of them had never become obsolete."* Talismans or Telesms have been divided into different kinds or classes, which have been thus distinguished by the indefatigable Fosbrooke (Encyclop. of Antiq.)-1. The Astronomical, with celestial signs and intelligible characters:-2. The Magical, with extraordinary figures, superstitious words, and names of unknown angels:-3. The Mixed, of celestial signs and barbarous words, but not superstitious, or with names of angels:-4. Sigilla Planetarum, composed of Hebrew numeral letters, used by astrologers and fortune-tellers:— 5. Hebrew Names and Characters.-Of this last kind were those formed according to the Cabalistic art. Such, for instance, appears to be the hexagonal one termed the Shield of David or Seal of Solomon, (See Frontispiece, fig. 5,) which was said to be a security against wounds, would extinguish fires, and perform many other wonders; and by which Solomon was said to have accomplished the most extraordinary objects. This figure had one or other of the names of God, disposed within it according to the principles and rules of the Jewish Cabala: the name most frequently inserted was the barbarous term 528 (AGLA) contracted Thou * : אתה גבר לעלם אדני froin the Hebrew words art strong in the eternal God."+-According to R. Solomon, the Theraphim of the Scriptures were "images which spoke by the influence of magical art; and R. Eliezer, in Perke Eliezer, says, they were statues in the form of a man, constructed under certain constellations, which, from the influence they received, spoke at certain hours, giving answers to whatever questions were asked; and adds, that the reason why Rachel stole the Theraphim from her father Laban was, for fear he should learn from them the route of Jacob and his family.‡ * Fosbrooke's Encyclopedia of Antiquities, vol. i. p. 336, London, 1825, 4to. + Wagenselii Sota, p. 1074 4to. Altdorf. Noric. 1674.- Enfield's History of Philosophy, vol. ii. p. 211, 8vo.-Basnage's History of the Jews. Spencer, De Legibus Hebræorum p. 354.-Gaffarel. Curiositez Inouyes, It is highly probable, that the prohibitory injunctions of the Second Commandment were directed, not only against idols or images actually formed in order to be venerated or worshipped, but also against all such talismanic figures and hieroglyphical characters as might lead the people into idolatry in any of its varied forms.-Michaelis observes, that "in order to preserve their treasures of knowledge, and their discoveries in natural science, the Egyptian priests made use not of common writing, but of Hieroglyphics. With these they inscribed obelisks and walls, even those of subterraneous vaults and galleries ;—and also square stones which very much resemble our grave-stones. With these hieroglyphic stones, idolatry was practised. In Egypt they were regarded as the god Thoth, the god of sciences; and, as late as the time of Ezekiel, we find an imitation of this species of idolatry common among the Jews, and described in chap. viii, 8-11, of his prophecy. According, therefore, to that fundamental principle of the Mosaic polity, which dictated the prevention of idolatry, it became absolutely necessary to prohibit stones with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Besides, in an age, where so great a propensity to superstition prevailed, stones with figures upon them, which the people could not understand, would have been a temptation to idolatry, even although the Egyptians had not deified them as they actually did."-To these observations we may add the remarks of the ingenious Landseer in his “Sabæan Researches:" "The prime cause," he observes, "of the postdiluvian apostacies from the purer deism of Noah and of Job, appears to have been the ignorant confounding, by a superstitious people, of SIGNS, with CAUSES. From this source proceeded the idolatry which is at once disclaimed and reproved by the latter, in a sublime and often-cited text, and which it also appears was in his time and country Commentaries on the Laws of Moses, vol. iv, pp. 55-59 cognisable by the magistracy. If, (says the venerable sufferer) I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon progressive in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: this (also) were an iniquity to be punished by the Judge: for I should have denied the God that is above." (Job xxxi. 26, 27, 28.) And on account of this prevailing heresy, Moses,expressly prohibited their making unto themselves 'graven images, the likenesses of things in heaven above, &c. ; and this at the very time that Cherubim were permitted, and even ordained, to be exhibited in the tabernacle, and on the ark of the covenant. Now, to have been made to themselves; that is, for each man to keep in his possession, whilst sojourning in the desert, these prohibited articles must have been small, to have been termed likenesses of things in heaven above,―objects of worship too! they must -at least, bearing in mind the pervading astronomy of this remote period, I find it impossible to come to any other conclusion-have borne some real or fancied resemblance to planets and constellations; and to have been graven images, they must have been sculptured on hard and durable substances, and sculptured in intaglio: we should recollect too, that such works are, in the Bible, expressly and repeatedly distinguished from cast figures, or molten images,' as well as from such as were overlaid with beaten gold:-in short these Chaldean engravings, and the portable part of the hieroglyphical engravings of Egypt, are the only productions that have descended to our knowledge, which at all accord with what is described and prohibited in the Second Commandment."