"These nine attack against nine venoms. A worm came creeping, he tore asunder a man. Then took Woden nine magic twigs, [&] then smote the serpent that he in nine [bits] dispersed. Now these nine herbs have power against nine magic outcasts against nine venoms & against nine flying things [& have might] against the loathed things that over land rove. Against the red venoms against the runlan [?] venom against the white venom against the blue [?] venom against the yellow venom against the green venom against the dusky venom against the brown venom against the purple venom. Against worm blast against water blast against thorn blast against thistle blast Against ice blast Against venom blast . . . . . . . if any venom come flying from east or any come from north [or any from south] or any from west over mankind I alone know a running river and the nine serpents behold [it] All weeds must now to herbs give way, Seas dissolve [and] all salt water when I this venom from thee blow."[17] In the chapter in the _Leech Book of Bald_[18] containing the prescriptions sent by the Patriarch of Jerusalem to King Alfred, we find among the virtues of the "white stone" that it is "powerful against flying venom and against all uncouth things," and in another passage[19] that these venoms are particularly dangerous "fifteen nights ere Lammas and after it for five and thirty nights: leeches who were wisest have taught that in that month no man should anywhere weaken his body except there were a necessity for it." In the most ancient source of Anglo-Saxon medicine--the _Lacnunga_--we find the following "salve" for flying venom:-- "A salve for flying venom. Take a handful of hammer wort and a handful of maythe (camomile) and a handful of waybroad (plantain) and roots of water dock, seek those which will float, and one eggshell full of clean honey, then take clean butter, let him who will help to work up the salve melt it thrice: let one sing a mass over the worts, before they are put together and the salve is wrought up."[20]