(1) See vol. ii. p. 106, note, Pennant, in the volume already quoted, p. 154, speaking of the wolf-fish teeth, observes: "These and the other grinding teeth are often found fossil, and in that state called Bufonites, or Toadstones: they were formerly much esteemed for their imaginary virtues, and were set in gold, and worn as rings."

Connected with this is a similar ancient superstition with regard to the Ætites or Eaglestone, concerning which, the same author (Zoology, vol. i. p. 167) tells us : "The ancients believed that the pebble commonly called the Ætites or Eagle-stone, was found in the eagle's nest, and that the eggs could not be hatched without its assistance. Many absurd stories have been raised about this fossil."

The same writer, in his "Journey from Chester to London," p. 264, speaking of the shrine of St. Alban, which contained the reliques of that martyr, "made of beaten gold and silver and enriched with gems and sculpture," says, "the gems were taken from the treasury, one excepted, which, being of singular use to parturient women, was left out. This was no other than the famous Ætites or Eagle-stone, in most superstitious repute from the days of Pliny (lib. xxxvi. c. 21) to that of Abbot Geffry, refounder of the shrine."

Steevens, in his note upon this passage, says that Thomas Lupton, in his first "Book

of Notable Things," 4to. b. l. bears repeated testimony to the virtues of the Tode-stone called Crapaudina. In his seventh book he instructs how to procure it, and afterwards tells us: "You shall knowe whether the Todestone be the ryght and perfect stone or not. Holde the stone before a Tode, so that he may see it; and, if it be a right and true stone, the Tode will leape towarde it, and make as though he would snatch it. He envieth so much that man should have that stone." See Reed's edit. of Shaksp. 1803, vol. viii. p. 41.

In Lluellin's Poems, 8vo. Lond. 1679, p. 85, are the following lines on this subject: Now, as the worst things have some things

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of stead,

And some Toads treasure jewels in their head."

(3) The old woman, in the subsequent soliloquy, gives us a philosophical account of the people's folly:

"Hard luck, alake! when poverty and eild

Weeds out of fashion; and a lanely bield, With a sma cast of wiles, should in a twitch, Gie ane the hatefu' name, a wrinkled Witch. This fool imagines, as do mony sic

That I'm a wretch in compact with auld Nick,

Because by education I was taught To speak and act aboon their common thought."

This pastoral, unfortunately for its fame, is written in a language but local, and not generally understood. Had Mr. Addison known, or could he have read this, how fine a subject would it have afforded him on which to have displayed his inimitable talent for criticism!

The subsequent, much to our purpose, is from the "Life of Lord Keeper Guildford," p. 129: "It is seldom that a poor old wretch is brought to trial (for witchcraft) but there is at the heels of her a popular rage that does little less than demand her to be put to death; and if a judge is so clear and open as to declare against that impious vulgar opinion, that the Devil himself has power to torment and kill innocent children, or that he is pleased to divert himself with the good people's cheese, butter, pigs, and geese, and the like errors of the ignorant and foolish rabble, the countrymen (the triers) cry, this judge hath no religion, for he doth not believe witches,' and so, to show they have some, hang the poor wretches."

6

See also "Pandæmonium, or the Devil's Cloyster; proving the Existence of Witches," &c. 8vo. 1684; and Peck's "Desiderata Curiosa," vol. ii. p. 476.

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A writer in the "Gent. Mag." for March, 1736, vol. vi. p. 137, says: The old woman must, by age, be grown very ugly, her face shriveled, her body doubled, and her voice scarce intelligible: hence her form made her a terror to children, who, if they were affrighted at the poor creature, were immediately said to be bewitched. The mother sends for the parish priest, and the priest for a constable. The imperfect pronunciation of the old woman, and the paralytic nodding of her head, were concluded to be muttering diabolical charms, and using certain magical gestures: these were proved upon her at the next assizes, and she was burnt or hang'd as an enemy to mankind."

