WILLSFORD, in his "Nature's Secrets," p. 136, tells us that "TREFOILE, or CLAVERGRASSE, against stormy and tempestuous weather, will seem rough, and the leaves of it stare and rise up, as if it were afraid of an assault.

"TEZILS, or FULLER'S THISTLE, being gathered and hanged up in the house, where the air may come freely to it, upon the alteration of cold and windy weather, will grow smoother, and against rain will close up his prickles.

"HELIOTROPES and MARIGOLDS do not only presage stormy weather, by closing or contracting together their leaves, but turn towards the sun's rays all the day, and in the evening shut up shop.

"PINE-APPLES, hanging up in the house where they freely may enjoy the air, will close themselves against wet and cold weather, and open against hot and dry times.

"The Leaves of Trees and Plants in gene.

ral will shake and tremble against a tempest more than ordinary.

"All tender buds, blossoms, and delicate flowers, against the incursion of a storm, do contract and withdraw themselves within their husks and leaves, whereby each may preserve itself from the injury of the weather."

He says, ibid. p. 144: "Leaves in the wind, or down floating upon the water, are signs of tempests. In autumn (some say), in the Gall, or Oak-Apple, one of these three things will be found (if cut in pieces): a flie, denoting want; a worm, plenty; but, if a spider, mortality."(1)

He tells us, ibid., that "the BROOM having plenty of blossoms, or the Walnut Tree, is a sign of a fruitful year of Corn." That "great store of Nuts and Almonds presage a plentiful year of Corn, especially Filberds."

"When ROSES and VIOLETS flourish in autumn, it is an evil sign of an insuing plague the year following, or some pestiferous disease."

(1) Lupton, in his third "Book of Notable Things" (edit. 8vo. 1660, p. 52), No. 7, says: "If you take an Oak Apple from an Oak Tree, and upon the same you shall find a little worm therein, which if it doth flye away it signifies wars; if it creeps, it betokens scarceness of Corn; if it run about, then it foreshews the plague. This is the countryman's astrology, which they have long observed for

truth.-Mizaldus." He says, ibid. 25: "The leaves of an Elm Tree, or of a Peach Tree, falling before their time, do foreshew or be token a murrain or death of cattle.-Cardanus.'

In the Supplement to the "Athenian Oracle," p. 476: "The fly in the Oak Apple is explained as denoting war; the spider, pestilence; the small worm, plenty."

WE gather, from Congreve's "Love for Love," where, in the character of Old Foresight, he so forcibly and wittily satirizes Su

perstition, that to stumble in going down stairs is held to be a bad omen. (')

"It is lucky," says Grose, "to tumble up stairs." Probably this is a jocular observation, meaning it was lucky the party did not tumble down stairs.

Melton, in his "Astrologaster," p. 45, says: "10. That if a man stumbles in a morning as soon as he comes out of dores, it is a signe of ill lucke." He adds: "30. That if a horse stumble on the highway, it is a signe of ill lucke."

Bishop Hall, in his "Characters of Vertues and Vices," under the head of The Supersti

From him, as well as from the "Specator," we gather, that sometimes "a rusty nail, or a crooked pin, shoots up into prodigies!"

Cicero, in his second book "de Divinatione," $ 40, observes: "Quæ si suscipiamus, pedis offensio nobis, et abruptio corrigiæ et sternutamenta erunt observanda."

In Pet. Molinæi "Vates," p. 218, we read: "Si quis in limine impegit, ominosum est." "That you may never stumble at your going out in the morning," is found among the omens deprecated in Barton Holiday's comedy, called " TEXNOTAMIA, or the Marriage of the Arts," 4to. signat. E b.

(2) Poor Robin, in his Almanac for

1695, thus ridicules the superstitious Charms to avert ill luck in Stumbling: "All those who, walking the streets, stumble at a stick or stone, and when they are past it turn back again to spurn or kick the stone they stumbled at, are liable to turn students in Goatam College; and, upon admittance, to have a coat put upon him, with a cap, a bauble, and other ornaments belonging to his degree.'

(3) In "Whimzies; or, a New Cast of Characters," 12mo. Lond. 1631, speaking of a yealous (jealous) neighbour, the author says: "His earth-reverting body (according to his mind) is to be buried in some cell, roach, or vault, and in no open place, lest passengers (belike) might stumble on his grave.'

