of arsenic were very commonly worn in the region of the heart, upon the
principle that one poison would drive out or prevent the entry of
another. Large quantities of arsenic were imported into London for the
purpose. Dr. Henry, in his "Preservatives against the Pestilence"
(1625), wrote against them as "dangerous and hurtful, if not pernicious
to those who wear them." The wearing of arsenic in the way of an amulet,
common in olden times, is said to have arisen chiefly from ignorance of
Arabic, the word in the Arabian authors which is rendered _arsenic_
properly signifying _cinnamon_.
_Red Tape a Protection against the Plague._
Taylor, in his "Account of the Rebellion in Wexford," relates a curious
story of the amuletive properties of _red tape_ as a protection against
the plague: "Before the rebellion broke out in Wexford, all the red
tape in the country was bought up, and more ordered from Dublin. It was
generally bought in half-yards, and all the Roman Catholic children,
boys and girls, wore it round their necks. This was so general and so
remarkable as to occasion some inquiry, and the reason given was this: A
priest had dreamed there would be a great plague among all the children
of their church under fifteen years of age; that their brains would boil
out at the back of their heads. He dreamed also that there was a charm
to prevent it, which was to get some red tape, have it blessed and
sprinkled with holy water, and tie it round the children's necks till
the month of May, when the season of danger would be past. The
Protestants suspected that it was intended as a mark to distinguish
their own children, like the blood of the Paschal Lamb, when the
Egyptian first-born were to be cut off."
_Owl's Claws._
The Russian Non-conformists (Raskolnics) are in the habit of carrying
about with them, in rings and amulets, parings of an owl's claws, and of
their own nails. Such relics are supposed by the peasantry in many parts
of Russia to be of the greatest use to a man after his death, for by
their means his soul will be able to clamber up the steep sides of the
hill leading to heaven.
_Witch-ridden Horses._
In olden times it was believed that witches took from their stalls the
horses, and rode them through the night. Aubrey, in his "Miscellanies,"
mentions the practice and publishes a remedy: "Hang in a string a flint
with a hole in it by the manger; but, best of all, they say, hang about
their necks, and a flint will do that hath not a hole in it. It is to
prevent the nightmare, viz: the hag or witch from riding their horses,
who will sometimes sweat all night." Herrick says—
"Hang up hooks and shears to scare
Hence the hag that rides the mare,
Till they be all over wet
With the mire and the sweat;
This observed, the manes shall be
Of your horses all knot-free."
_A Smuggler's Talisman._
The following was found in a linen purse on the body of one Jackson, a
murderer and smuggler, who died in Chichester Gaol, February, 1749—
"Ye three holy kings,
Gaspar, Melchior, Balthasar,
Pray for us now, and at the hour of death."
"These papers have touched the three heads of the holy kings of Cologne;
they are to preserve travelers from accidents on the roads, falling
sickness, fevers, _sudden death_." He was struck with such horror on
being measured for his irons, that he expired soon afterward. His
talisman failed him.
_Rubbing with a Gold Ring._
Pegge, in his "Curialia," alludes to the superstition that a
wedding-ring of gold, rubbed on a stye upon the eyelid, was considered a
sovereign remedy, but it required to be rubbed nine times. In Beaumont
and Fletcher's "Mad Lovers," reference is made to the practice. In the
West Indies the explanation of the merits of the gold wedding-ring used
for this purpose is, that it is something which, once given, can never
be taken back; and the Barbadians believe if you give anything away and
take it back, you are sure of a stye, or "cat-boil," as they call it.
_Divination of the Bible and Key._
This was long popular, and is still practised. A case was tried before
Mr. Ballantine, an English magistrate, as late as June 10th, 1832. "A
person named Eleanor Blucher, a tall, muscular native of Prussia, was
charged with an assault upon Mary White. They lived in the same court,
and Mrs. White having lost several articles from her yard, suspected the
defendant. She and her neighbors, after a consultation, agreed to have
recourse to the key and Bible to discover the thief. They placed the
street door-key on the fiftieth Psalm, closed the book, and fastened it
very tightly with a garter. The Bible and key were then suspended to a
nail; the prisoner's name was repeated three times by one of the women,
while another recited the following words—
'If it turns to thee thou art the thief,
And we all are free.'
