Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-12-09
SUPERSTITION IN CORNWALL
a Letter Purporting to Have Been Writ.


a Letter Purporting to Have Been Writ
ten by Jeans of Nazareth,
In the extreme north and west of Eng
land superstition perhaps wields the strong
est sway over the inhabitants, and very
notable instance of the manner in which
the credulity of the temperate, virtuous
and hospitable Cornish peasants was some
years ago played upon by some artful ras-
Gals has recently come under my notice,
writes London correspondent to the San
Francisco Chronicle. Hanging in the place
of honor in the best room of many hun
dred cottages in Cornwall is most remark
able document, which processes to be a
copy of 4 letter written by Jesus Christ.
The broad sheet is so curious that ! have
taken the trouble to have it copied. 1t Is
illustrated and begins thus:
Copy of letter written by Our
Blessed Savior Jesus Christ, and found
eighteen miles from Iconium, sixty-thres
years after Our Blessed Savior's crucifx-
ion. Transmitted from the holy city by a
converted Jew. Faithfully translated from
the original copy now in possession of Lady
Cuba's family in hesopotamia. The letter
was written by Jesus Christ and found
under q great stone, round and large, at
the foot of the cross. Upon the stone was
craven, Blessed is he that shall turn me
over All people that saw it prayed God
earnestly and desired that He would make
the writing known unto them and that
they might not attempt in vain to turn the
stone over In the mean time there came
out little child about years of age, and
turned it over without assistance, to the
admiration of every person who was stand
ing by. 1t was carried to the city of leo
mum and there published by person be-
longing to Lady Cuba's family. On the
letter were written the Commandments of
Jesus Christ, signed by the Angel Gabriel,
seventy-four years after the birth of our
Savior"
Then follows "Whosoever w0rleth on
the Sabbath day shall be cursed. | conf
mand you to 90 to church and keep the
Lords day holy, without doing any man
ner of work. You shall not idly spend
your time in bedecking yourself with su-
perfuities OF costly apparel and vain
dress, for | have ordained day of rest.
| will have that day kept holy and your
sins be forgiven you You shall not break
them; write them i'll your hearts and
|
| Ny OWL hand, spoken with My own mouth
You shali not only go to church yourself,
but also send your men servants and your
maid servants, and observe My words and
learn Ny commandment. You shall finish
your labor every Saturday in the after
noon by o'clock, at which hour the pre-
parations for the Sabbath begin. advise
you to fast five Fridays in every year, be-
ginning with Good Friday, and continuing
the four Fridays Immediately following,
in memory Of the five wounds which | re-
ceived for all mankind. You shall dill
gently and peaceably labor in your respect
i've callings, wherein it has pleased God to
call you. You shall love one another with
brotherly love, and cause them that ara
baptized to come to church and receive the
blessed and Holy Sacrament of the Lords
Supper, and be made members Of the
church in so doing. Twill give you long
life and many blessings, and your land
shall flourish and your cattle bring forth
in abundance, and ! will give unto you,
yea both unto man and woman,
blessings and comforts in the greatest
temptations; and he that doeth con-
trary shall be Improbable | will also
send hardness of heart upon them,
till | see them, but especially upon the
impenitent and unbclievers He that hath
given to the poor shall not be Improbable.
Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day,
for the seventh day have taken to rest
myself, and he that hath copy of this,
my letter, written with my own hand and
spoken with my own mouth, and keepeth
it without publishing it to Others shall
not prosper, but ne that publisheth it to
others shall be blessed Of me, and, though
his sins be in number as the stars in the
sky, and he believes in this, he shall be
pardoned, and if he believes not in this
writing and this commandment, will send
my own plaques upon him and consume
both him and his cattle. And whoSoever
shall have a copy of this letter, written
with my own hand, and keep it in their
houses, nothing shall hurt them, neither
lightning pestilence nor thunder shall do
them any hurt. And if woman be with
child and in labor, and a copy of this let
trust in me, she shall be safely delivered of
her birth"
At the foot is hand and this warming
You shall not have any tidings of me but
by the Holy Scriptures until the day of
Judgment. All goodness, happiness and
prosperity shall be in the house where
copy of this letter is found"
The sting of this precious document lies
in its tail, and ii is very evident that tho
glib-tongued rascals who sold this rubbish
to the poor, ignorant Cornish folk found
plenty of ready victims, Notwithstanding
the fact that the presumed Divine author
of the letter promised his special blessing
to any one who should buy a copy OF it,
which savoreth much more of the willy
methods of the peripatetic vender of re
ligious lore than of the son of Mary and
Joseph.