Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England. Being a ...

LEECn BOOK. J. 155
l^^V-
Book I.
If a man eat wolfs bane, let him eat and drink but-
^^' ^^^^^"'''
ter, the poison will go off in the butter. Again for
that, let him stand upon his heid, let some one strike
him many scarifications on the shanks, then the venom
departs out through the incisions.
Ixxxv.
If a man try to fight with his foe, let him seethe
staith swallow nesthngs ' in wine, then let him eat
them ere the fight, or seethe them in spring water.
Ixxxvi.
For mickle travelling over land, lest he tire, let him
take mugwort''^ to him in hand, or put it into his shoe, Vol. I. xi. i.
lest he should weary, and when he will pluck it, before
the upgoing of the sun, let him say fu-st these
words, " I will take thee, artemisia, lest I be weary on
the way," etc. Sign it with the sign of the cross,
when thou puUest it up.
Ixxxvii.
1. If a mans hair fall off, work him a salve, take
the mickle wolfs bane, and vipers bugloss, and the
netherward part of burdock, and ferdwort, work the
salve out of that wort, and out of all these, and out
of that butter on which no water hath come.
If hair
fall off, boil the polypody fern, and foment the head Avith
that, so warm. In case that a man be bald, Plinius,
the mickle leech, saitli this leechdom : take dead bees,
bm-n them to ashes, and linseed also, add oil iipon that,
seethe very long over gledes, then strain, wring out,
and take leaves of willow, pound them, pour the juice
into the oil, boil again for a while on gledes, strain
them, smear therewith after the bath.
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Sand martins, hirundines riparia>.