Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/73

 do no such thing. So they say that in the Colick, if a live Duck be applyed to the belly, it takes away the pain, and her self dies: like to this is that which Archytas sayes. If you take a heart newly taken out of an Animall, and whilest it is yet warm, and hang it upon one that hath a quartane feavor, it drives it away. So if any one swallow the heart of a Lapwing, or a Swallow, or a Weesel, or a Mole whilest it is yet warm with naturall heat, it shall be helpfull to him for remembring, understanding, and foretelling: Hence is this generall rule, viz. That whatsoever things are taken out of Animals, whether they be Stones, any Member, Excrements, as Haire, Dung, Nailes, they must be taken from those Animals, whilest they be yet living; and if it be possible, that so they may be alive afterwards. Whence they say, when you take the tongue of a Frog, you must put the Frog into the water again; and if you take the tooth of a Wolf, you must not kill the Wolf; and so of the rest. So writes Democritus, if any one take out the tongue of a water-Frog, yet living, no other part of the body sticking to it, and she be let go into the Water again, & lay it upon the place where the heart beats, of a woman, she shall answer truly whatsoever you ask her. Also they say, that if the eyes of a Frog be before Sun rising bound to the sick party, and the Frog be let go again blind into the Water, they will drive away tertian ague; as also that they will, being bound with the flesh of a Nightingale in the skin of a Hart, keep one alwaies watchfull without sleep. Also the ray of the fork fish being bound to the Navil, is said to make a woman have an easie travel, if it be taken from it alive, and it put into the Sea again. So they say the right eye of a Serpent being applyed, doth help the watering of the eyes, if the Serpent be let go alive. And there is a certain fish, or great Serpent called Myrus, whose eye, if it be pulled out, and bound to the forehead of the patient, is said to cure the inflamation of the eyes, and that the eye of the fish grows again, and that he is taken blind that did not let the fish go. Also the teeth of all Serpents, being taken out whilest they