The incantation over, the key turned, or the women thought it did; they
unanimously agreed that Mrs. Blucher had stolen two pairs of
inexpressibles belonging to Mrs. White's husband, and severely beat
her."
_Visions of Destiny._
A singular mode of divination practised at the period of the harvest
moon is thus described in an old chap-book: "When you go to bed, place
under your pillow a prayer-book, opened at the part of the matrimonial
service 'With this ring I thee wed;' place on it a key, a ring, a flower
and a sprig of willow, a small heart-cake, a crust of bread and the
following cards—the ten of clubs, nine of hearts, ace of spades and
the ace of diamonds. Wrap all these in a thin handkerchief of gauze or
muslin, and on getting into bed, cross your hands and say—
"Luna, every woman's friend,
To me thy goodness condescend;
Let me this night in visions see
Emblems of my destiny."
_Selecting an Avocation._
A writer in "Notes and Queries" mentions a species of divination (sent
him from Northamptonshire) of the leading events in a man's life, or
rather of future employment, drawn from the last chapter of the Book of
Proverbs. This consists of thirty-one verses, each of which is supposed
to have a mystical reference to each of the corresponding days of the
month. Thus, a person born on the 14th will be prognosticated "to get
their food from afar." This was so fully believed in by some, that a boy
was actually apprenticed to a _linen_-draper, for no other reason than
because he was born on the 24th of the month, the twenty-fourth verse of
the chapter mentioning "fine linen."
_Spitting for Luck's Sake._
Spitting for "luck's sake," and as a charm against all kinds of
fascinations, was regarded with importance by the ancients. Theocritus
says—
"Thrice on my breast I spit to guard me safe
From fascinating charms."
Among the Greeks it was customary to spit three times into their bosoms
at the sight of a mad man, or one troubled with an epilepsy. Children
were lustrated with spittle by their nurses or relations; the old
grandmother, or aunt, moved around in a circle, and rubbed the child's
forehead with spittle, selecting her middle finger, to preserve it from
witchcraft. Persius alludes to this custom—
"See how old beldams expiation make,
To atone the gods the bantling up they take
His lips are wet with lustrous spittle; thus
They think to make the gods propitious."
Spitting, as an Irish luck superstition, is noticed by Camden: "It is by
no means allowable to praise a horse or any other animal, unless you
say, 'God save him,' or spit upon him. If any ill-luck befalls the horse
three days after, they hunt up the person who praised him, that he may
whisper the Lord's prayer into the animal's right ear."
Spitting for good luck has still its votaries among hucksters, pedlers
and others. The first money received for the day is spat upon by dealers
in England, Scotland and Roumania.
A Yorkshire custom to secure luck when a rainbow appeared was marking a
cross on the ground and spitting on each of its four corners.
_May Marriages Unlucky._
It is a common notion that May marriages are unlucky, and the
superstition is as old as the time of Ovid. An old saw says, "The girls
are all stark naught that wed in May;" and another saying was
"From the marriages in May
All the bairns die and decay."
An ancient proverb, cited by Ray, says, "Who marries between the sickle
and the scythe, will never thrive."
In the rural districts of France a marriage contracted in May or August
is unlucky. In the "Almanach des Laboureurs," it stated that a woman
marrying in these months will put her husband under a yoke. The
superstition of the month of May being unlucky for marriages still
prevailed in Italy in 1750.
_Pin Superstitions._
It used to be considered lucky for bridesmaids to throw away pins on a
wedding-day. In Brittany the young girls who visit the bridal chamber
secure the pins used in fastening the bride's dress for a lucky
marriage.
Randolph, in his "Letters," writing of the marriage of Mary Queen of
Scots to Lord Darnley, says that when the queen, after her marriage,
went to her chamber to change her clothes, she suffered "them that stood
by her, every man that could approach, to take a pin." The Bretons throw
pins into certain wells for good luck. The following saying is connected
with pins—
"See a pin and pick it up,
All the day you'll have good luck.
See a pin and let it lie,
All the day you'll need to cry."
