Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/559

 Rh on the cattle, let the owner give the tenth penny in the Church for God, after that leave them to amend; do this thrice."

Lacnunga 82. "To preserve swine from sudden death sing over them four masses, drive the swine to the fold, hang the worts upon the four sides and upon the door, also burn them adding incense and make the reek stream over the swine." In this connection I should like to draw your attention to an account in the Times of 5th December, 1922, of smoking with herbs in order to cure a woman who was supposed to be possessed of a devil. This took place in the Lauenburg district of Pomerania.

Charms. Much interesting folk-lore is to be found in the charms for curing of disease, protection against evil, against snakes, etc. They may be roughly divided into material charms (i.e. herbs used as amulets], narrative charms, counting-out charms, magic or mystic sentences or words. For material charms see Herb. Ap. 66, 73, 74, 90, 96, 111, 114, 123, 132; Leech Book I. cap. 64; III. cap. 1, 2, 6, 53; Lacnunga, 88. The following may be quoted as examples of herbs used as amulets:

"If a mare or hag ride a man take lupins and garlic and betony and frankincense, bind them on a fawn's skin and let a man have the worts on him and let him go into his home." (Leech Book I. 64.)

"If any see some heavy mischief in his house let him take this wort Mandragoras into the middle of the house as much of it as he then may have by him; he compelleth all evils out of the house." (Herb. Ap. 132.)

"For lunacy if a man layeth this wort peony over the lunatic as he lies, soon he upheaveth himself up whole and if he hath this wort into him the disease never again approaches him." (Herb. Ap. 66.)

"In case a woman suddenly turn dumb take penny royal and rub to dust, wind it up in wool, lay under the woman, it will soon be well with her." (Lacnunga 88.)