ous, even, are more or less tinctured with this weakness; and, I may
add, that I have hardly met with one person entirely free from the opinion
that witchcraft and evil agency are in the hands of some, and often
permitted to be exercised on their neighbours. The truly religious people
declare to me, that they only are preserved from such calamities who can
place their whole reliance on the power and goodness of God alone; Who,
they are persuaded, will never suffer His faithful servants to be
persecuted by the evil one in any shape, or under any mysterious agency.
Perfect dependance on Divine Providence is the Mussulmaun's only safeguard,
for they declare it to be their belief that evil agency exists still, as
it did in the first ages of the world. Faith and trust in God can alone
preserve them; when that fails, or if they have never learned to rely on
Him for protection, they are necessarily exposed to the influence of that
evil agency by which so many have suffered both in body and soul amongst
their country-people.

The return of our friend, with the explanation of the scene I had
witnessed from my window, led me to inquire very minutely into the opinion
and general belief of the Mussulmauns on such subjects. A sensible, clever
gentleman of that persuasion then present, told me that there could be no
doubt witchcraft was often practised in Lucknow, detailing things he had
often heard, about the wicked amongst human beings who practised muntah[5]
(incantations); and perhaps would have explained the motives and the
acquired power if I had been disposed to listen. I inquired of my friend,
as he had always appeared a religious person, whether he really believed
in magic, genii, evil agency, &c. He told me, that he did believe
certainly that such things still existed; but he added, 'such power can
only work on the weak or the wicked, for that heart whose dependance is
wholly fixed on God, has a sure protection from every evil, whether of man
or spirit. You have in your sacred book a full and ample delineation of
the works of magic, in the period of Moses, and also of Saul. In later
periods you have proofs of greater weight with you, where Christ cast out
devils and gave the same power to His disciples. My opinion,' he added,
'will not alter yours, nor do I wish it; neither would I argue or dispute
with you on subjects become obsolete in the enlightened world of which you
are a member, but as far as my own individual opinion