ng prescription: "If a man have a white spot,
as cataract, in his eye, catch a fox alive, cut his tongue out, let
him go, dry his tongue and tie it up in a red rag and hang it round
the man's neck." Pliny's way was to "take the tongue of a foxe, and
hange the same about his necke, so long it hangeth there his sight
shall not wax feeble."
Like was also used to cure like, at least in the following directions:
"Take the right eye of a Frogg, lap it in a piece of russet cloth and
hang it about the neck; it cureth the right eye if it bee enflamed or
bleared. And if the left eye be greved, do the like by the left eye of
the said Frogg."[115]
_Fevers._--Charms rather than amulets were employed in fevers, yet we
find that among the ancients Chrysippus believed in amulets for
quartan fevers and Pliny taught that the longest tooth of a black dog
cured quartan fevers.
_Gout._--Alexander of Tralles has preserved for us a remedy for gout
as follows: "A remedy for the gout. Write, on a golden plate at the
wane of the moon, what follows, rolling round it the sinews of a
crane. Put it in a little bag, and wear it near the ankles. The words
are meu, treu, mor, phor, teux, za, zor, phe, lou, chri, ge, ze, ou,
as the sun is consolidated in these names, and is renewed every day;
so consolidate this plaster as it was before, now, now, quick, quick,
for, behold, I pronounce the great name, in which are consolidated
things in repose, iaz, azuf, zuon, threux, bain, choog; consolidate
this plaster as it was at first, now, now, quick, quick."
_Headache._--Pliny's amulet for this disease was an herb picked from
the head of a statue, tied with a red thread, and worn upon the body.
_Hysteria._--Monardes is quoted as saying: "When hysterical persons
feel an attack coming on, they may be relieved by a stone, which will
prevent, if constantly worn about the person, any subsequent attack.
From my knowledge of cases of this kind, I attach credit to this
amulet."
_Melancholy._--Burton has treated much under the name of melancholy,
and in respect of cure mentions several "amulets and things to be
borne about." He recommends for head melancholy such things as
hypericon, or St. John's-wort, gathered on a Friday in the hour of
Jupiter, "... borne or hung about the neck, it mightily helps this
affection, and drives away all fantastical spirits."[116]
_Plague._--During the visitations of the plague, the inhabitants of
London wore, in the region
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