A HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



1. Their heads shall remove from his head. 



2. Their heads shall let go his hands. 



3. Their feet shall depart from his feet. 



Which perhaps may be explained thus : we learn from 

 another tablet that the various classes of evil spirits 

 troubled different parts of the body; some injured the 

 head, some the hands and the feet, etc., therefore the 

 passage before may mean " the spirits whose power is 

 over the hand shall loose their hands from his," etc. 

 " But," concludes Talbot, " I can offer no decided opin- 

 ion upon such obscure points of their superstition." 15 

 In regard to evil spirits, as elsewhere, the number 

 seven had a peculiar significance, it being held that 

 that number of spirits might enter into a man together. 

 Talbot has translated " a " wild chant" which he names 

 "The Song of the Seven Spirits.", 



1. There are seven! There are seven! 



2. In the depths of the ocean there are seven! 



3. In the heights of the heaven there are seven! 



4. In the ocean stream in a palace they were born. 



5. Male they are not: female they are not! 



6. Wives they have not! Children are not born to them! 



7. Rules they have not! Government they know not! 



8. Prayers they hear not! 



9. There are seven! There are seven! Twice over there 



are seven! 



The tablets make frequent allusion to these seven 

 spirits. One starts thus: 



1. The god ( ) shall stand by his bedside: 



2. These seven evil spirits he shall root out and shall expel 

 them from his body, 



3. and these seven shall never return to the sick man again. 17 



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