,,domestic ,,folk-,,lore4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,t4 ,f4 ,,thiselton ,,dyer1 ,m4,a41 ,,oxon41 ,author of ,british ,popular ,customs and ,english ,folk-lore4 ,,cassell1 ,,petter1 ,,galpin ,,co43 ,,london1 ,,paris ,,new ,,york4 ,,all ,,rights ,,reserved4 ,,preface4 ,for the name ,folk-lore in its present signification1 embracing the ,popular ,traditions1 ,proverbial ,sayings1 ,superstitions1 and ,customs of the people1 we are in a great measure indebted to the late editor of ,notes and ,queries--,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,thoms--who1 in an anonymous contribution to the ,athenum of #bbnd ,august1 #ahdf1 very aptly suggested this comprehensive term1 which has since been adopted as the recognised title of what has now become an important branch of antiquarian research4 ,the study of ,folk-lore is year by year receiving greater attention1 its object being to collect1 classify1 and preserve survivals of popular belief1 and to trace them as far as possible to their original source4 ,this task is no easy one1 as school-boards and railways are fast sweeping away every vestige of the old beliefs and customs which1 in days gone by1 held such a prominent place in social and domestic life4 ,the ,folk-lorist has1 also1 to deal with remote periods1 and to examine the history of tales and traditions which have been handed down from the distant past and have lost much of their meaning in the lapse of years4 ,but1 as a writer in the ,standard has pointed out1 ,folk-lore students tread on no man's toes4 ,they take up points of history which the historian despises1 and deal with monuments more intangible but infinitely more ancient than those about which ,sir ,john ,lubbock is so solicitous4 ,they prosper and are happy on the crumbs dropped from the tables of the learned1 and grow scientifically rich on the refuse which less skilful craftsmen toss aside as useless4 ,the tales with which the nurse wiles her charge asleep provide for the ,folk-lore student a succulent banquet--for he knows that there is scarcely a child's story or a vain thought that may not be traced back to the boyhood of the world1 and to those primitive races from which so many polished nations have sprung4 ,the field of research1 too1 in which the ,folk-lorist is engaged is a most extensive one1 supplying materials for investigation of a widespread character4 ,thus he recognises and1 as far as he possibly can1 explains the smallest item of superstition wherever found1 not limiting his inquiries to any one subject4 ,this1 therefore1 whilst enhancing the value of ,folk-lore as a study1 in the same degree increases its interest1 since with a perfect impartiality it lays bare superstition as it exists among all classes of society4 ,whilst condemning1 it may be1 the uneducated peasant who places credence in the village fortune-teller or cunning man1 we are apt to forget how oftentimes persons belonging to the higher classes are found consulting with equal faith some clairvoyant or spirit-medium4 ,hence1 however reluctant the intelligent part of the community may be to own the fact1 it must be admitted that superstition1 in one form or another1 dwells beneath the surface of most human hearts1 although it may frequently display itself in the most disguised or refined form4 ,among the lower orders1 as a writer has observed1 it wears its old fashions1 in the higher it changes with the rapidity of modes in fashionable circles4 ,indeed1 it is no matter of surprise that superstition prevails among the poor and ignorant1 when we find the affluent and enlightened in many cases quite as ready to repose their belief in the most illogical ideas4 ,in conclusion1 we would only add that the present little volume has been written with a view of showing how this rule applies even to the daily routine of ,domestic ,life1 every department of which1 as will be seen in the following pages1 has its own ,folk-lore4 ,t4 ,f4 ,,thiselton ,,dyer4 ,brighton1 ,may1 #ahha4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,birth ,,and ,,infancy4 ,,page ,value of ,superstitions--,lucky ,days and ,hours of ,birth--,the ,caul--,the ,changeling--,the ,evil ,eye--,up and not ,down--,rocking the ,empty ,cradle--,teeth1 ,nails1 and ,hands--,the ,maple and the ,ash--,unchristened ,children #a ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,childhood4 ,nursery ,literature--,the ,power of ,baptism--,confirmation--,popular ,prayers--,weather ,rhymes--,school ,superstitions--,barring out #af ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,love ,,and ,,courtship4 ,love-tests--,plants used in ,love-charms--,the ,lady-bird--,the ,snail--,st4 ,valentine's ,day--,midsummer ,eve--,hallowe'en--,omens on ,friday #bc ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,marriage4 ,seasons and ,days propitious to ,marriage--,superstitions connected with the ,bride--,meeting a ,funeral--,robbing the ,bride of ,pins--,dancing in a ,hog's ,trough--,the ,wedding-cake--,the ,ring #cf ,,chapter ,v4 ,,death ,,and ,,burial4 ,warnings of ,death--,the ,howling of ,dogs--,a ,cow in the ,garden--,death-presaging ,birds--,plants--,the ,will-o'-the-,wisp--,the ,sympathy between ,two ,personalities--,prophecy--,dying ,hardly--,the ,last ,act--,place and ,position of the ,grave #dh ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,human ,,body4 ,superstitions about ,deformity1 ,moles1 c4--,tingling of the ,ear--,the ,nose--,the ,eye--,the ,teeth--,the ,hair--,the ,hand--,dead ,man's ,hand--,the ,feet #fe ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,dress4 ,new ,clothes at ,easter and ,whitsuntide--,wearing of ,clothes--,the ,clothes of the ,dead--,the ,apron1 ,stockings1 ,garters1 c4--,the ,shoe--,the ,glove--,the ,ring--,pins #ha ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,table ,,superstitions4 ,thirteen at ,table--,salt-spilling--,the ,knife--,bread1 and other ,articles of ,food--,wishing ,bones--,tea-leaves--,singing before ,breakfast--,shaking ,hands across the ,table #ajj ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,furniture ,,omens4 ,folk-lore of the ,looking-glass--,luck of ,edenhall-- ,clock-falling--,chairs--,beds--,the ,bellows #aaa ,,chapter ,x4 ,,household ,,superstitions4 ,prevalence and ,continuity of ,superstitions--,sneezing-- ,stumbling--,a ,whistling ,woman--,sweeping--,breaking ,crockery--,fires and ,candles--,money--,other ,superstitions #abj ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,popular ,,divinations4 ,bible and ,key--,dipping--,sieve and ,shears--,crowing of the ,cock--,spatulamancia--,palmistry and ,onymancy--,look-divination-- ,astrology--,cards--,casting ,lot--,tea-stalks #acd ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,common ,,ailments4 ,charm-remedies--,for ,ague--,bleeding of the ,nose--,burns--,cramp-- ,epilepsy--,fits--,gout--,headache1 c4 #adh ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,miscellaneous ,,household ,,lore4 ,horse-shoes--,precautions against ,witchcraft--,the ,charmer--,second ,sight--,ghosts--,dreams--,nightmare #afi ,,index #aha ,,domestic ,,folk-,,lore4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,birth ,,and ,,infancy4 ,value of ,superstitions--,lucky ,days and ,hours of ,birth--,the ,caul--,the ,changeling--,the ,evil ,eye--,up and not ,down--,rocking the ,empty ,cradle--,teeth1 ,nails1 and ,hands--,the ,maple and the ,ash--,unchristened ,children4 ,around every stage of human life a variety of customs and superstitions have woven themselves1 most of which1 apart from their antiquarian value1 as having been bequeathed to us from the far-off past1 are interesting in so far as they illustrate those old-world notions and quaint beliefs which marked the social and domestic life of our forefathers4 ,although1 therefore1 many of these may appear to us meaningless1 yet it must be remembered that they were the natural outcome of that scanty knowledge and those crude conceptions which prevailed in less enlightened times than our own4 ,probably1 if our ancestors were in our midst now1 they would be able in a great measure to explain and account for what is often looked upon now-a-days as childish fancy and so much nursery rubbish4 ,in the present chapter it is proposed to give a brief and general survey of the folk-lore associated with birth and infancy1 without1 however1 entering critically into its origin or growth1 or tracing its transmigration from one country to another4 ,commencing1 then1 with birth1 we find that many influences are supposed to affect the future fortune and character of the infant4 ,thus1 in some places great attention is paid to the day of the week on which the child is born1 as may be gathered from the following rhyme still current in ,cornwall3-- ,sunday's child is full of grace1 ,monday's child is full in the face1 ,tuesday's child is solemn and sad1 ,wednesday's child is merry and glad1 ,thursday's child is inclined to thieving1 ,friday's child is free in giving1 ,saturday's child works hard for his living-- a piece of folk-lore varying1 of course1 in different localities4 ,by general consent1 however1 ,sunday is regarded as a most lucky day for birth1 both in this country and on the ,continent2 and according to the ,universal ,fortune-teller--a book very popular among the lower classes in former years--great riches1 long life1 and happiness are in store for those fortunate beings born on ,sunday1 while in ,sussex they are considered safe against drowning and hanging4 ,importance is also attached to the hour of birth2 and the faculty of seeing much that is hidden from others is said to be granted to children born at the chime hours1 i4e41 the hours of three1 six1 nine1 or twelve--a superstition found in many parts of the ,continent4 ,there is1 too1 an idea prevalent in ,germany that when a child is born in leap-year either it or its mother will die within the course of the year--a notion not unknown in our own country4 ,again1 from time immemorial various kinds of divination have been in use for the purpose of discovering the sex of an infant previous to its birth4 ,one of these is by means of a shoulder-of-mutton bone1 which1 after the whole of the flesh has been stripped clean off1 must be hung up the last thing at night over the front door of the house4 ,on the following morning the sex of the first person who enters1 exclusive of the members of the household1 indicates the sex of the child4 ,we will next turn to some of the countless superstitions connected with the new-born child4 ,a highly popular one refers to the caul--a thin membrane occasionally found covering the head at birth1 and deemed specially lucky1 as indicating1 among other things1 that the child will never be drowned4 ,it has been1 in consequence1 termed the holy or fortunate hood1 and great care is generally taken that it should not be lost or thrown away1 for fear of the death or sickness of the child4 ,this superstitious fancy was very common in the primitive ages of the ,church1 and ,st4 ,chrysostom inveighs against it in several of his homilies4 ,the presence of a caul on board ship was believed to prevent shipwreck1 and owners of vessels paid a large price for them4 ,most readers will1 no doubt1 recollect how ,thomas ,hood wrote for his early work1 ,whims and ,oddities1 a capital ballad upon this vulgar error4 ,speaking of the jolly mariner who confidently put to sea in spite of the ink-black sky which told every eye a storm was soon to be1 he goes on to say-- ,but still that jolly mariner ,took in no reef at all2 ,for in his pouch confidingly ,he wore a baby's caul4 ,it little availed him1 however2 for as soon as the storm in ruthless fury burst upon his frail bark1 he ,was smothered by the squall4 ,heaven ne'er heard his cry1 nor did ,the ocean heed his caul6 ,advocates also purchased them1 that they might be endued with eloquence1 the price paid having often been from twenty to thirty guineas4 ,they seem to have had other magical properties1 as ,grose informs us that any one possessed of a caul may know the state of health of the person who was born with it4 ,if alive and well1 it is firm and crisp2 if dead or sick1 relaxed and flaccid4 ,in ,france the luck supposed to belong to a caul is proverbial1 and tre n coiff is an expression signifying that a person is extremely fortunate4 ,apart from the ordinary luck supposed to attach to the caul1 it may preserve the child from a terrible danger to which1 according to the old idea1 it is ever exposed--namely1 that of being secretly carried off and exchanged by some envious witch or fairy for its own ill-favoured offspring4 ,this superstition was once very common in many countries1 and was even believed by ,martin ,luther1 if we are to rely on the following extract from his ,table ,book3--,changelings ,satan lays in the place of the genuine children1 that people may be tormented with them4 ,he often carries off young maidens into the water4 ,this most reprehensible of the practices attributed to the fairies is constantly spoken of by our old writers1 and is several times mentioned by ,shakespeare4 ,in the speech of ,puck1 in ,a ,midsummer ,night's ,dream 7,act ii41 sc4 #a71 that jovial sprite says of ,titania's lovely boy--the cause of quarrel between the ,king and ,queen of ,elfland3-- ,she never had so sweet a changeling4 ,in the ,winter's ,tale 7,act iv41 sc4 #d7 the ,shepherd1 on discovering the babe ,perdita1 tells the ,clown1 ,it was told me ,i should be rich by the fairies4 ,this is some changeling4 ,as a preservation against this danger1 sundry charms are observed4 ,thus1 in the ,north of ,england1 a carving-knife is still hung from the head of the cradle1 with the point suspended near the child's face4 ,in the ,western ,isles of ,scotland idiots are believed to be the fairies' changelings1 and in order to regain the lost child1 parents have recourse to the following device3--,they place the changeling on the beach1 below high-water mark1 when the tide is out1 and pay no heed to its screams1 believing that the fairies1 rather than allow their offspring to be drowned by the rising waters1 will convey it away and restore the child they had stolen4 ,the sign that this has been done is the cessation of the child's crying4 ,in ,ireland1 too1 the peasants often place the child supposed to be a changeling on a hot shovel1 or torment it in some other way4 ,a similar practice is resorted to in ,denmark1 where the mother heats the oven1 and places the child on the peel1 pretending to put it in2 and sometimes she whips it severely with a rod1 or throws it into the water4 ,the only real safeguard1 however1 against this piece of fairy mischief is baptism1 and hence the rite has generally been performed among the peasantry as soon as possible after birth4 ,another danger to which the new-born child is said to be exposed1 and to counteract which baptism is an infallible charm1 is the influence of the evil eye2 certain persons being thought to possess the power of inflicting injury by merely looking on those whom they wish to harm4 ,although this form of superstition has been gradually dying out for many years past1 yet it still retains its hold in certain country places4 ,it is interesting to trace this notion as far back as the time of the ,romans2 and in the late ,professor ,conington's translation of the ,satires of ,persius we find it thus laughably spoken of3--,look here6 ,a grandmother or a superstitious aunt has taken baby from his cradle1 and is charming his forehead against mischief by the joint action of her middle finger and her purifying spittle2 for she knows right well how to check the evil eye4 ,confining ourselves1 however1 to instances recorded in our own country1 we find that1 even now-a-days1 various charms are practised for counteracting the baneful influence of this cruel species of witchcraft4 ,thus1 in ,lancashire1 some of the chief consist in spitting three times in the child's face1 turning a live coal in the fire1 exclaiming1 ,the ,lord be with us2 whilst in the neighbourhood of ,burnley drawing blood above the mouth was once a popular antidote4 ,self-bored or lucky stones are often hung by the peasantry behind their cottage doors2 and in the ,south of ,england a copy of the apocryphal letter of our ,lord to ,abgarus1 ,king of ,edessa1 may occasionally be seen pasted on the walls4 ,in many places1 when a child pines or wastes away1 the cause is often attributed to the evil eye1 and one remedy in use against this disaster is the following3--,before sunrise it is brought to a blacksmith of the seventh generation1 and laid on the anvil4 ,the smith then raises his hammer as if he were about to strike the hot iron1 but brings it gently down on the child's body4 ,this is done three times1 after which the child is considered certain to amend4 ,this superstition survives in ,cornwall2 and the late ,mr4 ,hawker1 of ,morwenstow1 a noted authority on such topics1 tells us that two-thirds of the inhabitants of the ,tamar side firmly believe in the power of the evil eye4 ,in ,scotland this piece of folk-lore has prevailed extensively from time immemorial1 and one of the charms to avert it is the gold and silver water4 ,a sovereign and a shilling are put into water1 which is sprinkled over the patient in the name of the ,trinity4 ,again1 in the ,highlands of ,scotland1 ash-sap is given to new-born children1 because1 in common with the rowan1 that tree is supposed to possess the property of resisting the attacks of witches1 fairies1 and other imps of darkness4 ,the ,irish think that not only their children but their cattle are eye-bitten when they fall suddenly sick4 ,among other important items of folk-lore associated with birth may be mentioned the popular belief that a child should go up in the world before it goes down4 ,on leaving its mother's room for the first time1 it is considered absolutely necessary that it should be carried up-stairs before it goes down-stairs1 otherwise it will always keep low in the world1 and never rise in after-life either to riches or distinction4 ,when1 however1 as often happens1 the mother's room is on the top storey1 the nurse overcomes the obstacle by placing a chair near the door1 on which she steps before leaving the room4 ,in ,yorkshire it is further stated that a new-born infant should always be placed first in the arms of a maiden before any one else touches it4 ,it has been aptly questioned by ,mr4 ,henderson1 in his ,folk-lore of the ,northern ,counties1 whether we may not trace in this practice an outgrowth of the medival belief that the ,virgin ,mary was present at the birth of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 and received him first in her arms4 ,some1 too1 will never permit an infant to sleep upon bones--that is1 the lap--a piece of folk-lore founded on some degree of truth2 for it has been pointed out that it is undoubtedly better for a child to support it throughout its whole length1 than to allow its head or legs to hang down1 as they might probably do if the infant was sleeping on the lap4 ,again1 there is a common idea that a baby and a kitten cannot thrive in the same house2 and should1 therefore1 as is not unfrequently the case1 a cat have kittens at the time of a birth1 these are immediately either destroyed or given away4 ,few nurses1 also1 can be found courageous enough to weigh a young child1 from a superstitious conviction that it is unfortunate so to do1 the child often dying1 or1 at any rate1 not thriving afterwards4 ,equally unlucky1 too1 is it considered to rock baby's empty cradle1 it being an omen of its death--a belief which also prevails in ,scotland4 ,the same notion exists in many parts of the ,continent1 and the ,swedish folk tell us that it should be avoided1 as it is apt to make the child noisy and given to crying4 ,it is also deprecated on another ground1 that it is ominous of another claimant for that place of rest--a piece of folk-lore which the ,sussex peasantry express in the following rhyme3-- ,if you rock the cradle empty1 ,then you shall have babies plenty4 ,many consider it a bad sign when the first tooth makes its appearance in the upper jaw1 denoting1 it is said1 that the child will not survive its infancy4 ,whilst speaking of teeth1 it may be noted that they occupy an important place in the folk-lore of infancy4 ,many readers will no doubt recollect how the ,duke of ,gloucester1 in #c ,henry ,,vi4 7,act v41 sc4 #f71 when describing the peculiarities connected with his birth1 relates that-- ,the midwife wondered1 and the women cried1 ',o ,jesus bless us1 he is born with teeth6' ,and so ,i was1 which plainly signified ,that ,i should snarl1 and bite1 and play the dog4 ,in ,sussex it is still customary for little children to wear a necklace of beads made from the root of the peony1 as this is supposed to act as a charm in assisting the cutting of their teeth4 ,in the same county1 too1 the peasantry have a great dislike to throwing away the cast teeth of young children1 believing that should any be accidentally found and gnawed by an animal1 the child's new tooth would exactly correspond with the animal's which had bitten the old one4 ,once more1 in ,scotland and the ,north of ,england1 when the first teeth come out1 sundry precautions are taken1 to make sure that the fresh ones may be sound and healthy4 ,one of these consists in filling the cavity with salt1 after which the tooth must be burnt1 while the following formula is repeated3-- ,fire6 fire6 burn bone2 ,god send me my tooth again4 ,this practice exists in ,sweden1 and likewise in ,switzerland1 where the tooth is wrapped up in paper1 with a little salt1 and then thrown into the fire4 ,the teeth1 however1 are not the only objects of superstition in infancy1 similar importance being attached to the nails4 ,in many places1 for instance1 it is considered imprudent to cut them till baby is a year old1 and then they should be bitten off1 or else there is a likelihood of its growing up dishonest1 or of its being1 as the ,sussex peasantry say1 light-fingered4 ,anyhow1 special attention is to be paid to the day of the week on which the child's nails are cut1 if there be any truth in a well-known proverb-- ,better a child had ne'er been born1 ,than cut his nails on a ,sunday morn4 ,the same warning is given in ,germany1 and if it is disregarded1 it is said that the child will be liable to stammer as it grows up4 ,a curious ,northumberland belief affirms that if the first parings of a child's nails are carefully buried under an ash-tree1 it will turn out in after-life a capital singer4 ,it is also a popular fancy in nursery folk-lore that the child's future career in this world can be easily augured from the little specks on its nails1 a species of palmistry still extensively credited by even educated persons1 and one1 too1 not confined to infancy4 ,again1 the infant's tiny hands are not free from superstition1 and here and there1 throughout the country1 there is a notion that for the first few months after its birth the right one should remain unwashed1 the reason assigned for this strange piece of eccentricity being that it may gather riches4 ,according to another idea1 children born open-handed are said to be of a bountiful disposition4 ,in ,scotland1 too1 great attention is paid as to which hand a child uses when taking up for the first time a spoon to eat4 ,if it should happen to be the left1 then1 alas6 he is doomed to be an unlucky fellow all through his life4 ,indeed1 as far as we can judge from the numerous items of folk-lore still in vogue1 it would seem that the early period of infancy1 in one way or another1 furnishes countless opportunities for ascertaining what kind of life is in store for the child in years to come1 almost every trivial action being regarded as indicative of something or other that shall befall it4 ,although many of these ideas may seem to us in this nineteenth century apparently senseless1 yet it must be remembered they are frequently survivals of primitive culture1 and are interesting as having been handed down to us from the distant past4 ,according to an old superstition1 parents desirous of securing long life for their children should pass them through the branches of a maple4 ,a few years ago one of these trees had long been resorted to for this purpose in ,west ,grinstead ,park1 and as soon as a rumour spread through the parish that it was about to be demolished1 quite a consternation prevailed in the neighbourhood4 ,similar properties are supposed to belong to the ash1 weakly infants that do not thrive being drawn through a cleft in its trunk4 ,this charm1 as performed in ,cornwall1 is thus3--,a large knife is inserted into the trunk of a young ash1 about a foot from the ground1 and a vertical opening made for about three feet4 ,two men then forcibly pull the parts asunder1 and hold them so1 whilst the mother passes the child through the cleft three times4 ,the ceremony does not end here1 as the child has to be washed for three successive mornings in the dew from the leaves of the charmed ash4 ,this supposed magical property of the ash has an additional interest1 when we consider that some thousands of years ago our ancestors regarded it as one of their wonder-working trees1 and associated it with some of their oldest traditions4 ,at the present day1 too1 it is the subject of an extensive folk-lore1 to which we shall have occasion to refer in a succeeding chapter4 ,again1 if a baby frets and does not appear to thrive1 it is supposed by some to be longing4 ,thus1 a ,sussex nurse one day said to a lady1 ,baby is so uncommon fretty1 ,i do believe he must be longing for something4 ,when asked what he could be longing for1 she replied1 ,something that his mother longed for1 but did not get1 before he was born1 and the best way to satisfy him would be1 ,i think1 to try him with a brandied cherry1 or some hare's brains4 ,this piece of superstition1 however1 is not confined to ,sussex4 ,once more1 in addition to the popular notion that cats suck the breath of infants and so cause their death--one1 indeed1 without a particle of truth--there is another in which poor pussy is the victim1 an illustration of which we quote from ,rambles in an ,old ,city1 by a ,norfolk author3--,not long since a woman1 holding quite a respectable rank among the working classes1 avowed herself determined to 'drownd' the cat as soon as ever her baby1 which was lying ill1 should die4 ,the only explanation she could give for this determination was that the cat jumped upon the nurse's lap as the baby lay there soon after it was born1 from which time it ailed1 and ever since that time the cat had regularly gone under its bed once a day and coughed twice4 ,these mysterious actions of poor ',tabby' were assigned as the cause of the baby wasting1 and its fate was to be sealed as soon as that of the poor infant was decided4 ,that the baby happened to be the twenty-fourth child of his mother1 who had succeeded in rearing only four of the two dozen1 was a fact that seemed to possess no weight whatever in her estimation4 ,this strange antipathy to our domestic animal no doubt took its origin in the old belief that the cat's is one of the numerous forms which witches are fond of assuming1 and on this account1 in days gone by1 poor pussy was oftentimes subjected to gross ill-treatment at the hands of the ignorant classes4 ,at the present day1 in ,germany1 there is a deep-rooted belief that witches1 when bent on doing mischief1 take the form of a cat1 and many stories are current of their frightening their victims by appearing as the nightmare2 or1 if dishonestly disposed1 of their drinking their neighbour's beer4 ,returning1 however1 again to the subject of our present chapter1 there is a superstitious fancy in the ,north of ,england that it is unlucky to walk over the graves of unchristened children1 which is vulgarly called unchristened ground1 the person who does so rendering himself liable to catching the fatal disease of the grave-scab4 ,this complaint1 we are told by ,mr4 ,henderson1 comes on with a trembling of the limbs and hard breathing1 and at last the skin burns as if touched with hot iron1 in allusion to which an old ballad tells us-- ,and it ne'er will be cured by doctor on earth1 ,tho' every one should tent him1 oh6 ,he shall tremble and die like the elf-shot eye1 ,and return from whence he came1 oh6 ,there is1 however1 a remedy1 though not easy of attainment--,it lies in the wearing a sark1 thus prepared3--,the lint must be grown in a field which shall be manured from a farmyard heap that has not been disturbed for forty years4 ,it must be spun by ,habbitrot1 the queen of spinsters2 it must be bleached by an honest bleacher1 in an honest miller's mill-dam1 and sewed by an honest tailor4 ,on donning this mysterious vestment1 the sufferer will at once regain his health and strength4 ,unfortunately the necessary conditions for the successful accomplishment of this charm are so difficult1 that he must be a clever man who can fulfil them4 ,in the ,south of ,england1 on the other hand1 we do not find the same dread attaching to the graves of still-born children4 ,thus on a certain occasion1 when one of the ,commissioners of ,devonport complained that a charge of one shilling and sixpence should have been made upon the parish authorities for the grave and interment of a still-born child1 he added that when he was a young man it was thought lucky to have a still-born child put into an open grave1 as it was considered to be a sure passport to heaven for the next person buried there4 ,according to another superstitious notion1 if a mother frets and pines after her baby when it is dead1 it is said that it cannot rest1 and will come back to earth again4 ,various stories are on record of children thus visiting their mothers after death1 an instance of which we quote from the ,dialect of ,leeds3--,it appears that soon after the birth of the mother's next child1 the previous one that had died entered her room with eyes deeply sunken1 as if with much weeping1 and on approaching the bed1 said1 ,mother1 ,i can't rest if you will go on fretting4 ,she replied1 ,well1 lad1 ,i wean't fret any more4 ,he then looked upon the bed and said1 ,let's luke at it1 mother6 ,she turned down the coverlet and let him look at her new-born babe4 ,it'll die1 he said1 and vanished4 ,these1 then1 are some of the boundless dangers and difficulties that are supposed to beset the beginnings of life2 and1 taking into consideration the importance of that momentous crisis1 when a fresh actor is introduced upon the world's great stage1 it is not surprising that this event has1 in most ages and countries1 been associated with divers superstitions1 and given rise to sundry customs1 each of which has helped to invest man's entry into this world with all that grandeur which such a solemn occasion requires4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,childhood4 ,nursery ,literature--,the ,power of ,baptism--,confirmation--,popular ,prayers--,weather ,rhymes--,school ,superstitions--,barring out4 ,it must not be supposed that childhood has no special folk-lore of its own4 ,it is1 in fact1 of a most varied kind1 many of the old traditionary beliefs and practices associated with the nursery being relics of what the ,scandinavian mothers taught their children in days of long ago4 ,the familiar fairy-tales of our own childhood still form the nursery literature in most homes1 and are of unusual interest as embodying not only the myths and legends of the ancient ,aryan race1 but their conceptions about the world around them4 ,thus1 for instance1 the well-known story of ,cinderella1 like many others of the same character1 such as ,jack the ,giant ,killer1 or ,beauty and the ,beast1 are to be found in almost all countries1 and although the versions differ in some respects1 yet they point to a common origin at a very remote period4 ,indeed1 it is curious that there should still exist among the children of the nineteenth century an undying love for these survivals of ,aryan literature1 couched in such graceful and simple language that few modern compositions can be found to equal them4 ,in reading1 therefore1 about the dwellers in ,wonderland1 the young mind is unconsciously taking in primitive notions about the workings of nature as seen in the succession of day and night1 the changes of the seasons1 and so on4 ,in the story of ,cinderella1 we have the ancient nature-myth of the sun and the dawn1 representing the morning sun in the form of a fairy prince pursuing ,cinderella1 the dawn1 to claim her for his bride1 whilst the envious clouds1 her sisters1 and the moon1 her stepmother1 strive to keep her in the background4 ,it would1 however1 take too long and require a book of itself to discuss the history and meaning of these fairy tales which so delight the childish fancy1 and exercise such a wholesome influence1 inculcating some of the noblest sentiments and loftiest teachings of the founders of our race4 ,referring then more particularly to the superstitions connected with childhood1 we would1 first of all1 briefly speak of those relating to certain outward circumstances1 which are believed to affect more or less the child's welfare in life4 ,thus1 it is a deep-rooted belief that a child never thrives until after its baptism2 and in cases of illness the clergyman is more often perhaps sent for by the poor from a belief in the physical virtue of the sacred rite itself1 rather than from any actual conviction of its religious importance4 ,indeed1 how much potency is supposed to reside in baptism may be gathered from the countless superstitions with which it is associated1 the omission of this rite being attended more often than not with fatal results4 ,hence it is frequently performed as soon as possible after birth1 one reason being1 as we have already seen1 that so long as the child remains unbaptised it is thought to be at the mercy of ill-disposed fairies1 and subject to the influence of the evil eye4 ,according to another popular fancy1 not confined to our own country1 should a child have the misfortune to die unchristened1 it is doomed either to flit restlessly around its parents' abode1 or to wander about in deserted spots1 daily repining over its hard and unenviable lot4 ,in ,germany1 tradition says that such children are transformed into that delusive little meteor known as the will-o'-the-wisp1 and so ceaselessly hover between heaven and earth4 ,on one occasion1 we are told of a ,dutch parson who1 happening to go home to his village late one evening1 fell in with no less than three of these fiery phenomena4 ,remembering them to be the souls of unbaptised children1 he solemnly stretched out his hand and pronounced the words of baptism over them4 ,much1 however1 to his terrible consternation and surprise1 in the twinkling of an eye a thousand or more of these apparitions suddenly made their appearance--no doubt all equally anxious to be christened4 ,the good man1 runs the story1 was so terribly frightened1 that forgetting all his good intentions1 he took to his heels and ran home as fast as his legs could take him4 ,in ,lusatia1 where the same superstition prevails1 the souls of these unhappy children1 which hover about in the form of will-o'-the-wisps1 are said to be relieved from their unhappy wanderings so soon as any pious hand throws a handful of consecrated ground after them4 ,in ,scotland1 to make quite sure of baptism being altogether propitious1 it was deemed highly important that the person entrusted with the care of the child should be known by common report to be lucky4 ,she was generally provided with a piece of bread and cheese1 which she presented to the first person she met as an offering from the infant4 ,if the party readily accepted and partook of the proffered gift1 it was undoubtedly a good omen2 but if refused it was considered tantamount to wishing evil to the child4 ,hence the future destiny of the little one was often augured from this superstitious ceremony1 which1 by-the-by1 is also practised in the ,west of ,england1 but the events of its after-life only too often belied the weal and woe predicted for it4 ,again1 it is thought highly necessary that the child should cry at its baptism1 or else ill-luck will sooner or later overtake it1 the idea being that1 when the child screams and