From a physical manuscript in quarto, of the date of 1475, formerly in the collection of Mr. Herbert, of Cheshunt, now in my library, I transcribe the following charm against witchcraft:

"Here ys a Charme for wyked Wych. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen. Per Virtutem Domini sint Medicina mei pia Crux et passio Christi. Vul

nera quinque Domini sint Medicina mei. Virgo Maria mihi succurre, et defende ab omni maligno Demonio, et ab omni maligno Spiritu: Amen. aga Tetragrammaton. Alpha. 00. primogenitus, vita, vita. sapiencia, Virtus, Jesus Nazarenus rex judeorum, fili Domini, miserere mei Amen. Marcus

Matheus Lucas Johannes mihi succurrite et defendite Amen. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, hunc N. famulum tuum hoc breve Scriptum super se portantem prospere salvet dormiendo, vigilando, potando, et precipue sompiando ab omni maligno Demonio, eciam ab omni maligno spiritu."

In Scot's " Discovery," p. 160, we have "A special Charm to preserve all Cattel from Witchcraft."

"At Easter, you must take certain drops that lie uppermost of the holy paschal candle, and make a little wax candle thereof; and upon some Sunday morning rathe, light it, and hold it so as it may drop upon and between the horns and ears of the beast, saying, 'In nomine Patris et Filii,' &c., and burn the beast a little between the horns on the ears with the same wax; and that which is left thereof, stick it cross-wise about the stable or stall, or upon the threshold, or over the door, where the cattle use to go in and out: and for all that year your cattle shall never be bewitched."

Pennant tells us, in his "Tour in Scotland," that the farmers carefully preserve their cattle against witchcraft by placing boughs of mountain-ash and honeysuckle in their cowhouses on the 2nd of May. They hope to preserve the milk of their cows, and their wives from miscarriage, by tying threads about them: they bleed the supposed witch to preserve themselves from her charms.

Gaule, as cited before, p. 142, speaking of the preservatives against witchcraft, mentions, as in use among the Papists, "the tolling of a baptized bell, signing with the signe of the Crosse, sprinkling with holy water, blessing of oyle, waxe, candles, salt, bread, cheese, garments, weapons, &c., carrying about saints' reliques, with a thousand superstitious fopperies;" and then enumerates those which are used by men of all religions: "1. In seeking to a witch to be holpen against a witch. 2. In

using a certain or supposed charme, against an uncertaine or suspected witchcraft. 3. In searching anxiously for the witches signe or token left behinde her in the house under the threshold, in the bed-straw; and to be sure to light upon it, burning every odd ragge, or bone, or feather, that is to be found. 4. In swearing, rayling, threatning, cursing, and banning the witch; as if this were a right way to bewitch the witch from bewitching. 5. In banging and basting, scratching and clawing, to draw blood of the witch. 6. In daring and defying the witch out of a carnal security and presumptuous temerity."

The following passage is taken from "Stephens's Characters," p. 375: "The torments therefore of hot iron and mercilesse scratching nayles be long thought uppon and much threatned (by the females) before attempted. Meanetime she tolerates defiance thorough the wrathfull spittle of matrons, in stead of fuell, or maintenance to her damnable intentions." He goes on "Children cannot smile upon her

without the hazard of a perpetual wry mouth : a very nobleman's request may be denied more safely than her petitions for butter, milke, and small beere; and a great ladies or queenes name may be lesse doubtfully derided. Her prayers and Amen be a charm and a curse: her contemplations and soules delight bee other men's mischiefe: her portion and sutors be her soule and a succubus: her highest adorations be yew-trees, dampish churchyards, and a fayre moonlight: her best preservatives be odde numbers and mightie Tetragramaton."

It was an article in the creed of popular superstition concerning witches to believe "that, when they are in hold, they must leave their DEVIL." See Holiday's old play of "TEXNOTAMIA; or the Marriage of the Arts," 4to. 1630, signat. N 4.

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Empescher qu'un sorcier," says M. Thiers, "ne sorte du logis où il est, en mettant des balais à la porte de ce logis." Traité des Superstitions, p. 331.

