On Popular Illufions. 



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Ignorance and fear are generally faid to produce 

 the firft fuperftitions of uncivilized men ; and they 

 indeed aiflift each other powerfully. The mind feems 

 to magnify the objeft of its terror in proportion to 

 its ignorance of the properties of that objedt. But 

 a caufe equally adtive with thefe, which operates 

 both in the rude and poliflied ftates of fociety, is 

 the reftlefs curiofity we derive from our conftitution 

 refpedling the caufes of natural phfenomena, Man, 

 in -the favage flate, is melancholy and referved 5 

 conflantly expofed to toils, and frequendy to dan- 

 gers, he alTociates the ideas of hoflility or proteftion 

 even with inanimate objedts ; unacquainted with the 

 relations of caufe and effedt, he judges chiefly from 

 thofe of refemblance ; every florm is fuppofed to 

 be direfted by an enemy, fimilar to the human 

 adverfary, but fuperior both in powers of oppofition 

 and concealment : the rock, or the tree which 

 fhelters him from the weather, or faves him frorn 

 the purfuit of a wild beaft, becopnes firft a patron, 

 and then a divinity. Accordingly, the delufion of 

 incantation was long fupported in Germany, becaufe 

 the peafants could not account for the appearance 

 of hail-ftorms in fummer, but from the operations 

 of witches * i and the deification of ancient heroes 

 and legiflators can only be explained on the princi- 

 ples of gratitude and veneration, which led their 

 people to hope that their benefaftors continued to 



* Wier. Lib. Apologet. 



behold 