kicks1 the evil spirit is in the act of quitting it2 its silence1 on the other hand1 indicating that it is too good for this wicked world4 ,an amusing little episode in illustration of this curious superstition is related by ,mrs4 ,latham1 in the ,folk-lore ,record3--,i was lately present at a christening in ,sussex1 when a lady of the party1 who was grandmother of the child1 whispered in a voice of anxiety1 ',the child never cried2 why did not the nurse rouse it up8' ,after we had left the church she said to her1 ',o nurse1 why did not you pinch baby8' ,and when the baby's good behaviour was afterwards commented upon1 she observed1 with a very serious air1 ',i wish that he had cried4' ,in the same county it is considered unlucky to divulge a child's intended name before its baptism2 and the water sprinkled on its forehead at the font must on no account be wiped off4 ,whilst on the subject of baptism1 we would just note that in former years peculiar curative properties were supposed to reside in water that had been used at this rite1 and on this account it was employed for various disorders4 ,it was also regarded in ,scotland as a preservative against witchcraft2 and eyes bathed in it were rendered for life incapable of seeing ghosts4 ,it may not be inappropriate to allude here to the superstitions relative to confirmation1 following in due time1 as this rite does1 on baptism4 ,in ,norfolk1 for instance1 it is considered unlucky to be touched by the bishop's left hand2 and in ,devonshire1 also1 where a similar notion prevails1 young people look upon his right hand as the lucky one1 and should it not be their privilege to receive it1 they leave the church much disappointed4 ,in some of the northern counties1 we are informed that the unfortunate recipients of the left hand are doomed1 then and there1 to a life of single blessedness4 ,this is not the only species of superstition belonging to confirmation1 for instances are on record of persons who1 although confirmed in their early life1 have again presented themselves for confirmation in their old age1 under a conviction that the bishop's blessing would cure them of some bodily ailment4 ,it is related that1 at one of the confirmations of the venerable ,bishop ,bathurst1 an old woman was observed eagerly pressing forward to the church4 ,a by-stander1 somewhat amazed at her odd conduct1 and struck with her aged appearance1 inquired if she was going to be confirmed1 and1 being answered in the affirmative1 expressed his astonishment that she should have procrastinated it to such an advanced time of life4 ,the old woman1 however1 resented his reproof1 replying that it was not so2 that she had already been bishopped seven times1 and intended to be again1 it was so good for her rheumatism6 ,in some cases the prayers taught by the poor to their children are curious4 ,thus1 a popular prayer1 formerly in use1 and not yet forgotten1 is evidently a relic of ,roman ,catholic times1 having been handed down from a period anterior to the ,reformation4 ,as the reader will see1 the version below contains a distinct appeal to certain saints for their intercession with ,god on the child's behalf3-- ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 ,bless the bed ,i lie upon2 ,four corners to my bed1 ,four angels at its head1 ,one to watch1 two to pray1 ,and one to bear my soul away2 ,god within and ,god without1 ,sweet ,jesus ,christ all round about2 ,if ,i die before ,i wake1 ,i pray to ,god my soul to take4 ,it has been pointed out that it is very singular that this prayer should have survived the great change which took place in religious opinion in the sixteenth century1 and that it even still remains in use4 ,there are many variations of it1 and the following two distiches obtained from ,lancashire are quaint1 having been written1 it has been thought1 by the ,puritans1 in ridicule3-- ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 ,hold the horse that ,i leap on4 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 ,take a stick and lay upon4 ,a ,lincolnshire clergyman1 anxious to learn something of the nature of the prayers said by the children of the agricultural poor1 visited some of their cottages a few years ago in the evening1 and listened to the little ones as they said their prayers4 ,the concluding portion1 he tells us1 was always intercession for relations1 but the form it generally took was peculiar4 ,in the first place1 it was not1 as is the case with the more educated classes1 ,pray ,god bless father and mother1 c41 but ,pray for father1 pray for mother1 pray for brothers and sisters1 and so on4 ,in certain cases1 through carelessness and rapidity1 the words had degenerated into ,pray father1 pray mother1 c4 ,there can be no doubt that originally the prayer was this3--,pray for father2 then a ,pater noster1 or an ,ave ,maria1 or both1 would be said2 then ,pray for mother1 c4 ,after the ,reformation1 as time went on1 the constant repetition of the ,pater and the use of the ,ave ,maria would gradually die out with the change of religious ideas1 and thus the prayer would assume its present form1 ,pray for father1 pray for mother4 ,referring1 in the second place1 to the superstitions of children1 we find an immense number of curious rhymes on various subjects used by them throughout the country4 ,while many of these have1 no doubt1 been taught them by nurserymaids1 a great part1 as ,mr4 ,chambers has pointed out in his ,popular ,rhymes of ,scotland1 may be thought to have taken their rise in the childish imagination during that familiar acquaintance with natural objects1 which it is one of the most precious privileges of the young to enjoy in rural districts4 ,besides1 too1 we must not forget that children seem to have a peculiar love for all natural objects1 often finding pleasure in looking at some wayside flower1 or in watching the movements of some tiny insect1 which in after-years do not bring them the same interest4 ,the fact1 indeed1 that the young mind is a true admirer of nature in all probability accounts for many of those pleasing rhymes which constitute much of the child's folk-lore4 ,some of the charms1 for instance1 used to influence the weather are curious1 and it is worthy of note that these1 in many cases1 are not confined to childhood only1 but are frequently found in the mouths of our peasants4 ,thus the child's appeal to rain for its departure has become a general charm1 and is familiar to most readers3-- ,rain1 rain1 go to ,spain1 ,fair weather1 come again4 ,aubrey considers this rhyme of great antiquity1 and says that it is derived from the ,gentiles4 ,often in summer-time1 when a thunder-shower interrupts some out-door game1 one may hear a chorus of young voices shouting-- ,rain1 rain1 go away1 ,come another summer's day4 ,or1 as other versions have it1 ,come again on washing-day4 ,the appearance of a rainbow is generally1 too1 the signal for various marks of dissatisfaction on the part of the young1 who1 besides entreating it to vanish as soon as possible1 frequently try to charm it away4 ,this they do by placing a couple of straws or twigs crossways on the ground1 and so1 to quote their phrase1 cross out the rainbow4 ,another way is to make a cross of two sticks1 and to lay four pebbles on it1 one at each end4 ,again1 some of the rhymes relating to snow are highly quaint1 the following being repeated when it makes its first appearance3-- ,the men of the ,east ,are picking their geese1 ,and sending their feathers here away1 here away4 ,when1 however1 boys wish the snow to go away1 they sing3-- ,snow1 snow1 give over1 ,the cow's in the clover4 ,thunder1 in the ,north of ,england1 is called by children ,rattley-bags1 and during a storm the boys are in the habit of singing3-- ,rowley1 ,rowley1 ,rattley-bags1 ,take the lasses and leave the lads4 ,there is a rhyme which is often repeated by the juvenile folks in the north and midland counties upon seeing the new moon1 which1 perhaps1 may have an indirect allusion to its supposed lucky influence3-- ,i see the moon and the moon sees me1 ,god help the parson that baptised me6-- containing1 evidently1 a congratulation upon their birth4 ,boys1 too1 have a curious saying respecting the reflection of the sun's beams upon a ceiling1 which they term ,jack-a-dandy beating his wife with a stick of silver4 ,if a mischievous boy1 with a piece of looking-glass1 throws the reflection into the eyes of a neighbour1 the latter complains he's throwing ,jack-a-dandy in my eyes4 ,passing on to other charm-rhymes connected with natural objects1 there are a very numerous class relating to the animal creation4 ,in evening-time1 for instance1 when the dew begins to fall1 boys are fond of hunting the large black snails1 on discovering which they exclaim3-- ,snail1 snail1 put out your horn1 ,or ,i'll kill your father and mother i' th' morn4 ,this charm1 however1 is not confined to our own country1 but under a variety of forms is found on the ,continent4 ,in ,scotland1 too1 children prognosticate the coming weather from the movements of this little creature3-- ,snailie1 snailie1 shoot out your horn1 ,and tell us if it will be a bonny day the morn4 ,school-life1 again1 has its customs and superstitions1 many of which have been transmitted from generation to generation2 and childhood1 indeed1 would seem quite incomplete without them4 ,thus1 according to an odd notion universally accepted in days gone by1 and still received with implicit faith1 if the master's cane is carefully nicked at the upper end1 and a hair inserted1 it will1 as soon as used1 split immediately to the very tip4 ,in school-games1 the usual antipathy to odd numbers is found1 and a child is easily persuaded to give away a marble to make the number even4 ,a kind of divination1 also1 is still frequently employed by boys to settle matters of difficulty1 such1 for example1 as who shall be the leaders in a game1 the choice of partners1 and other details which are deemed of equal importance4 ,the mode of procedure is this3--,a long stick is thrown into the air1 and caught by one of the parties4 ,each one then grasps it hand over hand1 and he who succeeds in getting the last hold is the successful party4 ,mr4 ,henderson says that an odd expression was formerly connected with the lending a knife among boys for the cutting up of a cake or other dainty1 the borrowers being asked to give it back laughing1 i4e41 with some of the good things it was used to cut4 ,among the many old school customs1 we may close our present chapter by mentioning a popular one known as barring out1 upon which1 it may be remembered1 ,miss ,edgeworth has founded one of her instructive stories4 ,the practice consisted in barring out the masters from the scene of their educational labours1 the agents in this ceremony being the pupils of the school4 ,it was an occasion of no small disorder-- ,not school-boys at a barring out1 ,raised ever such incessant rout4 ,addison is reported to have been the leader of a barring out at the ,lichfield ,grammar ,school1 and to have displayed on the occasion a spirit of disorderly daring very different to that timid modesty which so characterised his after-life4 ,so much1 then1 for the folk-lore of childhood1 a subject indeed full of interest1 and possessing a worth far beyond the circle of its own immediate influence1 inasmuch as even the simplest nursery jingle or puerile saying has often been found of help in proving the affinity of certain races1 and has an ethnological value which the student of comparative philology would be slow to underrate in his task of research4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,love ,,and ,,courtship4 ,love-tests--,plants used in ,love-charms--,the ,lady-bird--,the ,snail--,st4 ,valentine's ,day--,midsummer ,eve--,hallowe'en--,omens on ,friday4 ,no event in human life has1 from the earliest times1 been associated with a more extensive folk-lore than marriage1 which is indeed no matter of surprise1 considering that this is naturally looked upon as the happiest epoch--the summum bonum--of each one's career in this world4 ,hence1 to write a detailed account of the charms1 omens1 and divinations1 as well as of the superstitions and customs1 connected with marriage1 including its early stages of love and courtship1 would require a volume for itself1 so varied and widespread is this subject of universal interest4 ,in the present chapter1 however1 have been collected together1 in as condensed a form as possible1 some of the principal items of folk-lore connected with love and courtship1 as we find them scattered here and there throughout the country4 ,commencing1 then1 with love-divinations1 these are of every conceivable kind1 the anxious maiden apparently having left no stone unturned in her anxiety to ascertain her lot in the marriage state4 ,hence in her natural longings to raise the veil of futurity1 the aspirant to matrimony1 if she be at all of a superstitious turn of mind1 seldom lets an opportunity pass by without endeavouring to gain from it some sign or token of the kind of husband that is in store for her4 ,as soon1 too1 as the appointed one has at last presented himself1 she is not content to receive with unreserved faith his professions of love and life-long fidelity2 but1 in her sly moments1 when he is not at hand1 she proves the genuineness of his devotion by certain charms which1 while they cruelly belie his character1 only too often unkindly deceive the love-sick maiden4 ,in the first place1 we may note that love-tests have been derived from a variety of sources1 such as plants1 insects1 animals1 birds1 not to mention those countless other omens obtained from familiar objects to which we shall have occasion to allude4 ,at the outset1 however1 it may not be uninteresting to quote the following account of love-charms in use about one hundred and fifty years ago1 and which was written by a young lady to the editor of the ,connoisseur3-- ,arabella was in love with a clever ,londoner1 and had tried all the approved remedies4 ,she had seen him several times in coffee grounds with a sword by his side2 he was once at the bottom of a tea-cup in a coach and six1 with his two footmen behind it4 ,on the last ,may morning she went into the fields to hear the cuckoo2 and when she pulled off her left shoe1 she found a hair in it the exact colouring of his4 ,the same night she sowed hempseed in the back yard1 repeating the words3-- ',hempseed ,i sow1 hempseed ,i hoe1 ,and he that is my true love1 ,come after me and mow4' ,after that she took a clean shift and turned it1 and hung it on the back of a chair2 and very likely he would have come and turned it1 for she heard a step1 and being frightened could not help speaking1 and that broke the spell4 ,the maid ,betty recommended her young mistress to go backwards1 without speaking a word1 into the garden on ,midsummer ,eve1 and gather a rose1 keep it in a clean sheet of paper without looking in it till ,christmas ,day1 it will be as fresh as in ,june2 and if she sticks this rose in her bosom1 he that is to be her husband will come and take it out4 ,arabella had tried several other strange fancies4 ,whenever she lies in a strange bed1 she always ties her garters nine times round the bed-post1 and knits nine knots in it1 saying all the time3-- ',this knot ,i knit1 this knot ,i tie1 ,to see my love as he goes by1 ,in his apparel and array1 ,as he walks in every day4' ,on the last occasion ,mr4 ,blossom drew the curtains and tucked up the clothes at the bed's feet4 ,she has many times pared an apple whole1 and afterwards flung the peel over her head1 and on each occasion the peel formed the first letter of his ,christian name or surname4 ,referring to the use of plants in love-charms1 they are very numerous4 ,one popular one consists in taking the leaves of yarrow1 commonly called nosebleed1 and tickling the inside of the nostrils1 repeating at the same time these lines3-- ,green 'arrow1 green 'arrow1 you bear a white blow1 ,if my love love me1 my nose will bleed now2 ,if my love don't love me1 it 'ont bleed a drop2 ,if my love do love me1 'twill bleed every drop4 ,some cut the common brake or fern just above the root to ascertain the initial letters of the future wife's or husband's name2 and the dandelion1 as a plant of omen1 is much in demand4 ,as soon as its seeds are ripe they stand above the head of the plant in a globular form1 with a feathery top at the end of each seed1 and then are without any difficulty detached4 ,when in this condition the flower-stalk must be carefully plucked1 so as not to injure the globe of seeds1 the charm consisting in blowing off the seeds with the breath4 ,the number of puffs that are required to blow every seed clean off indicates the number of years that must elapse before the person is married4 ,again1 nuts and apples are very favourite love-tests4 ,the mode of procedure is for a girl to place on the bars of the grate a nut1 repeating this incantation3-- ,if he loves me1 pop and fly2 ,if he hates me1 live and die4 ,as may be imagined1 great is the dismay if the anxious face of the inquirer gradually perceives the nut1 instead of making the hoped-for pop1 die and make no sign4 ,again1 passing on to insects1 one means of divination is to throw a lady-bird into the air1 repeating meanwhile the subjoined couplet3-- ,fly away east1 and fly away west1 ,show me where lives the one ,i like best4 ,should this little insect chance to fly in the direction of the house where the loved one resides1 it is regarded as a highly-favourable omen4 ,the snail1 again1 was much used in love-divinations1 many an eager maiden anxious of ascertaining her lover's name following the example of ,hobnelia1 who1 in order to test the constancy of her ,lubberkin1 did as follows3-- ,upon a gooseberry bush a snail ,i found1 ,for always snails near sweetest fruit abound4 ,i seized the vermin1 home ,i quickly sped1 ,and on the hearth the milk-white embers spread2 ,slow crawled the snail1 and1 if ,i right can spell1 ,in the soft ashes marked a curious ,l4 ,oh6 may this wondrous omen lucky prove1 ,for ',l' is found in ,lubberkin and ,love4 ,three magpies are said to prognosticate a wedding2 and in our rural districts the unmarried of either sex calculate the number of years of single blessedness still allotted to them by counting the cuckoo's notes when they first hear it in the spring4 ,some days are considered specially propitious for practising love-divinations4 ,foremost among these is ,st4 ,valentine's ,day1 a festival which has been considered highly appropriate for such ceremonies1 as there is an old tradition that on this day birds choose their mates1 a notion which is frequently alluded to by the poets1 and particularly by ,chaucer1 to which reference is made also in ,a ,midsummer ,night's ,dream3-- ,good morrow1 friends1 ,st4 ,valentine is past2 ,begin the wood-birds but to couple now4 ,thus1 the ,devonshire young ladies have a fancy that on ,st4 ,valentine's ,day they can1 if they wish1 make certain of their future4 ,if so disposed1 they go into the churchyard at midnight1 with some hempseed in their hand1 which1 after they have walked round the church a certain number of times1 they scatter on either side as they return homewards1 repeating a certain charm4 ,it is supposed that the true lover will be seen taking up the hempseed just sown1 attired for the ceremony in a winding-sheet4 ,another species of love-divination once observed consisted in obtaining five bay leaves1 four of which the anxious maiden pinned at the four corners of her pillow1 and the fifth in the middle4 ,if she was fortunate enough to dream of her lover1 it was a sure sign that he would be married to her in the course of the year4 ,again1 some young people would boil an egg hard1 and1 after taking out the contents1 fill the shell with salt1 the charm consisting in eating the shell and salt on going to bed at night without either speaking or drinking after it4 ,a further method of divination was practised in the following way3--,the lady wrote her lovers' names upon small pieces of paper1 and1 rolling them up in clay1 put them into a tub of water4 ,the first that rose to the surface was to be not only her ,valentine1 but1 in all probability1 her future husband4 ,another time1 which has been equally popular from time immemorial for such superstitious practices1 is ,midsummer ,eve4 ,people gathered on this night the rose1 ,st4 ,john's wort1 trefoil1 and rue1 each of which was supposed to have magical properties4 ,they set orpine in clay upon pieces of slate in their houses1 under the name of a ,midsummer man4 ,as the stalk next morning was found to incline to the right or left1 the anxious maiden knew whether her lover would prove true to her or not4 ,hallowe'en1 again1 has been supposed to be the time1 of all other times1 when supernatural influences prevail1 and on this account is regarded as a night of sure divination in love matters4 ,all kinds of devices have1 therefore1 been resorted to at this season1 and in the ,north of ,england many superstitions still linger on1 where this festival is known as nutcrack-night1 from nuts forming a prominent feature in the evening feast4 ,once more1 ,christmas ,eve is well known to love-sick swains and languishing maidens as an excellent day for obtaining a glimpse into futurity4 ,numerous are the spells and ceremonies by which this is attempted4 ,thus in some places1 at the witching hour of night1 the young damsel goes into the garden and plucks twelve sage leaves1 under the belief that she will see the shadowy form of her future husband approach her from the opposite end of the ground4 ,in trying this delicate mode of divination great care must be taken not to break or damage the sage-stalk1 as should this happen serious consequences might ensue4 ,the following barbarous charm was also much practised in days gone by3--,the heart was taken from a living pigeon1 stuck full of pins1 and laid on the hearth1 and while it was burning1 the form of the young person's future partner was believed to become visible to mortal eye4 ,friday has been held a good day of the week for love omens1 and in ,norfolk the following lines are repeated on three ,friday nights successively1 as on the last one it is believed that the young lady will dream of her future husband3-- ,to-night1 to-night1 is ,friday night1 ,lay me down in dirty white1 ,dream who my husband is to be2 ,and lay my children by my side1 ,if ,i'm to live to be his bride4 ,there are numerous other modes of matrimonial divination which still find favour in the eyes of those who prefer the married state to that of virginity4 ,thus the seeds of butter-dock must be scattered on the ground by a young unmarried girl half an hour before sunrise on a ,friday morning in a lonesome place4 ,she must strew the seeds gradually on the grass1 saying these words3-- ,i sow1 ,i sow6 ,then1 my own dear1 ,come here1 come here1 ,and mow1 and mow4 ,after this she will see her future husband mowing with a scythe at a short distance from her4 ,she must1 however1 display no symptoms of fear1 for should she cry out in alarm he will immediately vanish4 ,this method is said to be infallible1 but it is regarded as a bold1 desperate1 and presumptuous undertaking4 ,some girls1 again1 make a hole in the road where four ways meet1 and apply their ear to it1 with the hope of learning of what trade their future husband is to be4 ,it is unnecessary1 however1 to illustrate this part of our subject further1 for the preceding pages amply show how varied and extensive are the omens and divinations connected with an event without which life is considered in the eyes of most persons incomplete4 ,although these may seem trivial and often nonsensical1 yet they have often exercised an important influence over that period of anxious suspense which intervenes between courtship and marriage1 often tantalising and damping in a cruel manner the hopes of many an ardent lover4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,marriage4 ,seasons and ,days propitious to ,marriage--,superstitions connected with the ,bride--,meeting a ,funeral--,robbing the ,bride of ,pins--,dancing in a ,hog's ,trough--,the ,wedding-cake--,the ,ring4 ,in selecting the time for the marriage ceremony precautions of every kind have generally been taken to avoid an unlucky month and day for the knot to be tied4 ,indeed1 the old ,roman notion that ,may marriages are unlucky survives to this day in ,england1 a striking example1 as ,mr4 ,tylor has pointed out in his ,primitive ,culture1 of how an idea1 the meaning of which has perished for ages1 may continue to exist simply because it has existed4 ,that ,may with us is not a month for marrying may easily be seen any year from the list of weddings in the ,times newspaper1 the popular belief being summed up in the familiar proverb1 ,marry in ,may and you'll rue the day4 ,some of the numerous reasons assigned for the ill-luck attaching to this month are the following3--,that women disobeying the rule would be childless2 or if they had children1 that the first-born would be an idiot1 or have some physical deformity2 or that the married couple would not live happily together in their new life1 but soon become weary of each other's society--superstitions which still retain their hold throughout the country4 ,in spite1 however1 of this absurd prejudice1 it seems that in days gone by ,may was honoured in feudal ,england as the month of all months especially congenial to lovers4 ,most readers are no doubt acquainted with the following stanza in the ,court of ,love3-- ,i had not spoke so sone the words1 but she1 ,my soveraine1 did thank me heartily1 ,and saide1 ',abide1 ye shall dwell still with me ,till season come of ,may1 for then truly ,the ,king of ,love and all his company ,shall holde his feste full rially and well1' ,and there ,i bode till that the season fell4 ,on the other hand1 ,june is a highly popular month for marrying1 one reason perhaps being that the earth is then clothed in her summer beauty1 and that this is a season of plenty4 ,at any rate1 this notion may be traced up to the time of the ,romans1 and thus when ,ovid was anxious about the marriage of his daughter1 he-- ,resolved to match the girl1 and tried to find ,what days unprosp'rous were1 what moons were kind2 ,after ,june's sacred ,ides his fancy strayed1 ,good to the man and happy to the maid4 ,among the other seasons admitting or prohibiting matrimony may be mentioned the following1 contained in a well-known rhyme3-- ,advent marriages doth deny1 ,but ,hilary gives thee liberty2 ,septuagesima says thee nay1 ,eight days from ,easter says you may2 ,rogation bids thee to contain1 ,but ,trinity sets thee free again4 ,equal importance has been attached by some to the day of the week on which the marriage is performed4 ,thus ,friday1 on account of its being regarded as an inauspicious and evil day for the commencement of any kind of enterprise1 is generally avoided1 few brides being found bold enough to run the risk of incurring bad luck from being married on a day of ill-omen4 ,in days gone by1 ,sunday appears to have been a popular day for marriages2 although1 as ,mr4 ,jeaffreson1 in his amusing history of ,brides and ,bridals1 remarks1 ,a fashionable wedding1 celebrated on the ,lord's ,day in ,london1 or any part of ,england1 would now-a-days be denounced by religious people of all ,christian parties as an outrageous exhibition of impiety4 ,but in our feudal times1 and long after the ,reformation1 ,sunday was1 of all days of the week1 the favourite one for marriages4 ,long after the theatres had been closed on ,sundays1 the day of rest was the chief day for weddings with ,londoners of every social class4 ,the brides of ,elizabethan dramas are usually represented as being married on ,sunday4 ,thus in the ,taming of the ,shrew1 ,petruchio1 after telling his future father-in-law that upon ,sunday is the wedding-day1 and laughing at ,katharine's petulant exclamation1 ,i'll see thee hanged on ,sunday first1 says3-- ,father1 and wife1 and gentlemen1 adieu2 ,i will to ,venice2 ,sunday comes apace3 ,we will have rings1 and things1 and give array2 ,and1 kiss me1 ,kate1 we will be married o' ,sunday4 ,among the ,scottish people1 we are informed by the ,registrar-,general1 there is a peculiar fondness for marrying on the last day of the year4 ,indeed1 there are more marriages in ,scotland on that day than in any week of the year1 excepting1 of course1 the week in which that day occurs4 ,thus1 in the year #ahfa1 the returns give the number of marriages in the eight principal towns as averaging about twenty-five a day1 exclusive of ,sunday1 as marrying is one of the things not to be done on this day in ,scotland4 ,on the #cast of ,december1 however1 in the same towns there were between #djj and #ejj marriages4 ,curious to say1 too1 in ,scotland1 ,friday seems to be considered a lucky day for weddings2 for ,mr4 ,watson1 the ,city ,chamberlain of ,glasgow1 affirms that it is a well-established fact that nine-tenths of the marriages in ,glasgow are celebrated on a ,friday2 only a few on ,tuesday and ,wednesday2 ,saturday and ,monday are still more rarely adopted1 and ,i have never heard of such a thing in ,glasgow as a marriage on ,sunday4 ,leaving seasons and days considered propitious for marriage1 we find1 in the next place1 a number of superstitions associated with that prominent and all-important personage on such an occasion1 the bride4 ,thus it is above all things necessary that the sun should shine on her--,blest is the bride that the sun shines on6--a notion1 indeed1 which1 it has been suggested1 had a practical application in years gone by when marriages were celebrated in the church porch4 ,a wet day1 at such a time1 was a serious matter1 especially as our forefathers had not the many contrivances of modern times for preservation from rain4 ,whereas1 now-a-days1 young ladies when alluding to being married speak of going to church1 formerly they spoke of visiting the church-porch4 ,after prevailing for centuries1 this ancient usage was discountenanced1 if not actually abolished1 by the ecclesiastical reformers of ,edward ,,vi4's reign1 who ordained that the performance of the binding ceremony should take place in the body of the church4 ,referring again to the bride1 it is deemed absolutely necessary by very many that she should weep on her wedding-day1 if it be only a few tears1 the omission of such an act being considered ominous of her future happiness4 ,it is1 too1 the height of ill-luck for either the bride or the bridegroom to meet a funeral on going to or coming from the church1 for if it happen to be that of a female1 it is an indication that the bride will not live long1 and if it should be that of a male1 then the bridegroom is doomed to an early death4 ,in the ,north of ,england there is a strong prejudice against a marriage taking place while there is a grave open in the churchyard4 ,in many parts of the country1 also1 special care is taken that the bees are informed of a wedding1 and as a mark of respect to them their hives are decorated with a favour4 ,in ,sussex a bride on her return home from church is often robbed of all the pins about her dress by the single women present1 from a belief that whoever possesses one of them will be married in the course of a year4 ,much excitement and amusement are occasionally caused by the youthful competitors for this supposed charm2 and the bride herself is not unfrequently the victim of rather rough treatment4 ,according to another piece of superstition1 the bride1 in removing her bridal robe and chaplet at the completion of the marriage ceremonies1 must take care to throw away every pin worn on this eventful day4 ,evil fortune1 it is affirmed1 will sooner or later inevitably overtake the bride who keeps even one pin used in the marriage toilet4 ,woe also to the bridesmaids if they retain one of them1 as their chances of marriage will thereby be materially lessened1 and anyhow they must give up all hope of being wedded before the following ,whitsuntide4 ,again1 in some parts of ,yorkshire1 to rub shoulders with the bride or bridegroom is considered an augury of a speedy marriage2 and a piece of folk-lore prevalent in the neighbourhood of ,hull is to this effect3 ,be sure when you go to get married that you don't go in at one door and out at another1 or you will always be unlucky4 ,cuthbert ,bede1 in ,notes and ,queries1 records an instance of a similar superstition that occurred at a wedding in a ,worcestershire village in ,october1 #ahgg4 ,he says1 ,the bride and bridegroom at the conclusion of the ceremony left the church by the chancel door1 instead of following the usual custom of walking down the church and through the nave door4 ,one of the oldest inhabitants1 in mentioning this to me1 said that it 'betokened bad luck1' and that she had never known a like instance but once in her life when the married couple went out of the church through the chancel door1 and the bride was a widow before the twelve months was out4 ,alluding briefly to other superstitions associated with marriage1 we are told in the ,north of ,england that she who receives from the bride a piece of cheese1 cut by her before leaving the table1 will be the next bride among the company4 ,in ,yorkshire1 too1 when a newly-married couple first enter their house1 a hen is brought and made to cackle as a sign of good luck4 ,the old ,roman practice1 also1 of lifting the bride over the threshold of her husband's home1 had its counterpart in ,scotland within the present century1 it being customary to lift the young wife over the doorstep1 lest any witchcraft or evil eye should be cast upon and influence her4 ,indeed1 we are informed that the same practice prevailed in the ,north of ,england some years ago--an interesting survival of the primitive superstitions of our ancestors4 ,another curious custom which was once practised in different parts of the country was that of the elder sister dancing in a hog's trough in consequence of the younger sister marrying before her4 ,upon one occasion1 says ,mr4 ,glyde in his ,norfolk ,garland1 a brother went through the ceremony also2 and the dancers performed their part so well that the trough itself was danced to pieces4 ,it was considered the most correct thing to dance in green stockings4 ,it was also customary in former years for elder sisters to dance barefooted at the marriage of a younger one1 as otherwise they would inevitably become old maids4 ,hence ,katharine says to her father1 in allusion to ,bianca3-- ,she is your treasure1 she must have a husband4 ,i must dance barefoot on her wedding-day1 ,and for your love to her lead apes in hell4 ,the last line1 the meaning of which1 however1 is somewhat obscure1 expresses a common belief as to the ultimate fate of old maids4 ,malone1 on this passage1 remarks that in ,shakespeare's time to lead apes was one of the employments of a bear-ward1 who often carried about one of those animals along with his bear4 ,referring in the next place to some of the chief ceremonies associated with marriage1 we may note that the putting up of the banns is not without its superstitions1 for in the ,north of ,england it is considered highly unlucky for a young woman to be present at church when this important event takes place1 any children she may hereafter have running the terrible risk of being born deaf and dumb4 ,thus1 a ,worcestershire girl1 some years since1 refused to attend church and hear the publication of her own banns1 lest by doing so she should bring the curse of dumbness on her offspring4 ,she stated that one of her friends had transgressed this rule by hearing herself asked out at church1 and in due course had six children1 all of whom were deaf and dumb4 ,again1 the wedding-cake1 without which no wedding would be considered complete1 is evidently a survival of the symbolical corn-ears originally worn by the bride1 and which in after-times were made into cakes and sprinkled upon the bride's head4 ,in course of time these cakes were by degrees converted into one large mass1 enriched with almond paste2 and that the ingredients of a wedding-cake in the seventeenth century did not differ materially from one at the present day may be gathered from ,herrick1 who says3-- ,this day1 my ,julia1 thou