the golden bough-第37章

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d　a　village；　the　women　would　wash　and　bathe　his　feet；　first　with　water；　and　then　with　the　milk　of　a　young　coco…nut；　and　lastly　with　water　again；　and　all　this　water　which　had　touched　his　person　they　preserved　for　the　purpose　of　distributing　it　on　their　farms；　believing　that　it　ensured　an　abundant　harvest。　Tribes　which　were　too　far　off　for　him　to　visit　used　to　send　him　a　small　piece　of　white　cloth　and　a　little　gold　or　silver；　and　when　these　things　had　been　impregnated　by　his　generative　virtue　they　buried　them　in　their　fields；　and　confidently　expected　a　heavy　crop。　Once　when　a　European　remarked　that　the　rice…crops　of　the　Samban　tribe　were　thin；　the　chief　immediately　replied　that　they　could　not　be　otherwise；　since　Rajah　Brooke　had　never　visited　them；　and　he　begged　that　Mr。　Brooke　might　be　induced　to　visit　his　tribe　and　remove　the　sterility　of　their　land。

The　belief　that　kings　possess　magical　or　supernatural　powers　by　virtue　of　which　they　can　fertilise　the　earth　and　confer　other　benefits　on　their　subjects　would　seem　to　have　been　shared　by　the　ancestors　of　all　the　Aryan　races　from　India　to　Ireland；　and　it　has　left　clear　traces　of　itself　in　our　own　country　down　to　modern　times。　Thus　the　ancient　Hindoo　law…book　called　The　Laws　of　Manu　describes　as　follows　the　effects　of　a　good　king's　reign：　In　that　country　where　the　king　avoids　taking　the　property　of　mortal　sinners；　men　are　born　in　due　time　and　are　long…lived。　And　the　crops　of　the　husbandmen　spring　up；　each　as　it　was　sown；　and　the　children　die　not；　and　no　misshaped　offspring　is　born。　In　Homeric　Greece　kings　and　chiefs　were　spoken　of　as　sacred　or　divine；　their　houses；　too；　were　divine　and　their　chariots　sacred；　and　it　was　thought　that　the　reign　of　a　good　king　caused　the　black　earth　to　bring　forth　wheat　and　barley；　the　trees　to　be　loaded　with　fruit；　the　flocks　to　multiply；　and　the　sea　to　yield　fish。　In　the　Middle　Ages；　when　Waldemar　I。；　King　of　Denmark；　travelled　in　Germany；　mothers　brought　their　infants　and　husbandmen　their　seed　for　him　to　lay　his　hands　on；　thinking　that　children　would　both　thrive　the　better　for　the　royal　touch；　and　for　a　like　reason　farmers　asked　him　to　throw　the　seed　for　them。　It　was　the　belief　of　the　ancient　Irish　that　when　their　kings　observed　the　customs　of　their　ancestors；　the　seasons　were　mild；　the　crops　plentiful；　the　cattle　fruitful；　the　waters　abounded　with　fish；　and　the　fruit　trees　had　to　be　propped　up　on　account　of　the　weight　of　their　produce。　A　canon　attributed　to　St。　Patrick　enumerates　among　the　blessings　that　attend　the　reign　of　a　just　king　fine　weather；　calm　seas；　crops　abundant；　and　trees　laden　with　fruit。　On　the　other　hand；　dearth；　dryness　of　cows；　blight　of　fruit；　and　scarcity　of　corn　were　regarded　as　infallible　proofs　that　the　reigning　king　was　bad。

Perhaps　the　last　relic　of　such　superstitions　which　lingered　about　our　English　kings　was　the　notion　that　they　could　heal　scrofula　by　their　touch。　The　disease　was　accordingly　known　as　the　King's　Evil。　Queen　Elizabeth　often　exercised　this　miraculous　gift　of　healing。　On　Midsummer　Day　1633；　Charles　the　First　cured　a　hundred　patients　at　one　swoop　in　the　chapel　royal　at　Holyrood。　But　it　was　under　his　son　Charles　the　Second　that　the　practice　seems　to　have　attained　its　highest　vogue。　It　is　said　that　in　the　course　of　his　reign　Charles　the　Second　touched　near　a　hundred　thousand　persons　for　scrofula。　The　press　to　get　near　him　was　sometimes　terrific。　On　one　occasion　six　or　seven　of　those　who　came　to　be　healed　were　trampled　to　death。　The　cool…headed　William　the　Third　contemptuously　refused　to　lend　himself　to　the　hocuspocus；　and　when　his　palace　was　besieged　by　the　usual　unsavoury　crowd；　he　ordered　them　to　be　turned　away　with　a　dole。　On　the　only　occasion　when　he　was　importuned　into　laying　his　hand　on　a　patient；　he　said　to　him；　God　give　you　better　health　and　more　sense。　However；　the　practice　was　continued；　as　might　have　been　expected；　by　the　dull　bigot　James　the　Second　and　his　dull　daughter　Queen　Anne。

