BEFORE that I bring to a close my discourse concerning Orkney, I shall give an account of some customs yet prevailing among them, which can be constructed to be nothing else save the sour dregs of Pagan and Popish superstition and idolatry, yea, and many of them, such as the charms practised by them, to be the mere and woeful effects of pure devilry, and not the product of nature's operation.
But, lest I should be mistaken, I judge it not amiss to premise, that not all, nay, nor the generality of Orkney, are hereby impeached as guilty of these evils, for I know there are many judicious and wise men, and I hope some real christians, among them, who abhor and detest such things as much as any, but hereby some foolish and silly ones are intended, whom, deceiving and being deceived, Satan leadeth captive at his will ; nor yet that all the isles are alike lying under the charge, for there are some of them, whose inhabitants are generally more moral and discreet : neither is it alledged, that such sinful and corrupt customs prevail as much now as formerly, for they are much away by what they were, and that even of late : nor is it denied but that honest and faithful ministers will labour to have them abolished every where, seeing, alas ! there is much horrid wickedness and manifest devilry too with us in the south, as well as with them in the north, so that no part of the kingdom can plead not guilty.
But my principal scope and design is to manifest the works of darkness, and to show how busy the god of this world is in deluding and blinding poor souls, and how ready we are to be his drudges and slaves ; that so these things, being wisely and seriously considered, all may be induced to make a christian improvement thereof, both with respect to themselves and others, whom they are called to pity and pray for, " if peradventure God will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may be recovered out of the snare of the devil ;" and more especially that the general assemblies, and other judicatories of this church, as they are called, may be pleased to continue their fatherly care over these northern isles, that though they be remote from them as to situation, yet they may be near unto them as to a warm and kindly affection, which our church hath not been wanting in hitherto.
And first we would take notice, that the old maxim, " Ignorance is the mother of devotion," so much cried up by the papists and their judicially blinded clergy, is so far from being the mother of devotion, that it is both the mother and nurse of the most damnable errors. Superstitions and delusions, as these isles know to their sad experience ; for ignorance of the principles of our holy religion doth greatly prevail among the commonalty, so that, as one of their ministers, not without some concern and grief for the same, told me, not one of a hundred in some of their parishes can read. How this comes to pass, that the people should be so grossly ignorant, I shall not undertake to determine, it is commonly imputed to their want of schools through the country, which indeed I will not say, but is one great cause thereof, and therefore that this so very dreadful an evil may be effectually remedied, care should be taken by ail concerned, that schools be erected in every parish, and a competent salary provided for the master's maintenance and encouragement ; and that also in every isle where there is any number of inhabitants, some person should be appointed for the instruction and education of their children ; and until that such a course be taken, the people generally will be ignorant still, and the ministers, as to the preaching part, may complain in the words of the prophet, " Whom shall we teach knowledge? and whom shall we make to understand doctrine ? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts." For it is much about one to preach to auditors besotted with stupidity and ignorance, as it is to give exhortation unto babes, therefore it is that our church in her assemblies hath so frequently and seriously pressed the learning of children to read, and the providing of schools for that end, pastors to be diligent in that initiating and necessary work of examination and preaching catechetic doctrines, and the concurrence of parents with both, in laying out themselves for the instruction of their children, as well by themselves as by others ; godly ministers well knowing that the success of ordinances and edification of their people dependeth much thereupon, as the means which the Lord useth to bless for the bringing in of his elect ; knowledge being so necessary to the being of faith, that the latter is sometimes expressed by the name of the former.
And seeing they retain not God in their knowledge, it is no wonder they be given over to a reprobate mind, to do things which are not convenient ; no wonder they frequent their old chapels for superstitious ends, of which the corrupt and purblind reason of man hath been always very fond : no wonder that being in the dark, without the lanthorn of the knowledge of scripture revelation, they mistake their way, and by the using of charms, and consulting of charmers, they " run to Beelzebub, instead of having recourse to the God of Israel." Which ignorance to be the cause of these evils will appear the more evidently, if we consider, that in these isles, where there is a greater measure of the knowledge of God, there is not such a following of these horrid and hellish practices.
