Book L

thefe, which are hardly creditable, yet known by experience. Now how it is that thefe kind of binding's are made and brought to pafs, we mutt know. They are thus done : by forceries, collyries, unguents, potions, binding to and hanging up of talifmans, by charms, incantations, ftrong imaginations, affections, paffions, images, characters, enchantments, imprecations, lights, and by founds, numbers, words, names, invocations, fwearings, conjurations, eonfecrations, and the like.
OF SORCERIES.
The force of forceries are, no doubt, very powerful ; indeed they are able to confound, fubvert, confume, and change all inferior things ; likewife there are forceries by which we can fufpend the faculties of men and beafts. Now, as we have promifed, we will fhew what fome of thefe kind of forceries are, that, by the example of thefe, there may be a way opened for the whole fubjeCt of them. Of thefe, the firft is menftruous blood, which, how much power it has in forcery, we will now confider : — Firft, if it comes over new wine, it will turn it four ; and if it does but touch a vine, it will fpoil it for ever ; and, by its very touch, it renders all plants and trees barren, and thofe newly fet, die ; it burns up all the herbs in the garden, and makes fruit fall from trees ; it makes dim the brightnefs of a looking-glafs, dulls the edges of knives and razors, dims the beauty of polilhed ivory, and makes iron rufty 5 it likewife makes brafs rufty, and to fmell very ftrong ; by the tafte, it makes dogs run mad, and, being thus mad, if they once bite any one, that wound is incurable ; it deftroys whole hives of bees, and drives them away, if it does but touch them ; it makes linen black that is boiled with it ; it makes mares caft their foals by touching them with it, and women mifcarry $ it makes affes barren if they eat of the corn touched by it. The afhes of menftruous clothes caft upon purple garments, that are to be wafhed, change their colour, and likewife take away the colour of flowers. It alfo drives away tertian and quartan agues, if it be put into the wool of a black ram, and tied up in a
filver
Chap. X. NATURAL MAGIC. 45
filver bracelet ; as alfo if the foies of the patient’s feet be anointed therewith, and efpecially if it be done by the woman herfelf, the patient not knowing what the ufes. It likewife cures the falling ficknefs ; but molt efpecially it cures them that are afraid of water or drink after they are bitten by a mad dog, if only a menftruous cloth be put under the cup. Likewife, if a men- llruous woman fhall walk naked, before fun-rife, in a field of handing corn, all hurtful things periih ^ but if after fun-rife, the corn withers ; alfo, they are able to expel hail, rain, thunders, and lightnings 5 more of which Pliny mentions. Know this, that if they happen at the decreafe of the moon, they are a much greater poifon than in the increafe, and yet much greater if they happen between the decreafe and change ; but if they happen in the eclipfe of the fun or moon, they are a moll incurable and violent poifon. But they are of the greateft force when they happen in the firft years of the virginity, for then if they but touch the door-pofts of a houfe, no mifchief can take effect in it. And fome fay that the threads of any garment touched therewith cannot be burnt, and if they are call into a fire, it will fpread no farther. Alfo it is noted, that the root of piony being given with caftor, and fmeared over with a menftruous cloth, it certainly cureth the falling ficknefs.
Again, let the ftomach of a hart be roafted, and to it be put a perfume made with a menftruous cloth ; it will maK&crofs-bows ufelefs for the killing of any game. The hairs of a menftruous woman, put under dung, breeds ferpents ; and if they are burnt, will drive away ferpents with the fume. So great and powerful a poifon is in them, that they are a poifon to poifonous creatures.
We next come to fpeak of hippomanes, which, amongft foreeries, are not accounted the leaft : and this is a little venomous piece of flelh, the fize of a fig, and black, which is in the forehead of a colt newly foaled, which, unlefs the mare herfelf doth prefently eat, Ihe will hardly ever love her foies, or let them fuck ; and this is a moft powerful philter to caufe love, if it be pow- dered, and drank in a cup with the blood of him that is in love fuch,a potion was given by Medea to Jafon.
There is another forcery which is called hippomanes, viz. a venomous liquor iffuing out of the (hare of a mare at the time the lulls after the lior'fe. The
civet-
NATURAL MAGIC.
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