The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 12 : 12. As our Religion oblidges us not to make a peremptory and curious Search into thee Obtruenees, o that the Hitories of all Ages give as many plain Examples of extraordinary Occurrances p. 26 [paragraph continues] Occurrances as make a modet Inquiry not contemptable. How much is written...
Note : p. 79 NOTE. IN trying to collect evidence as to the Rerrick "evil spirit" from Kirk-Session Records, I have been most kindly assisted by the Rev. Mr. M'Conachie, Minister of Rerrick. Mr. M'Conachie finds that only two parishes in the Stewartry, Kells and Girthon, have records containing the years...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 10 : 10. THERE be many Places called Fairie-hills, which the Mountain People think impious and dangerous to peel or dicover, by taking Earth or Wood from them; upertitiouly beleiving the Souls of their Prediceors to dwell there. 1 And for that End (ay they) a Mote or Mount was dedicate beide every...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 14 : 14. A WOMAN (it eems ane Exception from the generall Rule,) ingularlie wie in thee Matters of Foiright, living in Colanach, ane Ile of the Hebrides, (in the Time of the Marques of Montroe his Wars with the States in Scotland,) being notorious among many; and o examined by ome that violently eazed...
The Secret Commonwealth. A Succint Accompt : p. 39 A SUCCINT ACCOMPT OF MY LORD TARBOTT'S RELATIONS, IN A LETTER TO THE HONOURABLE ROBERT BOYLE, ESQUIRE, OF THE PREDICTIONS MADE BY SEERS, Wher himelf was Ear and Eye-witnes. [I thought fit to adjoyne [it] hereunto, that I might not be thought ingular in this Diquiition; that the Mater of Fact...
Advertisements : p. Ad1 "These are the advertisments from the original. They are included for the sake of completeness--JBH." BIBLIOTHQUE DE CARABAS. Crown 8vo Volumes, Printed on Hand-made Paper, with Wide Margins and Uncut Edges, done up in Japanese Vellum Wrappers. The Prices are net for cash. "THESE VOLUMES...
Introduction. 1. The History Of The Book : p. ix KIRK'S SECRET COMMONWEALTH. INTRODUCTION. 1. THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK AND AUTHOR. THE bibliography of the following little tract is extremely obscure. The title-page of the edition of 1815, which we reproduce, gives the date as 1691. Sir Walter Scott says in his "Demonology and Witchcraft"...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 2 : 2. WE then (the more terretriall kind have now o numerouly planted all Countreys,) do labour for that abtrue People, as weill as for ourelves. Albeit, when everall Countreys were unhabitated by ws, thee had their eay Tillage above Ground, as we now. The Print of thoe Furrous do yet remaine to be...
Untitled : This is one of the most sought after and enigmatic texts about Celtic fairies. Written by a Scottish clergyman, Robert Kirk, in 1691, and not committed to print until the early 19th century, "The Secret Commonwealth" is an unusually sympathetic account of the denizens of fairyland, and a complex...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 6 : 6. THERE Men travell much abroad, either preaging or aping the dimall and tragicall Actions of ome amongt us; and have alo many diatorous Doings of their own, as Convocations, Fighting, Gahes, Wounds, and Burialls, both in the Earth and Air. They live much longer than wee; yet die at lat, or [at]...
The Secret Commonwealth. Title Page : p. 3 SECRET COMMONWEALTH OR, A Treatie diplayeing the Chiefe Curioities as they are in Ue among divere of the People of Scotland to this Day; SINGULARITIES for the mot Part peculiar to that Nation. A Subject not heretofore dicoured of by any of our Writters; and yet ventured on in an Eay to uppres...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 8 : 8. THEIR Weapons are mot what olid earthly Bodies, nothing of Iron, but much of Stone, like to yellow oft Flint Spa, haped like a barbed Arrow-head, but flung like a Dairt, with great Force. Thee Armes (cut by Airt and Tools it eems beyond humane) have omething of the Nature of Thunderbolt ubtilty...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 4 : 4. THEIR Houes are called large and fair, and (unles att ome odd occaions) unperceaveable by vulgar eyes, like Rachland, and other inchanted Ilands, having fir Lights, continual Lamps, and Fires, often een without Fuel to utain them. Women are yet alive who tell they were taken away when...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 9 : 9. As Birds and Beats, whoe Bodies are much ued to the Change of the frie and open Air, foree Storms; o thoe inviible People are more agacious to undertand by the Books of Nature Things to come, than wee, who are petered with the groer Dregs of all elementary Mixtures, and have our purer Spirits...
