specimen of the manners of those times. The movements of the heavenly
bodies, (imperfectly as they were then understood,) seemed to afford the
most plausible vehicle for these "oracles of human destiny;" and even
now, while we are tracing these lines, the red and glaring appearance of
the planet Mars, shining so beautifully in the south-east, is considered
by the many as a forerunner and sign of long wars and much bloodshed:

These dreams and terrors magical,
These miracles and witches,
Night walking sprites, et cetera,
Esteem them not two rushes.

Mankind are universally prone to the belief in omens, and the casual
occurrence of certain contingent circumstances soon creates the easiest
of theories. Should a bird of good omen, in ancient times, perch on the
standard, or hover about an army, the omen was of good import, and
favourable to conquest. Should a raven or crow accidentally fly over the
field of action, the spirits of the combatants would be proportionably
depressed. Should a planet be shining in its brilliancy at the birth of
any one whose fortunes rose to pre-eminence, it was always thought to
exert an influence over his future destiny. Such was the origin of many
of our later superstitions, which "grew with their growth, and
strengthened with their strength," till the more extensive introduction
of the art of printing partly dissipated the illusion. It has been
remarked, therefore, that the existence of the parent stock of the
subject more immediately under our consideration, witchcraft, may be
traced to a very remote period indeed. It is, however, needless to enter
into any remarks on those witches mentioned in the Scriptures. The
earliest dabbler of the _genus_, as a contemporary writer observes, is
said to be Zoroaster, thought to be the king of the Bactrians, who