Ecclesiastical Curiosities

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many old pagan customs lingered on, the sacrifice was continued, but was given another meaning. The foundation of a castle, a church, or a house was frequently laid in blood; indeed it was said, and commonly believed, that no edif

e blood of which the foundation had to be laid, by which process the building would be 31 secured from falling; and in ballads and traditions

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he name of "Bargest" was said to haunt the churchyard at Northorpe, in Lincolnshire, up to the first half of the present century. The black dog that haunts Peel Castle, and the bloodhound of Launceston Castle, are the spectres of the animals buried under their walls. The apparitions of children in certain old mansions are the faded

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ied alive, either under the foundation, or within the wall. A tradition has also been preserved that under the altar of the first Christian churches a lamb was usually buried, which imparted security and duration to the edifice. This was an emblem of the true church lamb-the Saviour, 33 who is the corner stone of His churc

ok a little innocent girl, placed her on a chair by a table, and gave her playthings and sweetmeats. While she thus sat enjoying herself, twelve masons built an arch

ghost also. The idea of providing every 34 building with its ghost as a spiritual guard was not of course the primary idea; it developed later out of the original pagan belief of a sacrifice associated with the beginning of every work of

but little appreciated. If the walls of a building showed any signs of settlement the reason was supposed to be that th

s were killed and laid under it. The legend of Romulus slaying his twin brother Remus because he jumped the walls of the city to show how poor they were, 35 probably arises out of a confusion of the two legends and has become associated with the idea of a sacrif

first offer a sacrifice. A ship was never launched without a sacrifice, and the christening of a vessel in these days with a bottle of wine is un

ing of a human victim. So hard does custom and superstition die that even in the prosaic nineteenth century

r. By this horrible practice it was supposed that the stability of the structure was assured as well as other advantages gained." Of course the animal is merely the more modern substitute for the human being, just in the same manner as at the present day the bottle and coins are the

in the mortar and stone, a skeleton. The wall of this part of the church 37 had settled, and from the account given by the masons it would seem there was no trace of a tomb, but on the contrary every indication that the victim had actually been burie

e; however this may be, the blood had no doubt a real effect in hardening the mortar, just the same as treacle, which has been known to be us

of old Delhi, is reported to have mingled in the mortar the bones and 38 blood of thousands of goat-bearded Moghuls, whom he slaughtered for the purpose. A modern instance is furnished by advices which

ations were carefully examined, when it was found that under the west side of the tower, only about a foot from the surface, the body of a man had been placed in a sort of bed in the solid rock, and the west wall was actually resting upon his skull. The gentle vibration of the tower

itions of the people. The medi?val priest, half believing in many of the old pagan customs, would allow them to continue, and

be buried alive for sacrifice. Local tradition long afterwards added the still more ghastly circumstance that once, when

to have been that the first to be buried became the perquisite of the devil, who thus seems in the minds of the people to have taken the place of the pagan deity. Not in England alone, but all over Northern Europe, 40 there is a strong prejudice against being the first

t an idea that a child was wanted to wall up in the foundations. In the outer wall of Reichenfels Castle a child was actually built

ntre, as it were, and most sacred spot of a house, and that the chimney above it is the highest portion built, and the mos

o throw a shadow the masons go in search of a woman or child who does not belong to the place, and, unperceived by the person, apply a reed to the shadow and this reed is then immured. In Holland frequently there has been found in foundations curious looking objects something like ninepins, but which in reality are simply rude imitations of babies

said to have been built in, but an opening was left through which her infant might be 42 passed in to be

life when the building was in progress; that is to say, the man voluntarily gave up his life to be buried under the t

at the dead man needed it to give him light on his way to Heaven. It is extremely doubtful, however, whether this was the original idea, for most probably the candle in the first instance really represented an extinguished life, and was thus a substit

that by its use the old belief in the efficacy of a living sacrifice was fully maintained without any shock

dation stones of Pictish raths were bathed in human bl

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-appear, and is known by the name of the "Hel-horse." It has only three legs, and if anyone meets it it forebodes death. Hence is derived the saying when anyone has survived a dangerous illne

ght that cattle may be prevented from straying by burying a living blind dog under the threshold of a stable. Amongst th

that in some form or other it has lingered on to the present century. Now in our own day the laying the foundation of any important building is always attended with a ceremony-the form remains, the sacrifice is no longer offered. For ecclesiastical buildings, or those having some 45 charitable object, a religious ceremony i