Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/198

170 for my sake; may she have nothing to eat, or to drink, may she be able to do nothing, nor to sleep, may she have no desire to see company, may her mind and her reason be mine." If this seem rather too drastic, you may take vermilion and musk, yolk of egg, rosewater, and burn a little of your own hair; mix them all together, burn them to ashes. Make ink out of these, and write on your left palm "this ornament" with a crow's feather. The "ornament" is two rude concentric circles, and meaningless words within them. In Cos, a less innocent charm is used by old hags who bear a grudge against some girl. Certain black ants with a big head are called "riding-ants," . The witches cut off these heads and soak them in wine, which they leave out all night. They then put a drop of this concoction into wine, and give the wine to the girl's lover to drink. It is believed that he will at once attempt her honour.

There remain a few miscellaneous charms which it may be interesting to mention. When you are in chains and in prison, for example, all you have to do is to read the first Psalm a hundred and one times, and "you will be surprised to find yourself free." When you want your enemy to flee from the place in which you are, read the thirtieth Psalm when there is no moon, on three successive days, morning, noon, and night, taking the paper "left-wise". But one there is which will prove a godsend to the harassed parent or schoolmaster: "How a child may