naught for any man to give a pair of knives to his sweetheart, for fear it cuts away all love that is between them," observes Melton; and in Gay's Second Pastoral we read

"But woe is me! such presents luckless prove,

For knives, they tell me, always sever love."

The presentation of a knife, scissors, razor, or any sharp or cutting instrument to one's mistress or friend, Grose pronounces to be unlucky as being apt to cut love and friendship; so that, to neutralise the evil effect of such inauspicious gifts, a pin, a farthing, or some trifling recompense must be taken by the donor; while to find a knife or razor denotes ill luck and disappointment to the person making discovery of the same.

ON FINDING OR LOSING THINGS.

Melton's Astrologaster has it that if a man, walking in the fields, finds any four-leaved grass," he shall in a small while after find some good thing; that it is naught for a man or woman to lose their hosegarter; and that it is a sign of ill luck to find money." "Tis ill lucke to keepe found money," says Greene's Art of Conny-catching; the conclusion sought to be enforced obviously being that it must be spent. and Home's Dæmonologie refers to the frequency with which people, "especially of the more ignorant sort (which makes the things more suspected), to think and say (as Master Perkins relates), if they finde some pieces of iron, it is a prediction of good luck to the finders;" the finding of silver foretokening their ill luck. "If drinke be spilled upon a man, or if he find olde iron," are given by Mason in his Anatomie of Sorcerie as typical of good fortune; and hence no doubt it is accounted lucky to find a horse-shoe. "The common people of this country have a tradition," writes Boyle in his Occasional Reflections, "that 'tis a lucky thing to find a horse-shoe; and, though 'twas to make myself merry with this fond conceit of the superstitious vulgar, I stooped to take one up."

The popular custom of crying out "Halves" on seeing another pick up anything he has found, which is supposed to entitle him who makes the exclamation to an equal division of the value, is referred to in Dr. Savage's Horace to Scæva Imitated (1730): “And he who sees you stoop to th' ground cries Halves! to ev'rything you've found." On this custom the well-known device of ring-dropping is based.

NAMES.

The Greeks were wont to refer misfortunes to the signi..cation of proper names; and this ludicrous custom of analysing the proper names of persons, and deriving ominous references from their different significations in their state of analysis, appears to have prevailed among the Grecian poets of the first reputation. Shakespeare, notes the Scholiast upon Sophocles, was much addicted to it. He instances the inquiry in Richard II. "How is't with aged Gaunt ?”

In An alphabetical Explanation of hard Words, at the end of The Academy of Pleasure (1658) an anagram is defined to be "a Divination by names, called by the antients Onomantia. The Greeks referre this Invention to Lycophron, who was one of those they called the Seven Starres or Pleiades; afterwards (as witnesses Eustachius) there were divers Greek Wits that disported themselves herein, as he which turned Atlas for his heavy burthen in supporting Heaven into Talas, that is wretched. Some will maintain that each Man's Fortune is written in his name, which they call Anagramatism, or Metragramatism: poetical liberty will not blush to use E. for Æ, V. for W, S. for Z. That amorous Youth did very queintly sure (resolving a mysterious expression of his Love to Rose Hill), when in the border of a painted cloth he caused to be painted as rudely as he had devised grossly, a Rose, a Hill, an Eye, a Loaf, and a Well, that is if you spell it, 'I love Rose Hill well!"

MOLES.

In The Husbandman's Practice (1658) there is no little expenditure of space to shew what moles in several parts of the body denote. The explanations seem too ridiculous even for transcription; but some run thus

"If the Man shall have a Mole on the place right against the Heart, doth denote him undoubtedly to be wicked.

"If a Mole shall be seen either on the Man's or Woman's Belly, doth demonstrate that he or she to be a great feeder, glutton.

"If a Mole in either the Man or Woman shall appear on the place right against the Spleen, doth signify that he or she shall be much passionated and oftentimes sick."

As the residue is equally absurd with the above specimens, the reader need not be troubled with further samples.

Lupton's treatise of Notable Things (1660) supplies the following on this most ridiculous subject

"A Mole on the Feet and Hands shews there are others on the Testes, and denotes many Children.

"Moles on the Arm and Shoulder denote great Wisdom; on the left, Debate and Contention; near the Armhole, Riches and Honour; while a Mole on the Neck commonly denotes one near the Stomach, which indicates strength.

"A Mole on the Neck and Throat denotes Riches and Health; while a Mole on the Chin denotes another near the Heart, and signifies Riches.

"A Mole on the _Lip implies another on the Testes, and signifies good Stomachs and great Talkers.

"A Mole on the right side of the Forehead is a sign of great Riches both to Men and Women; but on the other side the exact contrary. Moles on the right Ear of Men or Women denote Riches and Honour; and, on the left, the other extreme of fortune.

"A Mole between the Eye-brow and Edge of the Eye-lid signifies another between the Navel and the Secrets.

A red Mole on the Nose of a Man or Woman intimating another on the most secret parts, and sometimes on the Ribs, denotes great Lechery; while

Moles on the Ankles or Feet typify Modesty in Men, and Courage in Wome::.

"A Mole or Moles on the Belly denote great Eaters. A Mole on or about the Knees of a Man signifies Riches and Virtue; on a Woman's left Knee, many Children. A Mole on the left side of the Heart denotes very ill Qualities; on the Breast, Poverty; and on the Thighs, great Poverty and Infelicity."

Misson observes that "when Englishmen (the common people) have Warts or Moles on their Faces, they are very careful of the great Hairs that grow out of these Excrescences; and several have told me they look upon those Hairs as Tokens of good luck."

