[7] The illiterate Cornish often double their negatives: “I don’t know, not I;” “I’ll never do it, no, never no more.” [↑]
CHARMS, Etc.
Many are the charms against ill-wishing worn by the ignorant. I will quote some mentioned by Mr. Bottrell: “A strip of parchment inscribed with the following words forming a four-sided acrostic:—
| S | A | T | O | R |
| A | R | E | P | O |
| T | E | N | E | T |
| O | P | E | R | A |
| R | O | T | A | S |
“At the time of an old lady’s decease, a little while ago, on her breast was found a small silk bag containing several charms, among others a piece of parchment, about three inches square, having written on one side of it ‘Nalgah’ (in capital letters); under this is a pen-and-ink drawing something like a bird with two pairs of wings, a pair extended and another folded beneath them. The creature appears to be hovering and at the same time brooding on a large egg, sustained by one of its legs, whilst it holds a smaller egg at the extremity of its other leg, which is outstretched and long. Its head, round and small, is unlike that of a bird. From the rudeness of the sketch and its faded state it is difficult to trace all the outlines. Under this singular figure is the word ‘Tetragrammaton’ (in capitals); on the reverse in large letters—
- ‘Jehovah.’
- ‘Jah, Eloim.’
- ‘Shadday.’
- ‘Adonay.’
- ‘Have mercy on a poor woman.’
“A pellar of great repute in the neighbourhood tells me that this is inscribed with two charms, that Nalgah is the figure only. The Abracadabra is also supplied, the letters arranged in the usual way. Another potent spell is the rude draft of the planetary signs for the Sun, Jupiter, and Venus, followed by a cross, pentagram, and a figure formed by a perpendicular line and a divergent one at each side of it united at the bottom. Under them is written, ‘Whosoever beareth these tokens will be fortunate, and need fear no evil.’ The charms are folded in a paper on which is usually written, ‘By the help of the Lord these will do thee good,’ and inclosed in a little bag to be worn on the breast.”
People in good health visited these pellars every spring to get their charms renewed, and bed-ridden people who kept theirs under their “pillow-beres” were then visited by the pellar for the same purpose. “Of amulets mention must be made of certain small crystal balls called ‘kinning stones,’ held in high esteem for cure of ailments of the eye. I examined one of these ‘kinning stones’ recently, which had been lent to a person with a bad eye, who on recovering from his ailment had returned it to the owner. It proved to be a translucent, blueish-white globular crystal, about one-and-a-quarter inch in diameter; in texture, horny rather than vitreous; apparently not made of glass, but perhaps of rock crystal; pierced by a hole containing a boot lace for suspension; having striæ running through the substance of the crystal perpendicular to the hole. It had been for many generations in possession of the family of the owner, who valued it very highly, ‘but was willing to lend it to anyone to do good.’ This kind of amulet is worn around the neck, the bad eye being struck with the crystal every morning. There are other ‘kinning stones’ within reach, but examples are not common; their virtues are familiar to the people, and instances are to be met with among the country folk, whose recovery from a ‘kinning’ in the eye (‘kennel,’ West Cornwall) is attributed solely to the use of these charms.”—Notes on the Neighbourhood of Brown Willy (North Cornwall), Rev. A. H. Malan, M.A.