"Secondly, she that desires to be satisfied whether she shall get the man
desired or no, let her take two lemon-peels in the morning, and wear
them all the day under her arm-pit, then at night let her not fail to
take them and rub the four posts of the bed with the same; which being
done, in your first sleep, he will seem to come and present you with a
couple of choice lemons, if not, there is no hope.
"Thirdly, she that is desirous to know what manner of fortune she shall
marry, whether a gentleman, a tradesman, or a traveller, the experiment
is thus: Take a walnut, a hazel nut, and a nutmeg; crack the two nuts,
and take off the scurf; peel them clear from the kernels, and grate part
of the nutmeg to them; this being done, bruise the kernels of the nuts,
and mix them with butter and sugar, making them up into peels, which are
to be taken just when you are lying down in your bed. Then if your
fortune be to marry a gentleman, your sleep will be filled with fine
golden dreams, variety of sweet music, and many running footmen; if a
tradesman, great noise and tumults; if a traveller (who is a seaman),
then frightful visions of lightning and roaring thunder will disturb
your sleep. This has been often tried, and as often approved.
"Fourthly, St. Agnes' Day I have not wholly blotted out of my book; no,
but I have found a more exact way of trial than before: You shall not
need to abstain from kisses, nor be forced to keep a fast from a glance
of your love in the night. If you can rise to be at the parish church
door punctually between the hours of twelve and one in the morning, and
then and there put only the fore-finger of your right hand into the
key-hole of the said door, repeating the following words, three times
over--
O sweet St. Agnes, now draw near
With my true love, let him appear.
"Then he will straight approach to you with a cheerful and smiling
countenance. This is a new and infallible way of making the trial.
"Fifthly, my dear daughters, you all know the thirteenth day of February
is Valentine's Day, at which time the fowls of the air couple together,
and not only so, but the young men and maidens are for choosing mates at
the same time. Now, that you may speed to your full satisfaction, follow
this approved direction: Take five bay leaves, lay one under every
corner of your pillow, and the fifth under the middle, then laying
yourself down to rest, repeat the following words in the four lines,
seven times over--
Some guardian angel let me have
What I most earnestly do crave,
A valentine endowed with love,
Which will both kind and constant prove.
"Then to your great content, you shall either have the valentine of him
you desire, or, at least, one much more excellent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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