also the colour abhorred
not only by witches in particular but by all the powers of darkness
and evil. An ancient Assyrian eye charm prescribes binding "pure
strands of red wool which have been brought by the pure hand of ... on
the right hand," and down to quite recent times even in these islands
tying on with red wool was a common custom.

Besides their use as amulets, we also find instructions for hanging
herbs up over doors, etc., for the benefit not only of human beings
but of cattle also. Of mugwort we read in the _Herbarium of Apuleius_,
"And if a root of this wort be hung over the door of any house then
may not any man damage the house."

"Of Croton oil plant. For hail and rough weather to turn
them away. If thou hast in thy possession this wort which is
named 'ricinus' and which is not a native of England, if
thou hangest some seed of it in thine house or have it or
its seed in any place whatsoever, it turneth away the
tempestuousness of hail, and if thou hangest its seed on a
ship, to that degree wonderful it is, that it smootheth
every tempest. This wort thou shalt take saying thus, 'Wort
ricinus I pray that thou be at my songs and that thou turn
away hails and lightning bolts and all tempests through the
name of Almighty God who hight thee to be produced'; and
thou shalt be clean when thou pluckest this herb."--_Herb.
Ap._, 176.

"Against temptation of the fiend, a wort hight red niolin,
red stalk, it waxeth by running water; if thou hast it on
thee and under thy head and bolster and over thy house door
the devil may not scathe thee within nor without."--_Leech
Book_, III. 58.

"To preserve swine from sudden death take the worts lupin,
bishopwort, hassuck grass, tufty thorn, vipers bugloss,
drive the swine to the fold, hang the worts upon the four
sides and upon the door."--_Lacnunga_, 82.

The herbs in commonest use as amulets were betony, vervain, peony,
yarrow, mugwort and waybroad (plantain). With the exception of
vervain, no herb was more highly prized than betony. The treatise on
it in the _Herbarium of Apuleius_ is supposed to be an abridged copy
of a treatise on the virtues of this plant written by Antonius Musa,
physician to the Emperor Augustus. No fewer than twenty-nine uses of
it are given, and in the Saxon translation this herb is described as
being "good whether for a man's soul or his body." Vervain