edical science of Greece and Alexandria; but to this was added
other knowledge of a more sinister kind, derived from Persia, or perhaps
remotely from Chaldee sources, the Nestorians having important Church
establishments in Mesopotamia, and the Jews having been long familiar
with that country; indeed, from thence their ancestors originally came.
More than once its ideas had modified their national religion. This
extraneous knowledge was of an astrological or magical nature, carried
into practice by incantations, amulets, charms, and talismans. Its
fundamental principle was that the planetary bodies exercise an
influence over terrestrial things. As seven planets and seven metals
were at that time known--the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, Saturn, being the planets of astrology--a due allotment was made.
Gold was held sacred to the sun, silver to the moon, iron to Mars, etc.
Even the portions of time were in like manner dedicated; the seven days
of the week were respectively given to the seven planets of astrology.
The names imposed on those days, and the order in which they occur, are
obviously connected with the Ptolemaic hypothesis of astronomy, each of
the planets having an hour assigned to it in its order of occurrence,
and the planet ruling first the hour of each day giving its name to that
day. Thus arranged, the week is a remarkable instance of the longevity
of an institution adapted to the wants of man. It has survived through
many changes of empire, has forced itself on the ecclesiastical system
of Europe, which, unable to change its idolatrous aspect, has encouraged
the vulgar error that it owes its authenticity to the Holy Scriptures,
an error too plainly betrayed by the pagan names that the days bear, and
also by their order of occurrence.

These notions of dedicating portions of matter or of time to the
supernatural were derived from the doctrine of a universal spirit or
soul of the world, extensively believed in throughout the East. It
underlies, as we have seen in Chapter III., all Oriental theology, and
is at once a very antique and not unphilosophical conception. Of this
soul the spirit of man was by many supposed to be a particle like a
spark given off from a flame. All other things, animate or inanimate,
brutes, plants, stones, nay, even natural forms, rivers, mountains,
cascades, grottoes, have each an indwelling and animating spirit.

[Sidenote: Alexandrian necromancy.]

Amulets and c