he were ill, it would much help him, and that it would cure sprains in

others, to say over these words: "Daries, dardaries, astaris, ista,

pista, sista," or, as another account has it, "motas, daries, dardaries,

astaries;" or, as still another account says, "Huat, huat, huat; ista,

pista, sista; domiabo, damnaustra." And sure enough, nothing is truer,

as any physician will tell you, that if the old censor only believed

hard enough, it would almost certainly help him; not by the force of the

words, but by the force of his own ancient Roman imagination. Here are

some Greek words of no less virtue: "Aski, Kataski, Tetrax." When the

Greek priests let out of their doors those who had been completely

initiated in the Eleusinian mysteries, they said to them last of all the

awful and powerful words, "Konx, ompax." If you want to know what the

usual result was, just say them to somebody, and you will see,

instantly. The ancient Hebrews believed that there was a secret name of

God, usually thought to be inexpressible, and only to be represented by

a mystic figure kept in the Temple, and that if any one could learn it,

and repeat it, he could rule the intelligent and unintelligent creation

at his will. It is supposed by some, that Jehovah is the word which

stands for this secret name; and some Hebraists think that the word

"Yahveh" is much more nearly the right one. The Mohammedans, who have

received many notions from the Jews, believe the same story about the

secret name of God, and they think it was engraved on Solomon's signet,

as all readers of the Arabian Nights will very well remember. The Jews

believed that if you pronounced the word "Satan" any evil spirit that

happened to be by could in consequence instantly pop into you if he

wished, and possess you, as the devils in the New Testament possessed

people.



Some ancient cities had a secret name, and it was believed that if their

enemies could find this out, they could conjure with it so as to destroy

such cities. Thus, the secret name of Rome was Valentia, and the word

was very carefully kept, with the intention that none should know it

except one or two of the chief pontiffs. Mr. Borrow, in one of his

books, tells about a charm which a gipsy woman knew, and which she used

to repeat to herself as a means of obtaining supernatural aid when she

happened to want it. This was, "Saboca enrecar maria ereria." He induced

her after much effort to repeat the words to him, but she always wished

she had not, with an evident conviction that some harm would result. He

explained to her that they consisted of a very simple phrase, but it

made no difference.



An ancient physician named Serenus Sammonicus, used to be quite sure of

curing fevers, by means of what he called Abracadabra, which was a sort

of inscription to be written on something and worn on the patient's

person. It was as follows:



ABRACADABRA

BRACADABR

RACADAB

ACADA

CAD

A.



Another gentleman of the same school used to cure sore eyes by hanging

round the patient's neck an inscription made up of only two letters, A

and Z; but how he mixed them we unfortunately do not know.



By the way, many of the German peasantry in the more ignorant districts

still believe that to write Abracadabra on a slip of paper and keep it

with you, will protect you from wounds, and that if your house is on

fire, to throw this strip into it will put the fire out.



Many charms or incantations call on God, Christ or some saints, just as

the heathen ones call on a spirit. Here is one for epilepsy that seems

to appeal to both religions, as if with a queer proviso against any

possible mistake about either. Taking the epileptic by the hand, you

whisper in his ear "I adjure thee by the sun and the moon and the gospel

of to-day, that thou arise and no more fall to the ground; in the name

of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost."



A charm for the cramp found in vogue in some rustic regions is this:



"The devil is tying a knot in my leg,

Mark, Luke and John, unloose it, I beg,

Crosses three we make to ease us--

Two for the thieves, and one for Christ Jesus."



Here is another, often used in Ireland, which in the same spirit of

superstition and ignorant irreverence uses the name of the Savior for a

slight human occasion. It is to cure the toothache, and requires the

repeating of the following string of words:



"St. Peter sitting on a marble stone, our Savior passing by, asked him

what was the matter. 'Oh Lord, a toothache!' Stand up, Peter, and follow

me; and whoever keeps these words in memory of me, shall never be

troubled with a toothache, Amen."



The English astrologer Lilly, after the death of his wife, formerly

a Mrs. Wright, found in a scarlet bag which she wore under her arm a

pure gold "sigil" or round plate worth about ten dollars in gold,

which the former husband of the defunct had used to exorcise a

spirit that plagued him. In case any of my readers can afford

bullion enough, and would like to drive away any such visitor, let

them get such a plate and have engraved round the edge of one side,

"Vicit Leo de tribus Judae tetragrammaton [cross]." Inside this

engrave a "holy lamb." Round the edge of the other side engrave

"Annaphel" and three crosses, thus: [cross] [cross] [cross]; and in

the middle, "Sanctus Petrus Alpha et Omega."



The witches have always had incantations, which they have used to make a

broom-stick into a horse, to kill or to sicken animals and persons, etc.