In The Claim, Pedigree, and Proceedings of James Percy (the trunk-maker who claimed the Earldom of Northumberland in 1680) occurs the following passage: "When you came first to me, I shewed you a Mold like a Half-Moon upon my body (born into the World with it) as hath been the like on some of the Percy's formerly. Now, search William Percy, and see if God hath marked him so; surely God did foresee the Troubles, although the Law takes no notice: but God makes a true decision, even as he was pleased to make Esau hairy and Jacob smooth." It is almost superfluous to observe that the Parliament paid no regard to this divine signature as James called it, for he did not succeed to the Earldom of Northumberland.

“THE

CHARMS.

HE word Charme," writes Mason in the Anatomie of Sorcerie (1612), "is derived of the Latin word carmen, the letter h being put in ;" and in the Athenian Oracle it is defined to be "a form of words or letters, repeated or written, whereby strange things are pretended to be done, beyond the ordinary power of Nature."

In Googe's version of the Popish Kingdome of Naogeorgus we read as follows

"Besides, for Charmes and Sorceries, in all things they excell,
Both Dardan and the Witches foule, that by Mæotis dwell.
The reason is, that yet to trust in God they have no skill,
Nor will commit themselves unto th' Almightie Father's will.
If any Woman brought abed amongst them haps to lie,
Then every place, enchaunter lyke, they clense and purifie :
For feare of Sprightes least harme she take, or caried cleane away,
Be stolne from thence, as though she than in greatest daunger lay,
When as hir travailes overpast, and ended well hir paine,

With rest and sleep she seekes to get her strength decayde againe.
The like in Travailes harde they use, and Mariages as well,
And eke in all things that they buy, and every thing they sell.
About these Catholikes necks and hands are always hanging Charmes,
That serve against all miseries, and all unhappie harmes :
Amongst the which the threatning writ of Michael maketh one,
And also the beginning of the Gospell of Saint John :

But these alone they do not trust, but with the same they have

Theyr barbrous Wordes and Crosses drawne with bloud, or painted brave.

They swordes enchaunt, and horses strong, and flesh of men they make
So harde and tough that they ne care what blowes or cuttes they take,
And using Necromancie thus, themselves they safely keepe

From Bowes or Guns, and from the Wolves, their Cattel,* Lambes, and Sheepe:
No journey also they doe take, but Charmes they with them beare,

Besides in glistering Glasses fayre, or else in Christall cleare

They Sprightes enclose, and as to Prophets true, so to the same
They go, if any thing be stolne, or any taken lame.

And when theyr Kine doe give no Milke, or hurt, or bitten sore

Or any other harme that to these Wretches happens more."

In Bale's Interlude concerning Nature, Moses, and Christ (1562), Idolatry is described with the following qualities

"Mennes fortunes she can tell ;

She can by sayenge her Ave Marye,
And by other Charmes of Sorcerye,
Ease men of the Toth ake by and bye
Yea, and fatche the Devyll from Hell."

Again the same personage says—

"With holy Oyle and Water
I can so cloyne and clatter,
That I can at the latter

Many sutelties contryve:

I can worke wyles in battell,

If I but ones do spattle

I can make Corne and Cattle

That they shall never thryve.

"A certain quantity of Cowdung is forced into the mouth of a Calf im mediately after it is calved, or at least before it receives any Meat; owing to this, the vulgar believe that Witches and Fairies can have no power ever after to injure the Calf. But these and such like superstitious Customs are every day more and more losing their influence.”—Stat. Acct, of Scotland (1795) : Parish of Killearn, County of Stirling.

I have Charmes for the Ploughe,
And also for the Cowghe
She shall gyve mylke ynowghe

So long as I am pleased:

Apace the Myll shall go ;

So shall the Credle do,

And the Musterde Querne also,

No man therwyth dyseased."

"When the minds of men are haunted with Dreams of Charms and Enchantments," writes the historian Henry, "they are apt to fancy that the most common occurrences in Nature are the effects of magical arts."

To sit cross-legged, or with our fingers pectinated or shut together, is accounted bad, and friends will persuade us from it, says Sir Thomas Browne; the same conceit having religiously possessed the ancients, as is plain from Pliny's reference, "Poplites alternis genibus imponere nefas olim;" Athenæus also observing that it was an old venificious practice; and Juno being represented in this posture to hinder the delivery of Alcmæna. Park annotates that, as he understood always, sitting cross-legged was intended to produce good or fortunate consequences; and hence it was employed as a charm at school, by one boy who wished well for another, in order to deprecate some punishment which both might have anticipated. Similarly, adds Park, superstitious players have been surprised sitting cross-legged, with a view to induce good luck.

"The Irish," writes Camden, "think Women have Charms divided and distributed among them; and to them persons apply according to their several disorders, and they constantly begin and end the Charm with Pater Noster and Ave Maria."

Quoting Scot's treatise, Andrews (in his continuation of Henry's History) writes: "The Stories which our facetious author relates of ridiculous Charms, which by the help of credulity operated Wonders, are extremely laughable. In one of them a poor Woman is commemorated who cured all diseases by muttering a certain form of Words over the party afflicted; for which service she always received one penny and a loaf of bread. At length, terrified by menaces of flames both in this world and the next, she owned that her whole conjuration consisted in these potent lines, which she always repeated in a low voice near the head of her patient—

"Thy loaf in my hand,

And thy penny in my purse;
Thou art never the better,
And I am never the worse."

"I claw'd her by the backe in way of a Charme,
To do me not the more good, but the lesse harme,"

occurs in Heywood.

In proof of the existence of charms, Avicenna affirms that all material substances are subject to the human soul, properly disposed and exalted above matter.