There are several old chapeis in these isles, which the people resort unto, but that which I heard of, as most famous, is St. Tredwel's chapel in Papa-Westra, which they have such a veneration for, that they will come from other isles in considerable numbers to it ; some of us having occasion to be on that isle, we saw this chapel, situated on a small low rock, within a loch, commonly called St. Tredwel's Loch, to which we passed by steping stones ; before this chapel door there was a heap of small stones, into which the superstitious people, when they come, do cast a small stone or two for their offering, and some will cast in money ; the chapel hath been but little, and is now ruinous, only some of the walls are standing, which the people are so far from suffering to be demolished, that they labour to keep them up, and though the proprietor of the ground hath some way inclosed it, yet this proves not effectual to prevent the frequenting thereof. At the north-east side of the loch, nigh to the chapel, there is a high stone standing, behind which there is another stone lying, hollowed in the form of a manger, and nigh to this there is another high stone standing, with a round hole through it ; for what use these stones served, we could not learn ; whether for binding the horses of such to them as came to the chapel, and giving them meat in the hollow stone, or for tying the sacrifices to, as some say, in the times of Pagan idolatry, is uncertain.
This St. Tredwel's Loch, nigh to the east end of which this chapel is, is held bv the people as medicinal, whereupon many diseased and infirm persons resort to it, some saying that thereby they have got good; as a certain gentleman's sister upon the isle, who was not able to go to this loch without help, yet returned without it ; as likewise a gentleman in the country, who*was much distressed with sore eyes, went to this loch, and washing there became sound and whole, though he had been at much pains and expence to cure them formerly. With both which persons he who was minister of the place for many years was well acquainted, and told us that he saw them both before and after the cure. The present minister of Westra told me, that such as are able to walk use to go so many times about the loch as they think will perfect the cure, before they make any use of the water, and that without speaking to any, for they believe that if they speak this will marr the cure : also he told that on a certain morning not long since he went to this loch, and found six so making their circuit, whom with some difficulty he obliging to speak, said to him they came there for their cure.
How it cometh to pass that this loch should accomplish the cure of any I leave to my reader to judge, whether it be by any medicinal or healing virtue in the water, which I incline not to think, the cure being so circumstantiated, or if the force and strength of the imagination of the persons afflicted may have any tendency that way, which some judge hath its own influence in some such like cases ; or rather by the aid and assistance of Satan, whom God in his holy and wise providence may permit so to do, for the further judicial blinding and hardening of these who follow such unwarrantable and unlawful courses, God so punishing them, by giving them up to such strong delusions : yet I hear, that when they have done all that is usual for them to do, as going about the loch, washing their bodies or any part thereof, leaving something at the loch, as old clouts and the like, &c. it is but in few in whom the effect of healing is produced. As for this loch's appearing like blood before any disaster befall the Royal Family, as some do report, we could find no ground to believe any such thing.
These chapels the people frequent, as for other ends, so for prayer, they placing a kind of merit therein when performed in such places, and this they observe more than private retirements ; and if they be under any sickness, or in any danger, as at sea, they will vow so to do : and when they go to the chapels to pay the vows taken on, they used to lay several stones one above another, according to the number of vows which they made, some of which heaps we saw in St. Tredwel's chapel ; and none must go empty handed, but leave behind them something, either a piece of money, or of bread, or a stone, which they judge will be sufficient.
As at ail times, when occasion offers, they observe these superstitious practices, so especially during Lent they will not neglect their devotions in such places ; and on Easter Sunday several boats will be seen going to them from other isles : and though their ministers both privately and publicly have spoken to them, yet they cannot get them to forbear and abandon these customs. And the minister of South-Ronaldsha told us, that many of the people in that isle, especially such as live at the south end thereof nigh to the kirk, called Our Lady's Kirk, whereof, though now the walls only be standing, without a roof, yet the very stones thereof they reverence, and are not far from adoring ; and so tenacious are they, that when in rough weather he hath procured the conveniency of a barn to preach in, yet the people obliged him to come to this ruinous fabric, else many of them would not have heard : they are now about the putting of a roof on this church, which the gentlemen of the isle are not inclined to, judging other places more commodious for it to be built in ; but proposals of this nature do not relish with the people, they being so superstitiouslv wedded to the place of its present situation : whereupon the heads of families will rather by themselves contribute to the repairing of this old church, than suffer a new one to be built in any other place of the isle, though less to their cost.
