As an illustration of the popular distrust of the number thirteen among the villagers of the Department of Ille-et-Villaine, France, may be cited the following custom, which is in vogue in that district. Children are there usually taught the art of knitting by devout elderly women. The little ones are first seated in a circle, and, to facilitate the work, on the completion of the first round of knitting they are made to repeat the following words: “_One_, the Father;” at the close of the second round, “_Two_, the Son;” and so on, as follows: “_Three_, the Holy Spirit; the _four_ Evangelists; the _five_ wounds of our Lord; the _six_ commandments of the church; _seven_ sacraments; _eight_ beatitudes; _nine_ choirs of angels; _ten_ commandments of God; _eleven_ thousand virgins; _twelve_ apostles;” and at the close of the _thirteenth_ round, the children mention the name of Judas.[546] This remarkable and unreasonable prejudice against an innocent number seems to pervade all classes and communities. The possession of intelligence and culture is no effective barrier against it. Arguments and reasoning are alike vain. Even at this writing, an evening journal records that at a recent meeting of a newly elected board of aldermen in an enlightened city of eastern Massachusetts, one of the members objected to casting lots for seats because he did not relish the idea of drawing number thirteen. However, his scruples having been in a measure overcome, he was much relieved to find that the number eleven, which is both uneven and lucky, had fallen to his share.[547] Brand quotes as follows from Fuller’s “Mixt Contemplations” (1660) in reference to this subject:— A covetous Courtier complained to King Edward the sixt of Christ Colledge in Cambridge, that it was a superstitious foundation, consisting of a Master and twelve Fellowes, in imitation of Christ and His twelve Apostles. He advised the King also to take away one or two Fellowships, so as to discompose that superstitious number. “Oh, no!” said the King, “I have a better way than that to mar their conceit; I will add a thirteenth Fellowship unto them;” which he did accordingly, and so it remaineth unto this day. Persians regard the number thirteen as so unlucky that they refrain from naming it. When they wish to allude to this number, instead of mentioning the proper term, they use words meaning “much more” or “nothing.”[548] The Moors, or Arabs, of northern Africa have similar prejudices, whereas the American negro, ordinarily a most credulous being, appears to be quite indifferent to the evil influences of the fateful number;[549] but in Turkey, so great is the popular dislike of it that the word for thirteen is seldom used.[550]