Abstract

London newspaper and court records of the long eighteenth century constitute good records for the study of magical beliefs and practices, provided that allowances are made for the nascent middle-class prejudices of their compilers. These records reveal, nonetheless, that both middle- and lower-class Londoners resorted to fortune-telling. Popular prognostic services, long called upon to answer specific queries, began more to resemble counselling after 1700, in so doing supplying their clients with self-knowledge and a greater sense of agency.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call