_Superstitions about Children._
A superstition used to exist that a child which did not cry when
sprinkled in baptism would not live long. The same would be the case if
the children were prematurely wise. Shakespeare puts this superstition
into the mouth of Richard III.
Bulwer mentions the tradition concerning children born open-handed, that
they will prove of a bountiful disposition and frank-handed. A character
in one of Dekker's plays says: "I am the most wretched fellow; surely
some _left-handed_ priest christened me, I am so unlucky." The following
charms for infancy are taken from Herrick—
Bring the holy crust of bread,
Lay it underneath the head;
'Tis a certain charm to keep
Hags away while children sleep.
Let the superstitious wife
Near the child's heart lay a knife;
Point be up, and haft be down,
(While she gossips in the towne);
This, 'mongst other mystic charms,
Keeps the sleeping child from harmes.
_Digging for Water._
The divining rod is not the only superstition connected with the digging
for water. In the country of the Damazas, in South Africa, before they
dig, the natives offer an arrow, or a piece of skin or flesh, to a large
red man with a white beard, who is supposed to inhabit the place; at the
same time they repeat a prayer for success in finding water. To dig for
it without this ceremony, they say, occasions sickness and death.
_Wolf Superstition._
In Normandy a phantom in the form of a wolf is believed to wander about
at night amongst the graves. The chief of the band of phantoms is a
large black wolf, who, when approached, rises on his hind legs and
begins to howl, when the whole party disappear, shrieking out, "Robert
is dead! Robert is dead!"—_Nimmo._
_Stanching Blood._
The ancients firmly believed that blood could be stanched by charms. The
bleeding of Ulysses is reputed to have been stopped by this means; and
Cato the Censor has given us an incantation for setting dislocated
bones. To this day charms are supposed to arrest the flow of blood.
"Tom Potts was but a serving man,
But yet he was a doctor good;
He bound his kerchief on the wound,
And with some kind word he stanched the blood."
Sir Walter Scott says, in the "Lay of the Last Minstrel"—
"She drew the splinter from the wound,
And with a charm she stanch'd the blood."
_Arab Charms._
The Arabs have many family nostrums, and are implicit believers in the
efficacy of charms and mystic arts. No species of knowledge is more
highly venerated than that of the occult sciences, which afford
maintenance to a vast number of quacks and impudent pretenders. The
science of _Isen-Allah_ (or Name of God) enables the possessor to
discover what is passing in his absence, to expel evil spirits, cure
diseases, and dispose of the wind and seasons as he chooses. Those who
have advanced far in this study pretend to calm tempests at sea by the
rules of art, or say their prayers at noon in Mecca, without stirring
from their own houses in Bagdad! The _Kurra_ is the art of composing
billets or amulets which secure the wearer from the power of
enchantments and all sorts of accidents. They are also employed to give
cattle an appetite for food and clear houses from flies and other
vermin.
_Superstitions among the Bretons._
In the district of Carhaix is a mountain called St. Michael, whither it
is believed all demons cast from the bodies of men are banished. If any
one sets his foot at night within the circle they inhabit, he begins to
run, and will never be able to cease all the rest of the night.
In one of the districts is a fountain called Krignac. To drink three
nights successively of this at midnight is an infallible cure for
intermittent fever. In other districts there are fountains into which,
if a child's shirt or shift be thrown, and it sinks, the child will die
within a year. If it should swim, it is then put wet on the child, and
is a charm against all kinds of diseases.
The _Ar cannerez nos_ are ghostly "wash-women," who ply their trade at
night, washing their linen while they sing quaint old ballads. They
solicit the assistance of people passing by to wring the linen. If the
assistance be given awkwardly, they break the person's arm; if it be
refused, they pull the "refusers" into the stream and drown them.
