Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-09-19
Charms Bits of Ancient Superstition.

OLD charms dealt with every possible
relation of life. Thus " Eat hair if you
want to look handsome for nine days
after" Put hens heart on your wife's
left side while she is asleep, and she'll tell
all her secrets" Swallow a mole's
heart fresh and palpitating, and you'll at
once be expert in divination." "Quartan
agues yield not to ordinary medicine; so
take of the dust in which a hawk has
been rolling, tie it up in bit of white
cloth with red thread, and wear it; or
else knock out the right eye of live
lizard, and wear it wrapped in a bit OF
goat-skin." This are from Pliny, who
teaches that all medicinal herbs should
be gathered pickporket fashion, with the
right hand poked through the left arm
hole of the tunic; you ought to be clad
in white robe, with naked, clean washed
feet, and to have just offered an oblation
of bread and wine. Worps qItnfsaarnatas
taken from wrecked ship, inserted in
the bone cut of living stag's heart and
then make it into brooch. If you see
shooting star, count very quickly, for
you'll be free from Inflammation as many
years as you can count numbers while the
star remains in view. To cure cataract in
the eye, catch a fox, cut out his tongue,
let him go, dry his tongue, and tie it up
in a red rag, and hang round the mans
neck. When solSething has got into
your eye, rub it with five fingers of the
same side as the eye affected, saying
thrice: "Tetunc resonco bregam gresso,"
and spit thrice. If you would escape
stomach-ache, take care that you always
put on your left shoe first, and wear on
gold-leaf the letters M r A, written
three times. For tooth ache say "Argi-
dam margidam sturgidam" thrice over,
and spit in frogs mouth, solemnly de-
string him to take the tooth.ache, If any
one has swallowed a bone, gently touch
thumb, and say nine times, II kiss the
Gorgon's mouth" This is sovereign;
the great Galen himself testifes to the
value of charms in such a case. These
are from Marcellus Empiricus (the
quack, as he well deserves TO be called,
who flourished about $50 A. D. But this
from Albertus Magnus, is the most won
derful of all: Gather in August the herb
helitropion, wrap it in a bay-leaf with a
VOLTS tooth, and it will, if placed under
lhe pillow, show man who has been
robbed where are his goods and who has
taken them; also, if placed in church,
it will keep fixed to their places all the
women present who have broken their
marriage VOWS "This last is most tried
and most true" Lay a VOLTS head under
the pillow, and the unhealthy shall sleep
sweetly. His flesh, well-dressed and
sodden, given to eat, cureth dev-
lis sickness and an Insight. For
disease of joints, take live
fox and seethe him till the bones
alone be left, adding oil during the seeth.
ing, and use this as bath right often.
Let those who suffer from apparitions eat
lions flesh; they will not after that suffer
any apparition. But the king of beasts is
condescending: "For sore ears take lions
suet, melt in "a dish, and drop into the
ear;" which makes us think either that
lions were much more plentiful or sore
ears much more distressing, than now-a-
days. Fancy in the Chepe the announce
ment: "a fat lion killed last week; of
his suet little left. To prevent disap-
pointment, apply early" For tear of mad
hound, take the worms which be under a
mad hounds tongue, snip them away,
lead them round about tig-tree, give
them to him who hath been rent; he will
soon be healed; or this: hounds head
burnt TO ashes and applied to the wound,
casteth out all the venom and the foulnes
and healeth the man. And so goat
grease cures dropsy dogs milk helps
children through their teething; gall of a
wild buck mingled with field bees honey
makes the eyes bright; o hare's heel car
ried in the pocket keeps away stomach
ache; hare's brain in wine cures drowsi-
ness burnt hartshorn in hot water kills
worms, and so on.--AH the Year Round