THE ADDER. 141 



bus curantur.' John Marshall assured me that the 

 man recovered splendidly and speedily." 



It seems almost a pity to add that Mr Williams's 

 paper was entitled " Local Superstitions." 



Our ancestors had some very interesting methods 

 of ridding localities of adders and of curing the bite, 

 and in some ancient books there are some appalling 

 prescriptions to be found. The following are from a 

 work published in the year 1792, the author being 

 William Augustus Osbaldistone, Esq., the volume 

 being entitled ' The British Sportsman, or Noble- 

 man, Gentleman, and Farmer's Dictionary.' Under 

 the heading " Adder - Stung ,; these remedies are 

 mentioned : — 



" Ointments. — I. Garlic, onions, bacon, and baysalt, 

 stamped together. 



" II. Stamped rue, mustard-seed, pickled herrings, 

 and black soap, with a sufficient quantity of deer's 

 suet or bear's "Tease. 



"III. Cover the wound with Venice treacle or mith- 

 ridate : either of these are very good, especially if the 

 spirituous embrocations used for gangrene be also 

 used. 



" IV. Dragon's blood, 1 barley-meal, and whites of 

 eggs, mixed to a thick consistence. 



" Solleysel recommends the following remedy, which 

 indeed is not improper, only that the scarcity of the 

 chief ingredients renders the preparation very dear in 



1 Dragon's blood refers to the name of a plant, I fancy. 



