OMENS. 



19 



in ihe higher spheres of Life. The extensive 

 annual sale of more than 240,000 copies of 

 &quot; Moore s Almanac,&quot; which abounds with such 

 predictions, and of similar publications, is a 

 striking proof of the belief which is still attached 

 to the doctrines of astrology in our own age and 

 country, and of the ignorance and credulity from 

 which such a belief proceeds.* Parhelia, par- 

 selenae, shooting stars, fiery meteors, luminous 

 arches, lunar rainbows, and other atmospherical 

 phenomena, have likewise been considered by 

 some as ominous of impending calamities. 



Such are some of the objects in the heavens, 

 which ignorance and superstition have arrayed 

 with imaginary terrors. 



On the earth, the objects which have given 

 rise to groundless fears, are almost innume 

 rable. The ignesfatui, those harmless meteors 

 which hover above moist and fenny places in 

 the night-time, and emit a glimmering light, 

 have been regarded as malicious spirits, endea 

 vouring to deceive the bewildered traveller, and 

 lead him to destruction. The ticking noise 

 of the little insect called the death-watch a 

 screech-owl screaming at the window a raven 

 croaking over a house a dog howling in the 

 night-time a hare or a sow crossing the road 

 the meeting of a bitch with whelps, or a snake 

 lying in the road the falling of salt from a table 

 and even the curling of a fibre of tallow in a 

 burning candle, f have been regarded with ap 

 prehensions of terror, as prognostics of impend 

 ing disasters, or of approaching death. 



In the Highlands of Scotland, the motions and 

 appearances of the clouds were, not long ago, 

 considered as ominous of disastrous events. 

 On the arming before new-year s day, if a black 

 cloud appeared in any part of the horizon, it was 

 thought to prognosticate a plague, a famine, or 

 .he death of some great man in that part of the 

 country over which it seemed to hang ; and in 

 order to ascertain the place threatened by the 

 omen, the motions of the clouds were often 

 watched through the whole night. In the same 

 country, the inhabitants regard certain days as 

 unlucky, or ominous of bad fortune. That day 

 of the week on which the 3d of May falls, is 

 deemed unlucky throughout the whole year. In 

 the isle of Mull, ploughing, sowing, and reap 

 ing, are always begun on Tuesday, though the 



* That the absurdities of astrology are still In 

 ^ogue among a certain class, appears from the pub- 



^ation of such works as the following: &quot;A Trea- 

 se on Zodiacal Physiognomy, illustrated by en 

 gravings of heads and features, and accompanied 

 xv tables of the times of the rising of the twelve 

 signs of the Zodiac, and containing also new astro- 

 logical explanations of some remarkable portions 

 of ancient mythological history. By John Varley. 

 No. I., large 8vo., pp. eo, to be comprised in four 

 parts. Longman and Co. 1828 ! A specimen of 

 some of the fooleries and absurdities gravely treated 

 of by this sapient author, will be found in Nos. HI. 

 and I of the Appendix to this volume. 



* Called in Scotland, the dead apeal. 



most favourable weather for these purposes be 

 in this way frequently lost. In Morven, none 

 will, upon any account, dig peat or turf for fuel 

 on Friday. The age of the moon is also much 

 attended to by the vulgar Highlanders ; and an 

 opinion prevails, that if a house take fire while 

 the moon is in the decrease, the family will from 

 that time decline in its circumstances, and sink 

 into poverty.* 



In England, it is reckoned a bad omen to 

 break a looking-glass, as it is believed the party 

 to whom it belongs will lose his best friend. In 

 going a journey, if a sow cross the road, it is 

 believed the party will meet either with a disap 

 pointment or a bodily accident before returning 

 home. It is reckoned unlucky to see first one 

 magpie, and then another ; and to kill a magpie, 

 it is believed, will certainly be punished with 

 some terrible misfortune. If a person meet a 

 funeral procession, it is considered necessary 

 always to take off the hat, which keeps all the 

 evil spirits that attend the body in good humour. 

 If in eating, a person miss his mouth, and the 

 victuals fall, it is reckoned very unlucky, and 

 ominous of approaching sickness. It is also 

 considered as unlucky to present a ki;..^, scis 

 sors, razor, or any sharp cutting instrument, to 

 one s mistress or friend, as they are apt to cut 

 love and friendship ; and to find a knife or razor, 

 denotes ill luck or disappointment to the party. 



Among the ancient nations, there was hardly 

 any circumstance or occurrence, however tri 

 vial, from which they did not draw omens. 

 This practice appears to have taken its rise in 

 Egypt, the parent country of almost every su 

 perstition of pagai.ism; but, from whatever 

 source it may have derived its origin, it spread 

 itself over the whole inhabited globe, even 

 among the most civilized nations, and at this 

 day it prevails more or less among the vulgar 

 in every country. Even kings and emperors, 

 sages and heroes, have been seized with alarm, 

 at the most trivial circumstances, which they 

 were taught to consider as ominous of bad for 

 tune, or of impending danger. Suetonius says 

 of Augustus, that he believed implicitly in cer 

 tain omens ; and that, si mane sibi calceus per- 

 per am, ac sinister pro dextero inducereter, ut di- 

 rum, &quot; if his shoes were improperly put on in 

 the morning, especially if the left shoe was put 

 upon his right foot, he held it for a bad omen.&quot; 



Thus it appears, that the luminaries of hea 

 ven, the clouds, and other meteors that float in 

 the atmosphere, the actions of animals, the 

 seasons of the year, the days of the week, the 

 most trivial incidents in human life, and many 

 other circumstances, have afforded matter of 

 false alarm to mankind. But this is not all : 

 Man, ever prone to disturb his own peace, not 

 withstanding the real evils he is doomed to auf- 



Encyclopedia Britannica, Art. Omen. 



