ABSTRACT
Thisisthesecondphaseoftheprimitivemagic, foundeduponthebeliefintheelementaryspirits. Butinspiteofthisimportantmodification,which somewhatpurifiesit,theprincipleremainsessentially thesame,andthedualsystemwhichisthus establishedisoftenmoreconspicuousthanreal. Magicbuiltinthiswayuponthecoarsenaturalism ofastateofbarbarity,sometimessurvivestheadoptionofamorenobleandphilosophicreligion,witha higherconceptionofdivinityandaperceptionofits fundamentalunity.Thenewreligionacceptsand toleratesit,recognizingitsexistence,whileexcluding itfromtheofficialworship.Thepriestsofmagicstill exist,buttheyformaninferiorclassofthepriesthood. Theelementaryspirits,atfirsttheonlyobjectsof worship,arenotadmittedintothesupremeranksof thepantheon,unlesssomeofthemoreimportantare identified,purposelyorbyforce,withcertaingodsof theofficialreligion;butaplaceisfoundforthem amongstthediiminores,theinferiorpersonifications towhomnopublicworshipisaddressed.Inthis waytheymanagetolegalizetheuseoftheoldmagic formulrewhichseemtotakenonoticeofthegreat gods,andtopreserve,stillbearingintacttheimprint
of the ancient system from which they arose, its hierarchy of gods and demons concealed underneath the exterior and entirely different covering of the prevailing religion : we shall prove this fact in a very clear manner when we analyse the religious beliefs of Chaldea.