must make1 ,for mistress bride1 the wedding-cake2 ,knead but the dough1 and it will be ,to paste of almonds turned by thee2 ,or kiss it thou but once or twice1 ,and for the bride-cake there'll be spice4 ,indeed1 corn in one form or another has always entered into the marriage-ceremony1 a practice which1 as ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 in his ,origin of ,civilisation1 has pointed out1 may be found among remote savages or semi-civilised people4 ,it would be difficult to enumerate the many superstitions1 beliefs1 and usages that have at different times clustered round the wedding-cake1 some of which are as popular as ever4 ,in days gone by1 either corn ears or fragments of broken biscuit or cake were dropped on the newly-married couple on their return from church1 a custom which is still kept up in some country districts4 ,in ,scotland and the ,north of ,england1 for instance1 as soon as the bride returns to her new home1 one of the oldest inhabitants1 who has been stationed on the threshold in readiness1 throws a plateful of shortbread over her head1 taking care that it falls outside the house4 ,this is immediately scrambled for1 as it is considered most fortunate to secure a piece1 however small4 ,thus1 just a century ago1 ,smollett1 in his ,expedition of ,humphrey ,clinker 7#agga71 described how ,mrs4 ,tabitha ,lismahago's wedding-cake was broken over her head1 and its fragments distributed among the bystanders1 who imagined that to eat one of the hallowed pieces would insure the unmarried eater the delight of seeing in a vision the person to be his wife or her husband4 ,numerous other divinations1 also1 have been practised by means of wedding-cake1 one of the most popular being that of passing it through a wedding-ring1 and placing it under the pillow to dream upon4 ,in some parts of ,lancashire and ,cumberland it is customary to put a ring amongst the ingredients of the wedding-cake1 and to invite the guests in turn to cut a slice4 ,the person who is fortunate enough to hold the knife when it comes upon the hidden ring is considered to be sure of happiness during the ensuing twelve months4 ,again1 ,mr4 ,henderson mentions an exciting custom practised in the ,north at the wedding-feast4 ,he says3--,the bride sticks her knife into the cheese1 and all at table endeavour to seize it4 ,he who succeeds without cutting his fingers in the struggle thereby insures happiness in his married life4 ,the knife is called 'the best man's prize1' because the 'best man' generally secures it4 ,should he fail to do so1 he will indeed be unfortunate in his matrimonial views4 ,the knife is1 at any rate1 a prize for male hands only2 the maidens try to possess themselves of a 'shaping' of the wedding-dress1 for use in certain divinations regarding their future husbands4 ,the custom of throwing the shoe for luck at a bridal couple we shall notice elsewhere1 a practice which is perhaps the principal source of merry-making and fun at most weddings4 ,we must not omit to allude to that indispensable little article at a marriage1 the wedding-ring1 concerning which so much has been written4 ,the ,puritans1 it may be remembered1 tried to abolish it1 on account of1 as they thought1 its superstitious and heathen origin4 ,thus1 ,butler1 in his ,hudibras1 says3-- ,others were for abolishing ,that tool of matrimony1 a ring1 ,with which the unsanctified bridegroom1 ,is marry'd only to a thumb4 ,though1 however1 the ring of gold is generally looked upon as a necessity in the marriage-ceremony1 yet it is not legally so1 but there is a very strong prejudice against being married without it1 and it would be no easy task to find a couple brave enough to act in opposition to this universal superstition4 ,thus1 by way of example1 ,mr4 ,jeaffreson1 in his ,brides and ,bridals1 tells us that the poor ,irishman is so convinced that a marriage lacks validity unless it has been solemnised with a golden ring1 that1 when he is too needy to buy a circlet of the most precious metal1 he hires a hoop of gold for use on his wedding-day4 ,not long since a tradesman1 in a market town at ,munster1 made a considerable addition to his modest income by letting out rings of gold to persons about to marry1 who restored the trinkets to their owner after being wedded at church4 ,a case is related1 on the other hand1 of a party that came to the church and requested to be married with a church key4 ,it was a parish wedding1 and the parish authorities1 though willing to pay the church fees1 because1 as the account runs1 they were glad to get rid of the girl1 had not felt disposed to provide the wedding-ring4 ,the clerk1 however1 feeling some hesitation as to the substitution of the church key1 stepped into a neighbouring house1 and there borrowed an old curtain ring1 with which the marriage was solemnised4 ,again1 most ladies are especially particular in their notions respecting their wedding-ring1 objecting under any pretence to take it off from their finger1 extending1 it would seem1 the expression of till death us do part1 even to this pledge and token of matrimony4 ,in various parts of the country we find many a curious marriage custom1 of which1 however1 we can only give one or two instances4 ,thus1 in some parts of ,kent1 it was formerly customary to strew the pathway to the church of the bridal couple1 not with flowers1 but with emblems of the bridegroom's trade4 ,a carpenter1 for instance1 walked on shavings1 a paperhanger on slips of paper1 a blacksmith on pieces of old iron1 and so on4 ,in some parts of ,durham the bridal party was1 in days gone by1 generally escorted to church by men armed with guns1 which they fired again and again in honour of the festive occasion4 ,in ,scotland there was an amusing custom1 called ,creeling the bridegroom4 ,a basket or creel was filled with heavy stones and fixed to the bridegroom's shoulder1 and with this burden he was obliged to run about until his wife unfastened the creel4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,death ,,and ,,burial4 ,warnings of ,death--,the ,howling of ,dogs--,a ,cow in the ,garden-- ,death-presaging ,birds--,plants--,the ,will-o'-the-,wisp--,the ,sympathy between ,two ,personalities--,prophecy--,dying ,hardly--,the ,last ,act--,place and ,position of the ,grave4 ,the superstitions associated with the last stage of human life are most numerous2 and that this should be so is not surprising when it is considered how1 from the earliest time1 a certain dread has been attached to death1 not only on account of its awful mysteriousness1 but owing to its being the crisis of an entirely new phase of the soul's existence4 ,commencing then with popular omens1 it may be noted that every incident out of the common course of natural events is looked upon by the superstitious as indicative of approaching death4 ,hence we find the credulous ever conjuring up in their minds imaginary prognostications of this sad occurrence1 which1 apart from the needless terror they cause1 are based on no foundation of truth4 ,foremost among these is the howling of a dog at night1 a superstition which1 while not confined to our own country1 appears to have been almost as well known in ancient times as at the present day4 ,as a plea1 however1 for its prevalence1 even among the educated1 we might urge that it is not unnatural for the mind1 when unstrung and overbalanced by the presence of sickness and impending death1 to be over-sensitive1 and to take notice of every little sound and sight which may seem to connect themselves with its anxiety4 ,out of the innumerable instances which are recorded in our own country respecting this popular superstition1 may be mentioned one which happened a few years ago at ,worthing4 ,it appears that no slight consternation was caused by a ,newfoundland dog1 the property of a clergyman in the neighbourhood1 lying down on the steps of a house and howling piteously1 refusing to be driven away4 ,as soon as it was known that a young lady1 long an invalid1 had died there1 so much excitement took place that news of the occurrence reached the owner of the dog1 who came to ,worthing to inquire into the truth of it4 ,unfortunately1 however1 for the lovers of and believers in the marvellous1 it eventually turned out that the dog had by accident been separated from his master late in the evening1 and had been seen running here and there in search of him1 and howling at the door of the stable where he put up his horse1 and other places which he often visited in ,worthing4 ,it happened1 moreover1 that his master had been in the habit of visiting the particular house where the young lady had died1 which at once accounted for the apparent mystery4 ,in the same way1 indeed1 other similar instances of this superstition might be easily cleared up1 if only properly investigated at the time of the occurrence4 ,the howling of the dog is ascribed by some to its keen sense of the odour of approaching mortal dissolution2 whereas others affirm that this animal can see the spirits which hover round the house of sickness1 ready at the moment of death to bear away the soul of the departed one to its distant home4 ,in ,aryan mythology the dog is said to see ghosts1 and in ,germany1 at the present day1 a dog howling before a house portends either a death or a fire4 ,in ,wales1 it is thought that horses1 too1 have the gift of seeing spirits4 ,carriage-horses1 it is said1 have been known to display every sign of the utmost terror1 although the occupants of the carriage could see no cause for alarm4 ,such an occurrence is considered highly ominous1 and thought to forebode that a funeral will soon pass by that way1 bearing to his resting-place some person not dead at the time of the horse's fright4 ,whilst speaking of animals in connection with death1 it may be noted that an ox or a cow breaking into a garden is an omen of death4 ,in illustration of this notion a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries relates the following narrative as written down by himself about the time to which it relates4 ,he says1 ,though ,i laugh at the superstition1 the omen was painfully fulfilled in my case4 ,about the middle of ,march1 #ahdc1 some cattle were driven close to my house1 and the back door being open1 three got into our little bit of garden1 and trampled it4 ,when our school-drudge came in the afternoon1 and asked the cause of the confusion1 she expressed great sorrow and apprehension on being told--said that it was a bad sign--that we should hear of three deaths within the next six months4 ,alas6 in ,april we heard of dear ,j----'s murder2 a fortnight after ,a---- died2 and to-morrow1 ,august #ajth1 ,i attend the funeral of my excellent son-in-law4 ,i have just heard of the same omen from another quarter4 ,but what is still more remarkable is that when ,i went down to ,mr4 ,m----'s burial1 and was mentioning the superstition1 they told me that while he was lying ill1 a cow got into the front garden and was driven out with great difficulty4 ,it is still a common saying in ,scotland1 when any one is dangerously ill1 and not likely to recover1 ',the black ox has trampled upon him4' ,another common omen of death is the hovering of birds around a house1 and their tapping against the window-pane4 ,amongst the death-presaging birds may be mentioned the raven1 the crow1 and the swallow4 ,the crowing of the cock1 also1 at the dead of night is regarded as equally ominous4 ,the appearance of a jackdaw is in some parts of the country much dreaded4 ,thus a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries tells us1 that a stonemason at ,clifton related to him an accident that happened to a workman at the suspension bridge over the ,avon1 at the time when the river was simply spanned by a single chain1 placing much emphasis on the fact that a single jackdaw had been noticed by some of the workmen perched upon the centre of the chain1 and had been regarded by them as a precursor of death4 ,we must not omit the evil reputation of the owl and the magpie2 and a well-known superstition current in some parts that to catch a sparrow and keep it confined in a cage is an omen of death4 ,once more1 it is a bad sign when an invalid asks for a dish of pigeons to eat1 such an occurrence being considered an omen of his approaching death4 ,some also affirm that if one hears the cuckoo's first note when in bed1 illness or death is certain to come upon the hearer or one of his family4 ,if any one be about to die suddenly1 or lose a relation1 the cuckoo will light upon a piece of touchwood1 or rotten bough1 and cuckoo4 ,plants1 in the next place1 are sometimes regarded as ominous of approaching mortality4 ,when1 for example1 an apple-tree or pear-tree blooms twice in the year it denotes a death in the family4 ,if1 too1 green broom be picked when in bloom it is believed that the father or mother will die in the course of the year4 ,mrs4 ,latham1 in her ,west ,sussex ,superstitions1 gives the following touching little anecdote3--,a poor girl1 who was lingering in the last stage of consumption1 but whose countenance had always lighted up with pleasure at the sight of flowers1 appeared one morning so exceedingly restless and unhappy after a fresh nosegay of gay spring flowers had been laid upon her bed1 that ,i asked her if the scent of them was disagreeable to her4 ',oh1 no6' she exclaimed1 'they are very nice indeed to smell2 but yet ,i should be very glad if you would throw away that piece of yellow broom2 for they do say that death comes with it if it is brought into the house in blossom during the month of ,may4' ,according to a ,yorkshire superstition1 if a child gathers the germander speedwell its mother will die during the year2 and others consider it equally unlucky to bring the first snowdrop of the year into the house4 ,to dream that a tree is uprooted in one's garden is regarded as a death-warning to the owner4 ,indeed plants may be said to hold an important place in the folk-lore of death1 so many curious legends and quaint superstitions having clustered round them both in ancient and modern times4 ,thus1 to quote one further instance1 if yew is accidentally brought into the house at ,christmas among the evergreens1 it is looked upon as a sign that a death will occur in the family before the end of the year4 ,among other omens of death1 may be noticed the will-o'-the-wisp1 which has on this account been much dreaded1 its undulating movement being carefully observed1 from an anxiety to ascertain in which direction it disappears1 as it is supposed to be-- ,the hateful messenger of heavy things1 ,of death and dolour telling to the inhabitants of the house nearest that spot4 ,we have heard also of an occasion in which considerable uneasiness was created by a pale light moving over the bed of a sick person1 and after flickering for some time in different parts of the room to vanish through the window4 ,it happened1 however1 that the mystery was cleared up soon afterwards1 for1 on a similar light appearing1 it was found to proceed from a luminous insect1 which proved to be the male glow-worm4 ,in the same way the corpse-candles in ,wales1 also called the fetch-lights1 or dead man's candles1 are regarded as forerunners of death4 ,sometimes this unlucky sign appears in the form of a plain yellow candle1 in the hand of a ghost1 and at other times it looks like a stately flambeau1 stalking along unsupported1 burning with ghastly blue flame4 ,it is considered highly dangerous to interfere with this fatal portent1 and persons who have attempted to check its course are reported to have been severely afflicted in consequence1 many being actually struck down on the spot where they stood as a punishment for their audacity4 ,there is a popular idea prevalent in ,lancashire that to build or even to rebuild a house is always fatal to one member of the family--generally to the one who may have been the principal promoter of the plans for the building or alteration4 ,again1 we are also told how the household clock has been known to depart from its customary precision in order to warn its owner of approaching death by striking thirteen4 ,a clergyman relates that one evening he called on an old friend more than eighty years of age1 who had lost her husband about six months before4 ,whilst sitting with her he heard the clock strike the hour in an adjoining room1 and counted it seven4 ,being surprised that it was no later he involuntarily took out his watch1 and found that it was in reality eight o'clock4 ,the old lady noticing this remarked1 ,ah6 the clock lost a stroke against my poor husband's death1 and ,i have not altered it since4 ,according to another very common superstition there seems to be a kind of sympathy and harmony between two personalities1 whereby dying persons themselves announce their departure to their friends in certain mysterious ways4 ,countless instances are on record of such supposed forebodings of death4 ,a curious and interesting example of this species of folk-lore happened not so very long ago1 in connection with the lamented death of ,mr4 ,george ,smith1 the eminent ,assyriologist4 ,this famous scholar died at ,aleppo1 on the #aith of ,august1 #ahgf1 at or about the hour of six in the afternoon4 ,on the same day1 and at about the same time1 a friend and fellow-worker of ,mr4 ,smith's--,dr4 ,delitzsch--was passing within a stone's-throw of the house in which ,mr4 ,smith had lived whilst in ,london1 when he suddenly heard his own name uttered aloud in a most piercing cry1 which1 says ,the ,daily ,news 7,sept4 #abth1 #ahgf7 thrilled him to the marrow4 ,the fact impressed him so strongly that he looked at his watch1 noted the hour1 and1 although he did not mention the circumstance at the time1 recorded it in his note-book4 ,again1 as a further illustration1 we are told how on board one of ,her ,majesty's ships lying off ,portsmouth1 the officers being one day at mess1 a young lieutenant suddenly laid down his knife and fork1 pushed away his plate1 and turned extremely pale4 ,he then rose from the table1 covered his face with his hands1 and retired4 ,the president of the mess1 supposing him to be ill1 sent to make inquiries4 ,at first he was unwilling to reply2 but on being pressed he confessed that he had been seized by a sudden and irresistible impression that a brother he had in ,india was dead4 ,he died1 said he1 on the #abth ,august1 at six o'clock2 ,i am perfectly convinced of it4 ,no argument could overthrow his conviction1 which in due course of time was verified to the letter4 ,events of this kind1 which in the minds of many seem to point to a mysterious sympathy between two individuals1 are explained by others as simply the result of fancy and coincidence4 ,any one1 it is argued1 may fall into a brown study1 and emerge from it with a stare1 and the notion that he heard his name spoken4 ,that is the part of fancy1 and the simultaneous event is the part of coincidence4 ,against this theory it will always be argued that these coincidences are too many to be accidental1 and this position1 as a writer in ,the ,daily ,news has shown1 will generally be met by counter-efforts to weaken the evidence for each individual case1 and so to reduce the cumulative evidence to nothing4 ,taking into consideration however1 the countless instances which are on record of this kind1 many of them apparently resting on evidence beyond impeachment1 we must1 whilst allotting to them the credence they deserve1 honestly admit they are occasionally beyond the limits of human explanation4 ,from a very early period there has existed a belief in the existence of the power of prophecy at that period which precedes death4 ,it probably took its origin in the assumed fact that the soul becomes divine in the same rate as the connection with the body is loosened4 ,it has been urged in support of this theory that at the hour of death the soul is1 as it were1 on the confines of two worlds1 and may possibly at the same moment possess a power which is both prospective and retrospective4 ,shakespeare in his ,richard ,,ii4 7,act ii41 sc4 #a7 makes the dying ,gaunt1 alluding to his nephew1 the young and self-willed king1 exclaim3-- ,methinks ,i am a prophet new inspired1 ,and thus expiring do foretell of him4 ,again in #a ,henry ,,iv4 7,act v41 sc4 #d71 the brave ,percy1 when in the agonies of death1 conveys the same idea in the following words3-- ,o1 ,i could prophesy1 ,but that the earthy and cold hand of death ,lies on my tongue4 ,some have sought for the foundation of this belief in the forty-ninth chapter of ,genesis3--,and ,jacob called his sons1 and said1 ,gather yourselves together1 that ,i may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days4 ,and when ,jacob had made an end of commanding his sons1 he gathered up his feet into his bed1 and yielded up the ghost1 and was gathered unto his people4 ,this notion has not died out1 but still prevails in ,lancashire and other parts of ,england4 ,referring to death itself1 there is a widespread belief that deaths mostly occur during the ebbing of the tide3 a superstition to which ,charles ,dickens has so touchingly alluded in ,david ,copperfield4 ,while the honest-hearted ,mr4 ,peggotty sat by the bedside of poor ,barkis1 and watched life's flame gradually growing dimmer1 he said to ,david ,copperfield1 ,people can't die along the coast except when the tide's pretty nigh out4 ,they can't be born unless it's pretty nigh in4 ,not properly born till flood4 ,he's agoing out with the tide--he's agoing out with the tide4 ,it's ebb at half-arter three1 slack water half an hour4 ,if he lives till it turns1 he'll hold his own till past the flood1 and go out with the next tide4 ,and after many hours' watching1 it being low water1 he went out with the tide4 ,persons1 too1 are said to die hard1 to quote a popular phrase1 or1 in other words1 to have a painful and prolonged death1 when there are pigeons' feathers in the bed4 ,hence1 some will not allow dying persons to lie on a feather bed at all1 maintaining that it very much increases the pain1 and retards the inevitable crisis of their departure4 ,many1 on the other hand1 have a superstitious feeling that it is a great misfortune1 nay1 even a judgment1 not to die in a bed4 ,many are the anecdotes illustrative of the former superstition1 one or two of which we will quote4 ,thus a ,sussex nurse one day told the wife of her clergyman that never did she see any one die so hard as old ,master ,short2 and at last she thought 7though his daughter said there were none7 that there must be game-feathers in the bed4 ,she1 therefore1 tried to pull it from under him1 but he was a heavy man and she could not manage it alone1 and there was no one with him but herself1 and so she got a rope and tied it round him and pulled him by it off the bed1 and he went off in a minute quite comfortable1 just like a lamb4 ,again1 one day1 when an old woman near ,yarmouth was speaking of the burning of game-feathers as a precaution in case of death1 her neighbours said to her1 ,of course we don't believe that can have anything to do with a hard death1 whereupon she replied1 ,then you yourself use such feathers4 ,oh1 no2 we always burn them1 unless we want them for a chair-cushion4 ,the same notion prevails in ,yorkshire with regard to cocks' feathers4 ,according to another popular fancy a person cannot die comfortably under the cross-beam of a house1 and we are told of the case of a man of whom it was said at his death1 that after many hours' hard dying1 being removed from the position under the cross-beam1 he departed peaceably4 ,again1 the interval between death and burial has generally been associated with various superstitious fears and practices4 ,thus1 as soon as the corpse is laid out there is still a widespread custom of placing a plate of salt upon the breast1 the reason being no doubt to prevent the body swelling2 although there is a belief that it acts as a charm against any attempt on the part of evil spirits to disturb the body4 ,pennant tells us that formerly in ,scotland1 the corpse being stretched on a board and covered with a coarse linen wrapper1 the friends laid on the breast of the deceased a wooden platter1 containing a small quantity of salt and earth1 separate and unmixed2 the earth an emblem of the corruptible body1 the salt as an emblem of the immortal spirit4 ,mr4 ,napier1 in his ,folk-,lore of the ,west of ,scotland1 points out that we may find another explanation for the plate of salt on the breast in the sin-eaters1 persons who1 in days gone by1 when a person died1 were sent for to come and eat the sins of the deceased4 ,on their arrival their first act was to place a plate of salt and one of bread on the breast of the corpse1 repeating a series of incantations1 after which they devoured the contents of the plates4 ,by this ceremony the deceased person was supposed to be relieved of such sins as would have kept his spirit hovering about his relations to their discomfort and annoyance4 ,it is customary1 especially among the poor1 for those who visit a house while the dead body is lying in it to touch the corpse1 thereby showing that they owe the departed one no grudge4 ,this practice1 in all probability1 originated in the belief that a corpse would bleed at the touch of the murderer1 constant allusions to which we find in old authors4 ,the practice of watching the dead body until its burial is not yet obsolete1 a custom indeed which1 among the ,irish1 is even still occasionally the scene of the most unseemly revelries1 those present oftentimes indulging in excessive drinking and riotous merry-making4 ,in days gone by1 however1 this practice was attended with every mark of respect to the deceased one1 the leading idea being to see that the devil did not carry off the body4 ,lastly1 since the formation of cemeteries1 many of the quaint old funeral customs which formerly existed in many of our country villages have passed away4 ,now-a-days1 the last act1 as the committal of the body to the grave has been termed1 has been shorn of much of its pomp4 ,thus1 in the ,north of ,england it was customary1 only a few years ago1 to carry the dead with the sun to the grave1 a practice corresponding with the ,highland usage of making the deazil1 or walking three times round a person1 according to the course of the sun4 ,on one occasion1 in the village of ,stranton1 near ,west ,hartlepool1 the vicar was standing at the churchyard gate1 awaiting the arrival of the funeral procession1 when1 much to his surprise1 the entire group1 who had come within a few yards of him1 suddenly turned back and marched round the churchyard wall1 thus traversing its west1 north1 and east boundaries4 ,on inquiring the reason of this extraordinary procedure1 one of the mourners quickly replied1 ,why1 ye wad no hae them carry the dead again the sun2 the dead maun ay go wi' the sun4 ,this is not unlike a ,welsh custom mentioned by ,pennant1 who tells us that when a corpse was conveyed to the churchyard from any part of the town1 great care was always taken that it should be carried the whole distance on the right-hand side of the road4 ,a curious custom1 which still survives at ,welsh funerals1 is termed the parson's penny4 ,after reading the burial service in the church1 the clergyman stands behind a table while a psalm is being sung4 ,in the meantime each of the mourners places a piece of money on the table for his acceptance4 ,this ceremony is regarded as a token of respect to the deceased1 although it was no doubt originally intended to compensate the clergyman for praying for the soul of the departed4 ,in some ,welsh parishes a similar custom1 called spade-money1 is observed4 ,as soon as the corpse has been committed to its resting-place1 the grave-digger presents his spade as a receptacle for donations1 these offerings1 which often amount to a goodly sum1 being regarded as his perquisites4 ,from time immemorial there has been a popular prejudice among the inhabitants of rural villages against burial without the sanctuary4 ,this does not imply in unconsecrated ground1 but on the north side of the church1 or in a remote corner of the churchyard4 ,the origin of this repugnance is said to have been the notion that the northern part was that which was appropriated to the interment of unbaptised infants1 excommunicated persons1 or such as had laid violent hands upon themselves4 ,hence it was generally known as the wrong side of the church4 ,in many parishes1 therefore1 this spot remained unoccupied while the remaining portion of the churchyard was crowded4 ,white1 in his ,history of ,selborne1 alluding to this superstition1 says that as most people wished to be buried on the south side of the churchyard1 it became such a mass of mortality that no person could be interred without disturbing or displacing the bones of his ancestors4 ,a clergyman of a rural parish in ,norfolk says3--,if ,i were on any occasion to urge a parishioner to inter a deceased relative on the north side of the church1 he would answer me with some expression of surprise1 if not of offence1 at the proposal1 ',no1 sir1 it is not in the sanctuary4' ,great attention has1 also1 generally been paid to the position of the grave1 the popular idea being from east to west1 while that from north to south has been considered not only dishonourable1 but unlucky4 ,indeed1 the famous antiquary1 ,thomas ,hearne1 was so particular on this point that he left orders for his grave to be made straight by a compass1 due east and west4 ,in ,cymbeline 7,act iv41 sc4 #b71 ,guiderius1 speaking of the apparently dead body of ,imogen disguised in man's apparel1 says3-- ,nay1 ,cadwal1 we must lay his head to the east2 ,my father hath a reason for 't4 ,it is worthy of notice that the burial of the dead among the ,greeks was in the line of east and west2 and thus it is not to late and isolated fancy1 but to the carrying on of ancient and widespread solar ideas1 as ,mr4 ,tylor has so clearly shown1 that we trace the well-known legend that the body of ,christ was laid towards the east1 and the ,christian usage of digging graves east and west4 ,a pretty custom was once observed in many of our country villages at the funeral of a young unmarried girl1 or of a bride who died in her honeymoon2 a chaplet of flowers being carried before the corpse by a girl nearest in age1 size1 and resemblance1 and afterwards hung up in the church over the accustomed seat of the deceased4 ,among other customs connected with burial may be mentioned funeral feasts1 which have prevailed in this and other countries from the earliest times1 and are supposed to have been borrowed from the ,coena feralis of the ,romans3 an offering1 consisting of milk1 honey1 wine1 aloes1 and strewed flowers1 to the ghost of the deceased4 ,in a variety of forms this custom has prevailed amongst most nations1 the idea being that the spirits of the dead feed on the viands set before them4 ,in ,christian times1 however1 these funeral offerings have passed into commemorative banquets1 under which form they still exist amongst us4 ,in the north of ,england the funeral feast is called an arval1 and the loaves that are sometimes distributed among the poor are termed arval bread4 ,the poor seem to have always been fond of inviting a large number of friends to attend a funeral4 ,instances are on record of a barrel of beer1 two gallons of sack1 and four gallons of claret being consumed at a funeral1 and the cost of wine has been five times more than the cost of the coffin4 ,in one of the parishes on the borders of ,norfolk there is a tradition1 says ,mr4 ,glyde in his ,norfolk ,garland1 that when the warrior ,sir ,robert ,atte ,tye was buried1 four dozen of wine were drunk1 according to his last directions1 over his grave1 before the coffin was covered with earth4 ,many curious anecdotes might be given of funerals having been solemnised within the church-porch1 and of the scruples entertained by great men as to the practice of interment in churches4 ,a part of the churchyard1 too1 was occasionally left unconsecrated for the purpose of burying excommunicated persons4 ,among some of the superstitions associated with burial we may just note that it is considered by some unlucky to meet a funeral2 and that1 according to another notion1 the ghost of the last person buried keeps watch over the churchyard till another is buried1 to whom he delivers his charge4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,human ,,body4 ,superstitions about ,deformity1 ,moles1 c4--,tingling of the ,ear--,the ,nose--,the ,eye--,the ,teeth--,the ,hair--,the ,hand--,dead ,man's ,hand--,the ,feet4 ,in the preceding pages we have given a brief survey of that widespread folk-lore with which the life of man has been invested1 stage by stage1 from the cradle to the grave4 ,in like manner the popular imagination has1 in most countries from the earliest times1 woven round the human body a thick network of superstitions1 many of which1 while of the nature of omens1 are supposed to indicate certain facts1 such as the person's character1 the events connected with his life1 and to give that insight into his future career which eager curiosity would strive to ascertain4 ,thus1 according to an old prejudice1 which is not quite extinct1 those who are defective or deformed are marked by nature as prone to mischief1 in accordance with which notion ,shakespeare makes ,margaret1 speaking of ,richard1 ,duke of ,gloucester1 in ,king ,richard ,,iii4 7,act i41 sc4 #c71 say3-- ,thou elvish-mark'd1 abortive1 rotting hog ,thou that was seal'd in thy nativity ,the slave of nature and the son of hell4 ,moles1 too1 have generally been thought to denote good or ill-luck from their position on the body4 ,thus one on the throat is a sign of luck1 but one on the left side of the forehead near the hair is just the reverse4 ,again1 a mole on either the chin1 ear1 or neck is an indication of riches1 but one on the breast signifies poverty4 ,indeed1 if we are to believe the ,greenwich ,fortune-teller1 a popular chap-book in former years1 omens to be drawn from moles are almost unlimited4 ,referring1 however1 more especially to the folk-lore associated with the different parts of the human body1 this1 as we have already stated1 is very extensive1 being in many cases the legacy bequeathed to us by our ancestors4 ,commencing1 then1 with the ear1 there is a well-known superstition that a tingling of the right one is lucky1 denoting that a friend is speaking well of one2 a tingling of the left implying the opposite4 ,this notion differs according to the locality1 as in some places it is the tingling of the left ear which denotes the friend1 and the tingling of the right ear the enemy4 ,shakespeare1 in ,much ,ado about ,nothing 7,act iii41 sc4 #a71 makes ,beatrice say to ,ursula and ,hero1 who had been talking of her1 ,what fire is in mine ears8 in allusion1 it is generally supposed1 to this popular fancy1 which is old as the time of ,pliny1 who says1 ,when our ears tingle some one is talking of us in our absence4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne also ascribes the idea to the belief in guardian angels1 who touch the right or left ear according as the conversation is favourable or not to the person4 ,the ,scotch peasantry have an omen called the death-bell--a tingling in the ears which is believed to announce some friend's death4 ,hogg alludes to this superstition in his ,mountain ,bard3-- ,o lady1 'tis dark1 an' ,i heard the death-bell1 ,an' ,i darena gae yonder for gowd nor fee1 and gives also an amusing anecdote illustrative of it3--,our two servant-girls agreed to go on an errand of their own1 one night after supper1 to a considerable distance1 from which ,i strove to persuade them1 but could not prevail2 so1 after going to the apartment where ,i slept1 ,i took a drinking-glass1 and coming close to the back of the door made two or three sweeps round the lip of the glass with my finger1 which caused a loud shrill sound1 and then overheard the following dialogue3-- ,b4 ',ah1 mercy6 the dead-bell went through my head just now with such a knell as ,i never heard4' ,i4 ',i heard it too4' ,b4 ',did you indeed8 ,that is remarkable4 ,i never knew of two hearing it at the same time before4' ,i4 ',we will not go to ,midgehope to-night4' ,b4 ',i would not go for all the world6 ,i