Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-02-09
THE DAYS OF OLD.
superstitions-The WAN
deriHs Jem, Prester John, and Anti
From Chambers journal

T.aaisionai ssper.titions-The WAN
deri1o JEW, Prester John, and Anti
From Chambers Journal
Over all the Middle Ages we see the
weird figure of man, downcast and
grave, who, unhasting, unresting. must
march on to the day of doom. The
Wandering jew, sometimes buried In
Armenian cofiyetits CT the deserts of
Central Asia, in the burning plsins of
Africa, or the snowy heights of the
Caucasus, suddenly appears in the
ha,mts of more civilized Europe, and
tells, as all eyewitness, the sad story of
the cruci6xion, and his share in the
contumely cast upon the Goldman. He
had thrown himself into the flaming
city of Jerusalem under the Roman
swords, he had fought against Gauls,
Germans, and Sardceils but no lance
would enter his charmed body-h6 DIR
row pierce the heart that .longed to be
at rest. The Wild elephant had
crushed him under foot, venomous
serpents had bitten him, the hungry
lion had torn him, but he could
not die until Christ himself should re-
turn to Judge the world This legend
filed the people with terror and emo
tion, and probably arose from some elo-
quent preacher, whu thus personified
the Jewish nation, under the figure of
a single man, scattered through the
world. and undestroyed by persecution.
Matthew Paris is the first historian who
speaks of it. an Armenian bishop, Wis
iting the monks of st. Adams, had con-
versed with the Jew about the year
1228, and from that time he appeared
at intervals in several of the cities of
Europe. dressed in the old Roman cos
tame, much worn, a long beard, naked
feet, and sdd, melancholy expression.
He refused al presents but few PeAce,
which he gave away to the poor. At
Strasbourg he appeared in15S0, and in
formed the magistrates that he had
passed through their city 200 years be-
fore, which was verified by reference
to the city registers. The last time We
hear of him is in the city of Brussels in
1774.
Another no less popular superstition
was the existence Of q king and poutiff,
united in one, named Prestet John,
who had ruled vast empire for centu-
ries, in which more marvels were to be
found than in Mohammed's paradise.
No traveller to the East dared put stop
to this absurd belief; some even pre-
tendad to know the place. The Kings
of Portugal sent several expeditions
into India and Abyssinia to assure
themselves of the reality, for this i'm
mortal pope gave many an hours anx
iety to the popes of the West, for fear
lest schisIn should spring from so dis
tant a quarter. There was a curious
letter written perhaps by some partisan
of the Reformation, to the Emperor of
Rome and King of France, in the name
of Prester John, about 1907, inviting
them to settle in his dominions, which
he described as the richest and finest
in the world. There they would see
tabled phoenix, the griffin, the roe, the
seven-horhed bull, centaurs, pigmies,
and dragons. There sprung the fount-
ain of immortal youth, there grew the
Tree of Life. from which was drawn
the holy oil used for the sacraments of
the Church: and when the kinr and
his court sat down TO table they needed
no cooks. for spiritual chef prepared
all their dishes.
Another mystical being was Anti
christ, who was supposed TO be born in
Babylon, and whom the Jews were
ready to recognize as their Messiah.
The year 1000 was fixed upon by the
most learned doctors as the time of his
appearance, and the end of the world.
We have a terrible picture given by q
cotemporary, of the desolation which
reigned throughout Europe at the ap-
proach of this fatal term; there were
fearful signs in the heavens and on the
earth-eclipses, comets, meteors, floods,
tempests, and plaques. Superstition
aggravated the real evils of public mis-
cry; the people spoke of frightful
miracles; the dead were raised; the
living struck with sudden death; spec
tres and demons came from the abyss.
Men thought of nothing but how they
should appear before God; they gave
up their wealth to churches and con-
vents they thought it useless to till
the ground and occupy themselves in
their daily tasks; their fields, houses,
and shops were deserted for the altar
At length, the last day of the year 999
arrived the whole populace, in tears
and prayers, crowded the churches,
and waited in trembling expectation
the soundings of the seven trumpets,
and the appearance of Antichrist but
the sun rose bright as ever, the stars
fell not from heaven, the laws of nature
were uninterrupted. cit was only
postponed" said the credulous; they
counted the days, weeks. and months
with indescribable anxiety, and it re-
quired many years of anguish to restore
calmness to their minds.