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Chap. 2.] Tricks performed at Altars ly means of Fire .

denly to rise as in the act of flying away. This he observes was effectedby machinery moved by a person appointed for the purpose.

There are numerous intimations in history of frauds practiced at altarsby fire, and by water and other liquiäs. We shall notice a few here, andothers in the next chapter. A very ancient tradition taught that thosewere the greatest gods that answered their worshippers by fire. Thiswas a prevailing belief among the ancient heathen, and hence the ingenuityof the priests was particularly exercised in devising means to produce aspontaneous or “ divine fire,” to consume the sacrifices. Servius , a Romanwriter , afflrms that in ancient times fire was never kindled on the altars,but. was drawn down from heaven by prayers. Solinus another Romanauthor, who wrote in the first Century, speaks of one in Sicily upon whichthe fuel, though ever so green, would kindle of itself if the sacrifice wasacceptable to the gods. Pausanius relates an example of which he wasa witness. Some of the devices are known. When the victim was laid onthe altar and the fuel ready to be kindled, a libation of wine or oil waspoured upon it; streams of the liquid trickled through fissures or secretchannels into a pan of coals concealed below, and instantly the sacrificewas enveloped in flames, and the desired proof of its acceptance given.At other times naptha, a mineral oil that takes fire on being exposed to theair, was adroitly dropt on the fuel by the priests as they officiated. Thisis the substance by which Medea is supposed to have destroyed Creusa,by impregnating with it the enchanted gown which she presented to her.When Creusa had put it on and was approaching the altar, it bürst intoflames, and she expired in excruciating torments. The Druids had theart of kindling without fire a sulphurous substance by which they struckterror into their enemies. There are presumptive proofs that botb theyand the priests of Delphos had gunpowder, with which they imitatedthunder and lightning; and this accords with a remark of Pliny , in thesecond book of his Natural History , (chap. 53.) “ It appeareth. upon re-

cord in chronicles that by certain sacrifices and prayers, lightnings mayeither be compelled or easily intreated to fall upon the earth.” And heobserves that there was an old tradition in Etruria, that lightning wasprocured A by exorcisms and conjurations.” The ancient priests of Ethio-pia worshiped the sun, and at the close of harvest they separated aportion of the fruits from the rest as a sacrifice to the Deity: if the offer-ing was acceptable it instantly took fire. The Vestal JEmylia rekindledthe sacred fire on the altar of Vesta, by putting her veil over it, that is, bysome device which the act of adjusting her veil concealed : in fact enoughis known to convince us that old temples were perfect laboratories. (Seean expose of the pretended descent of celestial fire on Good Fridays, intothe holy sepulchre of Jerusalem (which is, we believe, still kept up) inMotraye’s Travels, vol. i, page 79.)

But it was not by the sudden appearance of flames only that fire wasemployed as an agent of deception. Equally surprising effects, and assecretly produced, were derived from the heat. which the fuel and burn-ing sacrifice gave out. It will readily be imagined that this heat musthave been intense when a bullock, a sheep, or a goat, was consumed ; andsometimes several animals were offered at once upon the same altar. Inburnt-ofierings, every part was to be reduced to ashes, and hence particu-lar care was required that the fuel should be dry as well as in abundance ;otherwise the mass of flesh and juices might extinguish the fire—a circum-stance that was deemed very inauspicious. It was also customary to pourwine and oil upon the sacrifice, and spices and perfumes to correct theodor. These, of course, increased the heat, and in addition to which, it