A f OUR SOUND ftoRTtf WALES. 2 



by which they pretend to foretell the 

 good, or ill hick, that will attend them 

 in the enfuing year. 



On the eve of St. John the taptift, 

 they fix fprigs of the plant called St. 



John's Wort, over their doors, and 



\ 



fometimes over their windows, in order 1 

 to purify their houfes, and by that 

 means drive away all fiends, and evil 

 fpirits, in the fame manner as the Druids 

 were accuftomed to do with Vervain. 



They have a firm belief in witches \ 

 and confequentiy, many old women, 

 merely becaufe they happen to be old and 

 ugly, are forced to bear all the blame 

 of the cows not yielding milk, or of the 

 butter not forming in the churn. They 

 arealfo believed to pofTefs the power of 

 i rift idling any diforder they think pro- 

 per, on man or beait, and that they ne- 

 ver neglect to do it,-rf they have been 

 offended. There are now living two 



cele- 