_Blessing of Beasts._
On St. Anthony's day the beasts at Rome were blessed and sprinkled with
holy water. Lady Morgan says that the annual benediction of the beasts
at Rome, at a church dedicated to St. Anthony, lasts for some days: "For
not only every Roman, who has a horse, a mule or an ass, sends his
cattle to be blessed at St. Anthony's shrine, but all the English go
with their job horses and favorite dogs; and for the small offering of a
couple of _paoli_, get them sprinkled, sanctified and placed under the
protection of this saint. Coach after coach draws up, strings of mules
mix with carts and barouches, horses kick, mules are restive, dogs
snarl, while the officiating priest comes forward from his little
chapel, dips a brush into a vase of holy water, sprinkles and prays over
the beasts, pockets the fee, and retires." Dr. Conyers Middleton says,
that when he was at Rome he had his own horses blest for eighteen
pence, as well to satisfy his curiosity as to humor his coachman, who
was persuaded that some mischance would befall them during the year, if
they had not the benefit of the benediction.
_Moles._
In "The Husbandman's Practice; or, Prognostication Forever," 1658, there
is much to show what moles on various parts of the body denote. For
example: If a man have a mole on the place right against the heart, it
denotes him to be undoubtedly wicked. If a mole in either man or woman
appear on the place right against the spleen, it signifies that he or
she shall be "much passionated and oftentimes sick." In "A Thousand
Notable Things," we find that moles on the arm and shoulder denote great
wisdom; on the left, debate and contention. Moles near the armpit
signify riches and honor. A mole on the neck is commonly a sign that
there is another near the stomach, which denotes strength. A mole on the
neck and throat denotes riches and health; a mole on the chin, that
there is another near the heart, and signifies riches. A mole on the
right side of the forehead is a sign of great riches both to men and
women; on the left side, quite the contrary. Moles on the right ear
denote riches and honor; on the left ear they signify the reverse.
_Whipping Toads to Produce Rain._
At one time the natives of Venezuela worshipped toads. They regarded the
toad as "the lord of the waters," and treated it with much reverence;
though, as has been the case with other idolaters, they were ready, in
times of difficulty, to compel favorable hearing from their pretended
deities. They whipped their imprisoned toads with little switches when
there was a scarcity of provisions and a want of rain.
_The First Butterfly._
A superstition prevails in Devonshire, England, that any individual
neglecting to kill the first butterfly he may see for the season, will
have ill-luck throughout the year.
_Child-Stealing Elves._
According to Irish as well as Scottish fairy superstitions, the elves,
though in the main harmless, or at most tricky, have the bad reputation
of stealing children from the cradle and substituting for them a
changeling who bears a resemblance to the stolen infant, but is an ugly
little creature, and never thrives. On such a theft of a female infant,
who is carried to Fairyland, but in the course of years returns to her
parents, James Hogg founded his fine ballad of "Kilmeny" (Queen's
Wake).
* * * * *
INDEX.
Abelard and Heloise, 29.
Abraham and Sarah, 229.
Absurdities of the toilet, 160.
Abydos, bride of, 25.
Abysynnian tradition, 213.
Accidental rhymes, 43.
Acid, citric, 136.
Aconite, 301.
Acrobatic figures, 202.
Adding insult to injury, 179.
Advertisements, slave, 27.
Africa, ordeals in, 308.
African rain doctors, 152.
Africa, twins in, 197.
Ague, charm for the, 337.
Albatross, 265.
Albertus Magnus, recipes from, 74.
Alliterations carried to an absurd excess, 21.
Alliterative whims, 21.
Alligators swallowing stones, 282.
Almanacs, prophetic, 17.
Amulets, amethyst, 337.
Arsenic as an, 339.
Inserted under the skin, 315.
Kingfisher, 264.
Owl's claws, 340.
St. Helena coins, 328.
Unicorn's horn, 319.
Amusements of some learned men, 14.
Anachronisms, noted, 27.
Anchors, sacred, 179.
Ancient bit of waggery, 191.
Dials, 86.
Lottery, 64.
Practice of medicine, 337.
Smokers, 181.
Animals forecasting danger, 282.
Antiquity of acrobatic figures, 202.
Curious piece of, on the Crucifixion of the Saviour, 50.
Of riddles, 63.
Of tarring and feathering, 183.
Anne Boleyn's gloves, 179.
Antipathies, 239.
Antipathy to red hair, 72.
Apes, cynocephalic, 278.
Apothecary shop, walking, 192.
