caduceus and herbal, raised men from the dead, which caused him to be placed amongst the gods after his decease. Amongst us Germans it is called the fortunate rod, (Glucks-ruthe,) but generally the wishing rod, (Wunschel-ruthe,) either from the obsolete verb, wunschelen, which is so pregnant with meaning in the Pantomysteri; also wanckeln, or schwandern, that is to say, virga vacillans, or oscillating rod; or else it is derived from wunschen (wish), because men hope, by its means, to discover and ascertain that which they desire, Matth. Wille, qu. 1; or from winden (to twist,) because it turns and twists itself in the hand. Idem ibidem.

Some people trace the origin and knowledge of the divining rod as far back as to Noah and his immediate posterity, since Thubalkain, upon Genesis x. 2, asserts, in his history of them, that they were accounted the progenitors of the mountaineers of Europe; and, because Job, who was a pre-eminently learned man, was also probably a diviner by the rod, Job xxviii, 1 and 5. Others trace the origin of the wishing rod to the time of Moses, the scripture repeatedly mentioning that he used his rod for the purposes of divination. But all these derivations are very ill supported, and we must seek for some other origin which shall be mentioned in its

proper place. The bush, from which formerly alone the divining rod was broken off, was commonly the hazel nut. On this point the above quoted F. Maurer observes: "If a medlar grows upon a hazel nut bush such a rod is more powerful, because men must observe that singulari quadam sympathia, or by a certain peculiar sympathy, a white field snake is wont to harbor in a bush of this description. And the forked branches which point towards the rising of the sun, have more virtue than others." When a regularly ordained priest consecrates rods of this description, ut creaturam Dei suam adurem creatam (as God's own creature to the thing created)," in order that God's own creature (the sun, so termed as his noblest inanimate work) may shed its kindly influences on the thing created, or called into existence by its beams." Such we believe to be the meaning of the passage, but our latinity lies dusty, and worm-eaten on our shelves, and we are open to correction from any lately birched, newly breeched, and totally unfledged stripling, or from the hands of any of that numerous tribe of gentlemen who rejoice.

"In foolscap uniforms turned up with ink,"

or, without any superstition, by cutting off these branches a cross is made, and holy words, with

prayer and praise to God, are spoken; so that instead of bringing loss, it is more likely to produce the desired blessing. At the present day all kinds of wood are suitable for this purpose, as the beech, the birch, the fir, the ash, the elder, the oak, the apple, the pear, the yew tree, &c. Indeed men may use for this purpose wire, paper, a sword, fishbones, snuffers, brooms, black puddings, a foot-rule, a tailor's scissors, a book-binder's press, knives and forks crossed, tobacco pipes, books with wooden covers, bucket handles, pot hooks, dove cotes, in short, any thing which is at hand and can be readily brought into play. (No doubt that they are all equally valuable.) Nevertheless, there is a difference between the rods, inasmuch as some use only one rod for the discovery of all sorts of metals, some use a distinct rod for each kind of metal, and some again use only one sort of wooden rod, which is broken off from the parent stem at different periods, according to the prevailing influence of the planets.

As to the period at which these rods should be cut there is a difference of opinion amongst the rod diviners; some assert that this should be done on a Sunday (on the old principle, we suppose, of "the better the day the better the deed"), after the new moon, and early in the

morning, before the sun has risen, the months of September and December being the best in the whole year. Keppelius, the hill inspector at Annaberg, recommends the Friday before Easter as the best day; but if a person cannot wait so long, then, on a Sunday, at the full of the moon, and also before sunrise. Andrew Libavius of Vallemont, recommends it to be done before sunrise, in the first quarter of the moon, upon the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, viz-about the vernal equinox. Others again say that these rods must be cut on a Wednesday, at the hour when Mercury is in the ascendant. Others hold out for Easter, or Christmas-day as being the most fortunate, or else at the solstices. Vide Schaub. Dissert. Acad. Marpurg. § 11. n. 2. Others again assert that it is absolutely necessary to go forth on St. John's night, between the hours of 11 and 12 in puris naturalibus; it would seem, as it is necessary on this occasion to speak certain words as a charm, that the devil is very close at their elbow.

There is an equal diversity of opinion as to the ceremonies to be performed on these occasions. Some declare that the branch must be severed at one stroke; others say that it must be done with three, in the name of the Holy

Trinity. But the generally received opinion is, that the person who cuts the rod must face the east, cut behind him, and put full faith in the operation. As to the use of the rod there are many customs in vogue: some carefully divest themselves of every particle of metal when about to use the rod; others again, when divining by it, take the metal and samples of the things they are seeking for in their hands, without which they are unable to tell in what direction the rod points. And, in like manner, they can tell what description of metal lies concealed under their path, viz., that of which they carry a portion in their hand, and if no metal similar to that of the rod is passed over, the rod will not point, though there may be a variety of other metals in that spot. Further, there are many things which are sought for by the rod which cannot be carried in the hand, as water, thieves, murderers, stolen goods, &c.

Others, in order to obtain a fortunate rod, pray over the words from St. John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word." Vallemont writes, that some apply to the rod the words of the twenty-third Psalm, "Thy rod and thy staff comfort me."

Regarding the appearance and shape of the rod see Kircherus and Schottus. It is used in