CHAPTEE YL 



THE EISE OF A PKIESTHOOD. 



GOG. IN 480 and 504, I have drawn conclusions from 

 the fact, obvious a priori and illustrated everywhere, that with 

 increase of a chief s territory, there comes an accumulation 

 of business which necessitates the employment of assistants ; 

 whence follows the habit of frequently, and at length per 

 manently, deputing one or other of his functions, such as 

 general, judge, etc. Among the functions thus deputed, 

 more or less frequently, is that of priest. 



That such deputation takes place under pressure of affairs, 

 civil or military, we see in the case of the Romans. As the 

 kings could not always attend to the sacrifices, having often 

 to make war, Numa (who performed, according to Livy, the 

 majority of the sacerdotal offices) &quot; instituted flamens to 

 replace the kings when the latter were absent ; &quot; and, adds 

 M. Coulanges, &quot; thus the &quot;Roman priesthood was only an 

 emanation from the primitive royalty.&quot; How causes of this 

 kind operate in simple societies, we are shown by a sentence 

 in Mr. MacDonald s account of the Blantyre negroes. He 

 says : &quot; If the chief is from home his wife will act [as priest], 

 and if both are absent, his younger brother.&quot; As occurring in 

 a ruder society where the blood-relationship of the chief to the 

 god is still recognized, this case shows us, better than that of 

 the Romans, how a priesthood normally originates. 



This vicarious priest-ship of the younger brother, here 

 arising temporarily, in other cases becomes permanent. Of 