A SORCERER or Magician, says Grose, differs from a witch in this: a witch derives all her power from a compact with the Devil: a Sorcerer commands him, and the infernal spirits, by his skill in powerful charms and invocations: (1) and also soothes and entices them by fumigations. For the devils are observed to have delicate nostrils, abominating and flying some kinds of stinks: witness the flight of the evil spirit into the remote parts of Egypt, driven by the smell of a fish's liver burned by Tobit. They are also found to be peculiarly fond of certain perfumes: insomuch that Lilly informs us that, one Evans having raised a spirit at the request of Lord Bothwell and Sir Kenelm Digby, and forgotten a suffumigation, the spirit, vexed at the disappointment, snatched him out from his circle, and carried him from his house in the Minories into a field near Battersea Causeway.

King James, in his "Dæmonologia," says:

"The art of Sorcery consists in divers forms of circles (2) and conjurations rightly joined together, few or more in number according to the number of persons conjurors (always passing the singular number), according to the qualitie of the circle and form of the apparition. Two principal things cannot well in that errand be wanted: holy water (whereby the Devil mocks the Papists), and some present of a living thing unto him. There are likewise certain daies and houres that they observe in this purpose. These things being all ready and prepared, circles are made, triangular, quadrangular, round, double, or single, according to the form of the apparition they crave. But to speake of the diverse formes of the circles, of the innumerable characters and crosses that are within and without, and out-through the same; of the diverse formes of apparitious that the craftie spirit illudes them with, and of all such particulars in that action, I remit it over

to many that have busied their heads in describing of the same, as being but curious and altogether unprofitable. And this farre only I touch, that, when the conjured spirit appeares, which will not be while after many circumstances, long prayers and much muttering and murmurings of the conjurers, like a papist prieste despatching a huntting masse

how soone, I say, he appeares, if they have missed one jote of all their rites; or if any of their feete once slyd over the circle, through terror of this fearful apparition, he paies himself at that time, in his owne hand, of that due debt which they ought him and otherwise would have delaied longer to have paied him; I meane, he carries them with him, body and soul.

"If this be not now a just cause to make them weary of these formes of conjuration, I leave it to you to judge upon; considering the longsomeness of the labour, the precise keeping of daies and houres (as I have said), the terribleness of the apparition, and the present peril that they stand in in missing the least circumstance or freite that they ought to observe and, on the other part, the Devil is glad to moove them to a plaine and square dealing with them, as I said before."

:

"This," Grose observes, "is a pretty accurate description of this mode of conjuration, styled the circular method; but, with all due respect to his Majesty's learning, square and triangular circles are figures not to be found in Euclid or any of the common writers on geometry. But perhaps King James learnt his mathematics from the same system as Doctor Sacheverell, who, in one of his speeches or sermons, made use of the following simile: They concur like parallel lines, meeting in one common centre.'

"Another mode of consulting spirits was by the berryl, by means of a speculator or seer, who, to have a complete sight, ought to be a pure virgin, a youth who had not known woman, or at least a person of irreproachable life and purity of manners. The method of such consultation is this: the conjurer, having repeated the necessary charms and adju

rations, with the Litany, or invocation peculiar to the spirits or angels he wishes to call, (for every one has his particular form,) the seer looks into a chrystal or berryl, wherein he will see the answer, represented either by types or figures: and sometimes, though very rarely, will hear the angels or spirits speak articulately. Their pronunciation is, as Lilly says, like the Irish, much in the throat. (3)

"Lilly describes one of these berryls or chrystals. It was, he says, as large as an orange, set in silver, with a cross at the top, and round about engraved the names of the angels Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel. A delineation of another is engraved in the frontispiece to Aubrey's Miscellanies.' This mode of enquiry was practised by Dr. Dee, the celebrated mathematician. His specu lator was named Kelly. From him, and others practising this art, we have a long muster-roll of the infernal host, their different natures, tempers, and appearances. Dr. Reginald Scot has given us a list of some of the chiefs of these devils or spirits."

