The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

37^
Translated
—
— ; ; —
The Highland Monthly.
Behold Thou, O Christ,
This breast and it [so] swollen ;
Tell that to Mary --
'Twas she who bore the Son.
Rash between swellings,
Leave this bed ;
Betake thyself to another bed ;
Send the milk from the breast
Transmit the Rash to the stone,
And (through) the stone to the ground.
The idea here intended to be conveyed was that by
means of the incantation the disease was transmitted from
the breast to the stone, and from the stone to the ground.
In gypsy sorcery similar examples may be found where
pain is sent into its medical affinity, and so on, back to the
source from which it came.
One of the modes of curing the Ruaidhe in cattle was
thus :—Get a stone from a March-burn
swollen teat with the same, and say these words :
A Chriosda leigheis am mart.
Leigheis fhein i Mhoire—
'S tu rug am Mac.
Gu'm a slan an t-iigh ;
Translated
'S gu'm a crion an t-at
'S a Ruaidhe mhor atar iotar,
Fag an t-aite so 's tair as !
O Christ, heal the cow.
Heal thou it, O Mary
Thou broughtst forth the Son.
May the udder be healed ;
May the swelling cease
And thou great swollen dry Rash,
Leave this place, and be off.
;
—
allt crick—rub the
Another method for curing the Ruaidhe in a cow, was
thus :—
A burning peat was taken and held under the udder ;
the teats were squeezed in succession, and the milk allowed
to drop until the peat was partially extinguished. The
smoke caused by the milk and the burning peat was con-