Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/131

 dropped upon the foot in the morning, it is a remedy against all evil medicines. And a little Frog climbing up a tree, if any one shall spit in his mouth, and then let him escape, is said to cure the Cough. It is a wonderfull thing, but easy to experience, what Pliny speaks of, If any one shall be sorry for any blow that he hath given another afar off, or nigh at hand, if he shall presently spit into the middle of that hand with which he gave the blow, the party that was smitten shall presently be freed from pain. This hath been approved of in a four-footed beast that hath been sorely hurt. Some there are that aggravate the blow before they give it. In like maner spitle carried in the hand, or to spit in the shooe of the right foot before it be put on, is good when any one passeth through a dangerous place. They say that Wolves will not come to a field, if one of them be taken, and the blood let by little and little out of his legs, being unbroken, with a knife, and sprinkled about the outsides of the field, and he himself be buried in that place, from which he was first drawn. The Methanenses, Citizens of Trezenium, accounted it as a present remedy for preserving of Vines from the wrong of the Southern wind, having alwaies found it by most certain experience; if whilest the wind blows, a white Cock should be pulled to pieces in the middle by two men, both which keeping their part, must walk round the Vineyard, and both meeting in the place from whence they began their Circuit, must that place bury the pieces of the Cock. They say also that if any one shall hold a Viper over a vapour with a staffe, he shall prophecy, and that the staffe wherewith a Snake was beaten is good against diseases of breeding women. These things Pliny recites. It is said also in gathering roots and hearbs, we must draw three circles round about them, first with a sword, then dig them up, taking heed in the mean time of a contrary wind. Also they say, that if any one shall measure a dead man with a rope, first from the Elbow to the biggest finger, then from the shoulder to the same finger, and afterwards from the head to the feet, making thrice those mensurations, if any one afterward shall be measured with the same rope in the same maner,