Most of these are sufficiently stupid, and not half so wonderful as one

I know, which may be found in a certain mysterious volume called "The

Girl's Own Book," and which, as I can depose, has often power to tickle

children. It is this:



"Bandy-legged Borachio Mustachio Whiskerifusticus, the bald and brave

Bombardino of Bagdad, helped Abomilique Bluebeard Bashaw of Babelmandel

beat down an abominable bumblebee at Balsora."



But to the other witches. Their charms were repeated sometimes in their

own language and sometimes in gibberish. When the Scotch witches wanted

to fly away to their "Witches' Sabbath," they straddled a broom-handle,

a corn stalk, a straw, or a rush, and cried out "Horse and hattock, in

the Devil's name!" and immediately away they flew, "forty times as high

as the moon," if they wished. Some English witches in Somersetshire used

instead to say, "Thout, tout, throughout and about;" and when they

wished to return from their meeting they said "Rentum, tormentum!" If

this form of the charm does not manufacture a horse, not even a

saw-horse, then I recommend another version of it, thus:



"Horse and pattock, horse and go!

Horse and pellats, ho, ho, ho!"



German witches said (in High Dutch:)



"Up and away!

Hi! Up aloft, and nowhere stay!"



Scotch witches had modes of working destruction to the persons or

property of those to whom they meant evil, which were strikingly like

the negro obeah or mandinga. One of these was, to make a hash of the

flesh of an unbaptised child, with that of dogs and sheep, and to put

this goodly dish in the house of the victim, reciting the following

rhyme:



"We put this untill this hame

In our Lord the Devil's name;

The first hands that handle thee.

Burned and scalded may they be!

We will destroy houses and hald,

With the sheep and nolt (i. e. cattle) into the fauld;

And little shall come to the fore (i. e. remain,)

Of all the rest of the little store."



Another, used to destroy the sons of a certain gentleman named Gordon

was, to make images for the boys, of clay and paste, and put them in a

fire, saying:



"We put this water among this meal

For long pining and ill heal,

We put it into the fire

To burn them up stock and stour (i. e. stack and band.)

That they be burned with our will,

Like any stikkle (stubble) in a kiln."



In case any lady reader finds herself changed into a hare, let her

remember how the witch Isobel Gowdie changed herself from hare back to

woman. It was by repeating:



"Hare, hare, God send thee care!

I am in a hare's likeness now;

But I shall be woman even now--

Hare, hare, God send thee care!"



About the year 1600 there was both hanged and burned at Amsterdam a poor

demented Dutch girl, who alleged that she could make cattle sterile, and

bewitch pigs and poultry by saying to them "Turius und Shurius

Inturius." I recommend to say this first to an old hen, and if found

useful it might then be tried on a pig.



Not far from the same time a woman was executed as a witch at Bamberg,

having, as was often the case, been forced by torture to make a

confession. She said that the devil had given her power to send diseases

upon those she hated, by saying complimentary things about them, as

"What a strong man!" "what a beautiful woman!" "what a sweet child!" It

is my own impression that this species of cursing may safely be tried

where it does not include a falsehood.



Here are two charms which the German witches used to repeat to raise the

devil with in the form of a he goat:



"Lalle, Bachea, Magotte, Baphia, Dajam,

Vagoth Heneche Ammi Nagaz, Adomator

Raphael Immanuel Christus, Tetragrammaton

Agra Jod Loi. Konig! Konig!"



The two last words to be screamed out quickly. This second one, it must

be remembered, is to be read backward except the two last words. It was

supposed to be the strongest of all, and was used if the first one

failed:



"Anion, Lalle, Sabolos, Sado, Poter, Aziel,

Adonai Sado Vagoth Agra, Jod,

Baphra! Komm! Komm!"



In case the devil staid too long, he could be made to take himself off

by addressing to him the following statement, repeated backward:



"Zellianelle Heotti Bonus Vagotha

Plisos sother osech unicus Beelzebub

Dax! Komm! Komm!"



Which would evidently make almost anybody go away.



A German charm to improve one's finances was perhaps no worse than

gambling in gold. It ran thus:



"As God be welcomed, gentle moon--

Make thou my money more and soon!"



To get rid of a fever in the German manner, go and tie up a bough of a

tree, saying, "Twig, I bind thee; fever, now leave me!" To give your

ague to a willow tree, tie three knots in a branch of it early in the

morning, and say, "Good morning, old one! I give thee the cold; good

morning, old one!" and turn and run away as fast as you can without

looking back.



Enough of this nonsense. It is pure mummery. Yet it is worth while to

know exactly what the means were which in ancient times were relied on

for such purposes, and it is not useless to put this matter on record;

for just such formulas are believed in now by many people. Even in this

city there are "witches" who humbug the more foolish part of the

community out of their money by means just as foolish as these.