OF SELBORNE. 
'ped naked, were puflied through the apertures, under a perfuafion 
that, by fuch a procefs, the poor babes would be cured of their 
infirmity. As foon as the operation was over, the tree, in tlie fuf- 
fering part, was plaftered with loam, and carefully fwathed up. 
If the parts coalefced and foldered together, as ufually fell, out, 
where the feat was performed with any adroitnefs at all, the party- 
was cured; but, where the cleft continued to, gape, the operation, 
it was fuppofed, would prove ineffeftual. Having occafion to 
enlarge my garden not long fince, I cut down two or three fuch 
trees, one of which did not grow together. 
We have feveral perfons now living in the village, who, in 
their childhood, ■ were fuppofed to be healed by this fuperftitious 
ceremony, derived down perhaps from our Saxon anceftors, who 
praftifed it before their converfion to Chriftianity. 
At the fouth corner of the Pleftor, or area, near the church, there 
flood, about twenty-years ago, a very old grotefque hollow pol- 
lard-afh, which for ages had been looked on widi no fmall vener- 
ation as 2LjJorezv-qfIj. Now a fhrew-alli is an afh whofe twigs or 
branches, when gently applied to the limbs of cattle, will immedi- 
ately relieve the pains which a beaft fuffers from the running of a 
JJorew-moufe over the part afFeded : for it is fuppofed that a flirew- 
-moufe is of fo baneful and deleterious a nature, that wherever it 
creeps over a beaft, be it horfe, cow, or llieep, the fufFering ani- 
mal is afflicted with cruel anguilli, and threatened with the lofs of 
the ufe of the limb. Againft this accident, to which they were 
continually liable, our provident fore^fathers always kept a flircw- 
afli at hand, which, when once medicated, would maintain it's virtue 
for ever. A flirew-alli was made thus : —-Into the body of the 
-fi For a fimilar praftice, fee PMs Staffordjhire^ 
Dd2 
tree 
