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Page:Leechdoms wortcunning and starcraft of early England volume 2.djvu/405

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LEECH BOOK. III.
353

that the baneful sores may
neither burn nor burst,
nor find their way further,
nor turn foul and fallow,
nor thump and throb on,
nor be wicked wounds,
nor dig deeply down;
but he himself may hold
in a way to health.
Let it ache thee no more,
than ear in earth[1] acheth.

Sing also this many times, [2]"May earth bear on thee with all her might and main." These charms a man may sing over a wound.

lxiv.

A lithe drink against a devil and dementedness. Put into ale cassuck, roots of lupin, fennel, ontre, betony, hindheal, marche, rue, wormwood, nepeta, helenium, elfthone, wolfs comb; sing twelve masses over the drink, and let the man drink, it will soon be well with him. A drink against temptations of the devil; tuftythorn, cropleek, lupin, ontre, bishopwort, fennel, cassuck, betony; hallow these worts,[3] put into some ale some holy water, and let the drink be in the same chamber as the sick man, and constantly before he drinketh sing thrice over the drink, "Deus! In nomine tuo salvum me fac."

lxv.

If a man be overlooked, and thou must cure him, see that his face be turned to thee when thou goest in, then he may live; if his face be turned from thee, have thou nothing to do with him. If he may live,

  1. In the grave.
  2. This seems intended to quell the elf.
  3. By a formula of benediction.