shall warrant it is my poor brother ,wat4 ,who knows what these wild ,irish may have done to him8' ,the itching of the nose1 like that of the ears1 is not without its signification1 denoting that a stranger will certainly appear before many hours have passed by1 in allusion to which ,dekker1 in his ,honest ,whore1 says3--,we shall ha' guests to-day2 my nose itcheth so4 ,in the north of ,england1 however1 if the nose itches it is reckoned a sign that the person will either be crossed1 vexed1 or kissed by a fool2 whereas an old writer tells us that when a man's nose itcheth it is a signe he shall drink wine4 ,many omens1 too1 are gathered from bleeding of the nose4 ,thus ,grose says1 ,one drop of blood from the nose commonly foretells death or a very severe fit of sickness2 three drops are still more ominous2 and according to another notion one drop from the left nostril is a sign of good luck1 and vice vers4 ,bleeding of the nose seems also to have been regarded as a sign of love1 if we may judge from a passage in ,boulster's ,lectures1 published early in the seventeenth century3--',did my nose ever bleed when ,i was in your company8' and1 poor wretch1 just as she spake this1 to show her true heart1 her nose fell a-bleeding4 ,again1 that bleeding of the nose was looked upon as ominous in days gone by1 we may gather from ,launcelot's exclamation in the ,merchant of ,venice 7,act ii41 sc4 #e71 ,it was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on ,black ,monday last at six o'clock--a superstition to which many of our old writers refer4 ,among further superstitions connected with the nose we may mention one in ,cornwall1 known as the blue vein1 an illustration of which occurs in ,mr4 ,hunt's ,popular ,romances of the ,west of ,england1 who relates the following little anecdote3--,a fond mother was paying more than ordinary attention to a fine healthy-looking child1 a boy about three years old4 ,the poor woman's breast was heaving with emotion1 and she struggled to repress her sighs4 ,upon inquiring if anything was really wrong1 she said1 ',the old lady of the house had just told her that the child could not live long because he had a blue vein across his nose4' ,this piece of folk-lore1 which caused the anxious mother such distress1 is not confined to the ,west of ,england1 but crops up here and there throughout the country4 ,while speaking of the nose1 we may just note that it is the subject of various proverbs4 ,thus to put the nose out of joint means to supplant one in another's favour1 and the popular one of paying through the nose1 implying extortion1 may1 it has been suggested1 have originated in a poll-tax levied by ,odin1 which was called in ,sweden a nose-tax1 and was a penny per nose or poll4 ,once more1 we have the term nose of wax applied to a person who is very accommodating1 and one may occasionally hear the phrase wipe the nose used in the sense of affront4 ,leaving the nose1 however1 we find similar odd fancies attached to the eye4 ,in many places we are told that it's a good thing to have meeting eyebrows1 as such a person will never know trouble1 although1 curious to say1 on the ,continent quite a different significance is attributed to this peculiarity4 ,in ,greece1 for instance1 it is held as an omen that the man is a vampire1 and in ,denmark and ,germany it is said to indicate that he is a werewolf4 ,in ,china1 also1 there is a proverb that people whose eyebrows meet can never expect to attain to the dignity of a minister of state4 ,there can be no doubt that1 according to the general idea1 meeting eyebrows are not considered lucky3-- ,trust not the man whose eyebrows meet1 ,for in his heart you'll find deceit4 ,thus1 ,charles ,kingsley1 in ,two ,years ,ago1 speaks of this idea in the following passage3--,tom began carefully scrutinising ,mrs4 ,harvey's face4 ,it had been very handsome4 ,it was still very clever1 but the eyebrows clashed together downwards above her nose1 and rising higher at the outward corners1 indicated1 as surely as the restless down-drop eye1 a character self-conscious1 furtive1 capable of great inconsistencies1 possibly of great deceit4 ,again1 the itching of the right eye is considered a lucky omen1 an idea that is very old1 and may be traced as far back as the time of ,theocritus1 who says3-- ,my right eye itches now1 and ,i shall see my love4 ,according to the antiquary ,grose1 however1 who collected together so many of the superstitions prevalent in his day1 ,when the right eye itches1 the party affected will shortly cry2 if the left1 they will laugh4 ,the power of fascination has generally been considered to be a peculiar quality of the eye1 a notion by no means obsolete1 and numerous charms have been resorted to for counteracting its influence4 ,in our chapter on ,birth and ,infancy we have already spoken of the danger to which young children are said to be subject from the malevolent power of some evil eye1 and of the pernicious effects resulting from it4 ,shakespeare gives several references to it1 one of which occurs in the ,merry ,wives of ,windsor 7,act v41 sc4 #e71 where ,pistol says of ,falstaff3-- ,vile worm1 thou wast o'erlook'd even in thy birth4 ,and once more1 in ,titus ,andronicus 7,act ii41 sc4 #a71 ,aaron speaks of ,tamora as ----fetter'd in amorous chains-- ,and faster bound to ,aaron's charming eyes1 ,than is ,prometheus tied to ,caucasus4 ,it was not very long ago that a curious case of this superstition was brought before the guardians of the ,shaftesbury ,union1 in which an applicant for relief stated his inability to work because he had been overlooked by his sister-in-law4 ,although his wife had resorted for help to a wise-woman1 yet she was unable to remove the spell under which he lay1 and thus the unfortunate man1 incapable of labour1 applied for relief1 which he did not obtain4 ,in the next place1 some of the superstitions connected with the teeth are quaint1 and afford opportunities to the credulous for drawing omens of various kinds4 ,thus1 to dream about teeth is held to be a warning that sorrow of some kind is at hand2 and it is even unluckier still to dream of one's teeth falling out4 ,it is also frequently the custom1 for the sake of luck1 to throw a tooth when extracted into the fire1 a practice which1 as we have already seen1 is frequently most scrupulously kept up in the case of young children1 to make sure of the remainder of their teeth coming properly4 ,furthermore1 to have teeth wide apart is a sign of prosperity1 and is said to indicate one's future happiness in life4 ,as an instance of this piece of folk-lore we may quote the following1 narrated by a correspondent in ,notes and ,queries3--,a young lady the other day1 in reply to an observation of mine1 ',what a lucky girl you are6' replied1 ',so they used to say ,i should be when at school4' ',why8' ',because my teeth were set so far apart2 it was a sure sign ,i should be lucky and travel4' ,trivial as many of these superstitions may seem1 yet they are interesting1 inasmuch as they show how minutely the imagination has at different times surrounded the human body with countless items of odd notions1 some of which in all probability originated from practical experience1 while others have been the result of a thousand circumstances1 to ascertain the history of which would be a matter of long and elaborate research4 ,passing on to the hair1 there is a popular notion that sudden fright or violent distress will1 to use ,sir ,walter ,scott's words1 blanch at once the hair4 ,thus1 in ,shakespeare's #a ,henry ,,iv4 7,act ii41 sc4 #d71 ,falstaff1 in his speech to ,prince ,henry1 says3-- ,thy father's beard is turned white with the news4 ,although this has been styled a whimsical notion1 yet in its support various instances of its occurrence have been from time to time recorded4 ,the hair of ,ludwig of ,bavaria1 for example1 it is said1 became almost suddenly white as snow on his learning the innocence of his wife1 whom he had caused to be put to death on a suspicion of infidelity2 and the same thing1 we are told1 happened to ,charles ,i4 in a single night1 when he attempted to escape from ,carisbrooke ,castle4 ,a similar story is told of the unfortunate ,marie ,antoinette1 when her flight from ,france was checked at ,varennes4 ,according to another notion1 excessive fear has occasionally caused the hair to stand on end1 a belief which ,shakespeare has recorded4 ,in ,hamlet 7,act iii41 sc4 #d71 in that famous passage where the ,queen is at a loss to understand her son's mysterious conduct and strange appearance1 during his conversation with the ghost which is hidden to her eyes1 she says3-- ,and1 as the sleeping soldiers in th' alarm1 ,your bedded hair1 like life in excrements1 ,starts up1 and stands on end4 ,once more1 too1 in that graphic scene in the ,tempest 7,act i41 sc4 #b71 where ,ariel describes the shipwreck1 he says3-- ,all but mariners ,plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel1 ,then all afire with me2 the king's son1 ,ferdinand1 ,with hair up-staring--then like reeds1 not hair-- ,was the first man that leap'd4 ,the sudden loss of hair is considered unlucky1 being said to prognosticate the loss of children1 health1 or property2 whereas many consider it imprudent to throw it away1 or to leave the smallest scrap lying about4 ,one reason assigned for this notion is that if hair is left about1 birds might build their nests with it1 a fatal thing for the person from whose head it has fallen4 ,thus1 should a magpie use it for any such purpose--by no means an unlikely circumstance--the person's death will be sure to happen within a year and a day4 ,some say1 again1 that hair should never be burnt1 but only buried1 a superstition founded on a tradition that at the resurrection its owner will come in search of it4 ,on the other hand1 it is customary with some persons to throw a piece of their hair into the fire1 drawing various omens from the way it burns4 ,should it gradually smoulder away1 it is an omen of death2 but its burning brightly is a sign of longevity1 and the brighter the flame the longer the life4 ,in ,devonshire1 too1 if the hair grows down on the forehead and retreats up the head above the temples1 it is considered an indication that the person will have a long life4 ,there is a very prevalent idea that persons who have much hair or down on their arms are1 to quote the common expression1 born to be rich1 although the exception1 in this as in many other similar cases1 rather proves the rule2 but abundance of hair on the head has been supposed to denote a lack of brains1 from whence arose an odd proverb1 ,bush natural1 more hair than wit4 ,once more1 ,judas is said to have had red hair1 and hence1 from time immemorial1 there has been a strong antipathy to it4 ,shakespeare1 in ,as ,you ,like ,it 7,act iii41 sc4 #d71 alludes to this belief1 when he makes ,rosalind say of ,orlando3-- ,his very hair is of the dissembling colour4 ,to which ,celia replies3-- ,something browner than ,judas's4 ,it has been conjectured1 however1 that the odium attached to red hair took its origin in this country from the aversion felt to the red-haired ,danes4 ,one reason1 perhaps1 more than another why this dislike to it arose1 originated in the circumstance that the colour was thought ugly and unfashionable1 and the antipathy to it1 therefore1 would naturally be increased by this opinion4 ,thus1 in course of time1 a red beard was also held in contempt1 and was regarded as an infallible token of a vile disposition4 ,yellow hair1 too1 was formerly esteemed a deformity1 and in ancient tapestries both ,cain and ,judas are represented with yellow beards1 in allusion to which1 in the ,merry ,wives of ,windsor 7,act i41 sc4 #d71 ,simple1 when interrogated1 says of his master1 ,he hath but a little wee face1 with a little yellow beard--a ,cain-coloured beard4 ,while alluding to beards1 we may note that in former years they gave rise to various customs1 many of which1 however1 have long ago fallen into disuse4 ,thus1 dyeing beards was a common practice1 and our readers may recollect how ,bottom1 in ,a ,midsummer ,night's ,dream 7,act i41 sc4 #b71 is perplexed as to what beard he should wear in performing his part before the ,duke4 ,he says1 ,i will discharge it either in your straw-coloured beard1 your orange-tawny beard1 your purple-in-grain beard1 or your ,french-crown-colour beard1 your perfect yellow4 ,it was evidently quite as much the habit for gentlemen to dye their beards in ,shakespeare's day as it is said to be for ladies to dye their locks now-a-days4 ,when beards1 too1 were the fashion1 to mutilate or cut off one was considered an irreparable outrage4 ,pursuing our subject1 we find that the cheek is not without its quota of folk-lore2 for1 like the ear1 nose1 and eye1 it is considered ominous when one's cheek itches4 ,according to ,grose1 ,if the right cheek burns1 some one is speaking to the person's advantage2 if the left1 to their disadvantage4 ,one may still occasionally hear the following charm uttered by a person whose cheek suddenly burns3-- ,right cheek6 left cheek6 why do you burn8 ,cursed be she that doth me any harm2 ,if she be a maid1 let her be staid2 ,if she be a widow1 long let her mourn2 ,but if it be my own true love--burn1 cheek1 burn4 ,again1 the hand has been honoured with a very extensive folk-lore1 and the following extract from an old writer shows that nearly every peculiarity of the hand has been made emblematical of some personal trait of character4 ,thus1 we are told3--,a great thick hand signifies one not only strong1 but stout2 a little slender hand1 one not only weak1 but timorous2 a long hand and long fingers betoken a man not only apt for mechanical artifice1 but liberally ingenious4 ,those short1 on the contrary1 note a fool1 and fit for nothing2 a hard brawny hand signifies one dull and rude2 a soft hand1 one witty1 but effeminate2 a hairy hand1 one luxurious4 ,long joints signify generosity2 yet1 if they be thick withal1 one not so ingenious4 ,the often clapping and folding of the hands note covetousness2 and their much moving in speech1 loquacity4 ,short and fat fingers mark a man out as intemperate and silly2 but long and lean1 as witty4 ,if his fingers crook upward1 that shows him liberal2 if downward1 niggardly4 ,long nails and crooked signify one to be brutish1 ravenous1 and unchaste2 very short nails1 pale and sharp1 show him subtle and beguiling4 ,among other omens1 we are told that the itching of the right hand signifies that it will shortly receive money1 whereas if the left hand be the one to itch1 it is a sign that money will before very many days have to be paid away4 ,in ,suffolk the peasants have the following rhyme on the subject3-- ,if your hand itches1 ,you're going to take riches2 ,rub it on wood1 ,sure to come good2 ,rub it on iron1 ,sure to come flying2 ,rub it on brass1 ,sure to come to pass2 ,rub it on steel1 ,sure to come a deal2 ,rub it on tin1 ,sure to come agin4 ,a moist hand is said to denote an amorous constitution1 and in #b ,henry ,,iv4 7,act i41 sc4 #b71 the ,lord ,chief ,justice enumerates a dry hand among the characteristics of age and debility4 ,palmistry1 or divination by means of the hands1 a species of fortune-telling still much practised1 we have already described in another chapter4 ,a superstition1 however1 which we must not omit to mention1 is the practice of rubbing with a dead hand for the purpose of taking away disease1 instances of which1 even now-a-days1 are of occasional occurrence4 ,mr4 ,henderson mentions a case that happened about the year #ahec4 ,the wife of a pitman at ,castle ,eden ,colliery1 who was suffering from a wen in the neck1 went alone1 according to advice given her by a wise woman1 and lay all night in the out-house1 with the hand of a corpse on her wen4 ,she had been assured that the hand of a suicide was an infallible cure4 ,the shock1 at any rate1 to her nervous system from that terrible night was so great that she did not rally for some months1 and eventually she died from the wen4 ,as a further specimen of this incredible superstition1 we may quote the following case1 which happened some years ago in an ,eastern county4 ,a little girl of about eight years of age had from birth been troubled with scrofulous disease1 and had been reared with great difficulty4 ,her friends consulted the wise man of the neighbourhood1 who told the mother that if she took the girl and rubbed her naked body all over with the hand of a dead man she would be cured4 ,the experiment was tried1 and the poor little girl was nearly killed with fright1 and1 of course1 made no progress whatever towards health4 ,many of our readers are1 no doubt1 acquainted with the famous dead man's hand1 which was formerly kept at ,bryn ,hall1 in ,lancashire4 ,it is said to have been the hand of ,father ,arrowsmith1 a priest who1 according to some accounts1 was put to death for his religion in the time of ,william ,,iii4 ,preserved with great care in a white silken bag1 this hand was resorted to by many diseased persons1 and wonderful cures are reported to have been effected by this saintly relic4 ,thus1 we are told of a woman who1 afflicted with the small-pox1 had this dead hand in bed with her every night for six weeks2 and of a poor lad who was rubbed with it for the cure of scrofulous sores4 ,it is1 indeed1 generally supposed that practices of this kind are rare and of exceptional occurrence1 but they are far more common than might be imagined1 although not recorded in newspapers4 ,this is1 however1 in a great measure owing to the fact that those who believe in and have recourse to such rites observe secresy1 for fear of meeting with ridicule from others4 ,the nails1 also1 as we have mentioned in our chapter on ,childhood1 have their folk-lore1 the little specks which are seen on them being regarded as ominous4 ,many have their particular days for cutting the nails4 ,of the numerous rhymes on the subject1 we may quote the following as a specimen1 from which it will be seen that every day has its peculiar virtue3-- ,cut them on ,monday1 you cut them for health2 ,cut them on ,tuesday1 you cut them for wealth2 ,cut them on ,wednesday1 you cut them for news2 ,cut them on ,thursday1 a new pair of shoes2 ,cut them on ,friday1 you cut them for sorrow2 ,cut them on ,saturday1 see your true love to-morrow2 ,cut them on ,sunday1 the devil will be with you all the week4 ,this old rhyming-saw differs in various localities1 although in the main points it is the same2 as by general consent both ,friday and ,sunday are regarded as most inauspicious days for cutting both the nails and hair4 ,once more1 to sit cross-legged is said to produce good fortune2 and occasionally at a card-table one may find some superstitiously-inclined person sitting in this attitude with a view of securing good luck4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 on the contrary1 tells us that in days gone to sit cross-legged1 or with the fingers pectinated or shut together1 was accounted a sign of bad luck3 a superstition alluded to by ,pliny4 ,referring to the feet1 we cannot do more than just allude to two or three items of folk-lore with which they are connected4 ,thus1 a flat-footed person is generally considered to have a bad temper1 a notion indeed which daily experience often proves to be incorrect4 ,the itching of the foot has been supposed to indicate that its owner will shortly undertake a strange journey2 while that unpleasant sensation popularly styled the foot going to sleep1 is often charmed away by crossing the foot with saliva4 ,when the division between the toes is incomplete1 and they are partially joined1 they are called twin toes1 and are said to bring good luck4 ,this section of our ,domestic ,folk-lore might have been prolonged to an almost indefinite extent had space permitted1 but as the preceding pages amply bear witness to the prevalence of such ideas1 we will proceed to discuss another1 and1 it is to be hoped1 not less interesting class of superstitions4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,dress4 ,new ,clothes at ,easter and ,whitsuntide--,wearing of ,clothes--,the ,clothes of the ,dead--,the ,apron1 ,stockings1 ,garters1 c4--,the ,shoe--,the ,glove--,the ,ring--,pins4 ,one would scarcely expect to find a host of odd fancies attached to such matter-of-fact necessities as articles of dress1 but yet they hold a prominent place in our domestic folk-lore4 ,however trivial at first sight these may seem1 they are nevertheless interesting1 in so far as they illustrate certain features of our social history1 and show from another point of view how superstition is interwoven with all that appertains to human life4 ,beginning1 then1 with a well-known piece of folk-lore1 most persons wear new clothes on ,easter-,day1 mindful of the old admonition3-- ,at ,easter let your clothes be new1 ,or else be sure you will it rue --a notion that still retains its hold on the popular mind1 few being found bold enough to transgress this long-rooted custom4 ,in the ,north of ,england1 so strong is the feeling on this point1 that young people rarely omit visiting the nearest market-town prior to ,eastertide1 to buy some new article of dress or personal ornament1 as otherwise they believe the birds--notably rooks--will spoil their clothes4 ,a similar fancy prevails with regard to ,whitsuntide1 and many would consider that they had forfeited their good luck for the next twelve months if they did not appear in new things on ,whitsunday4 ,the superstitions relating to clothes are very numerous1 varying in different localities4 ,thus1 according to a ,suffolk notion1 if you have your clothes mended on your back1 you will be ill-spoken of1 or as they say in ,sussex1 you will come to want4 ,again1 many before putting on a new coat or dress1 take care to place some money in the right-hand pocket1 as this insures its always being full4 ,if by mistake1 however1 the money is put in the left-hand pocket1 then the person will never have a penny so long as the coat lasts4 ,it is also a very prevalent belief that if one would secure luck with any article of dress1 it must be worn for the first time at church4 ,equal attention1 too1 is paid by many to the way they put on each article of dress--as1 in case of its being accidentally inside out1 it is considered an omen of success4 ,it is necessary1 however1 if one wishes the omen to hold good1 to wear the reversed portion of attire with the wrong side out till the regular time comes for taking it off4 ,if reversed earlier1 the luck is immediately lost4 ,the idea of the hind-side before is so closely related to that of inside out1 that one can hardly understand their being taken for contrary omens2 yet1 ,it is worthy of remark1 in connection with this superstition1 says a correspondent of ,chambers's ,book of ,days1 that when ,william the ,conqueror1 in arming himself for the battle of ,hastings1 happened to put on his shirt of mail with the hind-side before1 the bystanders seem to have been shocked by it1 as by an ill-omen1 till ,william claimed it as a good one1 betokening that he was to be changed from a duke to a king4 ,another piece of superstition tells us that the clothes of the dead never last very long1 but that as the body decays1 so in the same degree do the garments and linen which belonged to the deceased4 ,hence1 in ,essex there is a popular saying to the effect that the clothes of the dead always wear full of holes4 ,when therefore a person dies1 and the relatives1 it may be1 give away the clothes to the poor1 one may frequently hear a remark of this kind1 ,ah1 they may look very well1 but they won't wear2 they belong to the dead4 ,a similar belief prevails in ,denmark1 where a corpse is not allowed to be buried in the clothes of a living person1 lest as the clothes rot in the grave1 that person to whom they belonged should waste away and perish4 ,in accordance also with a superstition prevalent in the ,netherlands1 the rings of a dead friend or relative are never given away1 as it is a sure sign that the giver too will soon die4 ,an absurd notion exists in many parts--one much credited by our country peasantry--that if a mother gives away all the baby's clothes in her possession1 she will be sure to have another addition to her family1 although the event may be contrary to all expectation4 ,among other items of folk-lore associated with clothes1 we may mention that in the ,north of ,england to put a button or hook into the wrong hole while one is dressing in the morning1 is held to be a warning that some misfortune will happen in the course of the day2 and in ,northamptonshire it is said that servants who go to their places in black will never stay the year out4 ,a ,dorsetshire superstition is that if a gentleman accidentally burns the tail of his coat1 or a lady the hem of her skirt1 during a visit at a friend's house1 it is a proof they will repeat their visit4 ,another article of dress that has its superstitions is the apron1 which some women turn before the new moon1 to insure good luck for the ensuing month4 ,in ,yorkshire1 when a married woman's apron falls off1 it is a sign that something is coming to vex her2 when1 however1 the apron of an unmarried girl drops down1 she is frequently the object of laughter1 as there is considered no surer sign than that she is thinking about her sweetheart4 ,again1 if a young woman's petticoats are longer than her dress1 this is a proof that her mother does not love her so much as her father1 a notion which extends as far as ,scotland4 ,this piece of folk-lore may have originated in the mother not attending so much to the child's dress as was her duty1 whereas1 however much the father may love his child1 he may at the same time be perfectly ignorant of the rights and wrongs of female attire3 an excuse which does not hold good in the case of the mother4 ,some of the descriptions of plants in use among the rural peasantry refer to the petticoat4 ,thus1 the poppy is said to have a red petticoat and a green gown2 the daffodil1 a yellow petticoat and green gown1 and so on2 these fancies being the subject of many of our old nursery rhymes1 as1 for instance3-- ,daffadown-dilly is come up to town1 ,in a yellow petticoat and a green gown4 ,passing on in the next place to stockings1 it is lucky1 as with other articles of dress1 to put one wrong-side out1 but unlucky to turn it on discovering one's mistake4 ,some1 too1 consider it a matter of importance as to which foot they put the stocking on first when dressing themselves in the morning--the luck of the day being supposed in a great measure to depend on this circumstance--as to clothe the left foot before the right one is a sign of misfortune4 ,flinging the stocking was an old marriage custom1 being really a kind of divination1 which ,misson1 in his ,travels through ,england1 thus describes3--,the young men1 it seems1 took the bride's stockings1 and the girls those of the bridegroom1 each of whom1 sitting at the foot of the bed1 threw the stocking over their heads1 endeavouring to make it fall upon that of the bride or her spouse2 if the bridegroom's stocking1 thrown by the girls1 fell upon the bridegroom's head1 it was a sign that they themselves would soon be married2 and similar luck was derived from the falling of the bride's stockings1 thrown by the young men4 ,there is a superstitious notion in some places that when the bride retires to rest on her wedding-night1 her bridesmaids should lay her stockings across1 as this act is supposed to guarantee her future prosperity in the marriage state4 ,another use to which the stocking has been put is its being hung up to receive presents at ,christmas-time1 a custom which1 as ,mr4 ,henderson points out1 the ,pilgrim ,fathers carried to ,america1 and bequeathed to their descendants4 ,it is curious to find even the garter an object of superstition1 being employed by young women in their love divinations on ,midsummer ,eve1 a period1 it must be remembered1 considered most propitious for such ceremonies4 ,their mode of procedure is this3--,the maiden anxious to have a peep of her future husband must sleep in a county different from that in which she usually resides1 and on going to bed must take care to knit the left garter about the right stocking1 repeating the following incantation1 and at every pause knitting a knot3-- ,this knot ,i knit ,to know the thing ,i know not yet2 ,that ,i may see ,the man that shall my husband be2 ,how he goes1 and what he wears1 ,and what he does all days and years4 ,on retiring to rest the wished-for one will appear in her dreams1 wearing the insignia of his trade or profession4 ,again1 as a popular object of superstition the shoe is unrivalled1 and antiquaries are still undecided as to why our forefathers invested this matter-of-fact article of dress with such mysterious qualities1 selecting it as the symbol of good fortune1 one of the well-known uses in which it has been employed being the throwing of it for luck1 constant allusions to which practice occur in our old writers4 ,thus1 ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 in ,the ,honest ,man's ,fortune1 refer to it3-- ,captain1 your shoes are old2 pray put 'em off1 ,and let one fling 'em after us4 ,and ,ben ,jonson1 in his ,masque of the ,gipsies1 represents one of the gipsies as saying3-- ,hurle after an old shoe1 ,i'll be merry what e'er ,i doe4 ,this custom1 which was once so prevalent1 has not yet died out1 for in ,norfolk1 whenever servants are going after new situations1 a shoe is thrown after them1 with the wish that they may succeed in what they are going about4 ,some years ago1 when vessels engaged in the ,greenland whale fishery left ,whitby1 in ,yorkshire1 the wives and friends of the sailors threw old shoes at the ships as they passed the pier-head4 ,indeed1 this practice is frequently observed in towns on the sea-coast1 and a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries informs us that one day1 when at ,swansea1 he received a shoe on his shoulder which was intended for a young sailor leaving his home to embark upon a trading voyage4 ,tennyson has not omitted to speak of this piece of superstition3-- ,for this thou shalt from all things seek ,marrow of mirth and laughter2 ,and wheresoe'er thou move1 good luck ,shall throw her old shoe after4 ,as an emblem of good luck1 the shoe is thrown with much enthusiasm after a bridal couple4 ,various explanations have been given of this popular custom4 ,some think that it was originally intended as a sham assault on the bridegroom for carrying off the bride2 and hence a survival of the old ceremony of opposition to the capture of a bride4 ,others again are of opinion that the shoe was in former times a symbol of the exercise of dominion and authority over her by her father or guardian2 the receipt of the shoe by the bridegroom1 even if accidental1 being an omen that the authority was transferred to him4 ,thus1 in the ,bible1 the receiving of a shoe was an evidence and symbol of asserting or accepting dominion or ownership2 whereas the giving back of the shoe was the symbol of resigning it4 ,another reason for throwing the shoe is given in the following old rhyme3-- ,when ,britons bold ,wedded of old1 ,sandals were backward thrown1 ,the pair to tell ,that1 ill or well1 ,the act was all their own4 ,throwing the shoe after the wedded pair was1 also1 no doubt intended as an augury of long life to the bride4 ,in ,yorkshire the ceremony of shoe-throwing is termed thrashing1 and the older the shoe the greater the luck2 and in some parts of ,kent the mode of procedure is somewhat peculiar4 ,after the departure of the bride and bridegroom the single ladies are drawn up in one row1 and the bachelors in another4 ,when thus arranged1 an old shoe is thrown as far as possible1 which the fair sex run for3 the winner being considered to have the best chance of marriage4 ,she then throws the shoe at the gentlemen1 when the first who gets it is believed to have the same chance of matrimony4 ,a somewhat similar custom prevails in ,germany1 where the bride's shoe is thrown among the guests at the wedding1 the person who succeeds in catching it being supposed to have every prospect of a speedy marriage4 ,many auguries are still gathered from the shoe4 ,thus young girls on going to bed at night place their shoes at right angles to one another1 in the form of the letter ,t1 repeating this rhyme3-- ,hoping this night my true love to see1 ,i place my shoes in the form of a ,t4 ,as in the case of the stocking1 great importance is attached by many superstitious persons as to which shoe they put on first1 in allusion to which ,butler1 in his ,hudibras1 says3-- ,augustus1 having b' oversight ,put on his left shoe 'fore his right1 ,had like to have been slain that day ,by soldiers mutin'ing for pay4 ,an old writer speaking of ,jewish customs tells us that some of them observe1 in dressing themselves in the morning1 to put on the right stocking and right shoe first without tying it4 ,then afterwards to put on the left shoe1 and so return to the right2 that so they may begin and end with the right one1 which they account to be the most fortunate4 ,a ,suffolk doggrel respecting the wear of shoes teaches us the following3-- ,tip at the toe3 live to see woe2 ,wear at the side3 live to be a bride2 ,wear at the ball3 live to spend all2 ,wear at the heel3 live to save a deal4 ,among some of the many charms in which the shoe has been found efficacious1 may be mentioned one practised in the ,north of ,england1 where the peasantry1 to cure cramp1 are in the habit of laying their shoes across to avert it4 ,mrs4 ,latham1 in her ,west ,sussex ,superstitions1 published in the ,folk-lore ,record1 tells us of an old woman who was at a complete loss to understand why her rheumatics was so uncommon bad1 for she had put her shoes in the form of a cross every night by the side of her head1 ever since she felt the first twinge4 ,in the same county1 a cure for ague consists in wearing a leaf of tansy in the shoe4 ,it is curious that the shoe should have entered into the superstitions associated with death4 ,according to an ,aryan tradition1 the greater part of the way from the land of the living to that of death lay through morasses1 and vast moors overgrown with furze and thorns4 ,that the dead might not pass over them barefoot1 a pair of shoes was laid with them in the grave4 ,hence a funeral is still called in the ,henneberg district dead-shoe1 and in ,scandinavia the shoe itself is known as hel-shoe4 ,there are countless other items of folk-lore connected with the shoe3 thus in days gone by the phrase1 ,over shoes1 over boots was equivalent to the popular phrase1 ,in for a penny1 in for a pound1 an allusion to which we find in ,taylor's ,workes 7#afcj73-- ,where true courage roots1 ,the proverb says1 once over shoes1 o'er boots4 ,again1 to stand in another man's shoe is a popular expression for occupying the place or laying claim to the honours of another4 ,looking for dead men's shoes is still an every-day phrase denoting those who are continually expecting some advantage which will accrue to them on the death of another4 ,the shoe-horn1 too1 from its convenient use in drawing on a tight shoe1 was formerly applied in a jocular metaphor to subservient and tractable assistants4 ,thus1 for instance1 ,shakespeare in ,troilus and ,cressida 7,act v41 sc4 #a7 makes ,thersites in his railing mood give this name to ,menelaus1 whom he calls a thrifty shoeing-horn in a chain1 hanging at his brother's 7,agamemnon's7 leg4 ,it was also employed as a contemptuous phrase for danglers after young women4 ,a further article of dress that has had much honour conferred upon it is the glove1 holding as it does a conspicuous place in many of our old customs and ceremonies4 ,thus in days gone by it was given1 by way of delivery or investiture1 in sales or conveyances of lands and goods4 ,it was also employed as the token of a challenge to fight1 a symbolical staking1 perhaps of the prowess of the hand to which the glove belonged4 ,hence to hang up a glove in church was a public challenge1 very much as a notice affixed to a church-door is a public notice4 ,apropos of this custom1 a story is given in the life of the ,rev4 ,bernard ,gilpin1 of the diocese of ,durham1 who died in #aehc4 ,it