the golden bough-第21章

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at　the　great　conquering　races　of　the　world　have　commonly　done　most　to　advance　and　spread　civilisation；　thus　healing　in　peace　the　wounds　they　inflicted　in　war。　The　Babylonians；　the　Greeks；　the　Romans；　the　Arabs　are　our　witnesses　in　the　past：　we　may　yet　live　to　see　a　similar　outburst　in　Japan。　Nor；　to　remount　the　stream　of　history　to　its　sources；　is　it　an　accident　that　all　the　first　great　strides　towards　civilisation　have　been　made　under　despotic　and　theocratic　governments；　like　those　of　Egypt；　Babylon；　and　Peru；　where　the　supreme　ruler　claimed　and　received　the　servile　allegiance　of　his　subjects　in　the　double　character　of　a　king　and　a　god。　It　is　hardly　too　much　to　say　that　at　this　early　epoch　despotism　is　the　best　friend　of　humanity　and；　paradoxical　as　it　may　sound；　of　liberty。　For　after　all　there　is　more　liberty　in　the　best　senseliberty　to　think　our　own　thoughts　and　to　fashion　our　own　destiniesunder　the　most　absolute　despotism；　the　most　grinding　tyranny；　than　under　the　apparent　freedom　of　savage　life；　where　the　individual's　lot　is　cast　from　the　cradle　to　the　grave　in　the　iron　mould　of　hereditary　custom。

So　far；　therefore；　as　the　public　profession　of　magic　has　been　one　of　the　roads　by　which　the　ablest　men　have　passed　to　supreme　power；　it　has　contributed　to　emancipate　mankind　from　the　thraldom　of　tradition　and　to　elevate　them　into　a　larger；　freer　life；　with　a　broader　outlook　on　the　world。　This　is　no　small　service　rendered　to　humanity。　And　when　we　remember　further　that　in　another　direction　magic　has　paved　the　way　for　science；　we　are　forced　to　admit　that　if　the　black　art　has　done　much　evil；　it　has　also　been　the　source　of　much　good；　that　if　it　is　the　child　of　error；　it　has　yet　been　the　mother　of　freedom　and　truth。

Chapter　4。　Magic　and　Religion

THE　examples　collected　in　the　last　chapter　may　suffice　to　illustrate　the　general　principles　of　sympathetic　magic　in　its　two　branches；　to　which　we　have　given　the　names　of　Homoeopathic　and　Contagious　respectively。　In　some　cases　of　magic　which　have　come　before　us　we　have　seen　that　the　operation　of　spirits　is　assumed；　and　that　an　attempt　is　made　to　win　their　favour　by　prayer　and　sacrifice。　But　these　cases　are　on　the　whole　exceptional；　they　exhibit　magic　tinged　and　alloyed　with　religion。　Wherever　sympathetic　magic　occurs　in　its　pure　unadulterated　form；　it　assumes　that　in　nature　one　event　follows　another　necessarily　and　invariably　without　the　intervention　of　any　spiritual　or　personal　agency。　Thus　its　fundamental　conception　is　identical　with　that　of　modern　science；　underlying　the　whole　system　is　a　faith；　implicit　but　real　and　firm；　in　the　order　and　uniformity　of　nature。　The　magician　does　not　doubt　that　the　same　causes　will　always　produce　the　same　effects；　that　the　performance　of　the　proper　ceremony；　accompanied　by　the　appropriate　spell；　will　inevitably　be　attended　by　the　desired　result；　unless；　indeed；　his　incantations　should　chance　to　be　thwarted　and　foiled　by　the　more　potent　charms　of　another　sorcerer。　He　supplicates　no　higher　power：　he　sues　the　favour　of　no　fickle　and　wayward　being：　he　abases　himself　before　no　awful　deity。　Yet　his　power；　great　as　he　believes　it　to　be；　is　by　no　means　arbitrary　and　unlimited。　He　can　wield　it　only　so　long　as　he　strictly　conforms　to　the　rules　of　his　art；　or　to　what　may　be　called　the　laws　of　nature　as　conceived　by　him。　To　neglect　these　rules；　to　break　these　laws　in　the　smallest　particular；　is　to　incur　failure；　and　may　even　expose　the　unskilful　practitioner　himself　to　the　utmost　peril。　If　he　claims　a　sovereignty　over　nature；　it　is　a　constitutional　sovereignty　rigorously　limited　in　its　scope　and　exercised　in　exact　conformity　with　ancient　usage。　Thus　the　analogy　between　the　magical　and　the　scientific　conceptions　of　the　world　is　close。　In　both　of　them　the　succession　of　events　is　assumed　to　be　perfectly　regular　and　certain；　being　determined　by　immutable　laws；　the　operation　of　which　can　be　foreseen　and　calculated　precisely；　the　elements　of　caprice；　of　chance；　and　of　accident　are　banished　from　the　course　of　nature。　Both　of　them　open　up　a　seemingly　boundless　vista　of　possibilities　to　him　who　knows　the　causes　of　things　and　can　touch　the　secret　springs　that　set　in　motion　the　vast　and　intricate　mechanism　of　the　world。　Hence　the　strong　attraction　which　magic　and　science　alike　have　exercised　on　the　human　mind；　hence　the　powerful　stimulus　that　both　have　given　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge。　They　lure　the　weary　enquirer；　the　footsore　seeker；　on　through　the　wilderness　of　disappointment　in　the　present　by　their　endless　promises　of　the　future：　they　take　him　up　to　the　top　of　an　exceeding　high　mountain　and　show　him；　beyond　the　dark　clouds　and　rolling　mists　at　his　feet；　a　vision　of　the　celestial　city；　far　off；　it　may　be；　but　radiant　with　unearthly　splendour；　bathed　in　the　light　of　dreams。

