"to quell the elf"? Here is one such song from the _Leech Book of Bald_, and at the end a conjuration to bury the elf in the earth. "I have wreathed round the wounds The best of healing wreaths That the baneful sores may Neither burn nor burst, Nor find their way further, Nor turn foul and fallow. Nor thump and throle on, Nor be wicked wounds, Nor dig deeply down; But he himself may hold In a way to health. Let it ache thee no more Than ear in Earth acheth. "Sing also this many times, 'May earth bear on thee with all her might and main.'"--_Leech Book of Bald_, III. 63. This was for one "in the water elf disease," and we read that a person so afflicted would have livid nails and tearful eyes, and would look downwards. Amongst the herbs to be administered when the charm was sung over him were a yew-berry, lupin, helenium, marsh mallow, dock elder, wormwood and strawberry leaves. Goblins and nightmare were regarded as at least akin to elves, and we find the same herbs were to be used against them, betony being of peculiar efficacy against "monstrous nocturnal visions and against frightful visions and dreams."[14] The malicious elves did not confine their attacks to human beings; references to elf-shot cattle are numerous. I quote the following from the chapter "against elf disease." "For that ilk [_i. e._ for one who is elf-shot]. "Go on Thursday evening when the sun is set where thou knowest that helenium stands, then sing the Benedicite and Pater Noster and a litany and stick thy knife into the wort, make it stick fast and go away; go again when day and night just divide; at the same period go first to church and cross thyself and commend thyself to God; then go in silence and, though anything soever of an awful sort or man meet thee, say not thou to him any word ere thou come to the wort which on the evening before thou markedst; then sing the Benedicite and the Pater Noster and a litany, delve up the wort, let the knife stick in it; go again as quickly as thou art able to church and let it lie under the altar with the knife; let it lie till the sun be up, wash it afterwards, and make into a drink with bishopwort and lichen off a crucifix; boil in milk thrice, thrice pour holy water upon it and sing over it the Pater Noster, the Credo and the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, and sing upon it a litany and score with a sword round about it on three sides a cross, and then after that let the man drink the wort; Soon it will be well with him."--_Leech Book_, III. 62. The instructions for a horse or cattle that are elf-shot runs thus:--