NUMERAL SUPERSTITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 17964, 10 May 1922, Page 6

NUMERAL SUPERSTITIONS

UNLUCKY KINGS. Certain numbers have from the Logining of things, been regarded as either lucky or unlucky, perfect or impel led. The numbers which appear to stand out as either lucky or unlucky arc two. three, seven, and nine. (Jut of these numbers only one is even, and it is about that number that there seems to have hovered calamity and trouble. In history wc so this particularly (writes Donald. Goodehild in ‘ John o London s Weekly ’). In the first instance the number two was regarded _by Pythagoras as the evil principle. The second day of the second month wa.s sacred to Pluto, tho god of the grave, and was therefore considered unlucky. In English history the following all met. with tragic ends or hacr bad luck ; —Harold 11.. William If., Edward 1 11., Diehard 11., Charles 11., James IP, George 11. There is a long list of unlucky kings of the same numeral in their title in French ami Gorman history—the- latest being the ex-Kaiser Wilhelm 31. _ Leaving that most unlucky number two, we find' that Pythagoras called three, the perfect number, symbolic of the beginning, the middle, and the end, and therefore lie make, it expressive of Deity. Jovo is represented' with three-lorned lightning, Neptune with a. trident, ami Pluto with a three-headed dog. The Fates are three, the Furies three. There are three Graces, and the number of the Muses is three times three. Seven is regarded as a holy number. There were seven days in creation; seven spirits before the throne of Clod; tho week contains seven days ; there arc seven Graces and seven divisions in the Lord’s Prayer. Tho life of man lias seven ages, while in the old; days every seventh year was Sabbatical, .seven times seven the jubilee, Ibe three great Jewish feasts lasted seven days, and between tho first and second of these leasts there were seven weeks. We have seen seven churches in Asia. There are seven bodies in alchemy. Tho seven Sages of Greece aro known by their seven wise, sayings:—!!) Solon of Athens, whose motto was ‘‘Know thyself.” (2) Ghilo of Sparta,—‘‘Consider the end.” (3) Thales of Miletus—“ Who hafccth suretyship is sure.” (4) Bias, of Prienc—“Most men are had.” (5) Cleobuks of Limbs —“The golden mean, or avoid extremes.” (6) Pit tacos of Miiylonc—‘‘Seize time by the forelock.” (7) Periander of Corinth—“ Nothing is impossible to industry.” The eli,'impious of Christendom are sevenSt. Gimrgn of England. St. Dennis of France. St. James of Spain, St. Anthony of Italy, St. Andrew of Scotland, St. Patrick, ut Ireland, and 1 St. David of Wale-, .Students of the Bible will discover a great many references to the number seven. According to very old teaching, the soul of man, or his inward l holy body, is compounded 1 of the seven, properties which are under the influence of the sewn planets. Fire animates. Earth gives the seme of feeling, water gives speech: air gives iasle. mist gives sight; (lower.-, give Urn sense of smell, and the smith wind gives hearing, lienee the seven scums are Animation, Feeling. Speech, Tael e. Sigh I, Smell, and Hearing. The Seven Wonder.-- of Antiquity are familiar. The Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages were; (11 The Coliseum at Pome, (2) the Catacombs of Alexandria. (3) the Great Wall of China. I'D Stonehenge. (5) the Leaning Town’ of Pisa. (61 the Porcelain Tower re' Nanking. (7) the' Mosque of St. Sophia at Constantinople. Nine is, Ihe mystical figure, the Diapason of the Greek-. We notice I lie mystical figure in many providis and pphrases, thus: A cat has nine lives. A nine days’ wonder. Possession is nine points of the law. All these refer to (lie perfection of (he filings mentioned ; or in some cases nine is meant in represent a long lime.. There are nine i navirs recognised in herahiv. lit music there are nine marks of cadcii'e. The Abracadabra, which was a. charm used by the ancient .Assyrians, was win ii nine days and then thrown into flic river. The old rare and nine tails which was used, and still is used on.occasion, lor llo'iging evildoers was invented from the superstition that a (logging by Il;c- trinity of trinities would be more sacred' 1 and mine efficacious. In the ordeal by lire, nine hot ploughshares were placed on the ground at equal distances from each oilier, ami the person undergoing the trial had to walk over I hem barefoot. It used to he a popular superstition that on finding a peas-cod' with nine peas in it a maiden had only to place tho cod on the lintel in the kitchen, and the first single man to enter the room would be her husband. This is still believed in certain rural parts of England. In China nine buttons are the sign of official rank, la Scotland 1 the nine of diamonds is generally reckoned a had thing to give anyone; as it is known as the, Ckir.se of Scotland, though 1 cannot find the origin of this remark. According to Dryden, in Ids poem entitled ‘ The Flower and the Leaf ’; Nino worthies were they called, of uilferent rights ; Three Jill.vs, three Pagans, and three Christian knights. Tho men lie referred’ to were Joshua, David, and Judas Maccahieus—Jews; Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon—-Christian knights; Hector, Alexander, and Julius C-iesar—Pagans.