The Secret Commonwealth. Conclusions : My LORD, after narrow Inquiition, hath delivered many true and remarkable oberves on this Subject; yet to encourage a further Scrutiny, I crave leave to ay, THAT 1. But a few Women are endued with this Sight in repect of Men, and their Predictions not o certane. 2. This Sight is not criminal, ince...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 5 : 5. THEIR Apparell and Speech is like that of the People and Countrey under which they live: o are they een to wear Plaids and variegated Garments in the Highlands of Scotland, and Suanochs therefore in Ireland. They peak but litle, and that by way of whitling, clear, not rough. The verie Divels...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 1 : p. 5 CHAPTER I. OF THE SUBTERRANEAN INHABITANTS. " HESE Siths", or FAIRIES, they call "Sleagh Maith", or the Good People, it would eem, to prevent the Dint of their ill Attempts, (for the Irih ue to bles all they fear Harme of;) and are aid to be of a midle Nature betuixt Man and Angel, as were...
Introduction. Ii. The Secret Commonwealth : II. THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH. The tract, of which the reader now knows the history, is a little volume of somewhat singular character. Written in 1691 by the Rev. Robert Kirk, minister of Aberfoyle, it is a kind of metaphysic of the Fairy world. Haying lived through the period of the sufferings...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 7 : 7. THEY are aid to have aritocraticall Rulers and Laws, but no dicernible Religion, Love, or Devotion towards God, the bleed Maker of all: they diappear whenever they hear his Name invocked, or the Name of JESUS, (at which p. 16 which all do bow willinglie, or by contraint, that dwell above...
Title Page : p. i Bibliotque de Carabas p. ii Volume VIII "Five hundred and fifty copies of this Edition have been printed, five hundred of which are for sale." ["All rights reserved"] p. iii The Secret Commonwealth Of ELVES, FAUNS & FAIRIES A Study In Folk-Lore & Psychical Research. The Text By Robert Kirk, M...
The Secret Commonwealth. Preamble : p. 1 AN ESSAY OF The Nature and Actions of the Subterranean (and, for the mot Part,) Inviible People, heretofioir going under the name of ELVES, FAUNES, and FAIRIES, or the lyke, among the Low-Country Scots, as they are decribed by thoe who have the SECOND SIGHT; and now, to occaion further...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 3 : 3. THEY are clearly een by thee Men of the SECOND SIGHT to eat at Funeralls [and] Banquets; hence many of the Scottih-Irih will not teat p. 9 teat Meat at thee Meittings, let they have Communion with, or be poyoned by, them. So are they een to carrie the Beer or Coffin with the Corps among...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 15 : 15. AMONG other Intances of undoubted Verity, proving in thee the Being of uch aerial People, or Species of Creatures not vulgarly known, I add the ubequent Relations, ome wher I have from my Acquaintance with the Actors and Patients, and the Ret from the Eye-witnees to the Matter of Fact...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 11 : 11. THESE Subterraneans have Controveries, Doubts, Diputs, Feuds, and Siding of Parties; there being ome Ignorance in all Creatures, and the vatet created Intelligences not compaing all Things. As to Vice and Sin, whatever their own Laws be, ure, according to ours, and Equity, natural, civil...
The Secret Commonwealth. Chapter 13 : 13. THE Minor Sort of Seers prognoticat many future Events, only for a Month's Space, from the Shoulder-bone of a Sheep on which a Knife never came, (for as before is aid, and the Nazarits of old had omething of it) Iron hinders all the Opperations of those that travell in the Intrigues of thee...