Take a hank of grey yarn, a lock of the patient’s hair, some parings
of his nails, and bury them deep in the earth, repeating, in Irish, as
a burial service, “Let the great sickness lie there for ever. By the
power of Mary and the soul of Paul, let the great sickness lie buried
in the clay, and never more rise out of the ground. AMEN.”
If the patient, on awaking from sleep, calls out the name of the person
who uttered these words, his recovery is certain.
If a person crosses over the patient while he is in a fit, or stands
between him and the fire, then the sickness will cleave to him and
depart from the other that was afflicted.