a little finely doubled searced
powder of viper where there be matter. This hath been tried many times and
on different folk in these dales and hath done wonderous cures when all
else failed them. And these words wrate on lambs skin with lambs blood and
hung above the ill one's head hath wrought a most magick wonders of
healing and some I do find ready to take oath on it. I leave it so."

But Pickering was not very much behind the rest of England when we
discover that in the second edition of "A collection of above 300 receipts
in Cookery, Physick and Surgery" published in 1719, and printed and sold
in London is given the following:--

"A _very good_ snail-water _for a_ consumption. Take half a peck of
Shell-snails, wipe them and bruise them Shells and all in a Mortar; put to
them a gallon of New Milk; as also Balm, Mint, Carduus, unset Hyssop, and
Burrage, of each one handful; Raisons of the Sun stoned, Figs, and Dates,
of each a quarter of a pound; two large Nutmegs: Slice all these, and put
them to the Milk, and distil it with a quick fire in a cold Still; this
will yield near four Wine-quarts of Water very good; you must put two
ounces of White Sugar-candy into each Bottle, and let the Water drop on it;
stir the Herbs sometimes while it distils, and keep it cover'd on the
Head with wet Cloths. Take five spoonfuls at a time, first and last, and
at Four in the Afternoon."

It was only about eighty years ago that the old custom of racing for the
bride's garter on wedding days was given up. In the early years of last
century an improvement in public morals showed itself in a frequently
expressed opinion that the custom was immodest, and gradually the practice
was dropped the bride merely handing a ribbon to the winner of the race.

[Illustration: A LOVE GARTER, DATED 1749.

The spaces were for the initials of the wearer of the garter and her
betrothed. These garters were raced for on wedding days, the winner of the
race being allowed to take the bride's garter.
]

Immediately after the wedding-ring had been put on, the youths of the
company would race from the church porch to the bride's house, and the
first who arrived claimed the right of removing the garter from her left
leg, the bride raising her skirts to allow him to do so. He would
afterwards tie it round his own sweetheart's leg as a love charm against
unfaithfulness. The bridegroom never took part in the race, but anyone
else could enter, runners often co