the golden bough-第8章

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g　a　supposed　dead　person　to　life。　If　you　pretend　to　give　birth　to　a　boy；　or　even　to　a　great　bearded　man　who　has　not　a　drop　of　your　blood　in　his　veins；　then；　in　the　eyes　of　primitive　law　and　philosophy；　that　boy　or　man　is　really　your　son　to　all　intents　and　purposes。　Thus　Diodorus　tells　us　that　when　Zeus　persuaded　his　jealous　wife　Hera　to　adopt　Hercules；　the　goddess　got　into　bed；　and　clasping　the　burly　hero　to　her　bosom；　pushed　him　through　her　robes　and　let　him　fall　to　the　ground　in　imitation　of　a　real　birth；　and　the　historian　adds　that　in　his　own　day　the　same　mode　of　adopting　children　was　practised　by　the　barbarians。　At　the　present　time　it　is　said　to　be　still　in　use　in　Bulgaria　and　among　the　Bosnian　Turks。　A　woman　will　take　a　boy　whom　she　intends　to　adopt　and　push　or　pull　him　through　her　clothes；　ever　afterwards　he　is　regarded　as　her　very　son；　and　inherits　the　whole　property　of　his　adoptive　parents。　Among　the　Berawans　of　Sarawak；　when　a　woman　desires　to　adopt　a　grownup　man　or　woman；　a　great　many　people　assemble　and　have　a　feast。　The　adopting　mother；　seated　in　public　on　a　raised　and　covered　seat；　allows　the　adopted　person　to　crawl　from　behind　between　her　legs。　As　soon　as　he　appears　in　front　he　is　stroked　with　the　sweet…scented　blossoms　of　the　areca　palm　and　tied　to　a　woman。　Then　the　adopting　mother　and　the　adopted　son　or　daughter；　thus　bound　together；　waddle　to　the　end　of　the　house　and　back　again　in　front　of　all　the　spectators。　The　tie　established　between　the　two　by　this　graphic　imitation　of　childbirth　is　very　strict；　an　offence　committed　against　an　adopted　child　is　reckoned　more　heinous　than　one　committed　against　a　real　child。　In　ancient　Greece　any　man　who　had　been　supposed　erroneously　to　be　dead；　and　for　whom　in　his　absence　funeral　rites　had　been　performed；　was　treated　as　dead　to　society　till　he　had　gone　through　the　form　of　being　born　again。　He　was　passed　through　a　woman's　lap；　then　washed；　dressed　in　swaddling…clothes；　and　put　out　to　nurse。　Not　until　this　ceremony　had　been　punctually　performed　might　he　mix　freely　with　living　folk。　In　ancient　India；　under　similar　circumstances；　the　supposed　dead　man　had　to　pass　the　first　night　after　his　return　in　a　tub　filled　with　a　mixture　of　fat　and　water；　there　he　sat　with　doubled…up　fists　and　without　uttering　a　syllable；　like　a　child　in　the　womb；　while　over　him　were　performed　all　the　sacraments　that　were　wont　to　be　celebrated　over　a　pregnant　woman。　Next　morning　he　got　out　of　the　tub　and　went　through　once　more　all　the　other　sacraments　he　had　formerly　partaken　of　from　his　youth　up；　in　particular；　he　married　a　wife　or　espoused　his　old　one　over　again　with　due　solemnity。

Another　beneficent　use　of　homoeopathic　magic　is　to　heal　or　prevent　sickness。　The　ancient　Hindoos　performed　an　elaborate　ceremony；　based　on　homoeopathic　magic；　for　the　cure　of　jaundice。　Its　main　drift　was　to　banish　the　yellow　colour　to　yellow　creatures　and　yellow　things；　such　as　the　sun；　to　which　it　properly　belongs；　and　to　procure　for　the　patient　a　healthy　red　colour　from　a　living；　vigorous　source；　namely；　a　red　bull。　With　this　intention；　a　priest　recited　the　following　spell：　Up　to　the　sun　shall　go　thy　heart…ache　and　thy　jaundice：　in　the　colour　of　the　red　bull　do　we　envelop　thee！　We　envelop　thee　in　red　tints；　unto　long　life。　May　this　person　go　unscathed　and　be　free　of　yellow　colour！　The　cows　whose　divinity　is　Rohini；　they　who；　moreover；　are　themselves　red　（rohinih）in　their　every　form　and　every　strength　we　do　envelop　thee。　Into　the　parrots；　into　the　thrush；　do　we　put　thy　jaundice；　and；　furthermore；　into　the　yellow　wagtail　do　we　put　thy　jaundice。　While　he　uttered　these　words；　the　priest；　in　order　to　infuse　the　rosy　hue　of　health　into　the　sallow　patient；　gave　him　water　to　sip　which　was　mixed　with　the　hair　of　a　red　bull；　he　poured　water　over　the　animal's　back　and　made　the　sick　man　drink　it；　he　seated　him　on　the　skin　of　a　red　bull　and　tied　a　piece　of　the　skin　to　him。　Then　in　order　to　improve　his　colour　by　thoroughly　eradicating　the　yellow　taint；　he　proceeded　thus。　He　first　daubed　him　from　head　to　foot　with　a　yellow　porridge　made　of　tumeric　or　curcuma　（a　yellow　plant）；　set　him　on　a　bed；　tied　three　yellow　birds；　to　wit；　a　parrot；　a　thrush；　and　a　yellow　wagtail；　by　means　of　a　yellow　string　to　the　foot　of　the　bed；　then　pouring　water　over　the　patient；　he　washed　off　the　yellow　porridge；　and　with　it　no　doubt　the　jaundice；　from　him　to　the　birds。　After　that；　by　way　of　giving　a　final　bloom　to　his　complexion；　he　took　some　hairs　of　a　red　bull；　wrapt　them　in　gold　leaf；　and　glued　them　to　the　patient's　skin。　The　ancients　held　that　if　a　person　suffering　from　jaundice　looked　sharply　at　a　stone…curlew；　and　the　bird　looked　steadily　at　him；　he　was　cured　of　the　disease。　Such　is　the　nature；　says　Plutarch；　and　such　the　temperament　of　the　creature　that　it　draws　out　and　receives　the　malady　which　issues；　like　a　stream；　through　the　eyesight。　So　well　recognised　among　birdfanciers　was　this　valuable　property　of　the　stone…curlew　that　when　they　had　one　of　these　birds　for　sale　they　kept　it　carefully　covered；　lest　a　jaundiced　person　should　look　at　it　and　be　cured　for　nothing。　The　virtue　of　the　bird　lay　not　in　its　colour　but　in　its　large　golden　eye；　which　naturally　drew　out　the　yellow　jaundice。　Pliny　tells　of　another；　or　perhaps　the　same；　bird；　to　which　the　Greeks　gave　their　name　for　jaundice；　because　if　a　jaundiced　man　saw　it；　the　disease　left　him　and　slew　the　bird。　He　mentions　also　a　stone　which　was　supposed　to　cure　jaundice　because　its　hue　resembled　that　of　a　jaundiced　skin。