Apparition, Dr. Donne's, 245.
Double, 241.
Twofold, 244.
Appetite, innate, 290.
Arab charms, 347.
Arabian horses' pedigree, 284.
Arabia, the turban in, 159.
Arctic music, queer, 174.
Articles of ringing, 126.
Artificial limb, first, 198.
Artist's tradition, 232.
Asleep, kissed while, 237.
Aspen, shaking, 302.
Assuming the form of a bird, 248.
Assassination, horrible mode of, 295.
Astonished lawyer, 70.
Astrologer, cunning, 156.
Astronomical clock, famous, 81.
Asylum for destitute cats, 163.
Atlas, kneeling statue of, 109.
Attar of roses, origin of, 215.
Auk, great, 264.
Automata, wonderful, 104.
Avocation, selecting an, 343.
Babes in the wood, 65.
Babes of Bethlehem, 122.
Bagging his rival, 190.
Baker's dozen, 217.
Ballad, oldest, 40.
Bantam, warlike, 201.
Barbers' basins, 210.
Barbers, offending, 77.
Barking of dogs, 274.
Barnacles, 333.
Barometer, spider, 291.
Barometer, stone, 157.
Bath, how the prophecy of its destruction came about, 66.
Bat, muscular strength of the, 289.
Beads, St. Cuthbert's, 193.
Bear, shaved, 277.
Beard, care of the, 214.
Beards at communion, 62.
Beards, gilt, 9.
Beasts, blessing of, 348.
Bed, looking for the head of the, 283.
Bedford Missal, 14.
Bees, superstitions about, 239.
Bees, wonderful exhibition with, 217.
Before houses were numbered, 180.
Bells, articles of ringing, 126.
Born within the sound of Bow, 61.
Coral and, 190.
Of Jersey, 120.
Subterranean Christmas, 120.
Bell, great of Rouen, 110.
Great Tom of Lincoln, 118.
Inscriptions, 122.
Mammoth, of Buddah, 119.
Passing, 121.
Ringing the changes, 122.
Ringing in Holland, 122.
St. Fillan's, 119.
St. Sepulchre's, 121.
Belladonna lily, 305.
Benefactor, the devil regarded as a, 227.
Bernini's bust of Charles I, 102.
Bible and key, divination by, 342.
Bug, 8.
Curious parallel between Shakespeare and the, 32.
Eliot's Indian, 12.
Gilt beards, 9.
Illuminated MS., 8.
Interesting MSS., 10.
Magnificent Latin, 10.
Mazarine, 9.
Printed in gold letters, 10.
Vinegar, 11.
Wierix's, 9.
Bill, curious play, 32.
Of particulars, 36.
Of repairs, odd, 63.
Birds, Albatross, 265.
A little bird told me, 66.
Assuming the form of, 248.
Auk, great, 264.
Bantam, warlike, 201.
Bittern, 251.
Blackbird originally white, 253.
Bullfinch, 272.
Burree Churree, 251.
Chaffinch contest, 269.
Change of sight in, 273.
Cranes, 251, 263.
Crossbill, 251.
Crows lost in a fog, 267.
Cuckoo, 255.
Cuckoo, why she builds no nest, 257.
Dodo, 268.
Dove, 253.
Dove, double-headed, 259.
Dove, harbinger of good news, 254.
Ears of birds not to be deceived, 272.
Introducing a soul into a, 249.
Flamingo, nest of the, 274.
Gander, an old, 269.
Gander, led by a, 267.
Hammock, 272.
Kingfisher, 264.
Imprisoned during incubation, 271.
Love, 271.
Lark, 252.
Magpie, 257.
Magpie, half a nest, 257.
Magpie stoning a toad, 278.
Nightingale, 252.
Night owls, 271.
Ostrich, 252.
Owl, 259.
Owl's claws, 340.
Paradise, 259.
Peacock at home, 268.
Peacock crests, 263.
Pelican, 270.
Penguin breeding-grounds, 271.
Penguin's solitary egg, 263.
Phœnix, 260.
Plover, 263.
Prognosticating death, 250.
Raven, 250.
Robin, killing a, 254.
