ing ones are equally absurd with the above specimens, I shall not trouble the reader with any more of them. 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 out 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 first came 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 Percy's 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. Α 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 contrary. 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. 16. A mole or moles on the belly denote great eaters. A mole on or about the knees signifies riches and virtue; if on a woman's left knee, many children. A mole on the left side of the heart denotes very ill qualities. A mole on the breast denotes poverty. A mole on the thighs denotes great poverty and infelicity." [The following more complete account of the subject is extracted from the Greenwich Fortune-Teller, a popular chapbook: "A mole against the heart undoubtedly denotes wickedness. A mole on the belly signifies a glutton. A mole on the bottom of the belly signifies weakness. A mole on the knee signifies obtaining a comely, wealthy wife. If a woman have a mole on her right knee, she will be honest and virif on the left, she will have many children. tuous; If a man hath a mole athwart his nose he will be a traveller. A mole on a woman's nose, signifies she will travel on foot through divers countries. A mole on a man's throat shows that he will become rich. If a woman have a mole on the lower jaw, it signifies she shall lead her life in sorrow and pain of body. A mole in the midst of the forehead, near the hair, denotes a discourteous, cruel mind, and of unpleasant discourse; if it is of honey colour, will be beloved; if red, sullen and furious; if black, inexpert and wavering; if raised more like a wart, very fortunate! But if a woman, shows her to be a slut; and if in her forehead black, treacherous, consents to evil and murder. A mole on the right side, about the middle of the forehead, declares a man to abound in benefits by friendship of great men; will be loaded with command, esteemed, and honoured; the paler the colour the greater the honour; if red, he is loved by the clergy; if black, let him beware of the resentment of great men; if warty, it increaseth good fortune. A woman having this shall be fortunate in all her actions; but if black, beware of her tongue. A mole on the left side of the forehead, near the hair, predicts misery and abundance of tribulations to a man, by means of his own misconduct if honey-coloured or red, his sorrows are lessened; but if black, unfortunate in every undertaking. A mole on the left side of the forehead, about the midway, threatens a man with persecutions from his superiors; if of a honey colour, he prodigally wastes his estate; if red, will become poor; if black, let him beware of the wrath or malice of great men: if a woman, it threatens sorrow by the perfidy of some men; if black, she will partake of the extremity of misery. A mole on the left side of the forehead, a little above the temple, if it appear red, he has excellent wit and understanding; if black, in danger of being branded for his falsehoods; if he has a wart his fate is mitigated. To a woman it shows justification of innocence, though not deserved; if black, malignity, and it represents every evil. A mole on any part of the lip, signifies a great eater, or a glutton, much beloved, and very amorous. A mole on the chin signifies riches. A mole on the ear signifies riches and respect. A mole on the neck promises riches. A mole on the right breast threatens poverty. A mole near the bottom of the nostrils is lucky. A mole on the left side of the belly denotes affliction. A mole on the right foot denotes wisdom. A mole on the left foot denotes dangerous rash actions. A mole on the eyebrow means speedy marriage and a good husband. A mole on the wrist, or between that and the fingers' ends, shows an ingenious mind. If many moles happen between the elbow and the wrist, they foretell many crosses towards the middle of life, which will end in prosperity and comfort. A mole near the side of the chin, shows an amiable disposition, industrious, and successful in all your transactions."] CHARMS. THE following notice of charms occurs in Barnaby Googe's translation of Naogeorgus's Popish Kingdom, f. 57: "Besides, for charmes and sorceries, in all things they excell, About these Catholikes necks and hands are always hanging charmes, But these alone they do not trust, but with the same they have Theyr barbrous wordes and crosses drawne, with bloud, or painted brave. They swordes enchaunt, and horses strong, and flesh of men they make From bowes or guns, and from the wolves their cattel, lambes, and sheepe: And when theyr kine doe give no milke, or hurt, or bitten sore, In Bale's Interlude concerning Nature, Moses, and Christ, 1562, Idolatry is described with the following qualities : "Mennes fortunes she can tell; She can by sayinge her Ave Marye, Yea, and fatche the Devyll from Hell." And ibid. Sig. C 2, the same personage says: "With holy oyle and water I can so cloyne and clatter, Many sutelties contryve: I can worke wyles in battell, If I but ones do spattle I can make corne and cattle That they shall never thryve. When ale is in the fat, If the bruar please me nat, The cast shall fall down fiat, And never have any strength: No man shall tonne nor bake, If I agaynst him take, But lose his labour at length. Theyr wells I can up drye, Whereas men doth me move: I can make stoles to daunce I have charmes for the ploughe, Apace the myll shall go, So shall the credle do, And the musterde querne also, No man therwyth dyseased." Dr. Henry, in his History of Great Britain, i. 286, says: "When the minds of men are haunted with dreams of charms and enchantments, they are apt to fancy that the most common occurrences in nature are the effects of magical arts." Camden, in his Ancient and Modern Manners of the Irish, tells us : 66 They think women have charms divided and distributed among them; and to them persons apply according to their several disorders, and they constantly begin and end the charm with Pater Noster and Ave Maria." See Gough's edition of the Britannia, 1789, iii. 668. Mason, in the Anatomie of Sorcerie, 4to. Lond. 1612, p. 62, says: The word charm is derived of the Latin word carmen, the letter h being put in." Avicen, to prove that there are charms, affirms that all material substances are subject to the human soul, properly disposed and exalted above matter. Dict. Cur. p. 144. In the Statistical Account of Scotland, xvi. 122, parish of Killearn, co. Stirling, we read: "A certain quantity of cowdung is forced into the mouth of a calf immediately after it is calved, or at least before it receives any meat; owing to this, the vulgar believe that witches and fairies can have no power ever after to injure the calf. But these and suchlike superstitious customs are every day more and more losing their influence." Sir Thomas Browne tells us, that to sit crosslegged, or with our fingers pectinated or shut together, is accounted bad, and friends will persuade us from it. The same conceit religiously possessed the ancients, as is observable from Pliny: "Poplites alternis genibus imponere nefas olim ;" and also from Athenæus that it was an old venificious practice; and Juno is made in this posture to hinder the delivery of Alcmana. See Bourne and Brand's Popular Antiquities, p. 95. Mr. Park, in his copy of that work, has inserted the following note: "To sit crosslegged I have always understood was in III. 17 |