THE LEGEND OF MICHAEL SCOT 181 



drew their swords and threatened the master with 

 death, until, overcome by fear, he used his power 

 to secure their companion's return. 



From the favourite locaHty of these legends we 

 may infer that the magic then in vogue was that 

 of the Arabs, which, especially in Spain, had now 

 begun to supplant the ancient and primitive Euro- 

 pean superstitions. This magic was not a mere 

 ritual of spells, such as that of the Chaldean monu- 

 ments, but rather a complete theurgy, like the 

 magic of Egypt ; the corruption of an ancient and 

 elaborate religious system.^ The Arabian mage 

 pretended to bow the superior powers which other 

 men could only worship, and boldly bade them do 

 his will. It is hardly necessary to say that such 

 a system did not originally belong to the Arabs, 

 who had been, until the days of Mohammed, a rude 

 and savage people. They learned it in Syria and 

 Egypt, where the theories of Porphyry and lamb- 

 lichus still held sway.^ In their hands this magic 

 became enriched with many neAv conceits, such as 

 the nimble fancy of these children of the East 

 knew well how to interweave with all that they 

 touched. The stars, they held, were the centres 

 of supreme influence, but had certain correspond- 

 ences with earthly things ; with herbs, with stones, 

 and even with sounds. These were in a sort the 

 offspring of heaven, for plants of power were pre- 

 cious things put forth by the sun and moon ; the 

 minerals were condensed and congealed by the 

 same heavenly agency in a planetary hour, and 

 earthly voices, even the cries of dumb animals, 



1 See Lenormant, La Magie Chaldeenne. 



2 See Wright's Cat. of the Syriac mss. in the British Museum, 

 lamblicus occurs in cor], dccxxix. 