* Divination by Precious Stones was likewise very extensively practised, by heathen nations, in almost every part of the world. Of this mode of Divination, Warton + offers the following conjecture as to its origin. "The nations * Landseer's Sabean Researches, pp. 36, 37. + Warton's Hist. of English Poetry, vol. ii. 4to. bordering upon the Jews," says he, "attributed the miraculous events of that people, to those external means and material instruments, such as symbols, ceremonies, and other visible signs or circumstances, which, by God's special appointment, under their mysterious dispensation, they were directed to use. Among the observations which the oriental Gentiles made on the history of the Jews, they found that the Divine will was to be known by certain appearances in precious stones. The Magi of the East, believing that the preternatural discoveries obtained by means of the Urim and Thummim, a contexture of gems in the breast-plate of the Mosaic priests, were owing to some virtue inherent in those stones, adopted the knowledge of the occult properties of gems, as a branch of their magical system. Hence it became the peculiar profession of one class of their sages, to investigate and interpret the various shades and coruscations, and to explain to a moral purpose, the different colours, the dews, clouds and imageries, which gems differently exposed to the sun, moon, stars, fire, or air, at particular seasons, and inspected by persons particularly qualified, were seen to exhibit. This notion being once established, a thousand extravagancies rose, of healing diseases, of procuring victory, and of seeing future events, by means of precious stones, and other lucid substances. See Plin. Nat. Hist. xxxvii. 9, 10.-These superstitions were soon engrafted into the Arabian philosophy, from which they were propagated all over Europe, and continued to operate, even so late as the visionary experiments of Dee and Kelly.* It is not in the mean time at all improbable, that the Druidical doctrines concerning the virtues of stones were derived from these lessons of the Magi; and they are still to be traced among the traditions of the vulgar, in those parts of Britain * When king Richard I. in 1191, took the isle of Cyprus, he is said to have found the castles filled with rich furniture of gold and silver, "nec non lapidibus pretiosis, et plurimam virtutem habentibus," and precious stones which possessed great virtues.-G. Vines. Iter. Hierosol. cap. xli. p. 328. aud Ireland, where Druidism retained its latest establishments. See Martin's West Isles, p. 167, 225: and Aubrey's Miscell. p. 128, London, 8vo." Amulets or Charms, also, were similar in nature to the oriental Telesms or Talismans, except that they were not always regarded as connected with astral influence. The term Amulet was probably derived either from Amula, a small vase for containing lustral-waters, among the ancient Romans, for purification and expiation, sometimes carried in the pocket; or from amoliri, to remove, from its supposed power of removing or preventing evil. The Amulets of the Persians or Greeks were small cylinders, ornamented with figures and hieroglyphics. The erudite "Sabæan Researches" of Landseer exhibit unequivocal proof, that the ancient Chaldeans and Zabian idolaters constructed and wore astrological cylinders, either as the horoscopes of their birth, or as instruments of preservation or prosperity. - The Amulets of the Greeks or Romans were gems of almost every kind, crowns of pearls, necklaces of shells, gems, coral, heads and figures of divinities, heroes, horses, dogs, rats, birds, fish, &c. and grotesque and obscene images. These they placed around the neck, especially of children, or hung them on the jambs of doors, so that, in opening them, they caused the amulets to move and ring the bells attached to them; in some cases, they were placed at the entry of shops, or even of forges. All nations, indeed, have been fond of amulets or charms: the Jews were extremely superstitious in the use of them to drive away diseases; and the Mishna forbids them, unless received from an approved man, who had cured, at least, three persons before by the same means. After the Christian era, we hear of charms, made of the hair of she-bears, or toys, tied to them, as remedies against witchcraft; parts of St. John's Gospel worn round the neck; verses of the Old or New Testaments, put even upon horses; magical characters written upon slips of parch |