The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-11
charms-BIts Of AneIen. superstition.

Old charms dealt with every pos
sible relation of life. Thus "Eat
hair if you want to look handsome
for nine days after" ''Put a hens
heart on your wife's left side while
she is asleep, and she'll tell all her
secrets" Swallow a moie's heart,
fresh and palpitating, and you'll at
once be expert in divination.D -
''Quartan agues yield not 90 ordinary
medicine so take of the dust in
which hawk has been rolling. tie il
up in bit of white cloth with e red
thread, and wear it; or else gnaw out
the right eye of a live lizard, and wear
il wrapped in a bit of goat skin"
These are from Pliny, who also teach
es that all medicinal herbs should be
gathered pick-pocket fashion, with
the right hand poked through the left
arnhole of the tunic you ought to be
clad in a white robe, with naked,
clean-washed feet, and to have Just
offered an oblation of bread and wine.
Worms out of a goats brain are good
for epilepsy so is a rivet taken from
a wrecked ship, inserted in the bone
out of living stag's heart, and then
make it into a brooch. If you see a
shooting-star, count very quickly, for
you'll be free from Inflammation as
many years as you can count num-
bers while the star remains in view.
To cure cataract in the eye, catch a
fox, cut out his tongue, let him 90,
dry his tongue, and tie it up in a red
rag, and hang round the mans neck.
When something has got into your
eye, rub it with five fingers of the
same side as the eye affected, saying
thrice "Tetunc resonco breRam
presto" and spit thrice. If you'd
escape stomach ache, take care that
you put on your left shoe first, and
wear on gold-leaf the letters l. NJ o
r A, written three times. For
toothache say "Argidam maridam
sturgidamn thrice over, and spit in O
frogs mouth, solemnly desiring him
to take the tOothaehe. Ifany one has
swallowed q bone, gently touch the
mouth with ring-finger and thumb,
and say nine times, 81 kiss the Cor
gon's mouth" This is sovereign !;
the great GaIen himself testiies to the
value of charms in such case. These
are from Marcellus Empiricus, (the
quack, as lie well deserves to be call
ed), who fiourished about $50 A. d.
But this, from Albertus Magnas, is the
most wonderful of all : Gather in
August the herb helitropion, wrap it a
bay-leaf with q VOLTS tooth, and it
will, If placed under the pillow, show
a man who has been robbed, where
are his goods and who. has taken them;
also, if placed in q church, it will keep
fixed to their places all the women
present who have broken their mar
riage vow. 'rhis 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 DEVILS sickness, and an i'll
sight. For disease of joints, take 3
live fox, and seethe him till the bones
alone be left, adding oil during the
seething, and use this as bath right
often. Let those who suffer from ap-
partitions eat lions flesh /; they will
not after that suffer any apparition.
But the king of beasts is condescend-
ing: "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
nowadays. Fancy in 'the
Chepe" the announcement: ga fat
lion killed last week; of his suet a
little left. To prevent disappoint-
ment, apply sarly." For fear of mad
hound, take the worms which be un-
der mad hounds tongue, snip them
away, lead them round about a fig
tree, give them to him that hath been
rent; he will soon be healed; or this {:
a hounds head burned to ashes aud
applied to the wound, casteth out all
the venom and the foulness, and heal
eth the man. And so goats grease
cures dropsy; dogs milk helps chill
dren through their teething; gall of q
wild buck mingled with field-bees'
honey makes the eyes bright; hare's
heel carried in the pocket keeps away
stomach-ache a hare's brain in wine
cures drowsiness; burnt hartshorn in
hot water kills worms; and so On.-