Burton, in his _Anatomy of Melancholy_, mentions several “amulets and things to be borne about” as remedies for head-melancholy, such as hypericon, or St. John’s wort, gathered on a Friday in the hour of Jupiter, “borne or hung about the neck, it mightily helps this affection, and drives away all fantastical spirits.” A sheep or kid’s skin whom a wolf worried must not be worn about a man, because it is apt to cause palpitation of the heart, “not for any fear, but a secret virtue which amulets have.” “Peony doth cure epilepsy, precious stones most diseases; a wolf’s dung borne with one helps the colic; a spider an ague, etc. Being in the country,” he says, “in the vacation time, not many years since, at Lindley, in Leicestershire, my father’s home, I first observed this amulet of a spider in a nut-shell lapped in silk, etc., so applied for an ague by my mother; whom, although I knew to have excellent skill in chirurgery, sore eyes, aches, etc., and such experimental medicines, as all the country where she dwelt can witness, to have done many famous and good cures upon diverse poor folks that were otherwise destitute of help; yet among all other experiments, this, methought, was most absurd and ridiculous; I could see no warrant for it—_Quid aranea cum febre?_ For what antipathy?—till at length rambling amongst authors (as I often do), I found this very medicine in Dioscorides, approved by Matthiolus, repeated by Alderovandus, _cap. de aranea, lib. de insectis_, and began to have a better opinion of it, and to give more credit to amulets, when I saw it in some parties answer to experience.”[579] The common fumitory (_Fumaria capreolata_) is said to derive its name from _fumus_, smoke, “because the smoke of this plant was said by the ancient exorcists to have the power of expelling evil spirits.”[580] The elder had many singular virtues attributed to it; if a boy were beaten with an elder stick, it hindered his growth; but an elder on which the sun had never shined was an amulet against erysipelas.[581] KNOTS AS CHARMS. Marcellus, a medical writer, quoted by Mr. Cockayne in his preface to _Saxon Leechdoms_, vol. i, p. xxix., gives an example of knots as charms. “As soon as a man gets pain in his eyes, tie in unwrought flax as many knots as there are letters in his name, pronouncing them as you go, and tie it round his neck.” PRECIOUS STONES AS CHARMS. The origin of the superstitious belief in the magic power of precious stones has always been traced to Chaldæa. Pliny[582] refers to a book on the subject which was written by Lachalios, of Babylon, and dedicated to Mithridates.