The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-07-15
POPULAR SUpERSruTuONS
The Wandering lew, Isresfer John
and Antichrist.

Over all the middle ages we see the weird
figure of a man. downeast and grave, who, un.
hasting, unresisting, must march on to the day
OF doom. The Wandering Jew, sometimes bur.
leo In Armenian converts or the deserts of Gen.
tial ASIA, IN the burning plains of Africa, or
the snowy heights of the Caucasus, suddenly APP
pears IN the haunts of civilized Europe and tells
as an eyewitness, the story of the crucfxion,
ana his share IN the eontumely cast upon the
Saviour. He had thrown himself into the fam
ing city of Jerusalem under the Roman swords
ne had fought against Gauls, Germans and Sara.
Gems; but no lance had entered his charmed
body-no arrows pierced the heart that longed to
be at rest. The wild elephant had crushed him
under foot; vcnomous serpents had bitten him,
the hungry lion had torn him, but he could not
die until Christ himself should return to Judge
the world. The legend filled the people with
terror and emotion, and probably arose from
some eloquent preacher. who thus personified
the Jews under the figure by a single man, scat.
tered through the world, and undestroyed by
persecution. Mathew Paris il the first historian
who speaks OF 1t; an Armenian bishop, visiting
the monks of st. Adams, had traversed with the
Jew about the year 1928, and from that time he
appeared at intervals in several of the cities of
Europe, dressed in the old Roman costume.
| much worn, long beard, naked feet, and sad,
melancholy expression. He refused all presents
but few pence, which he gave away to the
poor. AT Strasbcurg he appeared in 1850, and
informed the magistrate that he had passed
through their city two hundred years before,
which was verified by a reference to the city
registers The last time we hear of him is in
the city of Brussels in IVA.
Another no less popular superstition was the
existence Of king and pontiff, united in one
| named Prester John, who had ruled a vast EN-.
pire for centuries in which more marvels were
to be found than in Mohammed's paradise. No
traveller to the East dared to put stop TO this
absurd belief; some even pretended TO ave seen
the place. The kings of Portugal sent several
expeditions into India and Abyssna to assure
themselves of the reality, for this immortal pope
gave many an hours anxiety to the popes of the
West for fear lest schisra should spring from so
distant quarter. There was curious letter.
written perhaps by some partisan of the Refor.
nation to the King Of France, and Emperor Of
Rome 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 the tabled phe.
nix, the griffin, the rod, the seyen.horued bull,
csntauSs, pigmies and dragons. There sprang
the fountain Of eternal youth, there grew the
tree OF life, from which was drawn the holy oil
used tor the sacraments of the church, and when
the king and his court sat down to the table,
they needed no cooks for q spiritual Chef pre-
pared all their dishes.
Another mysterious being was An.ichrist,
| who was supposed to be born in Babylon, and
whom the Jews were ready to recognize as their
Messiah. The year one thousand was fixed up.
on by the most learned doctors as the time of his
appearance, and the end OF the world We have
terrible picture given by cosemporary Of the
desolation which relgned throughout Europe,
at the approach of this fatal term-eclipses. com.
cts, meteors floods, tempests and plaques Su.
perssi.ion aggravated the real evils of public
misery; the people spoke of frightful miracles
the dead were raised; the living struck dead;
specters and demons came from the abyss Men
thought of nothing but how they should appear
before their God; they gave up their wealth to
churches and converts; they thought it useless
to till the ground and occupy themselves in their
daily tasks: their fields, houses and shops were
| destroyed for the altar. At length the last day
of the year 500 arrived the whole populace in
tears and prayers crowded the churches, and
waited in trembling expectation the sounding
OF the seven trampets, and the appearance of
Antichrist; but the sun bright AS ever, the
Stars fell not from heaven, the laws of nature
were uninterrupted. 1T was only postpoped,"
said the credulods; they counted the days,
weeks and months with Undesirable anxiety,
and II required many years of anguish to restore
calmness 10 their minds Chambers JolTnaL