72 On Popular lUuftons. 



and even blafphemous, to print them. Certain 

 plants,, as I mentioned above, were fuppofed 

 to exert remarkable properties, in confequence 

 of their fignatures : Jofephus relates that he faw 

 a certain Jew, named Eieazer, draw the devil 

 out of an old woman's noftrils, by the application 

 of Solomon* s Jeal to her nofe*, in prefence of the 

 emperor Vefpafian. The fame author relates 

 wonders of the herb Baaras, as Julian does of the 

 Cynofpaftusf, and different authors of the 

 Mandragora. 



Amulets form the principal part of magical 

 remedies, but many amulets were not properly 

 magical ; thofe compofed of relicks, or of medi- 

 cijial fubftances, muft be exempted from this 

 appellation. But, though they were remedies 

 of the imagination only, it was generally believed 

 that thofe compofed of charafters were the pro- 

 duce of demoniacal compact, and therefore un- 

 lawful. During the greateft part of the laft cen- 

 tury, it was very generally believed that a man 

 might be rendered invulnerable by means of an 

 amulet, and in the thirty years war, moft" of the 

 officers wore one on duty J. Some diflertations 

 on this fubjeft may be found in the Mifcellanea 

 Curiofall, the AdaHafnienfia§, and fomething in 



* Wier. p. 415. f Id. p. 416. 



I Harte's Prel. Difc. to Gult. Adolph. 

 il Tom. XII. § Tom. III. 



Sennertus. 