appears that he observed a glove hanging high up in his church1 and ascertaining that it was designed as a challenge to any one who should dare to displace it1 he desired his sexton to do so4 ,not ,i1 sir1 ,i dare do no such thing1 he replied4 ,whereupon the parson called for a long staff1 and taking it down himself1 put it in his pocket4 ,preaching afterwards on the subject1 he denounced this unseemly practice1 saying1 ,behold1 ,i have taken it down myself1 and producing the glove1 he exhibited it to the whole congregation as a spectacle of honour4 ,this custom1 we are told1 does not appear to have been much older in this country than the thirteenth century1 for ,matthew ,paris1 in writing of the year #abde1 speaks of it expressly as ,french4 ,noblemen wore their ladies' gloves in front of their hats1 a practice mentioned by ,drayton as having been in vogue at the battle of ,agincourt3-- ,the noble youth1 the common rank above1 ,on their courveting coursers mounted fair1 ,one wore his mistress' garter1 one her glove1 ,and he her colours whom he most did love2 ,there was not one but did some favour wear2 ,and each one took it on his happy speed1 ,to make it famous by some knightly deed4 ,the gift of a pair of gloves was at one time the ordinary perquisite of those who performed some small service2 and in process of time1 to make the reward of greater value1 the glove was lined with money2 hence the term glove-money4 ,relics of the old custom still survive in the presentation of gloves to those who attend weddings and funerals4 ,it is difficult1 however1 to discover the connection between gloves and a stolen kiss4 ,our readers1 for example1 may recollect how1 in ,sir ,walter ,scott's ,fair ,maid of ,perth1 ,catharine steals from her chamber on ,st4 ,valentine's morn1 and catching ,henry ,smith asleep1 gives him a kiss2 then we have the following3--,come into the booth with me1 my son1 and ,i will furnish thee with a fitting theme4 ,thou knowest the maiden who ventures to kiss a sleeping man1 wins of him a pair of gloves4 ,gloves are still given to a judge at a maiden assize1 a custom which1 it has been suggested1 originated in a ,saxon law1 which forbade the judges to wear gloves while sitting on the ,bench4 ,hence1 to give a pair of gloves to a judge was tantamount to saying that he need not trouble to come to the ,bench1 but might wear gloves4 ,again1 in bygone times gloves were worn as a mark of distinction by sovereigns1 ecclesiastical dignitaries1 and others2 their workmanship being excessively costly1 richly embroidered as they were and decorated with jewels4 ,the association of gloves with ecclesiastical dignity survived1 says ,mr4 ,leadam in the ,antiquary1 the ,reformation in ,england2 for although they ceased to be worn in the services of the ,church1 yet as late as the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 bishops upon their consecration were accustomed to present gloves to the archbishop1 and to all who came to their consecration banquet4 ,the lavender gloves with golden fringes which do often adorn their portraits1 may still remind our modern prelates of the ancient glories of their predecessors4 ,it was also customary to hang a pair of white gloves on the pews of unmarried villagers who had died in the flower of their youth1 and at several towns in ,england it has been customary from time immemorial to announce a fair by hoisting a huge glove upon a pole--a practice which exists at ,macclesfield1 ,portsmouth1 ,southampton1 and ,chester2 the glove being taken down at the conclusion of the fair4 ,hone1 in his description of ,exeter ,lammas ,fair1 says3--,the charter for this fair is perpetuated by a glove of immense size1 stuffed and carried through the city on a very long pole1 decorated with ribbons1 flowers1 c41 and attended with music1 parish beadles1 and the nobility4 ,it is afterwards placed on the top of the ,guildhall1 and then the fair commences2 on the taking down of the glove the fair terminates4 ,mr4 ,leadam also quotes a passage from the ,speculum ,saxonicum which throws light on the origin of this custom3--,no one is allowed to set up a market or a mint1 without the consent of the ordinary or judge of that place2 the king ought also to send a glove as a sign of his consent to the same4 ,the glove1 therefore1 was the king's glove1 the earliest form of royal charter1 the original sign-manual4 ,among other items of folk-lore connected with this useful article of dress1 we may mention that the term right as my glove is a phrase1 according to ,sir ,walter ,scott1 derived from the practice of pledging the glove as the sign of irrefragable faith4 ,gloves1 too1 were in olden times fashionable new year's gifts1 having been far more expensive than now-a-days4 ,when ,sir ,thomas ,more was ,lord ,chancellor1 he happened to determine a case in favour of a lady named ,croaker1 who1 as a mark of her gratitude1 sent him a new year's gift in the shape of a pair of gloves with forty angels in them4 ,but ,sir ,thomas returned the money with the following letter3--,mistress1 since it were against good manners to refuse your new year's gift1 ,i am content to take your gloves1 but as for the lining ,i utterly refuse it4 ,in the time of ,queen ,elizabeth1 the rural bridegroom wore gloves in his hat as a sign of good husbandry2 and on the ,border to bite the glove was considered a pledge of deadly vengeance1 in allusion to which ,sir ,walter ,scott1 in his ,lay of the ,last ,minstrel1 says3-- ,stern ,rutherford right little said1 ,but bit his glove and shook his head4 ,the ring1 apart from its eventful history1 has from the most remote period been surrounded1 both in this and other countries1 not only with a most extensive legendary lore1 but with a vast array of superstitions1 a detailed account of which would be impossible in a small volume like the present one2 so we must confine ourselves to some of the most popular4 ,in the first place1 then1 certain mysterious virtues have been supposed to reside in rings1 not so much on account of their shape as from the materials of which they have been composed4 ,thus1 they have been much worn as talismans or charms1 being thought to be infallible preservatives against unseen dangers of every kind4 ,referring to some of these1 we find1 for instance1 that the turquoise ring was believed to possess special properties1 a superstition to which ,dr4 ,donne alludes3-- ,a compassionate turquoise1 that doth tell1 ,by looking pale1 the wearer is not well4 ,fenton1 too1 in his ,secret ,wonders of ,nature1 describes the stone3--,the turkeys doth move when there is any peril prepared to him that weareth it4 ,the turquoise ring of ,shylock1 which1 we are told in the ,merchant of ,venice 7,act iii41 sc4 #a71 he would not part with for a wilderness of monkeys1 was1 no doubt1 valued for its secret virtues4 ,the carbuncle1 again1 amongst other properties1 was said to give out a natural light1 to which it has been supposed ,shakespeare alludes in ,titus ,andronicus 7,act ii41 sc4 #c71 where1 speaking of the ring on the finger of ,bassianus1 he says3-- ,upon his bloody finger he doth wear ,a precious ring1 that lightens all the hole1 ,which1 like a taper in some monument1 ,doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks1 ,and shows the ragged entrails of the pit4 ,a piece of popular superstition makes it unlucky to wear an opal ring1 although this lovely stone has always been an object of peculiar admiration from the beautiful variety of colours which it displays1 and in the ,middle ,ages was even thought to possess the united virtues of all the gems with whose distinctive colours it was emblazoned4 ,the diamond was believed to counteract poison1 a notion which prevailed to a comparatively late period2 though1 according to another belief1 it was considered the most dangerous of poisons1 and as such we find it enumerated among the poisons administered to ,sir ,thomas ,overbury1 when a prisoner in the ,tower4 ,an emerald ring was thought to insure purity of thought2 and a toadstone ring was worn as an amulet to preserve new-born children and their mothers from fairies4 ,among the omens associated with rings1 we may briefly note that to lose a ring which has been given as a pledge of affection is unlucky2 as also is the breaking of a ring on the finger2 while further superstitions relating to the wedding-ring have been noticed at length in our chapter on marriage4 ,in days gone by1 too1 medicated rings were held in great repute1 and were much used for the cure of diseases1 instances of which we find among the remedies still in use for cramp1 epilepsy1 and fits4 ,silver seems to have been considered highly efficacious2 and rings made of lead1 mixed with quicksilver1 were worn as charms against headaches and other complaints4 ,dactylomancy1 or divination by rings1 is not quite forgotten among eager aspirants after matrimony1 one mode being to suspend a ring by a thread or hair within a glass tumbler1 notice being taken as to how many times it strikes the sides of the glass without being touched4 ,once more1 there is an old piece of folk-lore on the colours of stones in keepsake rings3-- ,oh1 green is forsaken1 ,and yellow is forsworn1 ,but blue is the prettiest colour that's worn4 ,passing from the ring to another article of dress--perhaps the most insignificant--namely1 the pin1 we nevertheless find it invested with all kinds of curious superstitions4 ,thus1 it is said that on seeing a pin1 one should always pick it up for the sake of good luck1 as those who omit to do so run into imminent danger of being overtaken by misfortune1 a notion embodied in the following rhyme3-- ,see a pin and pick it up1 ,all the day you'll have good luck2 ,see a pin and let it lie1 ,all the day you'll have to cry4 ,why1 however1 ,north-country people are so persistent in their refusal to give one another a pin1 it is not easy to discover4 ,when asked for a pin1 they invariably reply1 ,you may take one2 but1 mind1 ,i do not give it4 ,one of the most popular species of enchantment to which pins have been applied is that sometimes employed in counteracting the evil effects of witchcraft4 ,one mode is by pin-sticking1 a case of which recently occurred in the parish of ,honiton ,clyst1 in ,devonshire4 ,a landlord having lost one of his tenants1 certain repairs and improvements were found necessary to prepare for the next4 ,in carrying out the work a chimney had to be explored1 when1 in the course of the operation1 there was found carefully secreted a pig's heart stuck all over with thin prickles1 evidently a substitute for pins4 ,this is supposed to have been done by the direction of some wise or cunning person1 as a means of taking revenge on the witch to whose incantations the party considered some mischief due1 in the belief that the heart of the ill-wisher would be pierced in like manner1 until it eventually became as pulseless as that of the pig4 ,it appears1 too1 that pins were largely used in a particular species of sorcery4 ,whenever1 for instance1 some malevolent individual wished to carry out her ill-natured designs1 she made a clay image of the person she intended to harm1 baptised the said image with the name of the party whom it was meant to represent1 and stuck it full of pins or burnt it4 ,where the pins were placed the person whom it represented was afflicted with pain1 and as the figure wasted1 so he was said to waste away4 ,shakespeare alludes to this superstition1 and in ,richard ,,iii4 7,act iii41 sc4 #d7 makes the ,duke of ,gloucester say to ,hastings3-- ,then be your eyes the witness of this ill1 ,see how ,i am bewitch'd2 behold1 mine arm ,is1 like a blasted sapling1 withered up6 ,and this is ,edward's wife1 that monstrous witch ,consorted with that harlot strumpet ,shore1 ,that by their witchcraft thus have marked me4 ,pins1 too1 have been in extensive demand for divination1 and here and there throughout the country we find wishing wells1 into which if the passers-by only drop a crooked pin and breathe their wish1 it is said they may rest assured of its fulfilment at some future date4 ,so much1 then1 for our illustrations of the folk-lore of dress1 a subject which1 interesting though it is1 we have now discussed at sufficient length4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,table ,,superstitions4 ,thirteen at ,table--,salt-spilling--,the ,knife--,bread1 and other ,articles of ,food--,wishing ,bones--,tea-leaves--,singing before ,breakfast--,shaking ,hands across the ,table4 ,it is frequently found that even strong-minded persons are not exempt from the prejudice against sitting down to dinner when there are only thirteen present4 ,many amusing anecdotes are recorded of the devices resorted to for avoiding the consequences supposed to be incurred by the neglect of this superstition--the notion being that one of the thirteen1 generally the youngest1 will die within the next twelve months4 ,to avoid1 therefore1 any such contingency1 many persons1 should they be disappointed in one of their guests1 have the empty place filled by a child1 and should one not always be forthcoming1 no slight inconvenience is occasionally produced4 ,not very long ago a case was recorded in which a lady1 not being able at the last moment to make up the number fourteen1 had her favourite cat seated at the table1 hoping thereby to break the fatal spell attaching to the unlucky number thirteen4 ,the origin popularly assigned to this widespread superstition is the fact that thirteen was the number at the ,last ,supper1 ,judas being the thirteenth4 ,a correspondent of the ,gentleman's ,magazine1 however1 writing at the close of the last century1 says that it is founded on the calculations adhered to by the insurance offices1 which presume that out of thirteen persons1 taken indiscriminately1 one will die within a year4 ,but this is not the probable origin1 that which connects it with the ,last ,supper being no doubt the correct one4 ,some1 says ,lord ,lyttelton1 in ,notes and ,queries1 have carried the superstition to the extent of disliking the number thirteen at all times2 but the commoner form limits it to ,friday--not that there is any ground for fact in this1 for the ,last ,supper was on the fifth1 not the sixth day of the week4 ,sailors are held somewhat superstitious1 and ,i knew an eminent naval officer who actually would walk out of the room when the conjunction happened on a ,friday1 after the death of the wife and eldest daughter1 both of which events were preceded by the said conjunction4 ,among other instances of this piece of superstition1 we may quote the following1 related by ,addison in the ,spectator3--,i remember1 he says1 ,i was one in a mixed assembly that was full of wine and mirth1 when on a sudden an old woman unluckily observed that there were thirteen of us in company4 ,this remark struck a panic terror into several who were present1 insomuch that one or two of the ladies were going to leave the room2 but a friend of mine1 taking notice that one of our female companions was likely to become a mother1 affirmed there were fourteen in the room1 and that instead of portending that one in the company should die1 it plainly foretold that one of them should be born4 ,had not my friend found this expedient to break the omen1 ,i question not but half the women in the company should have fallen sick that very night4 ,again1 we may give another anecdote recorded by ,rachel1 the celebrated tragdienne4 ,on her return from ,egypt1 in the spring of #aheg1 she installed herself in a villa in the neighbourhood of ,montpellier4 ,there she received a visit from the poet ,ponsard and ,arsne ,houssaye1 the latter of whom was making a tour as inspector of the ,departmental ,museums4 ,do you recollect the dinner we had at the house of ,victor ,hugo1 at the close of the repetition of ,l',angelo8 she said to the former4 ,you remember there were thirteen of us4 ,there was ,hugo and his wife1 you and your wife1 ,rebecca and ,i1 ,girardin and his wife1 and some others4 ,well6 where to-day are the thirteen8 ,victor ,hugo and his wife are in ,jersey2 your wife is dead2 ,madame de ,girardin is dead2 my poor ,rebecca is dead2 ,gerard de ,nerval1 ,oradie1 ,alfred de ,musset are dead4 ,i--say no more4 ,there remain but ,girardin and you4 ,adieu6 my friends4 ,never laugh at thirteen at a table6 ,anecdotes1 indeed1 relating to this superstition are without number1 and form many an amusing episode in the lives of noted characters4 ,it may be mentioned here that the number thirteen is considered ominous in other ways4 ,fuller1 by way of example1 tells us how a covetous courtier complained to ,king ,edward ,,vi4 that ,christ ,college1 ,cambridge1 was a superstitious foundation1 consisting of a master and twelve fellows1 in imitation of ,christ and ,his twelve ,apostles4 ,he1 therefore1 advised the king to take away one or two fellowships1 so as to dissolve that unlucky number4 ,oh1 no1 replied the king1 ,i have a better way than that to mar their conceit2 ,i will add a thirteenth fellowship to them1 which he accordingly did4 ,another equally popular superstition is the ill-luck supposed to attach to salt-spilling3 one notion being that to upset the salt-cellar while in the act of handing it to any one is a sign of an impending quarrel between the parties4 ,it is also said to indicate sorrow or trouble to the person spilling it1 and to counteract the evil consequences of this unlucky act one should fling some salt over the shoulder4 ,gay speaks of this popular fancy in the fable of the ,farmer's ,wife and the ,raven3-- ,the salt was spilt1 to me it fell1 ,then to contribute to my loss1 ,my knife and fork were laid across4 ,indeed constant allusions are found to this widespread superstition both in our old and modern writers4 ,gayton1 describing two friends1 says3-- ,i have two friends of either sex1 which do ,eat little salt1 or none1 yet are friends too1 ,of both which persons ,i can truly tell1 ,they are of patience most invincible ,whom out of temper no mischance at all ,can put--no1 if towards them the salt should fall4 ,this piece of folk-lore dates back up to the time of the ,romans1 and at the present day is not limited to our own country4 ,it has been suggested that it may have originated from the circumstance that salt was formerly used in sacrifices1 and that to spill it when once placed on the head of the victim was regarded as a bad omen4 ,bailey1 however1 assigns a very different reason1 telling us that salt was considered by the ancients incorruptible1 and on this account was made the symbol of friendship4 ,if it1 therefore1 was spilt1 the persons between whom it happened thought their friendship would not be of long duration4 ,some people dislike even so much as to put salt on another person's plate1 considering this act equivalent to wishing one's neighbour misfortune4 ,hence there is a well-known couplet3-- ,help me to salt1 ,help me to sorrow4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries relates how one day he offered to help an old ,highland lady at dinner to some salt from the cellar1 which stood much nearer to him than to her2 when she gravely put back his hand1 and drew away her plate1 saying at the same time1 with a kind of shudder1 between her teeth1 ,help me to salt1 help me to sorrow4 ,the ill-luck may be averted by a second help4 ,salt has also been considered a powerful safeguard against evil spirits2 and in ,scotland it was once customary in brewing to throw a handful of salt on the top of the mash to ward off witches4 ,again1 as an interesting illustration of the change which has passed over our domestic manners1 we may quote the phrase to sit above the salt1 that is1 in a place of honour1 whereby a marked and invidious distinction was formerly maintained among those at the same table4 ,a large salt-cellar was usually placed about the middle of a long table1 the places above which were assigned to the guests of distinction1 those below to inferiors and poor relations4 ,it argues little for the delicacy of our ancestors that they should have permitted such ill-natured distinctions at their board2 often1 as it has been said1 placing their guests below the salt for no better purpose than that of mortifying them4 ,hence ,ben ,jonson1 speaking of the characteristics of an insolent coxcomb1 says3--,his fashion is not to take knowledge of him that is beneath him in clothes4 ,he never drinks below the salt4 ,among the many other odd items of folk-lore associated with the table1 we may mention in the next place those relating to the knife4 ,thus1 to let a knife drop is a sign that a visitor is coming to the house2 and to lay the knife and fork crosswise on one's plate is an omen that crosses and troubles will soon occur4 ,equally unlucky1 too1 is it to give any kind of knife away1 for1 as ,gay in his ,shepherd's ,week says3-- ,but woe is me6 such presents luckless prove1 ,for knives1 they tell me1 always sever love4 ,indeed1 this superstition is not confined to a knife1 but extends to any sharp or cutting instrument1 such as a pair of scissors1 a razor1 c4 ,to avoid the danger of such a misfortune1 some trifling recompense must be made in return4 ,this superstition was confuted by a versifier of the last century--the ,rev4 ,samuel ,bishop--who presented a knife to his wife on her fifteenth wedding-day1 with a copy of some very clever verses of which the following are a specimen3-- ,a knife1 dear girl1 cuts love1 they say1 ,mere modish love perhaps it may2 ,for any tool of any kind ,can separate what was never joined2 ,the knife that cuts our love in two ,will have much tougher work to do2 ,must cut your softness1 worth1 and spirit1 ,down to the vulgar size of merit1 c4 ,some consider it unlucky to find a knife1 from a notion that it will bring ill-luck to them2 while others again often place a knife near a sleeping child as a charm to preserve it from danger1 a belief to which ,herrick thus refers3-- ,let the superstitious wife ,near the child's heart lay a knife2 ,point be up1 and haft be down2 ,while she gossips in the town4 ,this 'mongst other mystic charms ,keeps the sleeping child from harms4 ,even the loaf of bread1 too1 without which the most frugal board would be incomplete1 has not escaped without its quota of folk-lore4 ,thus1 many a housewife still marks the sign of the cross upon her loaf before placing it in the oven1 just as the ,durham butcher does to the shoulder of a sheep or lamb after taking off the skin--the notion probably being to protect it against the injurious influence of witchcraft4 ,in many parts of ,scotland peasants were formerly in the habit of making a cross on their tools1 considering that by so doing they would be rendered safe against the mischievous pranks of the fairy folks as they went on their midnight errands4 ,again1 if a loaf accidentally parts in the hand while an unmarried lady is cutting it1 this either prognosticates that she will not be married during the next twelve months1 or1 what is still worse1 that there will be a dissension of some kind in the family4 ,some1 too1 have a superstitious objection to turning a loaf upside-down after cutting it4 ,herrick refers to the custom of carrying a crust of bread in the pocket for luck's sake--a practice which is not quite obsolete3-- ,if ye fear to be affrighted ,when ye are1 by chance1 benighted2 ,in your pocket for a trust ,carry nothing but a crust1 ,for that holy piece of bread ,charms the danger and the dread4 ,while speaking of bread it may not be inappropriate to refer to a few other articles of fare around which superstition has cast its mantle4 ,thus1 eggs have an extensive folk-lore both in this and other countries4 ,many persons1 for instance1 after eating an egg take special care to crush the shell2 the omission of this ceremony1 as they fancy1 being attended with ill-luck4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne informs us that the real reason is to prevent witchcraft3 lest witches should draw or prick their names therein1 and veneficiously mischief their person1 they broke the shell4 ,it is also considered a bad omen to bring eggs into the house after dark1 and many persons avoid burning egg-shells lest the hens should cease to lay4 ,according to a superstition current in the ,west of ,england1 one should always make a hole through an egg-shell before throwing it away1 as1 unless this is done1 there is a danger of witches using them to put to sea for the purpose of wrecking ships4 ,beaumont and ,fletcher in their ,women ,pleased allude to this notion3-- ,the devil should think of purchasing that egg-shell ,to victual out a witch for the ,burmoothies4 ,just as it is considered1 too1 unlucky to bring eggs into the house after dark1 so the same prejudice exists with regard to taking them out4 ,one day1 we are told in the ,stamford ,mercury 7,oct4 #bi1 #aheb71 a person in want of some eggs called at a farmhouse and inquired of the good woman whether she had any eggs to sell1 to which she replied that she had a few scores to dispose of4 ,then ,i'll take them home with me in the cart1 was his answer1 to which she somewhat indignantly replied1 ,that you will not2 don't you know the sun has gone down8 ,you are welcome to the eggs at a proper hour of the day1 but ,i would not let them go out of the house after the sun is set on any consideration whatever4 ,a ,norfolk superstition warns persons against eating the marrow of pork lest they should go mad2 and1 in the ,north of ,england1 we are told that should the meat for dinner shrink in the pot1 it presages a downfall in life4 ,should it swell1 on the contrary1 to a large size1 it denotes that the head of the family will be prosperous in his undertakings4 ,these odd fancies vary in different localities1 and in out-of-the-way districts where the railway has not yet penetrated1 they still retain their hold on the primitive and uncultivated minds of our agricultural peasantry4 ,at the same time1 however1 occasional survivals of many of these old worn-out superstitions crop up in unexpected quarters1 showing they are not completely dead4 ,thus1 our children still practise their divination by means of the wishing bone of a fowl1 and are1 moreover1 ever on the alert to discover1 what they consider1 infallible omens from any article of food which nursery tradition has stamped as possessing such remarkable qualities4 ,as we have already pointed out in another chapter1 tea-leaves often afford to both old and young a constant source of amusement2 and we may1 now and then1 find some elderly damsel1 who still aspires to enter one day on the marriage state1 taking care to put the milk into her tea before the sugar lest she should lose her chance of securing a sweetheart4 ,mrs4 ,latham1 too1 tells us how matrimonial fortunes are often told by seers at home from the grounds or sediment remaining at the bottom of a tea-cup2 and where to unenlightened eyes nothing is apparent but a little black dust floating in a slop1 those who have the wit to do so may discern a hidden meaning4 ,again1 among the host of small superstitions connected with our daily meals1 one at the very outset relates to breakfast2 there being a widespread belief that if a person sings before breakfast1 he will cry before supper4 ,this notion probably has some reference to another popular one1 namely1 that high spirits forebode evil1 proving the forerunner of adversity4 ,many anecdotes illustrative of this theory have been recorded at various times4 ,in the last act of ,romeo and ,juliet1 ,romeo is introduced as saying3-- ,if ,i may trust the flattering truth of sleep1 ,my dreams presage some joyful news at hand2 ,my bosom's lord sits lightly on his throne2 ,and all this day an unaccustomed spirit ,lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts4 ,in the evidence given at the inquest upon the bodies of four persons killed by an explosion at a firework manufactory in ,bermondsey1 ,october #abth1 #ahdi1 one of the witnesses stated3--,on ,friday they were all very merry1 and ,mrs4 ,b4 said she feared something would happen before they went to bed1 because they were so happy4 ,if1 in a social gathering of any kind1 an unmarried person is inadvertently placed between a man and his wife1 it is an indication that the individual so seated will be married within the course of a year4 ,many consider it unlucky to shake hands across the table2 and there is also an old superstition mentioned by ,grose1 that1 in eating1 to miss the mouth and let the food fall is a bad omen1 betokening approaching sickness4 ,once more1 if a person in rising from table overturns his chair1 this is not a very fortunate occurrence1 as it is said to show that he has been speaking untruths4 ,without further extending our list of the superstitious beliefs and practices that have clustered round the table--to which many of our readers will doubtless be able to make their own additions--we may briefly sum up this branch of the subject by saying3-- ',tis a history ,handed from ages down2 a nurse's tale1 ,which children open-eyed and mouth'd devour1 ,and thus1 as garrulous ignorance relates1 ,we learn it and believe4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,furniture ,,omens4 ,folk-lore of the ,looking-glass--,luck of ,edenhall--,clock-falling--,chairs--,bed s--,the ,bellows4 ,the desire to gather omens from the various surrounding objects of every-day life has naturally included articles of furniture2 and hence we find signs and portents attached to certain of these which are implicitly credited by many1 from the highest to the lowest1 who1 notwithstanding1 would consider themselves deeply insulted if the idea of their being superstitious were only so much as hinted at by some sceptical friend4 ,among the most common of these odd fancies are those relating to the looking-glass4 ,as a piece of furniture this is most necessary1 and its very importance is1 perhaps1 the chief reason why superstition has invested it with those mysterious qualities which certainly do not belong in the same ratio to chairs and tables4 ,a chair1 however beautiful and costly in its manufacture1 may nevertheless be cruelly broken with perfect impunity2 whereas1 if some wretched1 dilapidated looking-glass is accidentally cracked1 the inmates of the house are thoroughly discomposed1 from a conviction that such an event is sure to be followed by misfortune of some kind or other4 ,in ,cornwall1 the supposed penalty for such an offence is seven years of sorrow2 and a ,yorkshire proverb informs us that this unfortunate occurrence entails seven years' trouble1 but no want4 ,it has also been said to foretell the speedy decease of the master of the house2 and in ,scotland it is regarded as an infallible sign that some member of the family will shortly die4 ,it has been suggested that this popular superstition dates very many years back1 and probably originated in the terror inspired by the destruction of the reflected human image--an interesting illustration of how the formation of certain ideas is often determined by mere analogy4 ,a similar style of thinking also underlies the medival necromancer's practice of making a waxen image of his enemy1 and shooting at it with arrows in order to bring about his death4 ,the folk-lore1 however1 of the looking-glass does not end here2 for many consider it the height of ill-luck to see the new moon reflected in a looking-glass or through a window-pane2 and some mothers studiously prevent their youngest child looking in one until a year old4 ,it is also associated with marriage and death4 ,thus1 in the ,south of ,england it is regarded as a bad omen for a bride on her wedding morning to take a last peep in the glass when she is completely dressed in her bridal attire1 before starting for the church4 ,hence very great care is generally taken to put on a glove or some slight article of adornment after the final lingering and reluctant look has been taken in the mirror4 ,the idea is that any young lady who is too fond of the looking-glass will be unfortunate when married4 ,this is by no means the only occasion on which superstitious fancy interferes with the grown-up maiden's peeps into the looking-glass4 ,thus1 ,swedish young ladies are afraid of looking in the glass after dark1 or by candle-light1 lest by so doing they should forfeit the goodwill of the other sex4 ,the practice of covering the looking-glass1 or removing it from the chamber of death1 still prevails in some parts of ,england--the notion being that all vanity1 all care for earthly beauty1 are over with the deceased4 ,it has also been suggested that1 as the invisible world trenches closely upon the visible one in the chamber of death1 a superstitious dread is felt of some spiritual being imaging himself forth in the blank surface of the mirror4 ,mr4 ,baring ,gould considers that the true reason for shrouding the looking-glass before a funeral was that given him in ,warwickshire1 where there is a popular notion that if a person looks into a mirror in the chamber of death he will see the corpse looking over his shoulder4 ,again1 ,brand informs us that looking-glasses were generally used by magicians in their superstitious and diabolical operations4 ,he quotes an old authority1 who says3--,some magicians1 being curious to find out by the help of a looking-glass1 or a glass full of water1 a thing that lies hidden1 make choice of young maids to discern therein those images or sights which a person defiled cannot see4 ,sometimes1 too1 our ancestors dipped a looking-glass into the water when they were anxious to ascertain what would become of a sick person4 ,accordingly as he looked well or ill in the glass1 when covered with the drops of water1 so they foretold whether he would recover or not4 ,mirrors were also regarded by our forefathers as the most effective agencies in divining secrets and bringing to light hidden mysteries4 ,thus1 there is a tradition that the ,gunpowder ,plot was discovered by ,dr4 ,john ,dee with his magic mirror4 ,we find in a prayer-book1 printed by ,baskett in #agcg1 an engraving which depicts the following scene3--,in the centre is a circular looking-glass1 in which is the reflection of the ,houses of ,parliament by night1 and a person entering carrying a dark lantern4 ,on the left side there are two men in the costume of ,james's time looking into the mirror--one evidently the king1 the other probably ,sir ,kenelm ,digby4 ,on the right side1 at the top1 is the eye of ,providence darting a ray on to the mirror2 and below are some legs and hoofs1 as if evil spirits were flying out of the picture4 ,this plate1 says a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries1 would seem to represent the method by which1 under ,providence 7as is evidenced by the eye71 the discovery of the ,gunpowder ,plot was at that time seriously believed to have been effected4 ,the tradition1 moreover1 must have been generally believed1 or it never could have found its way into a prayer-book printed by the king's printer4 ,it may be noted1 however1 that as the fame of ,dee's magic mirror was at its zenith about the time of the ,gunpowder ,plot1 this may have led to the mirror being adopted as a popular emblem of discovery1 or throwing light upon a subject4 ,hence it has been reasonably suggested that the mirror in the print may simply be a piece of artistic design1 rather than evidence of its actual employment in the discovery4 ,in days gone by1 too1 it appears to have been customary for both sexes to wear small looking-glasses--a fantastic fashion much ridiculed by ,ben ,jonson and others of his time4 ,men even wore them in their hats--an allusion to which custom we find in ,ben ,jonson's ,cynthia's ,revels 7,act ii41 sc4 #a73 ,where is your page8 ,call for your casting-bottle1 and place your mirror in your hat as ,i told you4 ,we may infer that this was the very height of affectation by the manner in which the remark is introduced4 ,while men of fashion wore mirrors as brooches or ornaments in their hats1 ladies carried them at their girdles or on their breasts4 ,thus ,lovelace makes a lady say3-- ,my lively shade thou ever shalt retaine ,in thy inclosed feather-framed glasse4 ,it was a popular superstition in former years that fine glass1 such as that of ,venice1 would break if poison were put into it4 ,to this curious notion ,massinger thus gracefully alludes3-- ,here crystal glasses 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,this pure metal ,so innocent is1 and faithful to the mistress1 ,or master1 that possesses it1 that rather ,than hold one drop that's venomous1 of itself ,it flies in pieces1 and deludes the traitor4 ,this is among the errors noticed by ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 who says1 ,and although it be said that poison will break a ,venice glass1 yet have we not met with any of that nature4 ,were there a truth herein1 it were the best preservative for princes and persons exalted to such fears1 and surely far better than divers now in use4 ,it may not be inappropriate here to refer to the well-known tradition connected with the ,luck of ,edenhall4 ,from time immemorial there has been a current belief that any one who had the courage to rush upon a fairy festival and snatch from the merry throng their drinking-glass1 would find it prove to him a constant source of good fortune1 supposing he could carry it across a running stream4 ,a glass has been carefully preserved at ,edenhall1 ,cumberland1 which was in all probability a sacred chalice2 but the legend is that the butler1 one day going to draw water1 surprised a company of fairies who were amusing themselves on the grass near the well4 ,he seized the glass that was standing upon its margin1 which the fairies tried to recover1 but1 after an ineffectual struggle1 they vanished1 crying3-- ,if that glass do break or fall1 ,farewell the luck of ,edenhall4 ,the good fortune1 however1 of this ancient house was never so much endangered as by the ,duke of ,wharton1 who1 on one occasion having drunk the contents of this magic glass1 inadvertently dropped it1 and here most assuredly would for ever have terminated the luck of ,edenhall1 if the butler1 who stood at his elbow to receive the empty glass1 had not happily caught it in his napkin4 ,referring1 however1 more particularly to our subject1 we find several items of folk-lore associated with the clock4 ,thus1 in the ,north of ,england1 there is a superstition called ,clock-falling1 the idea being that if a woman enters a house after her confinement1 and before being churched1 the house-clock will immediately fall on its face4 ,so strong was this belief in years past that a woman would never think of transgressing this rule under any circumstances whatever4 ,in some places the house-clock is stopped on the occasion of a death1 no doubt to remind the survivors that with the deceased one time is over1 and that henceforth the days and hours are no longer of any account to him4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries informs us that he knew an intelligent1 well-informed gentleman in ,scotland who1 among his last injunctions on his death-bed1 ordered that as soon as he expired the house-clock was to be stopped1 a command which was strictly obeyed4 ,aubrey also tells us that formerly it was customary for people of a serious turn of mind to say1 every time they heard the clock strike1 ,lord1 grant my last hour may be my best hour4 ,chairs1 again1 have their superstitions4 ,it is regarded as a bad omen1 for instance1 if1 when a person leaves a house1 he replaces the chair on which he has been sitting against the wall1 the probability being that he will never visit the house again4 ,the chair on which a woman sits after her confinement to receive the congratulations of her friends is popularly termed a groaning chair1 an allusion to which we find in ,poor ,robin's ,almanack3-- ,for a nurse1 the child to dandle1 ,sugar1 soap1 spiced pots1 and candle1 ,a groaning chair1 and eke a cradle4 ,another article of furniture not without its folk-lore is the bed4 ,thus some superstitious persons always have their bedsteads placed parallel to the planks of the floor1 considering it unlucky to sleep across the boards4 ,others again pay particular attention to the point of the compass towards which the head should be when in bed1 a belief we find existing even among the ,hindoos1 who believe that to sleep with the head to the north will cause one's days to be shortened4 ,to lie in the direction of the south they say is productive of longevity1 whereas the east and west1 it is asserted1 are calculated to bring riches and change of scene respectively4 ,various theories in this country have been1 at different times1 started as to the proper position of the bedstead during the hours of sleep1 which find ready acceptance among those who are ever ready to grasp any new idea1 however fanciful it may be4 ,a correspondent of ,the ,builder1 writing on the subject1 says3--,so far as my own observations have gone1 ,i know that my sleep is always more sound when my head is placed to the north4 ,there are persons whom ,i know1 the head of whose bed is to the north1 and who1 to awake early1 will reverse their usual position in the bed1 but without knowing the reason why1 beyond 'that they could always wake earlier1' the sleep being more broken4 ,an eminent physician in ,scotland states that1 when he failed by every other prescription to bring sleep to invalid children1 he recommended their couches or little beds to be turned due north and south--the head of the child being placed towards the north--a process which he had always found successful in promoting sleep4 ,after all1 however1 as has been so often said1 the best prescription for a good night's rest is a healthy body and a sound mind4 ,the well-known phrase1 to get out of bed the wrong way1 or with the left leg foremost1 is generally said of an ill-tempered person2 the term having originated in an ancient superstition1 which regarded it as unlucky to place the left foot first on the ground on getting out of bed4 ,once more1 as a mark of the simplicity of ancient manners1 it was customary for persons even of the highest rank to sleep together1 an allusion to which practice occurs in ,henry ,v41 where ,exeter says3-- ,nay1 but the man that was his bedfellow1 ,whom he hath cloy'd and grac'd with kingly favours4 ,in conclusion1 we may take one further illustration on this subject from that useful little article1 the bellows1 to place which on a table is considered extremely unlucky1 and few servants will either do it or allow it to be done4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,household ,,superstitions4 ,prevalence and ,continuity of ,superstitions--,sneezing--,stumbling--, a ,whistling ,woman--,sweeping--,breaking ,crockery--,fires and ,candles--,money--,other ,superstitions4 ,it has often been asked how that formidable array of superstitions1 which are so firmly established in most houses1 came into being1 and what is their origin8 ,although indeed one may occasionally smile at the reign of terror which these frequently exercise over their credulous believers1 yet it must be admitted they are not limited to any one class4 ,in discussing and comparing the intellectual condition of one class of society with another1 we are apt1 while passing censure on the one for its odd notions and fanciful beliefs1 to forget how the other often cherishes the very same1 although it may be in a more disguised form4 ,thus1 by way of example1 whereas some ignorant persons resort to a cunning man or wise woman for advice in case of emergency1 many an educated person is found consulting with equal faith a clairvoyant or spirit-medium4 ,while1 too1 some uneducated person believes in a particular omen1 which is condemned by an intelligent community as the height of folly1 many cultivated people1 as we have said1 may be found who hesitate before sitting down to dinner when the party consists of thirteen4 ,however much1 therefore1 we may dislike to own the fact1 we must acknowledge that superstition is a distinct element in the human character1 although under the influence of education it has not the same opportunity for development as in the case of those whose mental powers have never been thoroughly trained4 ,these superstitions1 beliefs1 and practices1 too1 it must be remembered1 have not sprung up in a day1 but have been handed down from generation to generation in popular traditions1 tales1 rhymes1 and proverbs1 and consequently have become so interwoven with the daily life as to make it no easy task to root them out4 ,it has been truly said3-- ,how superstitiously we mind our evils6 ,the throwing down salt1 or crossing of a hare1 ,bleeding at nose1 the stumbling of a horse1 ,or singing of a cricket1 are of power ,to daunt whole man in us4 ,as ,mr4 ,tylor has truly shown1 when a custom or superstition is once fairly started in the world1 disturbing influences may long affect it so slightly that it may keep its course from generation to generation1 as a stream once settled in its bed will flow on for ages4 ,thus thousands of superstitions1 the true meanings of which have perished for centuries1 continue to exist simply because they have existed4 ,a striking example of this fact may be found in the widespread folk-lore associated with the act of sneezing in this and other countries1 which may be traced back to the most remote period4 ,thus1 in the classic ages of ,greece and ,rome1 we read of the lucky sneeze of ,telemachus1 and of ,aristotle's remark that people consider a sneeze as divine1 but not a cough4 ,on account of sneezing being deemed lucky1 it has always been customary to salute the sneezer1 a custom which the ancient ,greeks claimed to have derived from ,prometheus1 who stole celestial fire to animate his newly-made figure of clay4 ,tradition says that as the fire permeated its frame1 the creature sneezed1 which caused ,prometheus to invoke blessings on it4 ,anyhow the practice of salutation on sneezing dates from the earliest times1 and it is interesting to find a superstition of this kind1 which may be looked on as a curiosity of primitive civilisation1 still existing in our midst4 ,thus1 in the ,midland counties1 grandmothers still exclaim1 ,god help you6 when they hear a child sneeze2 and it is a very common notion that to sneeze three times before breakfast is a pledge that one will soon receive a present of some kind4 ,the sneezing of a cat is considered an evil omen1 it being a sign that the family will all have colds4 ,according to a ,scotch superstition a new-born child is in the fairy spells until it sneezes1 but when this takes place all danger is past4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries tells us that he once overheard an old and reverend-looking dame crooning over a new-born child1 and then1 watching it intently and in silence for nearly a minute1 she said1 taking a huge pinch of snuff1 ',oich6 ,oich6 ,no yet--no yet4' ,suddenly the youngster exploded in a startling manner1 into a tremendous sneeze2 when the old lady suddenly bent down and1 as far as ,i could see1 drew her fore-finger across the brows of the child1 very much as if making the sign of the cross 7although as a strict ,calvinist she would have been scandalised at the idea71 and joyfully exclaimed1 ',god sain the bairn it's no a warlock4' ,indeed it is a very prevalent idea that no idiot ever sneezed or could sneeze4 ,some attach importance to the day on which a person sneezes2 and in the ,west of ,england it is said that-- ,sneeze on ,sunday morning fasting1 ,you'll enjoy your own true love to everlasting4 ,another household superstition which has come down to us from the far-off past is connected with stumbling2 frequent allusions to which occur in the classic writers4 ,thus1 at the present day to stumble up-stairs is considered unlucky by some1 but just the reverse by others4 ,grose remarks that to stumble up the stairs is a prognostic of good luck1 and in some places it is supposed to indicate that the stumbler if unmarried will cease to be so before the year is out4 ,others affirm that to stumble in the morning as soon as one goes out of doors is a sign of ill-luck4 ,as an instance of this omen in ancient times1 it is stated that ,tiberius ,gracchus1 as he was leaving his house on the day of his death1 stumbled upon the threshold with such violence that he broke the nail of his great toe4 ,it is not necessary1 however1 to quote further cases of this superstition in years gone by1 it being sufficient for our purpose to show that it has been handed down to us by our ancestors1 and that stumbling1 like sneezing1 has always been regarded as an ominous act4 ,again1 stumbling at a grave has been ranked among unlucky omens1 a superstition to which ,shakespeare refers in ,romeo and ,juliet 7,act v41 sc4 #c71 where ,friar ,laurence says3-- ,how oft to-night ,have my old feet stumbled at graves4 ,we may also compare ,gloucester's words in #c ,henry ,,vi4 7,act v41 sc4 #c73-- ,for many men that stumble at the threshold ,are well foretold that danger lurks within4 ,hence various charms have been practised to counteract the supposed ill-effect of this unlucky act1 upon which ,poor ,robin1 in his ,almanack for #afie1 quaintly remarks3--,all those who1 walking the streets1 stumble at a stick or stone1 and when they are past it turn back again to spurn or kick the stone they stumbled at1 are liable to turn students in ,goatam ,college1 and upon admittance to have a coat put upon him1 with a cap1 a bauble1 and other ornaments belonging to his degree4 ,again1 in most places there is a very strong antipathy to a woman whistling about a house1 or even out of doors1 this act being said to be always attended with fatal results4 ,thus1 there is a ,cornish saying to the following effect3--,a whistling woman and a crowing hen are the two unluckiest things under the sun2 and the ,northamptonshire peasantry have this rhyme which is to the same purport3-- ,a whistling woman and crowing hen ,are neither fit for ,god nor men4 ,or1 according to another version3-- ,a whistling wife and a crowing hen ,will call the old gentleman out of his den4 ,why there should be this superstitious dislike to a woman's whistling it is difficult to decide1 but at the same time it is a curious fact that one seldom hears any of the fair sex amusing themselves in this manner4 ,mr4 ,henderson informs us that the seafaring part of the population on the coast of ,yorkshire have the same dread of hearing a woman whistle4 ,a few years ago1 when a party of friends were going on board a vessel at ,scarborough1 the captain astonished them by declining to allow one of them to enter it4 ,not that young lady1 he said1 she whistles4 ,curiously enough the vessel was lost on her next voyage2 so1 had the poor girl set foot on it1 the misfortune would certainly have been ascribed to her4 ,according to one legend1 this superstition originated in the circumstance that a woman stood by and whistled while she watched the nails for the ,cross being forged4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries assigns another origin4 ,he tells us that one day1 after attempting in vain to get his dog to obey orders to come into the house1 his wife essayed to whistle1 when she was suddenly interrupted by a servant1 a ,roman ,catholic1 who exclaimed in the most piteous accents1 ,if you please1 ma'am1 don't whistle4 ,every time a woman whistles1 the heart of the ,blessed ,virgin bleeds4 ,the ,french1 it seems1 have a similar prejudice to hearing a woman whistle about a house1 their proverb being as follows3--,une poule qui chante le coq1 et une fille qui siffle1 portent malheur dans la maison4 ,there are numerous signs and omens connected with household work4 ,thus1 in ,suffolk1 the people say that if after sweeping a room the broom is accidentally left up in a corner1 strangers will visit the house in the course of that day2 while others affirm1 in the ,northern counties1 that to sweep dust out of the house by the front door is equivalent to sweeping away the good fortune and happiness of the family4 ,care should rather be taken to sweep inwards--the dust being carried out in a basket or shovel--and then no harm will happen4 ,furthermore1 the spider1 which in daily life is little noticed except for its cobweb1 the presence of which in a house generally betokens neglect1 is by no means an unfriendly intruder4 ,although the servant oftentimes ruthlessly sweeps this uncared-for little visitor away from the wall1 yet a common proverb reminds us that-- ,if you wish to live and thrive1 ,let the spider run alive1 ill-luck being supposed to quickly overtake those who kill or even so much as injure it4 ,it was a notion formerly prevalent in many parts of ,scotland that should a servant wilfully kill a spider1 she would certainly break a piece of crockery or glass before the day was out4 ,one reason why the spider is protected against ill-usage is that it is supposed to bring prosperity2 but the real cause1 perhaps1 is due to the influence of an old legend which relates how1 when ,christ lay in the manger at ,bethlehem1 the spider came and spun a web over the spot where ,he was1 thus preserving ,his life by screening ,him from all the dangers that surrounded ,him4 ,referring to the breaking of crockery1 of which we have just spoken1 there is a prevalent idea that if a servant breaks two things she will break a third4 ,on one occasion the mistress of a household in ,suffolk was not a little horrified at seeing one of her servants take up a coarse earthenware basin and deliberately throw it down upon the brick floor4 ,what did you do that for8 she not unnaturally inquired4 ,because1 ma'am1 ,i'd broke two things1 answered the servant1 so ,i thout the third better be this here1 pointing to the remains of the least valuable piece of pottery in the establishment1 which had been sacrificed to glut the vengeance of the offended ceramic deities4 ,a correspondent of ,chambers' ,book of ,days1 alluding to another piece of superstition of this kind1 tells us that he once had a servant who was very much given to breaking glass and crockery4 ,plates and wine-glasses used to slip out of her hands as if they had been soaped2 even spoons came jingling to the ground in rapid succession4 ,let her buy something1 said the cook1 and that will change the luck4 ,decidedly1 said the mistress1 it will be as well that she feel the inconvenience herself4 ,oh1 ,i didn't mean that1 ma'am6 was the reply2 ,i meant that it would change the luck4 ,a few days after this conversation1 on being asked whether she had broken anything more1 she answered1 ,no1 sir1 ,i haven't broken nothing since ,i bout the 'tater dish4 ,unluckily1 however1 this was too good to last2 the breaking soon re-commenced1 and the servant was obliged to go4 ,a superstitious dread still attaches in household matters to ,friday as being an unlucky day1 and many will not even so much as turn a bed for fear of some misfortune befalling them4 ,thus1 in ,northamptonshire1 we are told the housewife allows the bed to remain unturned2 and a ,sussex saying admonishes persons never to begin a piece of work on ,friday1 or they will never finish it4 ,we may note here that one tradition assigns a very early origin to the unfortunate reputation of ,friday1 affirming that it was on this day that ,adam and ,eve ate the forbidden fruit4 ,it is considered very unlucky to change servants on this day of the week1 and many try to avoid1 if possible1 doing so4 ,that bright and ever-cheerful companion of our homes in winter time1 the fire1 has given rise to a host of omens and portents1 many of which at times create no small consternation when the events supposed to be prognosticated are not of a very lucky character4 ,a hollow cinder1 for example1 thrown out of the fire by a jet of gas from burning coals is looked upon as a coffin if it be long1 but as a money-box if it be round4 ,some1 too1 exclaim on seeing the fire suddenly blaze up that a stranger is near2 whereas in the ,midland counties if the fire burn brightly after it has been stirred1 this is considered a sign that the absent lover1 wife1 or husband1 as the case may be1 is in good spirits4 ,a very popular charm for reviving a fire when it has burnt down is to set the poker across the hearth1 with the fore-part leaning against the top bar of the grate4 ,the poker and top bar thus combined form a cross1 and so defeat the malice of the witches and demons who preside over smoky chimneys4 ,one notion is that the poker when in this position creates a draught1 but the real meaning of this harmless superstition is1 perhaps1 the one that we have just given4 ,various items of weather-lore1 also1 have been derived from the way fires burn1 an enumeration of which we find in ,willsford's ,nature's ,secrets3--,when our common fires do burn with a pale flame1 they presage foul weather4 ,if the fire do make a buzzing noise1 it is a sign of tempests near at hand4 ,when the fire sparkleth very much1 it is a sign of rain4 ,if the ashes on the hearth do clodder together of themselves1 it is a sign of rain4 ,when pots are newly taken off the fire1 if they sparkle1 the soot upon them being incensed1 it is a sign of rain4 ,when the fire scorcheth and burneth more vehemently than it useth to do1 it is a sign of frosty weather2 but if the living coals do shine brighter than commonly at other times1 expect then rain4 ,if wood1 or any other fuel1 do crackle and wind break forth more than ordinary1 it is an evident sign of some tempestuous weather near at hand2 the much and sudden falling of soot presages rain4 ,once more1 there is a curious notion that if a person sit musing and intently looking into the fire1 it is a sign that a badly-disposed person is either fascinating him for evil1 or throwing an evil spell over him4 ,when this is the case1 in order to break the spell1 some one without speaking or attracting notice should take the tongs and turn the centre piece of coal in the grate right over1 at the same time repeating certain words4 ,while speaking of fires1 we may note that there is a belief among the ,yorkshire peasants that it is unlucky to allow a light to be taken out of their houses on ,christmas ,day--a superstition which prevails in ,lancashire with regard to ,new ,year's ,day4 ,a few years ago a man was summoned at ,bradford on a charge of wilful damage by breaking a pane of glass in a cottage window4 ,having entered for the purpose of lighting his candle1 the woman of the house strongly remonstrated1 but offered him instead a few matches4 ,the man then created a disturbance1 and on the husband trying to eject him he broke the window4 ,omens1 too1 from candles are very numerous4 ,thus1 we may note that in some of the ,northern counties a bright spark in the candle predicts the arrival of a letter1 and if it drops on the first shake1 it is an indication that the letter has already been posted4 ,to snuff out a candle accidentally is a sign of matrimony1 and a curious mode of divination is still practised by means of a pin and a candle4 ,the anxious lover1 while the candle is burning1 takes a pin and cautiously sticks it through the wax1 taking care that it pierces the wick1 repeating meanwhile the following rhyme3-- ,it's not this candle alone ,i stick1 ,but ,a4 ,b4's heart ,i mean to prick2 ,whether he be asleep or awake1 ,i'd have him come to me and speak4 ,she then patiently watches1 for if the pin remains in the wick after the candle has burnt below the place in which it was inserted1 then the loved one will be sure to appear2 but should the pin drop out1 it is a sign that he is faithless4 ,there are1 however1 a host of other superstitions relating to home-life1 some of which we can only briefly describe1 scattered as they are here and there over the ,united ,kingdom1 and varying in different localities4 ,thus1 according to a well-known superstition1 if a person suddenly shivers1 it is a sign that some one is walking over his future grave1 a notion which is not limited to any particular county1 extending as far north as ,scotland4 ,it is fortunate1 however1 that all persons are not subject to this sensation1 otherwise the inhabitants of those districts or parishes whose burial-grounds are much frequented would1 as an old antiquarian writer has observed1 live in one continued fit of shaking4 ,some1 too1 deem it unlucky to turn back after they have once started on some errand1 or to be recalled and told of something previously forgotten4 ,this superstition extends beyond our own country1 and is found on the ,continent1 as for example in ,sweden1 where it is considered unadvisable not only to turn round when one is going on business1 lest it should turn out ill1 but even so much as to look back4 ,at the present day1 too1 in the ,midland counties1 children are frequently cautioned by their parents not to walk backwards when going on some errand1 it being regarded as a sure sign that misfortune will befall them if they disobey this injunction4 ,akin to this superstition1 there are several others of a similar kind1 among which we may include the supposed ill-luck of walking under a ladder2 and ,north-country people have a dislike to meeting a left-handed person on a ,tuesday morning1 although on other days it is considered fortunate to do so4 ,referring to the many other items of folk-lore associated with our daily life1 we must not omit those relating to money4 ,thus1 it is generally acknowledged to be a bad omen to find it2 and to insure health and prosperity1 one should always turn a piece of money in one's pocket on first seeing the new moon1 and on hearing the cuckoo in spring4 ,there is1 too1 the common custom of the lower orders to spit on money for luck's sake1 a practice which is not only found in foreign countries1 but may be traced back to ancient times4 ,misson1 in his ,travels in ,england1 describes this piece of superstition as it prevailed in this country in former years3--,a woman that goes much to market told me t'other day that the butcher-women of ,london1 those that sell fowls1 butter1 eggs1 etc41 and in general most tradespeople1 have a peculiar esteem for what they call a handsel1 that is to say1 the first money they receive in the morning they kiss it1 spit upon it1 and put it in a pocket by itself4 ,many1 too1 as a charm against poverty1 carry a piece of money1 with a hole in it1 or one that is bent1 in allusion to which ,gay says3-- ,this silver ring beside1 ,three silver pennies1 and a nine-pence bent1 ,a token kind to ,brunkinet is sent4 ,others1 again1 dislike counting their gains1 a superstition which1 it has been suggested1 may have some connection with ,david's sin in numbering the people of ,israel and ,judah4 ,hence some regard with feelings of strong antipathy our own decennial census1 and it is only the compulsion of the law which induces them to comply with this national means of ascertaining the state of the population4 ,among minor superstitions1 it is said that smoke and dust always follow the fairest2 and if without any neglect1 but even with care1 articles of steel1 such as keys1 knives1 c41 continually become rusty1 it is a sign that some kind-hearted person is laying up money for one's benefit4 ,when1 too1 as often by coincidence happens1 two persons in conversation are on the point of telling each other the same thing1 it is an indication that some lie will before long be told about them2 others think that if the two immediately join hands and wish silently1 their desires cannot fail to come to pass4 ,some again1 have a strong objection either to being weighed or to having their likeness taken1 the latter superstition being mentioned by ,mr4 ,napier as prevalent in some parts of ,scotland4 ,once more1 there is a belief among the ,sussex peasantry that bottles which have contained medicine should never be sold1 or else they will soon be required to be filled again for some one in the house4 ,these are some of the quaint superstitions with which even the trivial occurrences of home life are surrounded1 and although1 according to one view1 many of these have little or no foundation for their existence beyond their traditionary history1 yet it is a remarkable fact that they should have preserved their characteristic traits in spite of the long course of years through which they have travelled down to us from the past4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,popular ,,divinations4 ,bible and ,key--,dipping--,sieve and ,shears--,crowing of the ,cock--,spatulamancia--,palmistry and ,onymancy--,look-divination--,astrology- -,cards--,casting ,lot--,tea-stalks4 ,the practice of divination1 or foretelling future events1 has existed amongst most nations in all ages2 and1 although not so popular as in days gone by1 yet it still retains its hold on the popular mind4 ,many of the methods for diving into futurity are extremely curious1 and instances of them occasionally find their way into the papers4 ,in a previous chapter we have already shown how numerous are the divinations practised in love affairs1 and what an importance is attached to them by the maiden bent on ascertaining her lot in the marriage state4 ,there are1 however1 many other ends to which this species of superstition is employed1 one being the detection of guilt4 ,thus1 a common method is by the ,bible and the ,key1 which is resorted to more or less by the humbler classes from one end of the ,united ,kingdom to the other1 the mode of procedure being as follows3--,the key is placed on a certain chapter1 and the ,sacred ,volume closed and fastened tightly4 ,the ,bible and the key are then suspended to a nail1 the accused person's name is repeated three times by one of those present1 while another recites these words3-- ,if it turns to thee thou art the thief1 ,and we all are free4 ,this incantation being concluded1 should the key be found to have turned1 it is unanimously agreed that the accused is the guilty one4 ,not very long ago1 a lady residing at ,ludlow having lost a sheet made use of this test4 ,armed with a copy of the ,sacred ,book1 she perambulated the neighbourhood1 placing the key in the volume near several houses4 ,at last1 on arriving before a certain door1 it was alleged that the key with much alacrity began1 of its own accord1 to turn2 whereupon the owner of the lost sheet uttered the suspected person's name as loudly as she could2 after which1 it is said1 the ,bible turned completely round and fell on the ground4 ,again1 a year or two ago1 at ,southampton1 a boy working on a collier was charged with theft1 the only evidence against him being such as was afforded by the ordeal of the ,bible and key4 ,it seems that the mate and some others swung a ,bible attached to a key with a piece of yarn1 the key being placed on the first chapter of ,ruth4 ,while the ,bible was turning1 the names of several persons suspected were called over1 but on mention of the prisoner's the book fell on the ground4 ,the bench1 of course1 discharged the prisoner4 ,closely akin to this method of divination is the well-known medival diversion known as the ,sortes ,virgilian1 which consisted in opening a volume of ,virgil's works1 and forecasting the future from some word or passage selected at random4 ,the ,sacred ,book is now the modern substitute1 and there is no doubt but that the superstition is thousands of years older than even the ,virgil of the ,augustan age4 ,this custom1 practised in many parts of ,england on ,new ,year's ,day1 is called ,dipping4 ,a ,bible is laid on the table at breakfast-time1 and those who wish to consult it open its pages at random2 it being supposed that the events of the ensuing year will be in some way foreshown by the contents of the chapter contained in the two open pages4 ,sometimes the anxious inquirer will take the ,bible to bed with him on ,new ,year's ,eve1 and on awaking after twelve o'clock1 open it in the dark1 mark a verse with his thumb1 turn down a corner of the page1 and replace the book under the pillow4 ,that verse is said to be a prophecy of the good or bad luck that will befall him during the coming year4 ,this as a mode of divination is extensively practised4 ,another form of this superstition consists in foretelling the events in a man's life from the last chapter of the ,book of ,proverbs1 the thirty-one verses of this chapter being supposed to have a mystical reference to the corresponding days of the month4 ,thus1 it is predicted of persons born on the #adth that they will get their food from afar4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries1 writing from a ,northamptonshire village1 tells us that this is so fully believed in by some that a boy has actually been apprenticed to a linen-draper1 for no other reason than because he was born on the #bdth of the month2 whilst those born on the #acth would be sent to a woollen-draper4 ,the twenty-fourth verse speaks of 'fine linen1' and the thirteenth of 'wool4' ,another means of discovering a guilty person is by the ,sieve and ,shears1 one of those divinatory instruments upon which such implicit reliance has been placed by superstitious folk from time out of mind1 described as it is in the ,hudibras as ,th' oracle of sieve and shears1 ,that turns as certain as the spheres4 ,the sieve is held hanging by a thread1 or else by the points of a pair of shears stuck into its rim1 it being supposed to turn1 or swing1 or fall at the mention of a thief's name1 and give similar signs for other purposes4 ,this ancient rite was formerly known as the ,trick of the ,sieve and ,scissors1 and was generally practised among the ,greeks for ascertaining crime4 ,we find an allusion to it in ,theocritus3-- ,to ,agrio1 too1 ,i made the same demand2 ,a cunning woman she1 ,i cross'd her hand3 ,she turn'd the sieve and shears1 and told me true1 ,that ,i should love1 but not be lov'd by you4 ,among other modes of divination practised for the same purpose1 there is one by the crowing of the cock4 ,thus1 a farmer in ,cornwall having been robbed of some property1 invited all his neighbours into his cottage1 and when they were assembled he placed a cock under the brandice 7an iron vessel formerly much used by the peasantry in baking71 he then asked each one to touch the brandice with the third finger1 and say1 ,in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 speak4 ,every one did as they were directed1 and yet no sound came from beneath the brandice4 ,the last person was a woman who occasionally laboured for the farmer in his field4 ,she hung back1 hoping to pass unobserved amidst the crowd4 ,the neighbours1 however1 would not permit her to do so1 and no sooner had she touched the brandice than1 before she could even utter the prescribed words1 the cock crew4 ,thereupon she fainted on the spot1 and on recovering confessed her guilt4 ,in the ,north of ,england there was formerly a curious process of divination in the case of a person bewitched3--,a black hen was stolen1 the heart taken out1 stuck full of pins1 and roasted at midnight4 ,it was then supposed that the double of the witch would come and nearly pull the door down4 ,if1 however1 the double was not seen1 any one of the neighbours who had passed a remarkably bad night was fixed upon4 ,referring in the next place to what may be considered the principal object of divination1 a knowledge of futurity1 we find various mystic arts in use to gain this purpose4 ,foremost among these may be reckoned ,spatulamancia1 reading the speal-bone1 or divination by the blade-bone1 an art which is of very ancient origin4 ,it is1 we are told by ,mr4 ,tylor1 especially found in ,tartary1 whence it may have spread into all other countries where we hear of it4 ,the mode of procedure is as follows3--,the shoulder-blade is put on the fire till it cracks in various directions1 and then a long split lengthwise is reckoned as the way of life1 while cross-cracks on the right and left stand for different kinds of good and evil fortune1 and so on4 ,in ,ireland1 ,camden speaks of looking through the blade-bone of a sheep1 to discover a black spot which foretells a death2 and ,drayton in his ,polyolbion thus describes it3-- ,by th' shoulder of a ram from off the right side par'd1 ,which usually they boile1 the spade-bone being bar'd1 ,which when the wizard takes1 and gazing thereupon ,things long to come foreshows1 as things done long agone4 ,this species of divination was in days gone by much practised in ,scotland1 and a good account of the ,highland custom of thus divining is given by ,mr4 ,thoms in the ,folk-,lore ,record 7i4 #agg71 from a manuscript account by ,mr4 ,donald ,mc,pherson1 a