Roc, 270.
Sagacity of a bird, 273.
Stork, 265.
Swallow, 258.
Swallow drinks the king's health, 258.
Talismanic stones in, 249.
Titmouse, 272.
White-breasted, 262.
Wren, 261.
Bird hammock, 272.
Birthdays, 62.
Birthdays, luck of, 336.
Birthday, St. Patrick's, 234.
Bittern, 251.
Bitterness of strychnia, 303.
Blackbirds originally white, 253.
Black stone of Mecca, 92.
Bleeding for nothing, 70.
Blessing beasts, 348.
Blossoming, thirty years in, 305.
Blood, curse of innocent, 228.
Of the martyrs, 338.
Showers of, 299.
Stanching, 346.
Blue Beard, 151.
Blunders, Dr. Johnson's, 22.
Of painters, 23.
Thackeray's geographical, 23.
Boards, groaning, 212.
Boast, Richelieu's, 79.
Bodach Glas, 240.
Bogus dragon, 68.
Book-keeping in Norway, 75.
Book-shaped watch, 87.
Books—Huge copy of the Koran, 12.
Imperishable prison literature, 16.
Library, King of India's, 19.
Library, unique, 13.
Long lost book recovered, 8.
Lost book, 13.
Lord Kingsborough's Mexico, 15.
Missal, Bedford, 14.
Most curious book in the world, 7.
New England primer, 14.
Odd titles of old books, 29.
Printed in gold letters, 10.
Prophetic almanacs, 17.
Puffing their own books, 16.
Queen Elizabeth's "Oone Gospell Book," 11.
Remarkable instance of perseverance, 27.
Riddles, 13.
Sibylline books, 16.
Silver book, 12.
Swearing on the book, 172.
Title pages that mislead, 31.
Without words, 9.
With unpronounceable names, 7.
Book worms, 291.
Boone's spelling, 33.
Boots an object of honor, 193.
Born of a Peri, 214.
Born within sound of Bow Bells, 61.
Borrowed days, 209.
Borrowing watches, 88.
Bottle, mammoth, 109.
Brass medal of the Saviour, 94.
Breaking a piece of money, 314.
Bricks, durability of, 208.
Brick, he's a, 76.
Bride of Abydos, 25.
Buddah, mammoth bell of, 119.
Buffalo's skull, 322.
Bug Bible, 8.
Burial customs, singular, 236.
Burned wastes replenished, 311.
Burree churree, 251.
Burn's snuff-box, 103.
Butterfly, first, 350.
Butterfly, leaf, of Java, 290.
Butter, perfumed, 194.
Buttons, none but brass, 73.
Buying and selling, 220.
Cabinet, immense Zoological, 298.
Cader Idris couch, 216.
Cæsar's wife must be above suspicion, 43.
Camel as a scape-goat, 275.
Kicked by a, 281.
Superstition about the, 284.
Can a clergyman marry himself? 211.
Can dogs count? 279.
Can hens count? 280.
Candle clock, 196.
Canes, gold-headed, for physicians, 207.
Canute, the great, 154.
Captain Kidd's vision, 242.
Carara's toilet box, 100.
Care of the beard, 214.
Carmelite friar's poem, 31.
Carrying coals to Newcastle, 170.
Cashing lottery prizes, 63.
Cats, asylum for destitute, 163.
Cats with knotted tails, 287.
Cat clock, 84.
Concert, 173.
Worship, 286.
Whittington and his, 153.
Caterpillar, muscles of the, 292.
Caul, 312.
Cavern chapel, 219.
Cavern, St. George's, 165.
Certificates of Gretna Green marriages, 41.
Chaffinch contest, 269.
Changing colors in a dying mullet, 298.
Changes, ringing the, 122.
Changes in signification, 40.
Change in the sight of birds, 273.
Chank shell, 298.
Charms, dogs, 332.
Arabian, 347.
Ague, 337.
Bread, 331.
Burns, 321.
Butter, 331.
Cramp, 335.
Love, 314.
Molar tooth, 338.
Thorn, 321.
Scattering water, 332.
Sundry rural, 331.
Witchcraft, 320.