Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1870-05-12
vAaARlEs OF raErMAolSir1pS,

The Illusion. under which vast n5m-
bers have acted and sutf.rcd have bone.
Indeed, 10 the most extravagant execas.
Individuals, not morely singly, but in
communities. hare actually believed Ia
their oiwn Transformation. A noblsmae,
Of the court Of Louis XIV. fancief hiss
self dog. and would pop his head cut Of
the window. to bark At the passcrs By
Rollin and Hccquct have recorded : lnal-
ady by which tho inmates Of an extsusivs
convent near Paris~wars attacked simUl-
taneously every day. . the saRe henr,
when they believed themseivss transform
ei into cats, and.a universal mewing was
KEEP. up throughout the convent for some
hours. But Of all dreadful forms which
the strange hallueination took. none was
50 terrible as that cf lycan,hrapy. which
at one period spread through Europe. in
which the unhsppy sufferers, believing
themselves to be wolves. went pyowling
abou. the forests, uttering the most ter
riic howlings. carrying of lambs from
the a,cks. aud gna"ing dead bodies in
their graves. >
A remarkable cure through The aid Of
the magination TOOK place in a pa.ieut Of
DR.. Bcidoes. who was at the tune very
Stnguine about the effect of nitrous acid
gas in paralytic cases. Anxious that it
should be imbibed by one of his patients.
he sent an invalid to Sir Humphrey
Davy. with requcs. that hc would AL
minister the gas. Sir Humphrey put the
bulb of the thermometer under tho tongue
of the raralytie, to ascertain the temper
ature of the body. that he might be sure
whether it would be affected at all by the
Inhalation Of the gas. The patient, full
of faith from what the physician had 49,
sured him would be the result, and, be-
lievng that the thermometer was to ef-
feet the cure. exclaimed at once that he
felt better. Sir Humphrey, anxious to
see wha. imagination would do in such
case, dill not attempt to dndcccive tho
man. but saying that he haddone enough
for him that day. desired him to be with
him the next morning. The thcrmome-
ter was then applied as i. had been tho
day before, and for every day during .
tortnight--at the end of which time the
patient was perfectly cured. -
Perhaps there is nothing on record
more curious of this kind thau The cure
uuvittingly performed by Chief Justice
Holt. 1t seems ,hat;for youthful frol-
| 10. he and his compositions had put up at
le er--trr inn---They. hoHevar, fouud
themselves without the means Of defray.
ing their expenses, and were at loss to
know what to do in such an emergency.
Holt. however. perceived that the ;un-
keepers daughter looked very i'll. aud,
on inquring what vas the matter, learn
ed that she had the ague when, passing
himself off for medical student, he said
that he had an infalliblc cure 70. the com
plaint. He then collected Il number Of
lplants, mixed them up with various cerc-
monies, aud incloscd them in parchments,
upon which he scraw,ed divers cahalis,ic
characters. When ali was completed, he
suspended the amulet round the neck of
tho young woman, and, strange to say,
the aguc left her and never returned. -
The landlord. grateful for the restoration
of his daughter, not only declined receiy-
ing payment from the youths, but pres
sed them to remain as long as they pleas
ed. Many years after, when Holt was on
the bench, a woman was brought before
him. charged with witchcra:t. She was
accused of curing the argue by charms.
All she said in defence was that she did
possess ball which was sovereign REM
emedy for the complaint. The charm was
produced and handed to the judge. who
recognized the very ball which he had
himself compounded in his boyish days,
when out of mere fun he had assumed the
character of a ms>cal practitioner.