One　of　the　great　merits　of　homoeopathic　magic　is　that　it　enables　the　cure　to　be　performed　on　the　person　of　the　doctor　instead　of　on　that　of　his　victim；　who　is　thus　relieved　of　all　trouble　and　inconvenience；　while　he　sees　his　medical　man　writhe　in　anguish　before　him。　For　example；　the　peasants　of　Perche；　in　France；　labour　under　the　impression　that　a　prolonged　fit　of　vomiting　is　brought　about　by　the　patient's　stomach　becoming　unhooked；　as　they　call　it；　and　so　falling　down。　Accordingly；　a　practitioner　is　called　in　to　restore　the　organ　to　its　proper　place。　After　hearing　the　symptoms　he　at　once　throws　himself　into　the　most　horrible　contortions；　for　the　purpose　of　unhooking　his　own　stomach。　Having　succeeded　in　the　effort；　he　next　hooks　it　up　again　in　another　series　of　contortions　and　grimaces；　while　the　patient　experiences　a　corresponding　relief。　Fee　five　francs。　In　like　manner　a　Dyak　medicine…man；　who　has　been　fetched　in　a　case　of　illness；　will　lie　down　and　pretend　to　be　dead。　He　is　accordingly　treated　like　a　corpse；　is　bound　up　in　mats；　taken　out　of　the　house；　and　deposited　on　the　ground。　After　about　an　hour　the　other　medicine…men　loose　the　pretended　dead　man　and　bring　him　to　life；　and　as　he　recovers；　the　sick　person　is　supposed　to　recover　too。　A　cure　for　a　tumour；　based　on　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　magic；　is　prescribed　by　Marcellus　of　Bordeaux；　court　physician　to　Theodosius　the　First；　in　his　curious　work　on　medicine。　It　is　as　follows。　Take　a　root　of　vervain；　cut　it　across；　and　hang　one　end　of　it　round　the　patient's　neck；　and　the　other　in　the　smoke　of　the　fire。　As　the　vervain　dries　up　in　the　smoke；　so　the　tumour　will　also　dry　up　and　disappear。　If　the　patient　should　afterwards　prove　ungrateful　to　the　good　physician；　the　man　of　skill　can　avenge　himself　very　easily　by　throwing　the　vervain　into　water；　for　as　the　root　absorbs　the　moisture　once　more；　the　tumour　will　return。　The　same　sapient　writer　recommends　you；　if　you　are　troubled　with　pimples；　to　watch　for　a　falling　star；　and　then　instantly；　while　the　star　is　still　shooting　from　the　sky；　to　wipe　the　pimples　with　a　cloth　or　anything　that　comes　to　hand。　Just　as　the　star　falls　from　the　sky；　so　the　pimples　will　fall　from　your　body；　only　you　must　be　very　careful　not　to　wipe　them　with　your　bare　hand；　or　the　pimples　will　be　transferred　to　it。

Further；　homoeopathic　and　in　general　sympathetic　magic　plays　a　great　part　in　the　measures　taken　by　the　rude　hunter　or　fisherman　to　secure　an　abundant　supply　of　food。　On　the　principle　that　like　produces　like；　many　things　are　done　by　him　and　his　friends　in　deliberate　imitation　of　the　result　which　he　seeks　to　attain；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　many　things　are　scrupulously　avoided　because　they　bear　some　more　or　less　fanci