Hooping-cough.—A small quantity of hair is taken frown the nape of the child's neck, rolled up in a piece of meat, and given to a dog, in the firm belief that the disease thereby becomes transferred to the animal. A friend informs me that the same charm is well known in Gloucestershire.
Rheumatism.—The right forefoot of a hare, worn constantly in the pocket, is considered a fine amulet against the "rheumatiz."
West.—In order to be rid of the painful tumour on the eyelid, provincially known as the west or sty, it is customary for the sufferer, on the first night of the new moon, to procure the tail of a black cat, and after pulling from it one hair, rub the tip nine times over the pustule. As this has a very cabalistic look, and is moreover frequently attended with sundry severe scratches, a gold ring is found to be a much more harmless substitute; and as it is said to be equally beneficial with the former, it is now more commonly used. This superstition is alluded to by Beaumont and Fletcher, Mad Lovers, v. 4.:—
"—— I have a sty here, Chilax.
Chi. I have no gold to cure it, not a penny."
Thorn.—The following word charm is used to prevent a thorn from festering:—
"Our Saviour was of a virgin born,
His head was crowned with a crown of thorn;
It never canker'd nor fester'd at all,
And I hope in Christ Jesus this never shaull [shall]."
This will remind the reader of the one given by Pepys, vol. ii. p. 415.
T. S.