Welsh Folk-Lore Part 31

5. Rub the warts with a bit of flesh meat, wrap the flesh up in paper, throw it behind your back, and do not look behind you to see what becomes of it, and whoever picks it up gets your warts.

6. Take a snail and pierce it through with a thorn, and leave it to die on the bush; as it disappears so will your warts.

_Charm for removing a Stye from the eye_.

Take an ordinary knitting needle, and pa.s.s it back and fore over the stye, but without touching it, and at the same time counting its age, thus--One stye, two styes, three styes, up to nine, and then reversing the order, as nine styes, eight styes, down to one stye, and _no_ stye.

This counting was to be done in one breath. If the charmer drew his breath the charm was broken, but three attempts were allowed. The stye, it was alleged, would die from that hour, and disappear in twenty-four hours.

_Charms for Quinsy_.

Apply to the throat hair cut at midnight from the black shoulder stripe of the colt of an a.s.s.

_Charming the Wild Wart_.

Take a branch of elder tree, strip off the bark, split off a piece, hold this skewer near the wart, and rub the wart three or nine times with the skewer, muttering the while an incantation of your own composing, then pierce the wart with a thorn. Bury the skewer transfixed with the thorn in a dunghill. The wart will rot away just as the buried things decay.

_Charm for Rheumatism_.

Carry a potato in your pocket, and when one is finished, supply its place with another.

_Charm for removing the Ringworm_.

1. Spit on the ground the first thing in the morning, mix the spittle with the mould, and then anoint the ringworm with this mixture.

2. Hold an axe over the fire until it perspires, and then anoint the ringworm with the sweat.

_Cattle Charms_.

Mr. Hamer in his "Parochial Account of Llanidloes" published in _The Montgomerys.h.i.+re Collections_, vol x., p. 249, states that he has in his possession two charms that were actually used for the protection of live stock of two small farms. One of them opens thus:--

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen . . . and in the name of Lord Jesus Christ my redeemer, that I will give relief to --- creatures his cows, and his calves, and his horses, and his sheep, and his pigs, and all creatures that alive be in his possession, from all witchcraft and from all other a.s.saults of Satan. Amen."

Mr. Hamer further states that:--

"At the bottom of the sheet, on the left, is the magical word, _Abracadabra_, written in the usual triangular form; in the centre, a number of planetary symbols, and on the right, a circular figure filled in with lines and symbols, and beneath them the words, 'By Jah, Joh, Jab.' It was the custom to rub these charms over the cattle, etc. a number of times, while some incantation was being mumbled. The paper was then carefully folded up, and put in some safe place where the animals were housed, as a guard against future visitations."

In other cases the charm was worn by the cattle, as is shown by the following tale:--

_Charm against Foot and Mouth Disease_.

The cattle on a certain farm in Llansilin parish suffered from the above complaint, and old Mr. H--- consulted a conjuror, who gave him a written charm which he was directed to place on the horns of the cattle, and he was told this would act both as a preventive and a cure. This farmer's cattle might be seen with the bit of paper, thus procured, tied to their horns. My informant does not wish to be named, nor does she desire the farmer's name to be given, but she vouches for the accuracy of her information, and for my own use, she gave me all particulars respecting the above. This took place only a few years ago, when the Foot and Mouth Disease first visited Wales.

I obtained, through the kindness of the Rev. John Davies, vicar of Bryneglwys, the following charm procured from Mr. R. Jones, Tynywern, Bryneglwys, Denbighs.h.i.+re, who had it from his uncle, by whom it was used at one time.

_Yn enw y Tad_, _a'r Mab_, _a'r Ysbryd_.

Bod I grist Iesu y gysegredig a oddefe ar y groes, Pan G.o.daist Sant Lasarys o'i fedd wedi farw, Pan faddeuaist Bechodau I fair f.a.gdalen, a thrygra wrthyf fel bo gadwedig bob peth a henwyf fi ag a croeswyf fi ++++ trwy nerth a rhinwedd dy eiriau Bendigedig di fy Arglwydd Iesu Crist. Amen.

Iesu Crist ain harglwydd ni gwared ni rhag pop rhiwogaeth o Brofedigaeth ar yabrydol o uwch deiar nag o Is deiar, rhag y gythraelig o ddun nei ddynes a chalon ddrwg a reibia dda ei berchenog ei ddrwg rhinwedd ei ddrwg galon ysgymynedig a wahanwyd or ffydd gatholig ++++ trwy nerth a rhinwedd dy eiriau Bendigedig di fy Arglwydd Iesu Crist. Amen.

Iesu Crist ain harglwydd ni Gwared ni rhag y glwy ar bar, ar Llid, ar genfigain ar adwyth . . .

ar Pleined Wibrenon ar gwenwyn deiarol, trwy nerth a rhinwedd dy eiriau Bedigedig di Fy Arglwydd Iesu Crist. Amen.

It was somewhat difficult to decipher the charms and four words towards the end are quite illegible, and consequently they are omitted. The following translation will show the nature of the charm:--

_In the Name of the Father_, _the Son_, _and the Spirit_.

May Christ Jesus the sanctified one, who suffered death on the cross, When thou didst raise Lazarus from his tomb after his death, When Thou forgavest sins to Mary Magdalen, have mercy on me, so that everything named by me and crossed by me ++++ may be saved by the power and virtue of thy blessed words my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus Christ our Lord save us from every kind of temptation whether spiritual above the earth or under the earth, from the devilish man or woman with evil heart who bewitcheth the goods of their owner; his evil virtue, his evil excommunicated heart cut off from the Catholic Faith ++++ by the power and virtue of thy blessed words my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus Christ our Lord save us from the disease and the affliction, and the wrath, and the envy, and the mischief, and the . . . and the planet of the sky and the earthly poison, by the power and virtue of Thy blessed words, my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The mark ++++ indicates that crosses were here made by the person who used the charm, and probably the words of the charm were audibly uttered.

_Another Cattle Charm Spell_.

Mr. Hughes, Plasnewydd, Llansilin, lost several head of cattle. He was told to bleed one of the herd, boil the blood, and take it to the cowhouse at midnight. He did so, and lost no more after applying this charm.

_A Charm for Calves_.

If calves were scoured over much, and in danger of dying, a hazel twig the length of the calf was twisted round the neck like a collar, and it was supposed to cure them.