I think it proper to give my Opinion of this Matter; with Submission therefore to these great Men, I cannot easily come into a Belief of any Advantages to be had from this Practice; for most of the Efforts ascribed to them, is rather from the Power of Imagination, or owing to some manifest Property. Furthermore, it hath religiously obtained amongst many People, that Diseases are to be driven away by painting Characters upon the Body; but it is strongly to be suspected, that this Practice hath been altogether owing to _Jugglers_, and Persons addicted to infernal Arts; for what medicinal Virtue can there be in a Figure? It seems to me, that because the _Sacred Mysteries_ of our _Art_ were anciently described by _Hieroglyphicks_, the Populace, who were ignorant of their Significations, mistook them for Charms against a _Plague_, and other grievous Diseases, and they propagated their Delusion down to Posterity. THERE are innumerable Preparations of these Charms or _Amulets_ to be met with in the Writings of several Physicians; but I shall take it to have sufficiently discharged my Duty here, to mention those only which were used by our own Country People; the principal of which was a _Walnut_ filled with _Mercury_; for it is certain that many did promise to themselves Security from the Dignity of this Metal, which to them seemed to be the Parent of all others; others again expected great Matters from its Volatility, notwithstanding it was thus inclosed, thinking that the natural Heat of the Body would draw such Vertues, as would secure them from the Infection. But much the greater Number were supplied with arsenical _Amulets_, from Empiricks and Mountebanks; these were compounded of _Arsenick_ alone, with Wax; or had many other Things added thereunto, appropriated to the Disease. One of the chief Forms of this Kind is the following: ℞ _Dictamni cret. pulv. +℈ vij.+ pulv. sinapi +ʒ [ss.]+ Benzoin. +ʒ ij.+ Arsenici veri +ʒ iij.+ ol. cinnam. gutt. +vij.+ ceræ opt. +ʒ v.+ cum mucilag. gum. tragacanth. aceto rosac. parat. F. pasta, unde placentæ multiformes depsaticæ parentur, ad pondus +ʒ ij.+ vel +iij.+ cordis regioni admovendæ, linteo serico priùs involutæ._ For it commonly prevailed amongst the Populace, that _Arsenick_, by some magnetick Vertue, draws away all Poison, especially that of a Pestilence. The wearing also of a dried Toad was a mighty Secret with some.