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38 does so according to their scenic effect or for the difficulty of doing them. From a psychologic point of view, however, they fall very conveniently under two heads: subjective miracles and objective ones. An account of the former may properly precede, since it includes those which, on the whole, are considered the greater.

Chief among the subjective miracles are what are called collectively the Sankei or the three great rites. The bond connecting the trio is apparently purely extrinsic, consisting solely in agreement in greatness. In consequence, on very important festivals lasting two or three days, they are performed in turn successively.

II.

The first and simplest of these Three Great Rites is the Kugadachi or Ordeal by Boiling Water.

The word kugadachi is archaic Japanese. In Hepburn's dictionary a dagger stabs it obsolete. Furthermore, the departed is given no character, being epitaph ed solely in the Japanese sidescript. Such absence of ideograph implies for the expression an