The　kings　of　France　also　claimed　to　possess　the　same　gift　of　healing　by　touch；　which　they　are　said　to　have　derived　from　Clovis　or　from　St。　Louis；　while　our　English　kings　inherited　it　from　Edward　the　Confessor。　Similarly　the　savage　chiefs　of　Tonga　were　believed　to　heal　scrofula　and　cases　of　indurated　liver　by　the　touch　of　their　feet；　and　the　cure　was　strictly　homoeopathic；　for　the　disease　as　well　as　the　cure　was　thought　to　be　caused　by　contact　with　the　royal　person　or　with　anything　that　belonged　to　it。

On　the　whole；　then；　we　seem　to　be　justified　in　inferring　that　in　many　parts　of　the　world　the　king　is　the　lineal　successor　of　the　old　magician　or　medicine…man。　When　once　a　special　class　of　sorcerers　has　been　segregated　from　the　community　and　entrusted　by　it　with　the　discharge　of　duties　on　which　the　public　safety　and　welfare　are　believed　to　depend；　these　men　gradually　rise　to　wealth　and　power；　till　their　leaders　blossom　out　into　sacred　kings。　But　the　great　social　revolution　which　thus　begins　with　democracy　and　ends　in　despotism　is　attended　by　an　intellectual　revolution　which　affects　both　the　conception　and　the　functions　of　royalty。　For　as　time　goes　on；　the　fallacy　of　magic　becomes　more　and　more　apparent　to　the　acuter　minds　and　is　slowly　displaced　by　religion；　in　other　words；　the　magician　gives　way　to　the　priest；　who；　renouncing　the　attempt　to　control　directly　the　processes　of　nature　for　the　good　of　man；　seeks　to　attain　the　same　end　indirectly　by　appealing　to　the　gods　to　do　for　him　what　he　no　longer　fancies　he　can　do　for　himself。　Hence　the　king；　starting　as　a　magician；　tends　gradually　to　exchange　the　practice　of　magic　for　the　priestly　functions　of　prayer　and　sacrifice。　And　while　the　distinction　between　the　human　and　the　divine　is　still　imperfectly　drawn；　it　is　often　imagined　that　men　may　themselves　attain　to　godhead；　not　merely　after　their　death；　but　in　their　lifetime；　through　the　temporary　or　permanent　possession　of　their　whole　nature　by　a　great　and　powerful　spirit。　No　class　of　the　community　has　benefited　so　much　as　kings　by　this　belief　in　the　possible　incarnation　of　a　god　in　human　form。　The　doctrine　of　that　incarnation；　and　with　it　the　theory　of　the　divinity　of　kings　in　the　strict　sense　of　the　word；　will　form　the　subject　of　the　following　chapter。

Chapter　7。　Incarnate　Human　Gods

THE　INSTANCES　which　in　the　preceding　chapters　I　have　drawn　from　the　beliefs　and　practices　of　rude　peoples　all　over　the　world；　may　suffice　to　prove　that　the　savage　fails　to　recognise　those　limitations　to　his　power　over　nature　which　seem　so　obvious　to　us。　In　a　society　where　every　man　is　supposed　to　be　endowed　more　or　less　with　powers　which　we　should　call　supernatural；　it　is　plain　that　the　distinction　between　gods　and　men　is　somewhat　blurred；　or　rather　has　scarcely　emerged。　The　conception　of　gods　as　superhuman　beings　endowed　with　powers　to　which　man　possesses　nothing　comparable　in　degree　and　hardly　even　in　kind；　has　been　slowly　evolved　in　the　course　of　history。　By　primitive　peoples　the　supernatural　agents　are　not　regarded　as　greatly；　if　at　all；　superior　to　man；　for　they　may　be　frightened　and　coerced　by　him　into　doing　his　will。　At　this　stage　of　thought　the　world　is　viewed　as　a　great　democracy；　all　beings　in　it；　whether　natural　or　supernatural；　are　supposed　to　stand　on　a　footing　of　tolerable　equality。　But　with　the　growth　of　his　knowledge　man　learns　to　realise　more　clearly　the　vastness　of　nature　and　his　own　littleness　and　feebleness　in　presence　of　it。　The　recognition　of　his　helplessness　does　not；　however；　carry　with　it　a　corresponding　belief　in　the　impotence　of　those　supernatural　beings　with　which　his　imagination　peoples　the　universe。　On　the　contrary；　it　enhances　his　conception　of　their　power。　For　the　idea　of　the　world　as　a　system　of　impersonal　forces　acting　in　accordance　with　fixed　and　invariable　laws　has　not　yet　fully　dawned　or　darkened　upon　him。　The　germ　of　the　idea　he　certainly　has；　and　he　acts　upon　it；　not　only　in　magic　art；　but　in　much　of　the　business　of　daily　life。　But　the　idea　remains　undeveloped；　and　so　far　as　he　attempts　to　explain　the　world　he　lives　in；　he　pictures　it　as　the　manifestation　of　conscious　will　and　personal　agency。　If　then　he　feels　himself　to　be　so　frail　and　slight；　how　vast　and　powerful　must　he　deem　the　beings　who　control　the