CENTURY X. 499 



922. It hath been a practice to burn a pepper 

 they call Guiney-pepper, 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 : nay, they have 

 an opinion which seemeth fabulous ; that menstru 

 ous women going over a field or garden, do corn 

 and herbs good by killing the worms. 



924. The tradition is no less ancient, that the 

 basilisk killeth by aspect ; and that the wolf, if he 

 see a man first, by aspect striketh a man hoarse. 



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 calamus 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, 

 consumptions, and too much wakefulness : such as 

 are rose-water, vinegar, lemon-peels, violets, the 

 leaves of vines sprinkled with a little rose-water, &c. 



926. They do use in sudden faintings and swoon- 

 ings to put a handkerchief with rose-water or a 

 little vinegar to the nose : which gathereth together 

 again the spirits, which are upon point to resolve 

 and fall away. 



927. Tobacco comforteth the spirits, and dis- 

 chargeth weariness, which it worketh partly by 

 opening, but chiefly by the opiate virtue, which 

 condenseth the spirits. It were good therefore to 



