THE SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON.
Amongst the oddities which cross our path, I recollect one which, at the time it occurred, caused no small surprise to the young, of which I then was one. I think it must be about forty-six years ago, a man travelled about Hampshire professing to cure the blind, sick, and lame; and although he did not belong to the medical order, yet numerous cures were attributed to him, and he had quite a collection of crutches and walking-sticks, left by his patients, who, it was said, no longer required his
or their aid. I well know that he was looked upon by the common sort of people with wonder, and almost awe. The notion prevalent amongst them was, that, being the seventh son of a seventh son, he was endowed by nature with extraordinary healing powers. After a few months his fame, such as it was, evaporated, and I have not heard of him since, nor have I read of any pretender acting like him since then. Can any of your readers enlighten my darkness on the above, or on any other seventh of a seventh? and is there any account or tradition of a similar impostor in any other county of England? Also, if ancient or modern history records any such wonderful attributes in reference to a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter?
The above was written before I saw Mr. Cooper's allusion to the subject, in Vol. iii., p. 148. I hope to be favoured with that gentleman's further notice of the seventh son of a seventh son.
I should esteem it a favour if some one of your numerous and learned readers would inform me if that word denoting seven, which is in such frequent use in the Old and New Testaments, is susceptible of being rendered "several," "many," or some other indefinite quantity?
Seven appears also to be a favourite number in modern days. I subjoin a few of the many instances of its popular adoption:—
Seven ages.
Seven Champions.
Seven Churches.
Seven days in a week.
Seven days' notice.
Seven Dials.
Sevenfold.
Seven Hills.
Seven months' child.
Seven penitential psalms.
Seven senses.
Seven-shilling piece.
Seven Sisters.
Seven Sleepers.
Seven Sons.
Seventh son of the seventh son.
Seven stars.
Seven stages of life.
Seven times.
Seven times seven years a jubilee.
Seven wise men.
A jury of seven matrons.
Seven wonders of the world.
Seven years' apprenticeship.
Seven years, a change.
Seven years' transportation.
Seven years' Income-tax,
Sevenpence in the pound yearly; and these last are two of the
Seven abominations.
Henry Edwards.
35. Gifford Street, Kingsland Road.
[The number seven has been a subject of particular speculation with some old writers, and every department of nature, science, literature, and art has been ransacked for the purpose of discovering septenary combinations. In the Year 1502 there was printed at Leipsic a work entitled Heptalogium Virgilii Salzburgensis, in honour of the number seven. It consists of seven parts, each consisting of seven divisions. But the most curious work on the subject of numbers is the following, the contents of which, as might be expected, are quite worthy of the title: The Secrets of Numbers according to Theological, Arithmetical, Geometrical, and Harmonical Computation; drawn, for the better part, out of those Ancients, as well as Neoteriques. Pleasing to read, profitable to understande, opening themselves to the capacities of both learned and unlearned; being no other than a key to lead men to any doctrinal knowledge whatsoever. By William Ingpen, Gent. London, 1624. In chap. ix. the author has given many notable opinions from learned men, to prove the excellency of the number seven:—"First, it neither begets nor is begotten, according to the saying of Philo. Some numbers, indeed, within the compass of ten, beget, but are not begotten; and that is the unarie. Others are begotten, but beget not; as the octonarie. Only the septenarie, having a prerogative above them all, neither begetteth, nor is begotten. This is its first divinity or perfection. Secondly, this is an harmonical number, and the well and fountain of that fair and lovely Digramma, because it includeth within itself all manner of harmony. Thirdly, it is a theological number, consisting of perfection. (See Cruden.) Fourthly, because of its compositure: for it is compounded of one and six; two and five; three and four. Now, every one of these being excellent of themselves (as hath been remonstrated), how can this number be but far more excellent, consisting of them all, and participating, as it were, of all their excellent virtues."—Ed.]