194 THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS STONES
lately,
in America, the spirits of the former owners of the land, of the
blameless aborigines, seem to have acquired a quasi monopoly of the
intercourse with the other world.
Most
of the early records of crystal-gazing show conclusively enough that
the images revealed in the stone were produced by the expectations, the
hopes, or the fears of the gazer. In many cases, indeed, the vision is
only prophetic because it determines the future conduct of the person
who consults the stone. Fully persuaded that what has been seen must
come to pass, he, or she, proceeds more or less consciously to make it
happen, to fulfil the prediction.
As an instance of this we may take from an old German book 27
the tale of a lovelorn maiden who seeks the aid of an enchantress to
learn whether sire will marry her lover, upon whom her parents look
with disfavor. The mystic crystal is brought out wrapped in a yellow
handkerchief, and is placed in a green bowl beneath which-is spread a
blue cloth, the reflections from these different colors being probably
calculated to stimulate the optic nerve and favor the appearance of
some picture upon the polished surface of the crystal. The young girl,
in rapt attention, looks long and earnestly; at last she cries out that
she sees her own form and that of her lover; Both look pale and sad,
and they appear to be about to set forth upon a long and perilous
journey, for the lover wears riding-boots and carries a brace of
pistols. The girl is so terrified at the sight that she faints away.
The sequel of this vision is a runaway match, and we can easily
understand that when the lover proposed
"Rist, "Die Aller-Edelste Zeit-Verkiirtung der ganzen Welt," Franckfurt on dem Mayn, 1668, p. 255.
