stical representation of the ram offered in sacrifice instead of
Isaac. When a family or company sat down to this repast, each person
took a piece of bread, and, dipping it in honey, said, "May this year
be sweet and fruitful." The Jews, to cast their sins into the depth of
the sea, sometimes went after dinner to the brink of a pond, if not
near the sea, and threw into the water a live fish, in the hope that
it would carry away all their iniquities, never more to be found.

It was customary among the Pharisees not only to fast twice a week (on
Monday and Thursday), but at periods of perplexity to fast thirteen
days consecutively. Sometimes, on account of such small trifles as
dreams, they would abstain from food; but severe drought, pestilence,
famine, war, and inundations were sure to make them fast until nature
was nearly exhausted. The Hebrews held certain views and followed
particular customs with respect to the dust of heathen countries. Dust
that came from Gentile lands was reckoned so defiling, that the Jewish
rulers would not permit vegetables to be brought from heathen
countries into the land of Israel, lest the detested particles should
be brought along with them. The number 10 was much noticed and used by
the Jews. The blessing of the bridegroom, which consisted of seven
blessings, was of no avail unless delivered in the presence of ten
persons. Angels, which were believed to have the care of men, were
supposed to ride unseen, on white horses, beside the objects of their
attention.

Among the Jews there was a popular notion that the spirits of dead
persons whispered in a feeble and peculiar way out of the dust; and it
was a common belief that the soul had no rest unless the body was
interred. There were women among the Hebrews who predicted how long
one would live, and pretended to know when he was to die. One of a
Jew's solemn prayers on the day of expiation was that he might be
delivered from the punishment of the devil in his grave,--a punishment
supposed to be inflicted by causing the soul to return to the body,
breaking the deceased's bones, and tormenting both soul and body for a
season. A similar form of prayer was used by the Mohammedans.

CHAPTER III.

Egypt steeped in Superstition--Power of Magicians--Way
of obtaining Visions--Demons--Deification of Departed
Heroes--Gods and Demi-gods--Altars or Living
Stones--Sacred Animals--Isis searching for
Osiris--Leeks