of the famous Dr. Fian it is narrated in the 'Newes from Scotland,
declaring the damnable Life of Doctor Fian, a notable Sorcerer, who was
burned at Edenborough in Januarie last 1591; which Doctor was Register
to the Devill, that sundrie times Preached at North-Baricke Kirke to a
number of notorious Witches,' etc.--that he made the following, among
his other confessions: 'That the devill had appeared unto him in the
night before, appareled all in blacke, with a white wand in his hande,
and that the devill demanded of him if he would continue his faithfull
service according to his first oath and promise made to that effect,
whome (as hee then said) he utterly renounced to his face, and said unto
him in this manner: "Avoide, avoide, Satan, for I have listened too
much unto thee, and by the same thou hast undone me, in respect whereof
I utterly forsake thee." To whom the devill answered, "That once, ere
thou die, thou shalt be mine," and with that (as he sayed) the devill
brake the white wand, and immediately vanished from sight.' After which,
the chronicle goes on to tell how the redoubtable doctor actually
escaped from prison, and began to resume his Satanic practices.

This brings us to the most frequent use of the rod in superstitions--for
the purposes of divination. There is a suggestion of the practice by
Nebuchadnezzar, when he 'stood at the parting of the way, at the head of
two ways, to use divinations, he made his arrows bright,' etc. He then
threw up a bundle of arrows to see which way they would alight, and
because they fell on the right hand he marched towards Jerusalem.
Divination by the wand is also suggested in the shooting of an arrow
from a window by Elisha, and by the strokes upon the ground with an
arrow by which Joash foretold the number of his victories.

Sir Thomas Browne speaks of a common 'practice among us to determine
doubtful matters by the opening of a book and letting fall of a staff.'
The 'staff' business is not quite so familiar in present days, but the
opening of a book for prophetic guidance is, perhaps, more common than
most people suppose.

Sir Thomas Browne also speaks of a 'strange kind of exploration and
peculiar way of Rhabdomancy' used in mineral discoveries. That is,
'with a fork of hazel, commonly called Moses his rod, which, freely held
forth, will stir and play if any mine be under it. And though many there
are,' says the learned doctor, 'who have attempted to make it good, y