Old House at Cobo.
Alas! his confidence in the charm was destined to be, for a time, rudely broken. One night, in manœuvring his boat, an accidental blow from some of the gear shattered the bottle containing the quick-silver. What was his dismay the next morning, on opening his purse, to perceive that all his gold was turned into silver, and that the silver coins bore the appearance of vile lead! He was in despair, concluding very naturally that he had fallen into the power of some prince of magicians, and that henceforth he was a ruined man. He again consulted his old friend, whose experience this time proved of more practical use than his former advice. The wise man soon saw what had caused the apparent change in the coin, and recommended him to go without delay to a silversmith, who soon removed the quick-silver with which the precious pieces were coated, and restored them to their pristine brightness.[204]
[204] From Mr. John Le Cheminant.
The Cure of Warts, etc.
There are certain old men and women who, without pretending to any supernatural knowledge, are nevertheless supposed to possess the power of causing those unsightly excrescences (warts) to disappear, merely by looking at, and counting, them. Some mystery, however, is attached to the operation. They may not impart their secret, neither may they receive money for their services, although there is no reason why they should refuse any other present that may be offered. There is no doubt that the hands of growing boys and girls are more often disfigured by these excrescences than those of adults, and that, at a certain age, they are apt to disappear almost suddenly. Perhaps this has been noticed by the persons who pretend to the art of removing warts, and that they do not undertake the cure unless they perceive certain indications of their being likely to disappear before long by the mere agency of natural causes. Nevertheless, the cases in which a cure has been effected after all the usual surgical remedies have been resorted to in vain, are quite sufficiently numerous to justify a belief in the minds of the vulgar of a possession of this extraordinary gift.
The operation, whatever it may be, is designated by the word “décompter,” which may be translated “to uncount,” or “to count backwards.”
The process by which a wen, or glandular swelling, known in our local dialect as “un veuble,” is to be removed, is expressed by the same term, but in this there is no mystery which requires concealment. The charm is well known, and may be used by anyone. It is as follows. The person who undertakes the cure must begin by making the sign of the cross on the part affected, and must then repeat the following formula:—“Pour décompter un veuble.”[205] “Saint Jean avait un veuble qui coulait à neuf pertins. De neuf ils vinrent à huit; de huit ils vinrent à sept; de sept ils vinrent à six; de six ils vinrent à cinq; de cinq ils vinrent à quatre; de quatre ils vinrent à trois; de trois ils vinrent à deux; de deux ils vinrent à un; d’un il vint à rien, et ainsi Saint Jean perdit son veuble.”
The second day the operator must begin at “eight,” the day after at “seven,” and so on until the whole nine are counted off, when, if a cure is not effected, it must be set down to some neglect or want of faith in one or the other of the parties concerned, for no one can venture to doubt the efficacy of the spell.