Brinton.] t)U [Jan. 5, 



not become paralytic ; that lie may not choke with severe coughing ; that 

 he be not bitten by a serpent ; that he become neither bloated nor asth- 

 matic ; that he do not go mad ; that he be not bitten by a dog ; that he be 

 not struck by lightning ; that he be not choked with brandy ; that he be 

 not killed with iron, nor by a stick, and that he be not carried off by an 

 eagle ; guard him, O clouds ; aid him, O lightniug ; aid him, O thunder ; 

 aid him, St. Peter; aid him, St. Paul ; aid him, eternal Father. 



" And I who up to this time have spoken for him to you, I ask you that 

 sickness may visit his enemies. So order it, that when his enemies go 

 forth from their houses, they may meet sickness ; order it, that wherever 

 they go, they may meet troubles ; do your offices of injury to them, where- 

 soever they are met ; do this that I pray, O holy souls. God be with you ; 

 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; Amen, Jesus." 



Most of such invocations are expressed in terms far more re- 

 condite and symbolic than the above. We have many such 

 preserved in the work of Jacinto de la Serna, which supply 

 ample material to acquaint us with the peculiarities of the 

 sacred and secret language of the nagualists. I shall quote but 

 one, that employed in the curious ceremou}^ of " calling back the 

 tonaZ," referred to on a previous page. I append an explanation 

 of its obscure metaphors. 



Invocation for the Restitution of the Tonal. 



" Ho there ! Come to my aid, mother mine of the skirt of precious 

 stones !^ What keeps thee away, gray ghost, white ghost?'' Is the ob- 

 stacle white, or is it yellow? See, I place here the yellow enchantment 

 and the white enchantment.'' 



" I, the Master of the Masters of enchantments, have come, I, who 

 formed thee and gave thee life.* Thou, mother mine of the starry skirt, thou, 

 goddess of the stars, who givest life, why hast thou turned against this 

 one?* 



" Adverse spirit and darkened star, I shall sink thee in the breadth and 

 depth of the waters.^ I, master of spells, speak to thee Ho there ! 

 Mother mine, whose skirt is made of gems, come, seek with me the shin- 

 ing spirit who dwells in the house of light,' that we may know what god 

 or mighty power thus destroys and crushes to earth this unfortunate one- 

 Green and black spirit of sickness, leave him and seek thy prey else- 

 where, 



"Green and yellow ghost, who art wandering, as if lost, over moun- 

 tains and plains, I seek thee, I desire thee ; return to him whom thou hast 

 abandoned. Thou, the nine times beaten, tiie nine times smitten, see that 

 thou tail me uot.^ Come hither, mother mine, whose robe is of precious 