The　fatal　flaw　of　magic　lies　not　in　its　general　assumption　of　a　sequence　of　events　determined　by　law；　but　in　its　total　misconception　of　the　nature　of　the　particular　laws　which　govern　that　sequence。　If　we　analyse　the　various　cases　of　sympathetic　magic　which　have　been　passed　in　review　in　the　preceding　pages；　and　which　may　be　taken　as　fair　samples　of　the　bulk；　we　shall　find；　as　I　have　already　indicated；　that　they　are　all　mistaken　applications　of　one　or　other　of　two　great　fundamental　laws　of　thought；　namely；　the　association　of　ideas　by　similarity　and　the　association　of　ideas　by　contiguity　in　space　or　time。　A　mistaken　association　of　similar　ideas　produces　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic：　a　mistaken　association　of　contiguous　ideas　produces　contagious　magic。　The　principles　of　association　are　excellent　in　themselves；　and　indeed　absolutely　essential　to　the　working　of　the　human　mind。　Legitimately　applied　they　yield　science；　illegitimately　applied　they　yield　magic；　the　bastard　sister　of　science。　It　is　therefore　a　truism；　almost　a　tautology；　to　say　that　all　magic　is　necessarily　false　and　barren；　for　were　it　ever　to　become　true　and　fruitful；　it　would　no　longer　be　magic　but　science。　From　the　earliest　times　man　has　been　engaged　in　a　search　for　general　rules　whereby　to　turn　the　order　of　natural　phenomena　to　his　own　advantage；　and　in　the　long　search　he　has　scraped　together　a　great　hoard　of　such　maxims；　some　of　them　golden　and　some　of　them　mere　dross。　The　true　or　golden　rules　constitute　the　body　of　applied　science　which　we　call　the　arts；　the　false　are　magic。

If　magic　is　thus　next　of　kin　to　science；　we　have　still　to　enquire　how　it　stands　related　to　religion。　But　the　view　we　take　of　that　relation　will　necessarily　be　coloured　by　the　idea　which　we　have　formed　of　the　nature　of　religion　itself；　hence　a　writer　may　reasonably　be　expected　to　define　his　conception　of　religion　before　he　proceeds　to　investigate　its　relation　to　magic。　There　is　probably　no　subject　in　the　world　about　which　opinions　differ　so　much　as　the　nature　of　religion；　and　to　frame　a　definition　of　it　which　would　satisfy　every　one　must　obviously　be　impossible。　All　that　a　writer　can　do　is；　first；　to　say　clearly　what　he　means　by　religion；　and　afterwards　to　employ　the　word　consistently　in　that　sense　throughout　his　work。　By　religion；　then；　I　understand　a　propitiation　or　conciliation　of　powers　superior　to　man　which　are　believed　to　direct　and　control　the　course　of　nature　and　of　human　life。　Thus　defined；　religion　consists　of　two　elements；　a　theoretical　and　a　practical；　namely；　a　belief　in　powers　higher　than　man　and　an　attempt　to　propitiate　or　please　them。　Of　the　two；　belief　clearly　comes　first；　since　we　must　believe　in　the　existence　of　a　divine　being　before　we　can　attempt　to　please　him。　But　unless　the　belief　leads　to　a　corresponding　practice；　it　is　not　a　religion　but　merely　a　theology；　in　the　language　of　St。　James；　faith；　if　it　hath　not　works；　is　dead；　being　alone。　In　other　words；　no　man　is　religious　who　does　not　govern　his　conduct　in　some　measure　by　the　fear　or　love　of　God。　On　the　other　hand；　mere　practice；　divested　of　all　religious　belief；　is　also　not　religion。　Two　men　may　behave　in　exactly　the　same　way；　and　yet　one　of　them　may　be　religious　and　the　other　not。　If　the　one　acts　from　the　love　or　fear　of　God；　he　is　religious；　if　the　other　acts　from　the　love　or　fear　of　man；　he　is　moral　or　immoral　according　as　his　behaviour　comports　or　conflicts　with　the　general　good。　Hence　be