 

 ■whilst many more put it all down to the credit of the Evil One, 

 which was a very convenient way of accounting for many, 



