THE EVIL EYE."
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR?']
SIR,—The following instance of the "Evil Eye" may be added to the accounts already given in the Spectator.
Mr. Edward Noel, whose name will be recognised by many readers as that of a man of much intelligence and talent, as well as of accuracy in his statements, was the owner of a large property in Eubcea, on which he lived many years. Although my friend had no belief in the many superstitions which abound among the Greek working people, he spoke to me of several of these, one of which was the following. A man living on his estate was reputed to have the "Evil Eye," and to have done much harm unintentionally to his neighbours by this fatal gift. One day, Mr. Noel was riding a very fine favourite horse, when he saw a man approaching him at a distance. I forget whether he recognised him, but he turned his horse and rode behind a hillock. The man must have also turned out of his road, for they met, and the man gave a start, putting up his hands, when the horse at once fell down dead.
The belief in the "Evil Eye" is very general in Greece, Italy, and Spain, in which countries it takes the place of the common ghost, or of the other forms of second-sight and apparitions. It may be a step in the philosophy of the subject to ascertain the different conditions of mind, body, and climate which determine these various forms of "supersti- tion." Perhaps, too, it might be well to find out what number of coincidences are required to show a well-proved case of cause and effect. The late Pope Pius IX. is said to have had the "Evil Eye," and to have tried to guard against its bad
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