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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.

Dr. 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 prediction of good lucke to the finders! If they find a piece of silver, it is a foretoken of ill lucke to them."

Mason, in his Anatomie of Sorcerie, 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 horseshoe.

Boyle, in his Occasional Reflections, 1665, p. 217, says: "The common people of this country have a tradition that 'tis a lucky thing to find a horse-shoe. 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, 1730, p. 32:

"And he who sees you stoop to th' ground,

Cries, Halves! to ev'rything you've found."

The well-known trick of dropping the ring is founded on this custom. See further in Halliwell's Popular Rhymes, p.257.

NAMES.

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, ii. 349, &c. observes, that this ludicrous custom of analysing 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. Shakespeare, 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, 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."

·

MOLES.

IN the Husbandman's Practice, or Prognostication for Ever, as Teacheth Albert, Alkind, Haly, and Ptolemy, 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 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 remain

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. 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 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 virtuous; if on the left, she will have many children.

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, unfortu nate 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,
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 unhappie 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.

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