bookseller of ,chelsea1 a ,highlander born1 and who was well acquainted with the superstitions of his countrymen3--,before the shoulder-blade is inspected1 the whole of the flesh must be stripped clean off1 without the use of any metal1 either by a bone or a hard wooden knife1 or by the teeth4 ,most of the discoveries are made by inspecting the spots that may be observed in the semi-transparent part of the blade2 but very great proficients penetrate into futurity though the opaque parts also4 ,nothing can be known that may happen beyond the circle of the ensuing year4 ,the discoveries made have relation only to the person for whom the sacrifice is offered4 ,chiromancy1 or palmistry1 as a means of unravelling hidden things1 still finds favour not only with gipsy fortune-tellers1 but even with those who profess to belong to the intelligent classes of society4 ,this branch of fortune-telling flourished in ancient ,greece and ,italy1 as we are informed it still does in ,india1 where to say1 ,it is written on the palms of my hands1 is the ordinary way of expressing what is looked upon as inevitable4 ,the professors of this art formerly attributed to it a ,divine origin1 quoting as their authority the following verse from the ,book of ,job3 ,he sealeth up the hand of every man1 that all men may know his work2 or as the ,vulgate renders the passage3 ,qui in manu omnium hominum signa posuit--,who has placed signs in the hand of all men--which certainly gives it a more chiromantical meaning4 ,thus chiromancy1 or palmistry1 traces the future from an examination of the lines of the palm of the hand1 each of which has its own peculiar character and name1 as for instance the line of long life1 of married life1 of fortune1 and so on4 ,however childish this system may be1 it still has its numerous votaries1 and can often be seen in full force at our provincial fairs4 ,referring to its popularity in this country in former years1 we find it severely censured by various writers4 ,thus one author of the year #afab speaks of vain and frivolous devices of which sort we have an infinite number1 also used amongst us1 as namely in palmistry1 where men's fortunes are told by looking on the palms of the hand4 ,a superstition akin to palmistry is onymancy1 or divination by the finger-nails1 which is still a widespread object of belief4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 in his ,vulgar ,errors1 describing it1 admits that conjectures of prevalent humours may be gathered from the spots on the nails1 but rejects the sundry prognostications usually derived from them1 such as that spots on the tops of the nails signify things past1 in the middle things present1 and at the bottom events to come2 that white specks presage our felicity1 blue ones our misfortunes2 that those in the nail of the thumb have significations of honour1 of the fore-finger riches4 ,as practised at the present day1 this mode of divination differs in various counties4 ,thus1 in ,sussex1 we are told by ,mrs4 ,latham that the fortune-tellers commence with the thumb1 and say ,a gift1 judging of its probable size by that of the mark4 ,they then touch the fore-finger1 and add ,a friend2 and should they find a spot upon the nail of the middle finger1 they gravely affirm it denotes the existence of an enemy somewhere4 ,it is the presence or absence of such a mark on the third finger that proves one's future good or ill success in love2 whereas one on the little finger is a warning that the person will soon have to undergo a journey4 ,again1 some profess to be able to tell events by the face1 or look-divination--a species of physiognomy which was formerly much believed in by all classes of society1 and may still be met with in country villages4 ,indeed1 there is scarcely a mark on the face which has not been supposed to betoken something or other2 and in a book of ,palmistry and ,physiognomy1 translated by ,fabian ,withers1 #afef1 are recorded sundry modes of divination from upright eyebrows1 brows hanging over1 narrow foreheads1 faces plain and flat1 lean faces1 sad faces1 sharp noses1 ape-like noses1 thick nostrils1 c4 ,however foolish these may appear1 yet there will always be simple-minded persons ready to make themselves miserable by believing that the future events of their life--either for weal or woe--are indelibly written on their face4 ,equally illogical and fanciful is that pseudo-science1 astrology1 whereby the affairs of men1 it is said1 can be read from the motions of the heavenly bodies4 ,a proof of the extensive belief at the present day in this mode of divination may be gathered from the piles of ,zadkiel's ,almanacks which regularly appear in the fashionable booksellers' windows about ,christmas-time4 ,that educated people1 who must be aware how names of stars and constellations have been arbitrarily given by astronomers1 should still find in these materials for calculating human events1 is a curious case of superstitious survival4 ,very many1 for instance1 are firmly convinced that a child born under the ,crab will not do well in life1 and that another born under the ,waterman is likely to meet with a watery death1 and so forth4 ,this science1 as is well known1 is of very old institution1 and originated in a great measure in the primitive ages of the world1 when animating intelligences were supposed to reside in the celestial bodies4 ,as these mythical conceptions1 however1 have long ago passed away under the influence of civilisation1 one would scarcely expect to find in our enlightened nineteenth century so great a number of intellectual persons putting faith in such a system of delusion4 ,in this respect1 happily1 we are not worse than our ,continental neighbours2 for there are many districts in ,germany where the child's horoscope is still regularly kept with the baptismal certificate in the family chest4 ,in days gone by1 this kind of divination was very widely credited in this country1 and by most of our old writers is most unsparingly condemned4 ,thus ,shakespeare1 in ,king ,lear 7,act i41 sc4 #b71 has ridiculed it in a masterly way1 when he represents ,edmund as saying3 ,this is the excellent foppery of the world1 that when we are sick in fortune--often the surfeit of our own behaviour--we make guilty of our disasters the sun1 the moon1 and the stars1 as if we were villains by necessity2 fools by heavenly compulsion2 knaves1 thieves1 and treachers by spherical predominance2 drunkards1 liars1 and adulterers by an enforced obedience of planetary influence4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne goes so far as to attribute divination by astrology to ,satan1 remarking how he makes the ignorant ascribe natural effects to supernatural causes2 and thus deludes them with this form of error4 ,and another old writer sensibly adds that1 although astrologers undertake to tell all people most obscure and hidden secrets abroad1 they at the same time know not what happens in their own houses and in their own chambers4 ,in spite1 however1 of the frequent denunciations of this popular form of superstition1 it appears that they had little effect1 for ,james ,i4 was notorious for his credulity about such delusions2 and both ,charles ,i4 and ,cromwell are said to have consulted astrologers4 ,a further form of divination still much practised is by a pack of cards1 most of these being supposed to have a symbolical meaning2 the king of hearts1 for example1 denoting a true-loving swain1 and the king of diamonds indicating great wealth4 ,the following quaint lines1 extracted from an old chap-book quoted in ,brand's ,popular ,antiquities1 describe this mode of fortune-telling as it was formerly consulted by our credulous countrymen3-- ,this noble king of diamond shows1 ,thou long shalt live where pleasure flows2 ,but when a woman draws the king1 ,great melancholy songs she'll sing4 ,he that draws the ace of hearts1 ,shall surely be a man of parts2 ,and she that draws it1 ,i profess1 ,will have the gift of idleness4 ,indeed1 scarcely a month passes without several persons being punished for extorting money from silly people1 on the pretence of revealing to them by card-divination their future condition in life4 ,among the gipsies this is the favourite form of fortune-telling2 and its omens are eagerly received by anxious aspirants after matrimony1 who are ever desirous to know whether their husbands are to be tall or short1 dark or fair1 rich or poor1 and so on4 ,mrs4 ,latham tells us of a certain woman who was reported to be skilful in such matters1 and was in the habit of confidently foretelling with a pack of cards her fellow-servants' coming lot in matrimony4 ,the mode of procedure was as follows3--,the cards were dealt round by the diviner1 with much mystical calculation1 and the fortunate maiden who found the ace of diamonds in her heap was to marry a rich man4 ,the one1 however1 who was unlucky enough to have the knave of clubs or spades was destined to have nothing but poverty and misery in her wedded state4 ,again1 the presence of the king of diamonds or of hearts in hand was a sign that the possessor's partner for life would be a fair man1 while the king of clubs or spades gave warning that he would be dark4 ,to find in one's heap either the knave of hearts or of diamonds was most ominous1 as it revealed an unknown enemy4 ,again1 divination by casting lot has not yet fallen into disuse4 ,according to some this means of deciding doubtful matters is of ,god's appointment1 and therefore cannot fail1 the following text being quoted as a proof3 ,the lot is cast into the lap2 but the whole disposing thereof is of the ,lord 7,proverbs xvi4 #cc74 ,in ,lancashire1 when boys do not wish to divide anything they decide who must take all by drawing short cuts4 ,a number of straws1 pieces of twine1 c41 of different lengths1 are held by one not interested1 so that an equal portion of each is alone visible2 each boy draws one1 and he who gets the longest is entitled to the prize4 ,a new-laid egg affords another means of diving into futurity4 ,the person anxious to be enlightened about his future perforates with a pin the small end of an egg1 and lets three drops of the white fall into a basin of water1 which soon diffuse themselves on the surface into a variety of fantastic shapes4 ,from these the fortune-teller will predict the fortune of the credulous one1 the character of his future wife1 and a variety of particulars concerning his domestic happiness4 ,a similar practice is kept up in ,denmark1 where young women melt lead on ,new ,year's ,eve1 and after pouring it into water1 observe on the following morning what form it has assumed4 ,if it resembles a pair of scissors1 they will inevitably marry tailors2 if a hammer1 their husbands will be smiths1 and so on4 ,divination by a staff was formerly a common practice in ,scotland4 ,when a person wished to go on a pleasure excursion into the country1 and was unsettled in his mind as to which way to go1 he resorted to this form of consulting fate4 ,taking a stick1 he would poise it perpendicularly1 and then leave it to fall of itself2 and he would select the direction towards which it pointed while it lay on the ground4 ,it has been suggested by some of our ,biblical scholars that it is to this sort of divination that the prophet ,hosea referred when he said ,their staff declareth unto them2 but this is mere conjecture4 ,among other common modes of divination may be mentioned that by tea-stalks4 ,if two appear on the surface of a cup of tea1 they should be placed on the back of the left hand1 and struck with the back of the right4 ,if they remain unmoved on the left1 or adhere to the right1 then it is an omen that the absent loved one will remain faithful4 ,tea-stalks are also said to foretell visitors1 indicating the person to be visited by floating to the side of the individual4 ,we might easily extend our list of popular divinations1 but space forbids our doing so2 and those already enumerated in the preceding pages have perhaps given a sufficient idea of the devices which have been resorted to1 from time to time1 by our superstitious country-folk for gaining an insight into futurity4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,common ,,ailments4 ,charm-remedies--,for ,ague--,bleeding of the ,nose--,burns--,cramp--,epilepsy--,fits- -,gout--,headache1 c4 ,at the present day1 in spite of the march of intellect1 there is still a widespread belief in the prevention and cure of the common ailments of life by certain remedies1 which take the form of charms and amulets1 or are preserved in those countless quaint recipes which1 from time immemorial1 have been handed down from parent to child4 ,indeed1 thousands of our population place far greater faith in their domestic treatment of disease than in the skill of medical science1 one of the chief requirements being that the patient should submit to the treatment recommended for his recovery with a full and earnest belief that a cure will be effected4 ,hence1 however eccentric the remedy for some complaint may be1 we occasionally find not only the ignorant but even educated classes scrupulously obeying the directions enjoined on them1 although these are often by no means easy of accomplishment4 ,therefore1 as most of the ordinary ailments of every-day life have what are popularly termed in folk-medicine their charm-remedies1 we shall give a brief account of some of these remedies in the present chapter1 arranging the diseases they are supposed to cure in alphabetical order4 ,ague4--,no complaint1 perhaps1 has offered more opportunities for the employment of charms than this one1 owing in a great measure to an old superstition that it is not amenable to medical treatment4 ,thus1 innumerable remedies have been suggested for its cure1 many of which embody the strangest superstitious fancies4 ,according to a popular notion1 fright is a good cure1 and by way of illustration we may quote the case of a gentleman1 afflicted by this disease in an aggravated form1 who entertained a great fear of rats4 ,on one occasion he was accidentally confined in a room with one of these unwelcome visitors1 and the intruder jumped upon him4 ,the intensity of his alarm is said to have driven out the ague1 and to have completely cured him4 ,an amusing anecdote is also told of a poor woman who had suffered from this unenviable complaint for a long time4 ,her husband having heard of persons being cured by fright1 one day came to her with a very long face1 and informed her that her favourite pig was dead4 ,her first impulse was to rush to the scene of the catastrophe1 where she found to her great relief that piggy was alive and well4 ,the fright1 however1 had done its work1 and from that day forth she never had a touch of ague1 although she resided in the same locality4 ,a ,sussex remedy prescribes seven sage leaves to be eaten by the patient fasting seven mornings running2 and in ,suffolk the patient is advised to take a handful of salt1 and to bury it in the ground1 the idea being that as the salt dissolves so he will lose his ague4 ,a ,devonshire piece of folk-lore tells us that a person suffering from ague may easily give it to his neighbour by burying under his threshold a bag containing the parings of a dead man's nails1 and some of the hairs of his head4 ,some people wear a leaf of tansy in their shoes1 and others consider pills made of a spider's web equally efficacious1 one pill being taken before breakfast for three successive mornings4 ,bleeding of the ,nose4--,a key1 on account of the coldness of the metal of which it is composed1 is often placed on the person's back2 and hence the term key-cold has become proverbial1 an allusion to which we find in ,king ,richard ,,iii4 7,act i41 sc4 #b71 where ,lady ,anne1 speaking of the corpse of ,king ,henry ,,vi41 exclaims3-- ,poor key-cold figure of a holy king4 ,a ,norfolk remedy consists in wearing a skein of scarlet silk round the neck1 tied with nine knots in the front4 ,if the patient is a male1 the silk should be put on and the knots tied by a female1 and vice vers4 ,in some places a toad is killed by transfixing it with some sharp-pointed instrument1 after which it is enclosed in a little bag and suspended round the neck4 ,burn or ,scald4--,according to a deep-rooted notion among our rural population1 the most efficacious cure for a scald or burn is to be found in certain word-charms1 mostly of a religious character4 ,one example runs as follows3-- ,there came two angels from the north1 ,one was ,fire1 and one was ,frost4 ,out ,fire3 in ,frost1 ,in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,many of our peasantry1 instead of consulting a doctor in the case of a severe burn1 often resort to some old woman supposed to possess the gift of healing4 ,a person of this description formerly resided in a village in ,suffolk4 ,when consulted she prepared a kind of ointment1 which she placed on the part affected1 and after making the sign of the cross1 repeated the following formula three times3-- ,there were two angels came from the north1 ,one brought fire1 the other brought frost2 ,come out fire1 go in frost1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,this1 as the reader will see1 is in substance the same as the one quoted above1 and is a fair sample of those used in other localities4 ,cramp4--,of the many charms resorted to for the cure of this painful disorder1 a common one consists in wearing about the person the patella or knee-cap of a sheep or lamb1 which is known in some places as the cramp-bone4 ,this is worn as near the skin as possible1 and at night is laid under the pillow4 ,in many counties finger-rings made from the screws or handles of coffins are still considered excellent preservatives1 and in ,lancashire it is prevented by either placing the shoes at bed-time with the toes just peeping from beneath the coverlet1 or by carrying brimstone about with one during the day4 ,some1 again1 wear a tortoise-shell ring1 while others have equal faith in tying the garter round the left leg below the knee4 ,in days gone by a celebrated cure for this complaint was the cramp-ring1 allusions to which we find in many of our old authors4 ,its supposed virtue was conferred by solemn consecration on ,good ,friday4 ,epilepsy4--,the remedies for this terrible disorder are extremely curious1 and in most cases vary in different localities4 ,one1 however1 very popular charm is a ring made from a piece of silver money collected at the offertory4 ,a correspondent of ,chambers's ,book of ,days tells us that when he was a boy a person came to his father 7a clergyman7 and asked for a 'sacramental shilling1' i4e41 one out of the alms collected at the ,holy ,communion1 to be made into a ring and worn as a cure for epilepsy4 ,in the ,north of ,england a sacramental piece1 as it is usually called1 is the sovereign remedy for this complaint4 ,thirty pence are to be begged of thirty poor widows4 ,they are then to be carried to the church minister1 for which he is to give the applicant a half-crown piece from the communion alms4 ,after being walked with nine times up and down the church aisle1 the piece is then to have a hole drilled in it1 and to be hung round the neck by a ribbon4 ,it has been suggested that these widows' pence may have some reference to the widow's mite which was so estimable in the eyes of ,christ4 ,according to one notion1 persons afflicted with epileptic fits are supposed to be bewitched1 and the following extraordinary remedy is sometimes resorted to for their cure4 ,a quart bottle is filled with pins1 and placed in front of the fire until the pins are red-hot4 ,as soon as this takes place it is supposed they will prick the heart of the witch1 who to avoid the pain caused by the red-hot pins will release her victim from the suffering she has imposed upon him4 ,this mode of disenchantment seems to have been of common occurrence2 and sometimes1 when old houses are under repair1 bottles full of pins are found secreted in out-of-the-way places4 ,another remedy is for the patient to creep1 head foremost1 down three pair of stairs1 three times a day1 for three successive days4 ,sir ,thomas ,brown1 too1 discourses of the virtues of mistletoe in this complaint2 and ,sir ,john ,colbach1 writing in the year #agbj1 strongly recommends it as a medicine1 adding that this beautiful plant must have been designed by the ,almighty for further and more noble purposes than barely to feed thrushes1 or to be hung up superstitiously in houses to drive away evil spirits4 ,erysipelas4--,this distemper has been popularly called ,st4 ,anthony's ,fire1 from the legend that it was miraculously checked by that saint when raging in many parts of ,europe in the eleventh century4 ,an amulet formerly worn to ward it off was made of the elder on which the sun had never shone4 ,if1 says an old writer1 the piece between the two knots be hung about the patient's neck1 it is much commended4 ,some cut it in little pieces1 and sew it in a knot in a piece of a man's shirt4 ,a remedy in use among the lower orders1 and extending as far as the ,highlands1 is to cut off one half of the ear of a cat1 and to let the blood drop on the part affected--a practice which is evidently a survival of the primitive notion that a living sacrifice appeased the wrath of ,god4 ,fits4--,numerous indeed have been the charms invented for those suffering from this malady1 and in many cases they are marvellously mystical withal4 ,thus that little animal the mole has been in request1 as the following mystic prescription will show4 ,a gentleman residing in #ahfe1 on the border ground of ,norfolk and ,suffolk1 was one day asked by a neighbour to catch a live mole1 as her darter's little gal was subject to fits1 and she had been told that if she got a live mole1 cut the tip of his nose off1 and let nine drops bleed on to a lump of sugar1 and gave that to the child1 'twas a sartin cure4 ,here again we have the same notion of a sacrifice1 one which1 it may be noticed1 underlies many of the charms of this kind4 ,a ,devonshire remedy is to go into a church at midnight and to walk three times round the ,communion table1 while many single women wear a silver ring on the wedding-ring finger1 made out of sixpences which have been begged from six young bachelors4 ,gout4--,the periodical attacks of this disease have from the earliest times been subjected to the influence of charms1 blackberries being considered by the ,greeks a good specific4 ,culpeper has bequeathed to us a curious remedy4 ,he says1 ,take an owl1 pull off her feathers1 and pull out her guts2 salt her well for a week1 then put her into a pot1 and stop it close1 and put her into an oven1 that so she may be brought into a mummy1 which1 being beat into powder and mixed with boar's grease1 is an excellent remedy for gout1 anointing the grieved place by the fire4 ,the germander speedwell has been esteemed highly efficacious1 and the ,emperor ,charles ,v4 is reported to have derived benefit from it4 ,headache4--,cures to alleviate this tiresome pain are numberless4 ,mrs4 ,latham mentions what is considered by the ,sussex peasantry a sure way of avoiding it in the spring1 a piece of superstition we have already noticed3 ,no hair1 either cut or combed from the head1 must be thrown carelessly away1 lest some bird should find it and carry it off1 in which case the person's head would ache during all the time that the bird was busy working the spoil into its nest4 ',i knew how it would be1' exclaimed a servant1 'when ,i saw that bird fly away with a bit of my hair that blew out of the window this morning when ,i was dressing2 ,i knew ,i should have a clapping headache1 and so ,i have4' ,in some counties the common corn-poppy is called headache1 from the cephalalgic tendency of the scent4 ,hydrophobia4--,from the most remote period no disease1 perhaps1 has possessed such a curious history1 or been invested with so many superstitions as hydrophobia1 and the countless remedies suggested for its cure form an important chapter in folk-medicine4 ,in tracing back its history1 we find that it was not only regarded by our ancestors with the same horror as now-a-days1 but that every conceivable device was resorted to for removing its fatal effects4 ,thus1 ,pliny relates the case of a ,roman soldier who was cured by the dog-rose1 a remedy said to have been revealed to the man's mother in a dream4 ,among sundry other remedies he enumerates the hair of a man's head1 goose-grease1 fuller's earth1 colewort1 fish-brine1 c41 as applications to the wounds4 ,the favourite cure of ,dioscorides was hellebore1 and ,galen's principal one was the river-crab4 ,sucking the wound seems also to have been considered efficacious4 ,passing on to modern times1 the extraordinary remedies still employed are a convincing proof of the extent to which superstition occasionally reaches4 ,the list1 indeed1 is not an inviting one1 consisting amongst other things of the liver of a male goat1 the tail of a shrew-mouse1 the brain and comb of a cock1 the worm under the tongue of a mad dog1 horse-dung1 pounded ants1 and cuckoo soup4 ,it may seem1 too1 incredible to us that less than a century ago the suffocation of the wretched victim was not unfrequently resorted to1 and instances of this barbarous practice may be found in the periodical literature of bygone years4 ,thus1 in ,the ,dublin ,chronicle 7#bhth ,october1 #agih71 the following circumstances are recorded3--,a fine boy1 aged fourteen1 was bitten by a lady's lap-dog near ,dublin4 ,in about two hours the youth was seized with convulsive fits1 and shortly after with hydrophobia2 and1 notwithstanding every assistance1 his friends were obliged to smother him between two feather beds4 ,in the year #agab1 four persons were tried at ,york ,assizes for smothering a boy1 who had been bitten by a mad dog1 on a similar plea as that uttered by ,othello3-- ,i that am cruel am yet merciful3 ,i would not have thee linger in thy pain4 ,as recently as the year #ahfg this mode of death was put into execution in the town of ,greenfield1 ,michigan4 ,a little girl having been seized with hydrophobia1 a consultation was held by the physicians1 and as soon as it had been decided by them that she could not recover1 her parents put an end to her sufferings by smothering her to death4 ,the folk-lore of this disease is most extensive1 and as our space is limited we cannot do better than recommend our readers to consult ,mr4 ,dolan's capital volume on ,rabies1 or ,hydrophobia1 which contains an excellent description of the antiquity and history of this cruel complaint1 and of superstitions which surround it4 ,hysteria4--,this disorder1 which assumes so many deceptive forms1 was formerly known as the mother1 or hysterica passio1 an allusion to which occurs in ,king ,lear 7,act ii41 sc4 #d71 where ,shakespeare represents the king as saying1 ,o1 how this mother swells up toward my heart6 ,hysterica passio6 down1 thou climbing sorrow1 ,thy element's below6 ,some of the charms used for its cure are much the same as those employed in cases of epilepsy1 a favourite one being the wearing of a ring made of a certain number of silver pieces obtained from persons of the opposite sex4 ,jaundice4--,many of the remedies recommended for this complaint are not of a very agreeable kind1 as1 for instance1 the following one mentioned by a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries1 first1 as having been resorted to in a ,dorsetshire parish1 where the patient was ordered to eat nine lice on a piece of bread and butter4 ,one popular charm in days gone by1 and certainly not of a very refined character1 was known as the cure by transplantation1 and consisted in burying in a dunghill an odd number of cakes made of ashes and other ingredients4 ,lameness4--,sleeping on stones1 on a particular night1 is an old method of curing lameness practised in ,cornwall4 ,lumbago4--,in ,dundee it is customary to wear round the loins as a cure for lumbago a hank of yarn which has been charmed by a wise woman1 and girls may be seen with single threads of the same round the head as an infallible specific for tic-douloureux4 ,measles4--,in the quarterly return of the marriages1 births1 and deaths registered in the provinces1 c41 in ,ireland1 published in ,october1 #ahgh1 we find the following extraordinary cure for measles1 administered with what results will be seen3--,sixty-three cases of measles appear on the medical relief register for past quarter1 but this does not represent a third of those affected1 the medical officers being only called in when the usual amount of local nostrums had been tried without effect4 ,every case seen suffered from violent diarrhoea1 caused by the administration of a noxious compound called crooke4 ,this consists of a mixture of porter1 sulphur1 and the excrement of the sheep collected in the fields4 ,every unfortunate child that showed any symptom of measles was compelled to drink large quantities of this mixture4 ,all ordinary remedies failed to stop the diarrhoea thus produced1 in many cases the children nearly dying from exhaustion4 ,repulsive as this piece of folk-medicine is1 yet it is only one of a most extensive class of the same kind1 many being most revolting4 ,it is difficult to conceive how either ignorance or superstition could tolerate any practice of so senseless and indelicate a nature4 ,paralysis4--,one of the popular charms for this disease is the same as that used in the case of epilepsy1 namely1 a silver ring made from money solicited from a certain number of persons4 ,cowslips1 too1 have been esteemed highly efficacious1 and have on this account been termed ,herb ,paralysis by medical writers4 ,for the same reason they are called ,palsyworts in many country places4 ,rheumatism4--,professors of the healing art have advised the sufferer to carry about in his pocket the right fore-foot of a female hare1 while others consider a potato equally efficacious4 ,a ,cornish cure is to crawl under a bramble which has formed a second root in the ground1 or to drink water in which a thunder-stone has been boiled4 ,there is1 also1 a strong belief that a galvanic ring1 as it is called1 worn on the finger will serve as an excellent preservative4 ,a large number of persons1 says ,mr4 ,glyde in his ,norfolk ,garland1 may be seen with a clumsy-looking silver ring1 which has a piece of copper let into the inside1 and this1 though in constant contact throughout1 is supposed 7aided by the moisture of the hand7 to keep up a gentle but continual galvanic current1 and so alleviate rheumatism4 ,a ,sussex remedy is to place the bellows in the sufferer's chair that he may lean against them1 and so have his rheumatism charmed away4 ,spasms4--,the belief in the curative powers of the form of the cross still holds its sway in the popular mind1 and in the case of spasms1 or that painful state of the feet in which they are said to sleep1 it is used under an impression that it allays the pain4 ,small-pox4--,the curative properties attributed to some colours is illustrated by the treatment formerly employed in cases of small-pox4 ,thus1 red bed-coverings were thought to bring the pustules to the surface of the body1 and the patient was recommended to look at red substances4 ,purple dye1 pomegranate seeds1 or other red ingredients were dissolved in his drink1 with the idea that as red is the colour of the blood1 so disorders of the blood system should be treated by red4 ,the renowned ,english physician1 ,john of ,gaddesden1 introduced the practice into this country1 and tried its efficacy on one of the sons of ,king ,edward ,i41 adding to his report1 et est bona cura4 ,fried mice are considered in some counties a good specific for this complaint1 it being thought necessary by some that they should be fried alive4 ,sprain4--,many of the charms practised in an accident of this kind are of a semi-religious character1 and of a not very reverent form4 ,thus1 to cure a sprain1 a thread called the wresting-thread is tied round the injured part1 after which the following formula is repeated3-- ,our ,saviour rade1 ,his fore-foot slade1 ,our ,saviour lighted down2 ,sinew to sinew--joint to joint1 ,blood to blood1 and bone to bone1 ,mend thou in ,god's name4 ,this incantation1 which1 it has been suggested1 may have originated in some legend of ,christ's life1 is frequently mentioned in the witch trials of the early part of the seventeenth century4 ,sty4--,to prevent or cure this disorder1 known in some places as west1 it is customary on the first sight of the new moon to seize a black cat by the tail1 and after pulling from it one hair1 to rub the tip nine times over the pustule4 ,as this charm1 however1 is often attended with sundry severe scratches1 a gold ring has been substituted1 and is said to be equally beneficial4 ,this superstition is alluded to by ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 in the ,mad ,lovers 7,act v41 sc4 #d73-- ----,i have a sty here1 ,chilax4 ,chil4 ,i have no gold to cure it1 not a penny4 ,earrings are considered a good remedy for sore eyes2 and in districts where the teasle is grown for use in the manufacture of broadcloth1 a preservative against them is found in the water which collects in the hollow cups of that plant4 ,pure rain-water is reported to be another infallible remedy4 ,this must be carefully collected in a clean open vessel during the month of ,june1 and if preserved in a bottle will1 it is said1 remain pure for any length of time4 ,thrush4--,there is a popular notion that a person must have this complaint once in his life1 either at his birth or death4 ,norfolk nurses prefer to see it in babies1 on the plea that it is healthy1 and makes them feed more freely2 but if it appears in a sick adult person he is generally given over as past recovery4 ,some of the remedies for this disease are curious1 as1 for instance1 a ,cornish one1 which recommends the child to be taken fasting on three consecutive mornings1 to have its mouth blown into by a posthumous child4 ,in ,devonshire the parent is advised to take three rushes from any running stream1 and to pass them separately through the mouth of the infant4 ,afterwards the rushes should be thrown into the stream again1 and as the current bears them away1 so will the thrush1 it is said1 depart from the child4 ,should this prove ineffectual1 the parent is recommended to capture the nearest duck that can be found1 and to place its beak1 wide open1 within the mouth of the sufferer4 ,as the child inhales the cold breath of the duck1 the disease1 we are told1 will gradually disappear4 ,a further charm consists in reading the eighth ,psalm over the child's head three times every day on three days in the week for three successive weeks4 ,toothache4--,this common ailment1 which produces so much discomfort1 unfortunately rarely meets with a degree of sympathy proportionate to the agony it occasions1 but has nevertheless been honoured with an extensive folk-lore2 and the quaint remedies that superstitious fancy has suggested for its cure would occupy a small volume if treated with anything like fulness4 ,selecting some of the best known1 we may mention one which1 in point of efficacy1 is considered by many as unsurpassed1 namely1 a tooth taken from the mouth of a corpse1 and worn round the neck as an amulet4 ,occasionally a double-nut is carried in the pocket for the same purpose4 ,there is a belief1 too1 that the possession of a ,bible or a ,prayer ,book1 with the following legend written in it1 is an effectual charm3--,all glory1 all glory1 all glory be to the ,father1 and to the ,son1 and to the ,holy ,ghost4 ,as our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ was walking in the ,garden of ,gethsemane1 ,he saw ,peter weeping4 ,he called him unto ,him1 and said1 ',peter1 why weepest thou8' ,peter answered and said1 ',lord1 ,i am grievously tormented with pain--the pain of my tooth4' ,our ,lord answered and said1 ',if thou wilt believe in ,me1 and ,my words abide with thee1 thou shalt never feel any more pain in thy tooth4' ,peter said1 ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief4' ,in the name1 c41 ,god grant ,m4 ,n4 ease from the pain in his tooth4 ,these charm formulas1 which constitute an important element in folk-lore literature1 are still extensively used in this country to arrest