CENTURY X. 129 



call Ginny-pepper ; l which hath such a strong spirit, 

 that it provoketh a continual sneezing in those that are 

 in the room. 



923. It is an ancient tradition that blear-eyes infect 

 sound eyes ; and that a menstruous woman looking 

 upon a glass, doth rust it: 2 nay, they have an opin 

 ion which seemeth fabulous ; that menstruous women 

 going over a field or garden, do corn and herbs good 

 by killing the worms. 3 



924. The tradition is no less ancient, that the bas 

 ilisk killeth by aspect ; and that the wolf, if he see a 

 man first, by aspect striketh a man hoarse. 4 



925. Perfumes convenient do dry and strengthen 

 the brain, and stay rheums and defluxions ; as we find 

 in fume of rosemary dried, and lignum aloes, and cala 

 mus, taken at the mouth and nostrils: and no doubt 

 there be other perfumes that do moisten and refresh, 

 and are fit to be used in burning agues, consump 

 tions, and too much wakefulness : such as are rose- 

 water, vinegar, lemon-pills, violets, the leaves of vines 

 sprinkled with a little rose-water, &c. 



926. They do use in sudden faintings and swoonings 

 to put a handkerchief with rose-water, or a little vine 

 gar, to the nose ; which gathereth together again the 

 spirits, which are upon point to resolve and fall away. 



927. Tobacco comforteth the spirits, and dischargeth 

 weariness; which it worketh partly by opening; but 

 chiefly by the opiate virtue, which condenseth the spir 

 its. It were good therefore to try the taking of fumes 

 by pipes (as they do in tobacco) of other things ; as 



1 Guiana pepper, i. e. red pepper? Guinea pigs ought, it is said, to be 

 called Guiana pigs. They are natives, not of Africa, but of America. 



2 Arist. Prob. vii. 4., and De Insomniis, 2. 



8 Pliny, xxviii. 23. * Ib- viii. 33. and 34. 



VOL. v. 9 



