Volume 1

Observations on popular antiquities: chiefly illustrating the origin of our vulgar customs, ceremonies, and supersititions ... / arranged and revised, with additions, by Henry Ellis.

  • John Brand
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on popular antiquities: chiefly illustrating the origin of our vulgar customs, ceremonies, and supersititions ... / arranged and revised, with additions, by Henry Ellis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/522 page 7
    PREFACE. TRADITION has in no instance so clearly evinced her faithfulness as in the transmittal of vulgar rites and popular opinions. Of these, when we are desirous of tracing them backwards to their origin, many may be said to lose themselves in the Mists of Antiquity*. They have indeed travelled to us through a long succession of years, and the greater part of them, it is not improbable, will be of perpetual observation: for the generality of men look back with superstitious ve- neration on the ages of their forefathers, and authorities that are grey with time seldom fail of commanding those filial honours claimed even by the appearance of hoary age. It must be confessed that many of these are mutilated, and, as in the Remains of antient Statuary, the parts of some have been auk- * The following very sensible observation occurs in the St. James’s Chronicle from Oct. 3d to Oct. 5th 1797. ‘* Ideas have been entertained by fanciful men -of discovering the Languages of antient: Nations by a resolution of the Elements and Powers of Speech, as the only true ground of Etymology ; but the fact is, that there is no constant analogy in the organs of different people, any more than in their customs from resemblance of their climates. The Portuguese change Lintor, ll into ch, chinto yt, but not always. The Chinese change 6, d, r, s, x, z, into p, t, 1, s, s. For Crux they say Culusu; for Baptizo, Papetizo; for Cardinalis, Kzaulsinalis ; for Spiritus, Su- pelitisu ; for Adam, Vatam. _ Here the words are so changed, that it is impossible to say that they are the same, Amore sure way of going to work is, by a Comparison of Customs, as when we find the same Customs. in any two remote Countries, Egypt and China for instance, which Customs exist no where else, they probably originated in one of them.” a
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3