or cure some bodily disease2 and they are interesting as being in most cases modified forms of those used by our ,anglo-,saxon ancestors4 ,typhus ,fever4--,even for so dangerous a disease as typhus fever1 our peasantry do not hesitate to practise their own remedies4 ,one consists in applying the skirt of a sheep to the soles of the feet1 and keeping it there for several hours1 under a notion that this will draw away the fever from the head4 ,some years ago a clergyman in ,norfolk1 whilst visiting a poor man suffering from this complaint1 found that his wife had placed the spleen of a cow on the soles of his feet1 having been assured that it was an efficacious remedy4 ,there is another story that the rector of a ,norfolk parish was solicited for the loan of the church plate to lay on the stomach of a child1 which was much swelled from some mesenteric disease1 this being held to be an excellent remedy in such cases4 ,warts4--,these have been regarded as prognostications of good or bad luck according to their position on the body1 those on the right hand foreboding riches1 whereas one on the face is believed to indicate troubles of various kinds4 ,it would be difficult to enumerate the many methods that have been adopted to charm or drive them away1 most persons disliking these ugly little excrescences1 and willingly resorting to any means1 however eccentric1 to lose them4 ,as in the case of so many other charms1 most of those used also for this complaint are of the nature of a sacrifice1 the warts being transferred to a substitute4 ,thus1 the person is recommended to count his warts1 to wrap in a piece of paper a pebble for each1 and then to throw the parcel away1 in the hope that its unfortunate finder will get them4 ,another remedy is to open the warts to the quick1 and to rub them with the juice of a sour apple1 which should afterwards be buried1 and as it decomposes the warts will die away4 ,some rub the wart with eels' blood1 and others believe in the efficacy of the ashen tree4 ,after picking each wart with a pin1 they stick it into the bark1 and repeat this rhyme3-- ,ashen tree1 ashen tree1 ,pray buy these warts of me4 ,an ,irish servant's formula is to pass his hand over the warts1 making the sign of the cross1 at the same time bidding them1 in ,god's name1 depart and trouble him no more4 ,he then gives some one a slip of paper1 on which is written ,jesus ,christ1 that died upon the cross1 put my warts away1 to drop by the roadside4 ,it is thought that as it perishes1 so1 too1 will the warts vanish4 ,another plan is to steal a piece of raw meat1 rub the warts with it1 and throw it away1 a charm mentioned by ,southey in ,the ,doctor4 ,other remedies are the juice of ants1 spiders' webs1 pigs' blood1 while tying a horse-hair round each wart is considered efficacious4 ,another method is to blow on the warts nine times when the moon is full2 and in some places boys take a new pin1 cross the warts with it nine times1 and cast it over the left shoulder4 ,these1 then1 are some of the principal cures for warts1 most of them1 as we have already said1 belonging to the category of vicarious charms1 which have at all times been one of the favourite resources of poor mortals in their difficulties--such charms being sacrifices made on the principle so widely adopted--,qui facit per alium facit per se4 ,wen4--,the same notion of vicariousness enters into the cures recommended for wens1 one of the most efficacious being the touch of a dead man's hand4 ,and ,grose informs us how1 in days gone by1 children were brought by their nurses to be stroked with the hands of dead criminals1 even whilst they were hanging on the gallows4 ,in ,northamptonshire numbers of sufferers were in the habit of congregating round the gallows1 in order to receive the dead-stroke1 the notion being that as the hand of the man mouldered away1 so the wen would by degrees decrease4 ,in ,gloucestershire an ornamental necklace made of plaited hair from a horse's tail is thought to be a good remedy4 ,whooping-,cough4--,this common enemy of childhood has1 from time immemorial1 afforded ample opportunity to the superstitiously-inclined to devise sundry charms for its cure1 of which the following are a few3--,passing the patient three times under the belly and three times over the back of a donkey2 or let the parent of the afflicted child catch a spider1 and hold it over the head of the child1 repeating three times3-- ,spider1 as you waste away1 ,whooping-cough no longer stay4 ,the spider must then be hung up in a bag over the mantlepiece1 and when it has dried up the cough will have disappeared4 ,there is a notion in ,cheshire that this complaint can be cured by holding a toad or frog for a few moments with its head within the child's mouth1 whereas in ,norfolk the patient is advised either to drink some milk which a ferret has lapped1 or to allow himself to be dragged three times round a gooseberry bush or bramble1 and then three times again after three days' interval4 ,in ,sussex the excrescence often found on the briar-rose1 and known as the ,robin ,redbreast's ,cushion1 is worn as an amulet2 and in ,suffolk1 if several children in a family are taken ill1 some of the hair of the oldest child is cut into small pieces1 put into some milk1 and the mixture given to its brothers and sisters to drink4 ,some1 again1 procure hair from the dark cross on the back of a donkey1 and having placed it in a bag1 hang it round the child's neck4 ,a ,scotch remedy is to place a piece of red flannel round the patient's neck2 the virtue residing1 says ,mr4 ,napier1 not in the flannel but in the red colour1 red having been a colour symbolical of triumph and victory over all enemies4 ,as may be seen1 therefore1 from the extensive use of charm-remedies in household medicine1 the physician's province has been assailed by the widespread belief in such imaginary remedies4 ,indeed1 those who believe in the prevention and cure of disease by supernatural means are far more numerous than one would imagine1 having their representatives even among the higher classes4 ,however much we may ridicule the superstitious notions of our rural peasantry1 or speak with compassion of the ,african negro who carries about him some amulet as a preservative against disease or as a safeguard against any danger that may befall him1 yet we must admit that there is in ,england also a disposition to retain1 with more or less veneration1 those old-world notions which in the time of our forefathers constituted1 as it were1 so many articles of faith4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,miscellaneous ,,household ,,lore4 ,horse-shoes--,precautions against ,witchcraft--,the ,charmer--,second ,sight--,ghosts--,dreams--,nightmare4 ,the belief in witchcraft1 which in years gone by was so extensively entertained1 has not yet died out1 and in many of our country villages it is regarded as one of those secret dangers to which every home is more or less exposed4 ,hence we find various devices still resorted to for the purpose of counteracting the supposed hurtful influences of this baneful power1 instances of which we subjoin4 ,thus1 according to a common idea1 one of the best preservatives is a horse-shoe nailed to the threshold4 ,the reason of this is said to be that ,mars1 the god of war1 and the war-horse1 was thought to be an enemy to ,saturn1 who1 according to a medival idea1 was the liege lord of witches4 ,thus1 iron instruments of any kind have been said to keep witches at bay1 a superstition which has been traced back to the time of the ,romans1 who drove nails into the walls of their houses as an antidote against the plague4 ,mr4 ,napier says that he has seen the horse-shoe in large beer-shops in ,london1 and was present in the parlour of one of these when an animated discussion arose as to whether it was most effective to have the shoe nailed behind the door or upon the first step of the door4 ,both positions had their advocates1 and instances of extraordinary luck were recounted as having attended them4 ,in ,lancashire1 where there are1 perhaps1 more superstitions connected with this subject than in any other county of ,england1 we find numerous traditions relating to the evil actions of the so-called witches in former years1 many of which have become household stories among the peasants4 ,at the present day the good housewife puts a hot iron into the cream during the process of churning to expel the witch from the churn2 and dough in preparation for the baker is protected by being marked with the figure of a cross4 ,in some places a lucky stone--a stone with a hole through it--is worn as an amulet1 and crossed straws and knives laid on the floor are held in high repute4 ,a belief1 too1 which was once very prevalent1 and even still lingers on1 was that the power of evil ceased as soon as blood was drawn from the witch4 ,an instance of this superstition occurred some years ago in a ,cornish village1 when a man was summoned before the bench of magistrates and fined for having assaulted the plaintiff and scratched her with a pin4 ,not many years ago a young girl in delicate health living in a village near ,exeter was thought to have been bewitched by an old woman of that place1 and1 according to the general opinion1 the only chance of curing her was an application of the witch's blood4 ,consequently the girl's friends laid wait one day for the poor old woman1 and scratching her with a nail till the blood flowed1 collected the blood4 ,this they carried home1 and smeared the girl with it in the hope that it would insure recovery4 ,curious to say1 she finally got well1 an event which1 it is needless to add1 was attributed to this charm4 ,it is still thought by many that witchcraft1 like hydrophobia1 is contagious1 and that the person1 if only slightly scratched by a witch1 rapidly becomes one4 ,the faculty of witchcraft is also said to be hereditary1 and in some places families are pointed out as possessing this peculiarity4 ,again1 witches are supposed to have the power of changing their shape and resuming it again at will1 a notion which was very popular in past years1 the cat's and the toad's being the forms they were thought to assume4 ,hence the appearance of a toad on the doorstep is taken as a certain sign that the house is under evil influence1 and the poor reptile is often subjected to some cruel death4 ,cats1 also1 were formerly exposed to rough usage1 one method being to enclose them with a quantity of soot in wooden bottles suspended on a line4 ,the person who succeeded in beating out the bottom of the bottle as he run under it and yet escaping the contents was the hero of the sport1 a practice to which ,shakespeare alludes in ,much ,ado about ,nothing1 where ,benedick says3-- ,hang me in a bottle like a cat and shoot at me4 ,it is only natural1 too1 that in ,macbeth1 ,shakespeare1 in his description of the witches1 should have associated them with the cat1 their recognised agent4 ,another important character whose supernatural powers are still credited is the charmer4 ,she is generally an elderly woman of good reputation1 and supposed to be gifted with extraordinary powers1 by means of which she performs wonderful feats of skill4 ,by her incantations and mysterious ceremonies she stops blood1 cures all manner of diseases1 and is1 in short1 regarded as almost a miracle-worker4 ,at the same time1 however1 it must not be imagined that she exercises her power gratuitously1 as oftentimes her charges are very high1 and it is only by patient saving that the poor can accumulate enough to satisfy her exorbitant demands4 ,this kind of superstition has been already incidentally alluded to in the chapter on ,common ,ailments2 and it is one that still holds its ground in our country districts4 ,these supposed charmers1 however1 do not always make a trade of their art2 for1 on the contrary1 it is supposed by some of them that any offer of pecuniary remuneration would break the spell1 and render the charm of no avail4 ,again1 there is still an extensive belief in second sight1 certain persons being thought to possess the faculty of peeping into futurity1 and revealing future events to their fellow-creatures4 ,many of the ,highlanders lay claim to this power1 which was called by the ancient ,gaels shadow-sight4 ,nor less availed his optic sleight1 ,and ,scottish gift of second-sight4 ,sometimes1 says ,mr4 ,napier1 the person fell into a trance1 in which state he saw visions2 at other times the visions were seen without the trance condition4 ,should the seer see in a vision a certain person dressed in a shroud1 this betokened that the death of that person would surely take place within a year4 ,should such a vision be seen in the morning1 the person seen would die before that evening2 should such a vision be seen in the afternoon1 the person seen would die before next night2 but if the vision were seen late in the evening1 there was no particular time of death intimated1 further than that it would take place within the year4 ,again1 if the shroud did not cover the whole body1 the fulfilment of the vision was at a great distance4 ,if the vision were that of a man with a woman standing at his left hand1 then that woman would be that man's wife1 although they may both at the time of the vision be married to others4 ,the case is related of a man living near ,blackpool who foretold death and evil events from his visions4 ,men of superior ability were credulous enough to visit him1 and to give implicit faith to his marvellous stories4 ,a species of superstition that may be said to reign supreme in almost every home is the belief in ghosts1 there being few households that do not contain those who believe in ghostly visitants4 ,in this respect1 therefore1 we are not superior to our less instructed forefathers whose experiences have been transmitted to us in many of those weird and thrilling stories which are to be found recorded in many of our old county histories4 ,indeed1 there is scarcely a village in ,england that does not boast of the proud distinction of having its haunted house or spot4 ,hence as nightfall approaches with its sombre hues of darkness1 few persons can be found bold enough to visit such mysterious localities1 for-- ,grey superstition's whisper dread1 ,debars the spot to vulgar tread4 ,although many of these grotesque stories which have been from time to time associated with certain old houses are simply legendary and destitute of any truth1 yet it cannot be denied that while occasionally causing fear even to the strong-minded they have acted most injuriously upon the credulous and superstitious4 ,according to an old fancy1 ghosts of every description vanish at cock-crow1 in allusion to which ,shakespeare makes the ghost of ,hamlet's father vanish at this season3-- ,it faded on the crowing of the cock4 ,one night1 however1 in the year has been said to be entirely free from spiritual manifestations of every kind--namely ,christmas ,eve--an idea to which ,marcellus refers1 who1 speaking of the ghost1 says3-- ,some say that ever 'gainst that season comes ,wherein our ,saviour's birth is celebrated1 ,the bird of dawning singeth all night long1 ,and then1 they say1 no spirit dares stir abroad2 ,the nights are wholesome2 then no planets strike1 ,no fairy takes1 nor witch hath power to charm1 ,so hallow'd and so gracious is the time4 ,but on other days of the year1 every noise at night1 however trivial1 which cannot be satisfactorily explained by inquisitive minds1 is thought by the superstitious to indicate that spirits are walking abroad2 such illogical persons forgetting how in the stillness of the night sounds1 which at other times would pass unnoticed1 attract attention1 and thus assume an exaggerated importance4 ,in this way the whistling of the wind1 the creaking of the floor1 and a host of other natural noises have in the deceptive hours of midnight terrified their nervous victim1 and filled the overwrought fancy with the most alarming delusions4 ,an amusing volume might be written showing how most of the ghost stories connected with so-called haunted houses have arisen4 ,thus1 as ,mrs4 ,latham points out in her ,west ,sussex ,superstitions1 there is very little doubt but that the ghosts formerly seen wandering in blue flames1 near lonely houses on the coast1 were of an illicit class of spirits1 raised by the smugglers in order to alarm and drive all others but their accomplices from their haunts4 ,on one occasion1 for instance1 the unearthly noises heard night after night in a house at ,rottingdean caused such alarm among the servants1 that they all gave warning1 when one night the noises ceased1 and soon afterwards a gang of smugglers who had fallen into the hands of the police confessed to having made a secret passage from the beach close by the house1 and said that1 wishing to induce the occupiers to abandon it1 they had been in the habit of rolling at the dead of night tub after tub of spirits up the passage1 and so caused it to be reported that the place was haunted4 ,ghosts are said to be especially fond of walking abroad on certain nights1 the chief of these being ,st4 ,mark's ,eve1 ,midsummer ,eve1 and ,hallowe'en4 ,hence various methods have been resorted to for the purpose of invoking them with a view of gaining an insight into futurity1 love-sick maidens1 as we have said1 seizing these golden opportunities for gaining information about their absent lovers4 ,it must not be supposed1 too1 that apparitions are confined to the spirits of the departed1 as throughout the country there are the most eccentric traditions of headless animals having been seen at sundry times rushing madly about at night-time4 ,leaving1 however1 the subject of ghosts1 we find in the next place an extensive folk-lore associated with dreams4 ,we have already incidentally alluded to the many divinations practised for the sake of acquiring information by means of them on certain subjects1 but we may further note that dreams are by some supposed occasionally to intimate not only future events1 but things which are actually happening at a distance4 ,hence a ,dictionary of ,dreams has been framed whereby the inquirer1 if he be credulously disposed1 can learn the meaning and signification of any particular dream which he may recollect4 ,thus1 it is said that to dream of death denotes happiness and long life1 but to dream of gathering a nosegay is unlucky1 signifying that our best and fairest hopes shall wither away like flowers in a nosegay4 ,dreaming about balls1 dances1 c41 indicates coming good fortune2 and thus we are told that those-- ,who dream of being at a ball ,no cause have they for fear2 ,for soon will they united be ,to those they hold most dear4 ,to give one further illustration1 to dream that one is walking in a garden1 and that the trees are bare and fruitless1 is a very bad omen1 being said to indicate that one's friends will either become poor or forsake one4 ,if the garden1 on the other hand1 should be in bloom1 it is a propitious sign4 ,portents of approaching death are said to be received through dreams2 and we will quote an example of this from ,mr4 ,henderson1 which happened1 it is affirmed1 some years ago in the family of an ,irish bishop3--,a little boy came down-stairs one morning1 saying1 ',oh1 mamma1 ,i have had such a nice dream4 ,somebody gave me such a pretty box1 and ,i am sure it was for me1 for there was my name on it4 ,look1 it was just like this2' and1 taking up a slate and pencil1 the child drew the shape of a coffin4 ,the parents gazed at one another in alarm1 not lessened by the gambols of the child1 who frolicked about in high health and spirits4 ,the father was obliged to go out that morning1 but he begged the mother to keep the child in her sight through the day4 ,she did so1 till1 while she was dressing to go out in her carriage1 the little boy slipped away to the stables1 where he begged the coachman to take him by his side while he drove to the house door1 a thing he had often done before4 ,on this occasion1 however1 the horses were restive1 the driver lost control over them1 and the child was flung off and killed on the spot4 ,shylock1 it may be remembered1 in the ,merchant of ,venice1 referring to his dream1 says3-- ,there is some ill a-brewing towards my rest1 ,for ,i did dream of money-bags to-night4 ,many curious charms are still practised to ward off that unpleasant sensation popularly known as nightmare1 which both in this and other countries has given rise to a variety of superstitions4 ,according to one old notion1 this disagreeable feeling was produced by some fairy1 under a disguised form1 visiting the person1 and worrying him while asleep by certain mischievous pranks4 ,thus1 in ,germany1 the nightmare is said to appear at times in the shape of a mouse1 a weasel1 or a toad1 and occasionally1 too1 in the form of a cat4 ,one ,german story relates how a joiner was1 night by night1 much plagued with the nightmare1 when he at last saw it steal into his room about midnight in the form of a cat4 ,having at once stopped up the hole through which the cat had entered1 he lost no time in seizing the animal and nailing it by one paw to the ground4 ,next morning1 however1 much to his horror and surprise1 he discovered a handsome young lady with a nail driven through her hand4 ,he accordingly married her1 but one day he uncovered the hole which he had stopped up1 whereupon she instantly escaped through it in the shape of a cat1 and never returned4 ,there are numerous stories of a similar kind1 in most cases the sequel being the same4 ,among the charms still in use as a preservative against nightmare may be mentioned a stone with a natural hole in it hung over the sleeper1 or a knife laid under the foot of the bedstead1 both being considered of equal efficacy4 ,in ,lancashire the peasantry believe that nightmare appears in the form of a dog1 and they try to counteract its influence by placing their shoes under the bed with the toe upwards1 on retiring to rest4 ,not very long ago1 too1 at the ,west ,riding ,court at ,bradford1 in a case of a husband and wife who had quarrelled1 the woman stated that the reason why she kept a coal-rake in her bedroom was that she suffered from nightmare1 and had been informed that the rake would keep it away4 ,the best charm after all1 however1 for this common disorder is to be careful that one's digestive organs are not upset by incautious suppers eaten just before retiring to rest4 ,it only remains for us1 in conclusion1 to add once more that the preceding pages are not intended to be by any means exhaustive1 our object having been to give a brief and general survey of that extensive folk-lore which has1 in the course of years1 woven itself around the affairs of home-life4 ,however much this may be ridiculed on the plea of its being the outcome of credulous belief1 yet it constitutes an important element in our social life1 which the historian in years to come will doubtless use when he studies the character of the ,english people in this and bygone centuries4 ,,index4 ,abgarus1 ,letter of ,christ to1 #g ,ague1 ,charms against1 #adi ,apes1 ,leading1 #dc ,apple-peel as a love-test1 #cj ,apple-tree blooming twice1 a sign of ,death1 #eb ,apron1 ,superstitions about1 #hd ,articles of ,dress1 #ha ,arval and ,arval ,bread1 #fd ,aryan ,myths and ,legends1 #af ,astrology1 ,divination by1 #add ,auguries gathered from ,shoes1 #hi ,baby and ,kitten1 #h ,banns1 ,superstitions about putting up1 #dc ,baptism1 how rendered propitious in ,scotland1 #ai ---- ,effect of1 on ,children1 #ah ,barring out1 #bg ---- ,addison's conduct at1 #bg ,beards1 ,dyeing of1 #gf ,bed1 ,folk-lore about1 #aah ---- ,position of1 #aai ,bellows1 ,superstition about1 #abj1 #afj ,bent piece of money1 #acc ,best man's prize1 #df ,bible and ,key1 #ace ,birds1 ,presages of ,death by1 #ea ,birth and ,infancy1 ,folk-lore relating to1 #b ,bishopping1 good for rheumatism1 #ba ,bishop's ,left ,hand1 ,superstition respecting1 #bj ,biting the ,glove1 #ie ,black ,ox in ,scotland1 #ea ,blade-bone1 ,divination by1 #aci ,bleeding of the ,nose1 #fh1 #aej ---- as a sign of love1 #fh ,blue ,vein across ,nose1 #fi ,brake or ,fern1 ,divination by1 #ca ,bread1 ,superstitions about1 #ajg ,breaking ,egg-shells1 #ajh ,bride and ,looking-glass1 #aac ---- ,sun shining on1 #dj ,brides of ,elizabethan ,dramas1 #ci ,bride's ,stockings1 #hf ,broom left in ,room after ,sweeping1 #abf ,burial of ,dead among ,greeks1 #fc ,burial without the ,sanctuary1 #fb ,burn or ,scald1 #aea ,burning ,hair1 ,omens from1 #gd ---- tail of ,coat1 c41 #hd ,butter-dock1 ,scattering ,seeds of1 #ce ,cna feralis of ,romans1 #fd ,candle in ,ghost's ,hand1 #ed ,candles1 ,omens from1 #acj ,carbuncle in ,ring1 #if ,cards1 ,divination by1 #add ,carrying the ,dead with the ,sun1 #fa ,casting ,lot1 ,divination by1 #adf ,cat1 ,sneezing of1 #abc ,cats and ,toads1 ,form of1 assumed by ,witches1 #agg ---- ,sucking ,child's ,breath1 #ac ,caul1 ,superstition about1 #c1 #d ---- ,hood's ,ballad about1 #c ---- ,price paid for1 #d ,chairs1 ,superstitions about1 #aaa1 #aah ,changelings1 ,superstitions about1 #d ---- ,luther's remarks on1 #d ,character of ,book1 #ahj ,charm-remedies1 #adh ,charmer1 her power1 #agb ,charms against changing ,children1 #e ---- to detect ,changelings1 #e ---- against stumbling1 #abd ,cheeks1 ,itching of1 #gg ,cheese given by ,bride1 #db ,child ,dying unchristened1 #ah ,childhood's ,folk-lore1 #af ,chime ,hours1 ,birth at1 #b ,chiromancy1 or ,palmistry1 #adj ,christmas ,eve1 ,divinations on1 #cd ,christ's ,college1 ,cambridge1 ,fellowships at1 #ajc ,churchyard ,lore1 #fa ,cinderella1 a ,nature-myth1 #ag ,clock-falling1 #aag ---- striking thirteen1 #ed ---- losing stroke1 #ee ,clothes of the ,dead1 #hc ,cock-crowing at ,night1 #eb ,connoisseur1 ,love-tests in1 #bi ,corn in ,marriage ,ceremony1 #dd ,corpse-candles in ,wales1 #ed ,counting one's ,gains1 #acc ,covering ,looking-glass at ,death1 #aac ,cramp1 ,charms against1 #aea ,creeling the ,bridegroom in ,scotland1 #dh ,crockery1 ,breaking of1 #abg ,cross on ,dough1 #agj ,crowing ,hen1 #abe ---- of a ,cock1 #ach ,crying at ,baptism1 #ai ---- ,anecdote regarding1 #bj ---- at ,wedding1 #dj ,cuckoo's ,notes1 #cb ---- ,first ,note heard in ,bed1 ,ominous of ,illness or ,death1 #eb ,cunning ,man1 #aba ,curious ,marriage ,customs1 #dg ,cutting the ,nails1 #hj ,dactylomancy1 or ,divination by ,rings1 #ih ,dandelion1 ,divination by1 #ca ,days of ,week1 ,sneezing on1 #abc ,dead ,children cannot rest if ,mothers fret for them1 #ae ---- ,hand1 ,rubbing with1 #gh ---- ,anecdotes respecting1 #gh ---- ,man's ,hand at ,bryn ,hall1 ,lancashire1 #gi ,death and ,burial1 ,superstition respecting1 #dh ---- ,announced by the ,dying1 #ee ---- ,bell in ,scotland1 #fg ---- ,anecdote of ,hogg about1 #fg ,dee1 ,dr41 and ,magic ,mirror1 #aad ,destiny of ,children1 how augured in ,scotland1 #ai ,diamond1 potent against ,poison1 #ig ,dipping1 in ,bible1 #acf ,divination among 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,folk-lore about1 #hj ---- ,itching of1 #hj ,fetch-lights1 #ed ,finger-nails1 ,superstitions about1 #aj ---- in ,germany1 #aj ---- in ,northumberland1 #aa ---- in ,scotland1 #aa ,fire1 ,omens and ,portents of1 #abi ,first ,teeth1 ,precautions taken when they come out1 #aj ---- ,tooth in ,upper ,jaw1 #h ,fits1 ,charms against1 #aed ,flat ,feet and ,bad ,temper1 #hj ,flinging the ,stocking1 #he ,foot going to ,sleep1 #ha ,fretting ,baby1 #ab ,friday1 an ,unlucky ,day1 #abh ---- ,good for ,love-omens1 #ce ---- ,inauspicious for ,marrying1 #ch ---- ,lucky for ,marrying in ,scotland1 #ci ,funeral ,feasts1 #fd ---- ,meeting of1 by ,bride or ,bridegroom1 #dj ---- ,meeting a1 #fe ---- of ,unmarried ,girl1 ,custom at1 #fd ,furniture ,omens1 #aaa ,garters1 ,superstitions about1 #hf ---- ,tying ,knots in1 #cj ,gathering ,rose on ,midsummer ,eve1 #cj ,getting out of ,bed the wrong way1 #aai ,ghosts1 ,belief in1 #agd ---- do not appear on ,christmas ,eve1 #age ---- ,favourite ,days for appearance of1 #agf ---- seen by ,animals1 #ej ,gloucester1 ,duke of1 ,born with ,teeth1 #i ,glove1 ,use of1 at ,fairs1 #ie ,glove-money1 #ic ,gloves1 ,superstitions about1 #ib ,going in at one ,door and out at another at ,marriage1 #da ,going up at ,birth1 #h ,gout1 ,charms against1 #aee ,grave ,scab1 #ad ---- ,remedy for1 #ad ,graves1 ,position of1 #fc ,green ,yarrow1 #ca ,grounds at bottom of ,tea-cup1 #aaj ,hair1 ,superstitions respecting1 #gb ---- ,omens from ,growth of1 #gd ---- ,sudden ,loss of1 #gd ,hallowe'en1 ,divination on1 #cd ,hands1 ,emblematic of ,character1 #gg ---- ,itching of1 #gg ,headache1 ,cures for1 #aee ,headless ,animals1 #agf ,helping to ,salt1 #ajd ,hen cackling at ,wedding1 #db ,hollow ,cinder a ,coffin1 #abi ,home-life1 ,superstitions relating to1 #aca ,horoscope in ,germany1 #adc ,horse-shoes as ,amulets1 #afi ,hot ,iron in ,cream1 #agj ,household ,superstitions1 #abj ,howling of a ,dog at ,night indicative of ,death1 #di ,human ,body1 ,superstitions about1 #fe ,hydrophobia1 ,cures for1 #aef ,hysteria1 ,remedies for1 #aeh ,idiots cannot sneeze1 #abc ,invalid asking for ,pigeons1 #eb ,itching of the ,nose1 #fh ,jack-a-,dandy1 #be ,jackdaw1 ,omen of ,death1 #eb ,jacob's ,prophecies1 #eg ,jaundice1 ,remedies for1 #aeh ,jewish ,customs respecting ,shoes1 #ij ,june popular for marrying1 #cg ,keepsake ,rings1 ,colours in1 #ic ,knife1 ,folk-lore relating to1 #aje ----1 ,giving away1 unlucky1 #ajf ----1 ,finding1 unlucky1 #ajf ,lady-bird1 ,divination by1 #ca ,lameness1 ,cure for1 #aeh ,last ,day of ,year1 ,marrying on1 in ,scotland1 #ci ,leap-year1 ,birth in1 #c ,lending ,knife to cut ,cake1 #bf ,long ,life1 how to secure1 #ab ,looking-glass1 ,fancies about1 #aab ,love and ,courtship1 #bh ,love-tests1 #bh ----1 whence derived1 #bi ,luck of ,edenhall1 #aaf ,lucky ,stone as ,amulet1 #agj ,lucky ,stones1 #g ,lumbago1 ,cure for1 #aei ,magicians and ,looking-glasses1 #aad ,magpie using ,hair1 #gd ,maiden ,assize1 ,gloves at1 #ic ,making the ,deazil1 #fa ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 #ba ,may ,marriages unlucky1 #cf ,measles1 ,cure for1 #aei ,medicated ,rings1 #ig ,medicine ,bottles1 selling1 #acd ,melted ,lead1 ,divination by1 #adf ,midsummer ,eve1 ,practices on1 #cc ,misfortune not to die in one's ,bed1 #ec ,moist and dry ,hands1 #gh ,moles1 ,omens drawn from1 #ff ,money and the ,new ,moon1 #acb ,nails1 ,signification of1 #gg ,necklace of ,peony ,beads1 #aj ,new ,clothes1 ,superstitions relating to1 #hb ---- ,moon in ,looking-glass1 #aac ,nicking ,schoolmaster's ,cane1 #bf ,nightmare1 ,charms against1 #agh ----1 ,curious ,stories about1 #agi ,north ,side of ,church1 ,burial in1 #fc ,nose1 ,omens relating to1 #fh ,nose out of ,joint1 and ,paying through ,nose1 #fi ,number ,thirteen1 ,superstitions about1 #ajj1 #aja ,nutcrack-night1 #cd ,nuts and ,apples1 ,divination by1 #ca ,odd ,numbers1 ,antipathy to1 in ,school ,games1 #be ,omens associated with ,rings1 #ig ---- of approaching ,death1 #di ,onymancy1 or ,divination by the ,finger-nails1 #ada ,opal ,ring1 unlucky to wear1 #ig ,open ,grave at ,wedding1 #da ,over-looking1 ,superstitions about1 #ga ,overturning ,chair1 #aaa ,ovid on ,june ,marriages1 #ch ,ox or ,cow breaking into ,garden1 ,omen of ,death1 #ea ----1 ,anecdote respecting1 #ea ,palmistry1 or ,divination by the ,hands1 #gh ,paralysis1 ,charms for1 #afj ,parson's ,penny in ,wales1 #fb ,picking ,broom in ,bloom unlucky1 #eb ----1 ,anecdote respecting1 #ec ,pigeons' ,feathers in ,bed1 #eh ---- ,heart1 ,divination by1 #cd ,pin in ,candle1 #aca ,pins1 ,superstitions about1 #ih ---- in ,witchcraft and ,sorcery1 #ii ----1 ,robbing ,bride of1 #da ,plants and ,petticoats1 #he ---- in ,love-charms1 #cj ----1 ,omens of ,death derived from1 #eb ,poker across ,bars of ,grate1 #abi ,popular ,divinations1 #acd ,pork1 eating ,marrow of1 #aji ,position of ,grave1 #fc ,prayers of ,poor in ,lincolnshire1 #bb ----1 ,origin of1 #bc ---- ,taught by poor ,people to their ,children1 #ba ,prevalence of ,superstitions1 #abb ,prophesying before ,death1 #eg ,puritans and ,wedding-ring1 #df ,rain1 ,rhymes about1 #bd ,rainbow1 crossing out1 #bd ,rattley-bags1 #be ,rebuilding ,house fatal1 #ed ,red ,hair and ,beard1 #ge ,reversing ,articles of ,dress1 #hc ,rheumatism and ,shoes1 #ij ----1 ,charms against1 #afj ,rhymes used by ,children1 #bc ,rings1 ,legendary ,lore of1 #ie ---- as ,talismans1 #if ---- of dead ,friend1 #hd ,rocking empty ,cradle1 #i ,rubbing ,shoulders with ,bride or ,bridegroom1 #da ,rural ,bridegroom and ,gloves1 #ie ,st4 ,valentine's ,day1 #cb ----1 ,divination on1 in ,devonshire1 #cc ,salt on ,breast of ,corpse1 #fj ,salt-spilling1 ,superstitions about1 #ajc ,seasons admitting or prohibiting ,matrimony1 #ch ,second ,sight1 #agc ,selling ,eggs after dark1 #ajh ,shaping of ,wedding ,dress for ,divination1 #df ,shift1 ,divination by1 #cj ,shivering as a portent1 #aca ,shoeing-horn and ,shakespeare1 #ia ,shoe-throwing1 #hg ---- at ,weddings1 #df ,shoes1 ,rhymes on1 #ij ----1 ,superstitions about1 #hg ,shortbread at ,wedding1 #de ,sieve and ,shears1 #acg ,sin-eaters in ,scotland1 #fj ,sitting above and below the ,salt1 #aje ---- cross-legged1 #hj ,sleeping on ,bones1 #h ,small-pox1 ,remedies for1 #afa ,smith1 ,mr4 ,g41 the ,assyriologist1 and ,dr4 ,delitzsch1 #ee ,snail1 ,divination by1 #cb ,snails1 ,rhymes about1 #be ,sneezing and ,sneezers1 #abb ,snow1 ,rhymes about1 #bd ,sortes ,virgilian1 #acf ,sowing ,hempseed1 #bi ,spade-money in ,wales1 #fb ,spark in ,candle1 #acj ,spasms1 ,cure for1 #afj ,spatulamancia1 #aci ,specks on the ,nails1 #gi ,speedwell and ,snowdrop1 #ec ,spider1 ,superstitions about1 #abf ,spitting on ,money1 #acb ,sprains1 ,charms for1 #afa ,staff1 ,divination by1 #adf ,standing in another's ,shoes1 #ia ---- on end1 of ,hair1 #gc ,stillborn ,children1 ,graves of1 #ae ,stockings1 ,superstitions about1 #he ,stolen ,kisses and ,gloves1 #ic ,stopping ,house ,clock at ,death1 #aag ,stumbling ,up-stairs1 #abc ---- on ,threshold1 #abd ---- at ,grave1 #abd ,sty1 ,prevention and ,cure of1 #afb ,sudden whitening of ,hair1 #gc ,sunday good ,day to marry1 #ch ---- ,lucky for ,birth1 #b ,superstitions about ,marriage1 #db ----1 value of1 #a ----1 in what interesting1 #a ----1 whence sprung1 #a ,sussex ,superstition about ,children born on ,sunday1 #b ,sweeping1 ,superstitions about1 #abf ,symbolism of shoes1 #hh ,table ,superstitions1 #ajj ,tea-leaves1 ,divination by1 #aji ,tea-stalks1 ,divination by1 #adg ,teeth1 ,superstitions respecting1 #gb ,thirteen at ,table1 #aja1 #ajb ,three ,magpies sign of a ,wedding1 #cb ,thrush1 ,charm against1 #afc ,toothache1 ,charms against1 #afc ,touching ,corpse among ,poor1 #fj ,turning ,back after starting1 #acb ,turquoise in ,ring1 #if ,typhus ,fever1 ,remedies for1 #afe ,unchristened ,ground1 #ad ,universal ,fortune-teller1 #b ,unmarried ,person between ,man and ,wife1 #aaa ,venetian ,glass1 ,breaking of1 by poisoned ,draught1 #aaf ,virgin ,mary at ,birth of ,john the ,baptist1 #h ,warts1 ,charms against1 #afe1 #aff ,watching dead ,body1 #fa ,water used at ,baptism1 #bj ,weakly ,infants1 how treated in ,cornwall1 #ab ,wearing ,looking-glasses1 #aae ,weather1 ,charms to influence1 #bc ,weather-lore from ,fires1 #abi ,wedding-cake1 #dd ,wedding-ring1 ,divination by1 #de ---- placed in ,wedding-cake1 #de ---- hired in ,ireland1 #dg ----1 ,notions about1 #dg ,wens1 ,cures for1 #afg ,whistling ,woman1 #abe ,white ,gloves and ,death of the ,unmarried1 #id ,whitsuntide1 new ,clothes on1 #hb ,whooping-cough1 ,cures for1 #afg ,will-o'-the-,wisp1 ,omen of ,death1 #ec ,william ,i4 at ,hastings1 #hc ,wine1 c41 drank at ,funerals1 #fd ,wise ,woman1 #aba ,wishing-bone of ,fowl1 #aji ,witch taking form of ,cat1 #ad ,witchcraft1 ,divination in1 #ach ---- ,precautions against1 #afi ,worthing1 case of ,dog howling at1 #di ,wrong ,side of ,church1 #fb ,yellow ,hair and ,beard1 #ge ,yew1 at ,christmas1 #ec ,young1 ,lieutenant1 ,announcement of ,brother's ,death to1 #ef ,zadkiel's ,almanack1 #adb ,,cassell1 ,,petter1 ,,galpin ,,co41 ,,belle ,,sauvage ,,works1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,underscores surround italicized text4 ,obvious typographical errors were repaired4 ,valid archaic spellings were retained4 ,the entry for ,,index1 at the bottom of the ,contents page1 did not appear in the original4 ,it has been added for the convenience of the reader4