103 



world, the vestment endows the wearer with irresistable exor- 

 cising power" '. 



On the so-called "embroidered belly", ^ a piece of red cloth 

 or silk, suspended on the stomach of the hi tong ', the " divining 

 youths" used as mediums, possessed" by gods, "two dragons are 

 stitched with gold thread; for dragons are emblems of imperial 

 dignity, and consequently also those of the Emperor of Heaven, 

 in whose employ the indwelling spirit of the ki tong is, as well 

 as all other sAew" *. 



" The ki ( |5L , an instrument for spirit-writing) of a fashionable 

 club is as a rule clad in red silk or broadcloth, on which dra,gons 

 are stitched with gold thread; for it is clear that, having to 

 harbour so often the spirit of a god, the instrument deserves, 

 just as well as his image, to wear the dress of divinity, which 

 is a mantle embroidered with the said imperial animals. Of such 

 a ki' oi higher order, the end below the vertex is also nicely 

 carved and gilded, representing the head and scaly neck of a 

 dragon or snake" ^. 

 , "If the litter (of a ki tong deity, whose image is carried about 

 in it) is fitted out completely, there are inserted behind the back 

 five thin stafi's, to each of which a triangular flag is fastened, 

 embroidered with the emblem of imperal dignity, viz. an ascending 

 dragon which vomits a balV ". 



§ 4. The dragons aud the ball. 



As to the ball, "belched out by the two dragons", this reminds 

 us at once of the Dragon festival on the 15th day of the first 

 month; the ball carried in front of the dragon on that day might 

 be also explained in the same way, i. e. as thunder belched out 

 by the dragon, and not as the sun, pursued by him. This fact 

 was orally pointed out to me by Prof. De Geoot himself '. The . 

 ball between the two dragons is often delineated as a spiral, and 

 in an ancient charm represented in Koh Hung's Pao Roh-tsze 

 (17th section) "a spiral denotes the rolling of thunder from 

 which issues a flash of lightning" ^ "In the sign expressing 

 lightning, the projecting stroke signifies the flash; therefore its 

 effect as a charm is indefinitely increased by lengthening that 



1 L.I., p. 1266. 



4 De Groqt, 1. 1., Vol. VI, p. 1275. 



5 L.I., p. 1297. 6 L.I., p. 1316. 



7 See above, this Book, Ch. IV, § 10. 8 Rel.Sysl, VI, p. 1036, Fig. 3. 



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