Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-10-16
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 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 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 bit of
goat-skin." This are from Piiny, who
teaches that all medicinal herbs should
be gathered pickpocket fashion, with the
right hand poked through the left arm
hole of the tunic; you ought to be clad
in hite robe, with naked, clean washed
feet, and to haze just Offered an oblation
of bread and wine. Worms out of goats
brain are good for epilepsy; so is u rivet
taken from wrecked ship, inserted in
the bone cut of living stag's heart, and
then make it into brooch. If you see a
shooting star, count very quickly, for
you'll be free from inflammation as many
years as YOU can count numbers while tho
star remains in view. To cure cataract in
the eye, catch fox cut out his tongue,
let him go, dry his tongue, and tie it up
in red rag, and hang round the mans
neck. When something has got into
your eye, rub 1t 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 l. NJ o Il 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. Ii any
one has swallowed Il bone, gently touch
the mouth with the ring finger and
thumb, and say nine times, ii kiss the
Gorgeous mouth" This is sovcreign;
the great Galen himself testifies to the
value of charms in such case. These
are from Marcelus Empiricus (the
uuack, as he well deserves To- be called),
who fourishcd about $50 A. ID. But this
from Albertus Magnus, is the most won
derful of all: Gather in August the herb
helitropion, wrap it in bay-leaf with
VOLTS tooth, and it will, If placed under
ahe 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 VOLTS head under
the pillow, and the unhealthy shall sleep
sweetly. His flesh, well-dressed and
sodden, given to eat cureth dew
lis sickness and an Insight. For
disease of joints, take a live
fox and seethe him till the bones
alone be left, adding oil during the seetn-
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 dish, and drop into the
ear" which makes US think either that
lions were much more plentiful or sore
ears much more distressing, than nova
days. Fancy in the Cheps the announce
mcnt: "a fat lion killed last week; Of
his suct little left. To prevent disap-
pontment, apply early" For tear of mad
hound, take the worms which be under a
mad hounds tongue, snip them away,
lead them round about fg-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 fOulncss
and healeth the man. And so goats
grease cures dlopsy; dogs milk helps
children through their teething; gall of q
wild buck mingled with field bees honey
makes the eyes bright; n 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.-AU tho Year Round.