superstition, that
Adam was first married to a sorceress named Lilith, or the mother of
devils. She refused submission to Adam, and disregarded commandments
conveyed to her by angels. She persisted in her disobedience; and
having one day, in a more than ordinary state of impiety, invoked the
name of Jehovah, according to the rules of the Cabala, she ascended
into the air and disappeared. Lilith was feared by divers nations.
When children died of diseases not properly understood, their deaths
were attributed to Lilith, who was supposed to carry out her wicked
purposes as an aerial spectre. Newly married pairs were accustomed to
inscribe the names of angels on the inside partitions of their houses,
and the names of Adam and Eve and the words "Begone, Lilith," on the
outside walls. The name Lilith was given to women suspected of holding
intercourse with demons. The legends of Lilith were transmitted from
people to people until they came down to the Jews, who believed them.
This people were wont to inscribe on their bed-posts the words, "Et
zelo Chuizlilith," that the sleepers might be delivered by Lilith from
dreams.

Demon was a term applied by the Greeks and Romans to certain genii or
spirits who made themselves visible to men, with the intention of
doing them either good or harm. The Jews and early Christians ascribed
a malignant nature to demons, the former endeavouring to trace their
origin to intercourse between man and supernatural beings, and the
latter maintaining that they were the souls of departed human beings,
permitted to visit the earth to assist those they favoured, and punish
persons against whom they or their favourites had a grudge. Certain
spirits were supposed to be celestial, others watery, some airy, and
not a few of them fiery. Tertullian said: "Spirits flew through the
air faster than any winged fowl. Unless commissioned to act, they
remained passive, neither doing good nor evil; but the evil spirits
went and came at the devil's command, and both classes of spirits were
at man's service if he only knew how to summon them into his
presence."

The ancient Egyptians had a tradition, that at a far past period men
rebelled against the gods, and drove them away. Upon this taking
place, the gods fled into Egypt, where they concealed themselves under
the form of different animals; and this was the first reason assigned
for the worship of inferior creatures. A leading principle in the
religion of the anc