HELICIM;. SNAIL. 235 



readily than the Turks, although the latter do not 

 despise fish when brought to table, provided they are 

 of the kinds which they consider clean ; as for the rest, 

 they would as lief take a dose of poison, as touch them. 

 I should tell you by the way, that a Turk would sooner 

 have his teeth or tongue torn out, than taste anything 

 which he considers unclean, as for instance, a frog, a 

 snail, or a tortoise. The Greeks are subject to the same 

 superstition. I had engaged a lad of the Greek Church 

 as purveyor for my people. His fellow-servants had 

 never been able to induce him to eat snails ; at last 

 they set a dish of them before him, cooked and seasoned 

 in such a way that he fancied it was some kind of fish, 

 and helped himself to it most liberally. Bub when the 

 other servants, laughing and giggling, produced the 

 snail shells, and showed him that he had been taken in, 

 his distress was such as to baffle all description. He 

 rushed to his chamber where there was no end to his 

 tears, misery, and sickness. He declared that it would 

 cost him two months wages, at the least, to obtain 

 absolution for his sin ; it being the custom of Greek 

 priests to charge those who come for confession a price 

 varying with the nature and extent of the offence, and 

 to refuse absolution to those who do not comply with 

 their demand."* 



In Hone's 'Every-day Book/ we read that "No one 

 will marry in May, but, on the first morning of that 

 month, the maidens rise early to gather May-dew, which 

 they throw over their shoulder in order to propitiate 

 fate in allotting them a good husband. If they can 



* ' The Life and Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq/ &c., by 

 Charles Thornton Foster, Esq., M.A., and F. H. Black burne Daniel, 

 M.A., vol. i. p. 124. 