In this old fabric of Our Lady's Church there is a stone lying, about four feet long, and two feet broad, but narrower and round at the two ends, upon the surface of which stone there is the print of two feet, concerning which the superstitious people have a tradition, that St. Magnus, when he could not get a boat on a time to carry him over Pightland-Firth, took this stone, and setting his feet thereupon, passed the Firth safely, and left the stone in this church, which hath continued here ever since ; but as I think, and some more judicious people do likewise suggest, it hath been a stone, upon which, under popery, the delinquents stood bare-footed suffering penance. It is like when thus St. Magnus came over the Firth, it hath been at that time when he was seen riding through Aberdeen, giving the first account of the defeat of the English at Bannockburn, and afterward was seen going over Pightland-Firth. And indeed both are alike destitute of any shadow of truth, credible only by these superstitious and silly ones, whom the god of this world hath blinded.
Several of the isles have their saints' days, which some do superstitiously observe. There is one day in harvest on which the more ignorant, especially in Rousa, say, if any work, the ridges will blood. The lark some call our Lady's hen : and some such popish dregs are to be found : the Lord preserve this land from popery's inundation ; for as it is credible, from what hath been said, and some better acquainted with this country did inform us, that if popery get footing again (from the fears of which in the good providence of God we were lately delivered) many of the inhabitants of these isles would readily embrace it, and by retaining some of these old popish rites and customs seem to be in a manner prepared for it.
Next to glance at their charms, which I shall briefly do, and not give any account how they perform them, lest thereby I should seem to point out to any how to try the experiment of this hellish art and tremendous devilry, which I think 1 do sufficiently guard against, not only by barely reciting there are such, but also by proper precautions adduced in this chapter.
They have a charm whereby they stop excessive blooding in any, whatever way they come by it, whether by or without external violence. The name of the patient being sent to the charmer, he saith over some words, (which I heard,) upon which the blood instantly stoppeth, though the blooding patient were at the greatest distance from the charmer : yea, upon the saying of these words, the blood will stop in the bleeding throats of oxen or sheep, to the astonishment of spectators ; which account we had from the ministers of the country.
There is a charm likewise they make use of for the tooth-ach, whereof I had the following instance from an honest man worthy of credit. Some years ago there was one who used this charm for the abating the pain of one living in Eda, tormented therewith, and though the action then was at a distance, the charmer not being present with the patient, yet, according to the most exact calculation of the time when the charm was performed by the charmer, there fell a living worm out of the patient's mouth when he was at supper : this my informer knew to be a truth, and the man from whose mouth it fell is yet alive in the isle of Sanda. Whether this worm was generated in the corrupted part, and so fell out by the devil's means at the using of the charm, or the worm was brought by an evil spirit aliunde to the mouth, and thence falling down, I shall not determine.
Also when the beasts, as oxen, sheep, horses, See. are sick, they sprinkle them with a water made up by them, which they call Fore-spoken-water; wherewith likewise they sprinkle their boats, when they succeed and prosper not in their fishing : and especially on Hallow-even, they used to sein or sign their boats, and put a cross of tar upon them, which my informer hath often seen. Their houses also some use then to sein.
They have a charm also whereby they try if persons be in a decay or not, and if they will die thereof, which they call Casting of the Heart. Of this the minister of Stronza and Eda told us he had a very remarkable passage, in a process yet standing in his session records.
Several other charms also they have about their marriage, when women in travail, when their cow is calving, when churning their milk, or when brewing, or when their children are sick, by taking them to a smith (without premonishing him) who hath had a smith to his father and a smith to his grand-father. And of several such like charms we had an account from the ministers, as likewise how these charms were performed ; but of these enough.
Although these charms sometimes, yet not always do they produce the desired effects; as in the instance of staying of blood, one of the charmer's wives fell once a bleeding, which he by all his art was not able to stop ; whereupon he is said thus to have expressed himself : I have stopped the bleeding of an hundred, and yet I cannot do it to my wife."
That such admirable effects upon the using of the charms are produced by the agency of demons, I think few, if any, will doubt, God so permitting it to be, in his holy and wise providence, for the further punishment and judicial blinding of those who follow such unlawful courses, and the devil thereby engaging his slaves more in his service : yet not always the effects desired and expected do follow, that all may know the devil is a chained one, and can do nothing without the permisson of a sovereign God, who is Lord over all Our assemblies, sensible of the great sin and evil that is in using these charms, and Consulting of charmers, have made several acts both against the one and the other, strictly inhibiting and discharging all such hellish practices, and requiring all ministers diligently to see to the observance and execution thereof.
Evil spirits, also called fairies, are frequently seen in several of the isles, dancing and making merry, and sometimes seen in armour : also I had an account of the wild sentiments of some of the people concerning them ; but with such I shall not detain my reader, we hastening our voyage to Zetland.
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