IT is unlucky, says Grose, to lay one's Knife and Fork crosswise; crosses and misfortunes are likely to follow. Melton, in his "Astrologaster," p. 45, in his catalogue of many superstitious ceremonies, observes: "25. That it is naught for any man to give a pair of Knives to his sweetheart, for feare it cuts away all love that is betweene them." Thus Gay, in his second Pastoral of" The Shepherd's Week:"

"But woe is me! such presents luckless prove, For Knives, they tell me, always sever love." It is, says Grose, unlucky to present a Knife, Scissors, Razor, or any sharp or cutting instrument, to one's Mistress or Friend, as they are apt to cut love and friendship. To avoid the ill effects of this, a pin, a farthing, or some trifling recompense, must be taken in return. To find a Knife or Razor denotes illluck and disappointment to the party.(')

(1) A Knife Charm has been already cited vol. ii. p. 50, under CHRISTENING CUSTOMS, from Herrick's "Hesperides." It likewise occurs in "Wit a Sporting in a Pleasant Grove of New Fancies," 8vo. Lond. 1657, P. 78.

The following is found in Delrio, "Disquisit. Magic." p. 494, from Beezius: "Item ne Alf, vel Mar equitet Mulierem in puerperio jacentem, vel ne Infans rapiatur (a strigibus) debet poni Cultellus vel Corrigia super Lectum."

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MELTON, in his "Astrologaster," p. 46, says: "11. That if a man, walking in the fields, finde any foure-leaved Grasse, he shall, in a small while after, fiude some good thing." He tells us, ibid. : "15. That it is naught for a man or woman to lose their hose Garter." As also, ibid.: "14. That it is a sign of ill lucke to finde Money."

Greene, in his "Art of Conny-Catching," signat. B, tells us, "Tis ill lucke to keepe found Money." Therefore it must be spent.

Doctor Nathaniel Home, in his "Dæmonologie, or the Character of the Crying Evils of the Present Times," &c., 8vo. Lond. 1650, p. 60, tells us: "How frequent is it with people (especially of the more ignorant sort, which makes the things more suspected) to think and say (as Master Perkins relates), if they finde some pieces of Iron,() it is a prediction of good lucke to the Finders! If they find a piece of Silver, it is a foretoken of ill luck to them."

() Mason, in his " Anatomie of Sorcerie," 4to. Lond. 1612, p. 90, enumerating our superstitions, mentions as an Omen of good luck, "If drinke be spilled upon a man; or if he find old iron." Hence it is accounted a lucky Omen to find a Horse-Shoe.

The Hon. Robt. Boyle, in his "Occasional Reflections," 8vo. Lond. 1665, p. 217, says: "The common people of this country have a tradition that 'tis a lucky thing to find a HorseShoe. And, though 'twas to make myself merry with this fond conceit of the superstitious vulgar, I stooped to take this up.'

There is a popular custom of crying out "Halves!" on seeing another pick up anything which he has found, and this exclamation entitles the person who makes it to one half of the value. This is alluded to as follows in Dr. John Savage's "Horace to Scæva imitated," 8vo. Lond. 1730, p. 32:

"And he, who sees you stoop to th' ground, Cries, Halves! to everything you've found." The well-known trick of dropping the Ring is founded on this custom.

AMONG the Greeks it was an ancient custom to refer Misfortunes to the signification of proper Names. The Scholiast upon Sophocles, as cited by Jodrell in his "Euripides," vol ii. p. 349, &c., observes, that this ludicrous custom of analyzing the proper Names of persons, and deriving ominous inferences from their different significations in their state of analysis, appears to have prevailed among the Grecian poets of the first reputation. Shakspeare, he adds, was much addicted to it. He instances "Richard II.," act ii. sc. 1.: "How is't with aged Gaunt?"

In an alphabetical explanation of hard words, at the end of "The Academy of Pleasure," 12mo. Lond. 1658, an anagram is defined to be "a divination by Names, called by the ancients Onomantia. The Greeks referre

this invention to Lycophron, who was one of those they called the Seven Starres, or Pleiades; afterwards (as witnesses Eustachius) there were divers Greek wits that disported themselves herein, as he which turned Atlas, for his heavy burthen in supporting heaven, into Talas, that is, wretched. Some will maintain, that each man's fortune is written in his Name, which they call Anagramatism, or Metragramatism: poetical liberty will not blush to use e for æ, v for w, s for z. That amorous youth did very queintly sure (resolving a mysterious expression of his love to Rose Hill), when in the border of a painted cloth he caused to be painted, as rudely as he had devised grossly, a rose, a hill, an eye, a loaf, and a well, that is, if you spell it, I love Rose Hill well.'