"These Sorcerers, or Magicians, do not always employ their art to do mischief; but, on the contrary, frequently exert it to cure diseases inflicted by witches, to discover thieves, recover stolen goods, (4) to foretell future events and the state of absent friends. On this account they are frequently called White Witches." (a)

Ady, in his "Candle in the Dark," p. 29, speaking of common jugglers, that go up and down to play their tricks in fayrs and markets, says: "I will speak of one man more excelling in that craft than others, that went about in King James his time, and long since, who called himself the King's Majesties most excellent Hocus Pocus, and so was he called, because that at the playing of every trick he used to say, 'Hocus pocus, (5) tontus, talontus, vade celeriter jubeo,' a darke composure of words to blinde the eyes of beholders."

(a) See the present volume, p. 5.

(1) The difference between a conjurer, a witch, and an Enchanter, according to Minshew, in his "Dictionary," is as follows: "The conjurer seemeth by praiers and invocations of God's powerful names, to compel the Divell to say or doe what he commandeth him. The witch dealeth rather by a friendly and voluntarie conference or agreement between him and her and the divell or familiar, to have his or her turn served, in lieu or stead of blood or other gift offered unto him, especially of his or her soule. And both these differ from Inchanters or Sorcerers, because the former two have personal conference with the Divell, and the other meddles but with medicines and ceremonial formes of words called churmes, without apparition." See Reed's edit. of Shaksp. 1803, vol. viii. p. 407.

(2) Reginald Scot, in his "Discourse on Devils and Spirits," p. 72, tells us that, with regard to conjurers, "The circles by which they defend themselves are commonly nine foot in breadth, but the eastern Magicians must give

Melton, in his "Astrologaster," p. 16, speaking of conjurers, says, "They always observe the time of the moone before they set their figure, and when they have set their figure and spread their circle, first exorcise the wine and water which they sprinkle on their circle, then mumble in an unknown language. Doe they not crosse and exorcise their surplus, their silver wand, gowne, cap, and every instrument they use about their blacke and damnable art? Nay, they crosse the place whereon they stand, because they thinke the Devill hath no power to come to it when they have blest it."

The following passage occurs in "A strange Horse-Race," by Thomas Dekker, 4to. Lond. 1613, signat. D 3: "He darting an eye upon them, able to confound a thousand conjurers in their own circles (though with a wet finger they could fetch up a little divell)."

In Osborne's Advice to his Son," 8vo. Oxf. 1656, p. 100, speaking of the soldiery, that author says, "They, like the spirits of con

jurors, do oftentimes teare their masters and raisers in pieces, for want of other imployment."

I find Lubrican to have been the name of one of these spirits thus raised; in the second part of Dekker's "Honest Whore," 4to. Lond. 1630, signat. E 3, is the following:

-"As for your Irish Lubrican, that spirit Whom by preposterous charmes thy lust hath raised

In a wrong circle, him Ile damne more blacke Then any tyrant's soule."

A jealous husband is threatening an Irish servant, with whom he suspects his wife to have played false.

In "The Witch of Edmonton," 4to. Lond. 1658, p. 32, Winnifride, as a boy, says:— "I'll be no pander to him; and if I finde Any loose Lubrick 'scapes in him, I'll watch him,

And, at my return, protest I'll shew you all."

The old vulgar ceremonies used in raising the Devil, such as making a circle with chalk, setting an old hat in the centre of it, repeating the Lord's Prayer backward, &c. &c., are now altogether obsolete, and seem to be forgotten even amongst our boys.

Mason, in his "Anatomie of Sorcerie," 4to. Lond. 1612, p. 86, ridicules "Inchanters and charmers-they, which by using of certaine conceited words, characters, circles, amulets, and such-like vaine and wicked trumpery (by God's permission) doe worke great marvailes : as namely in causing of sicknesse, as also in curing diseases in men's bodies. And likewise binding some, that they cannot use their naturall powers and faculties; as we see in night-spells. Insomuch as some of them doe take in hand to bind the Divell himselfe by their inchantments."

The following spell is from Herrick's "Hesperides," p. 304:

"Holy water come and bring;

Cast in salt for seasoning;
Set the brush for sprinkling :