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The Evil Eye, and Allied Notions 141
on entering a house in a Yorkshire village, he observed a
ponderous necklace of such stones hanging against the wall.
On enquiring about them, he found the good woman of the
house at first indisposed to give him any information regard-
ing them ;
but he presently elicited from her that such stones
had the credit of preserving the house and its inhabitants
from the Evil Eye. " But," said he, "surely you don't be-
lieve in witches now-a-days?" "No," she replied, "I don't
say 'at I do, but certainly in former times there was wizards
and hizzards, and them sort o' things." " Well," the gentleman
rejoined, "but surely you don't think there are any
now.-*" "No, I don't say 'at there are, but I do believe in
a Yevil Eye !
"
In India, diviners are called Bhagats or devotees, or
siydnd—wise men, they are supposed to work under the inspir-
ation of a snake god. The power of divination is generally
confined to the lower and menial (aboriginal .'') castes, is
often hereditary, and is rarely possessed by women. Inspir-
ation is shown by the man's head beginning to wag, he
then builds a shrine to his familiar, before which he dances,
or as it is called by the people—sports. He is consulted
at night, the enquirer providing tobacco and music. The
tobacco is waved over the body of the invalid whom he
has been called to attend, and given to the wise man to
smoke. A lamp filled with ghi or clarified butter is then
lighted, and the music plays. The diviner sometimes lashes
himself with a whip :
at length he is seized with the afilatus,
and in a paroxysm of dancing and head wagging, he declares
the name of the malignant influence, the manner in which
it is to be propitiated, and the time when the disease may