IN "The Husbandman's Practice; or Prognostication for Ever, as Teacheth Albert, Alkind, Haly, and Ptolomy," 8vo. Lond. 1658, p. 153, there is a considerable waste of words to show what Moles in several parts of the body denote, almost too ridiculous to be transcribed. Some of the first are as follow:

"If the man shall have a Mole on the place right against the heart, doth denote him undoubtedly to be wicked."

"If a Mole shall be seen either on the man's or woman's belly, doth demonstrate that he or she to be a great feeder, glutton."

"If a Mole, in either the man or woman, shall appear on the place right against the spleen, doth signify that he or she shall be much passionated and oftentimes sick."

As all the remaining ones are equally absurd with the above specimens, I shall not trouble the reader with any more of them.(1)

Misson, in his "Travels in England," translated by Ozell, observes, p. 358, that "When Englishmen, i.e. the common people,

have Warts or Moles on their faces, they are very careful of the great hairs that grow ont of those excrescences; and several have told me they look upon those hairs as tokens of good luck."

In "The Claim, Pedigree, and Proceedings of James Percy," (the trunk-maker,) who claimed the earldom of Northumberland in 1680, folio, signat. D, occurs the following passage: "When you came first to me, I shewed you a Mold like a half-moon upon my body (born into the world with it), as hath been the like on some of the Percys formerly. Now search William Percy, and see if God hath marked him so; surely God did foresee the troubles, although the law takes no notice : but God makes a true decision, even as he was pleased to make Esau hairy and Jacob smooth." It is almost superfluous to observe that the parliament paid no regard to this divine signature, as James called it, for he did not succeed to the earldom of Northumberland.

() The following on this most ridiculous subject is preserved in the twelfth book of "A Thousand Notable Things :"

"9. A Mole on the feet and hands shews there are others on the testes, and denotes many children.

10. Moles on the arm and shoulder denote great wisdom; on the left, debate and contention. Moles near the armhole, riches and honour. A Mole on the neck commonly denotes one near the stomack, which denotes strength.

"11. A Mole on the neck and throat denotes riches and health. A Mole on the chin, another near the heart, and signifies riches.

"12. A Mole on the lip another on the testes, and signifies good stomacks and great talkers.

"13. A Mole on the right side of the forehead is a sign of great riches both to men and women; and on the other side, the quite con

trary. Moles on the right ear of men or women denote riches and honour; and on the left, the quite contrary.

"14. A Mole between the eye-brow and edge of the eye-lid, there will be another between the navel and the secrets.

"15. A red Mole on the nose of a man or woman, there will be another on the most secret parts, and sometimes on the ribs, and denotes great lechery. Moles on the ankles or feet signify modesty in men, and courage

in women.

THE following notice of CHARMS occurs in Barnaby Googe's translation of Naogeorgus's "Popish Kingdom," fol. 57 b:

"Besides, for Charmes and Sorceries, in all things they excell,

Both Dardan and the Witches foule, that by Mæotis dwell.

The reason is, that yet to trust in God they have no skill,

Nor will commit themselves unto th' Almightie Father's will.

If any woman brought abed, amongst them haps to lie,

Then every place, enchaunter lyke, they clense and purifie,

For feare of Sprightes, least harme she take, or caried cleane away,

Be stolne from thence, as though she than in greatest daunger lay;

When as hir travailes overpast, and ended well hir paine,

With rest and sleepe she seekes to get her strength decayde againe.

The like in travailes hard they use, and mariages as well,

And eke in all things that they buy, and every thing they sell.

About these Catholikes necks and hands are always hanging Charmes, That serve against all miseries, and all vnhappie harmes;

Amongst the which, the threatning writ of Michael maketh one,

And also the beginning of the Gospell of Saint John:

But these alone they do not trust, but with the same they have

Theyr barbrous wordes and crosses drawne, with bloud, or painted brave.