The Wresting Thread.
—When a person has received a sprain, it is customary to apply to an individual practised in casting the "wrested thread." This is thread spun from black wool, on which are cast nine knots, and tied round a sprained leg or arm. During the time the operator is putting the thread round the affected limb, he says, in a muttering tone, in such a manner as not to be understood by the bystanders, nor even by the person operated upon—
"The Lord rade (rode),
And the foal slade (slipped);
He lighted,
An she righted.
Set joint to joint,[1]
Bone to bone,
And sinew to sinew,
Heal in the Holy Ghost's name!!!"