Magic numbers as charms were in use in Anglo-Saxon medicine. “If any thing to cause annoyance get into a man’s eye, with five fingers of the same side as the eye, run the eye over and fumble at it, saying three times, ‘tetunc resonco, bregan gresso,’ and spit thrice. For the same, shut the vexed eye and say thrice, ‘in mon deromarcos axatison,’ and spit thrice; this remedy is ‘mirificum.’ For the same, shut the other eye, touch gently the vexed eye with the ring finger and thumb, and say thrice, ‘I buss the gorgon’s mouth.’ This charm repeated thrice nine times will draw a bone stuck in a man’s throat. For hordeolum, which is a sore place in the eyelid of the shape of a barley-corn, take nine grains of barley and with each poke the sore, with every one saying the magic words, κυρια κυρια κασσαρια σουρωφβι; then throw away the nine, and do the same with seven; throw away the seven, and do the same with five, and so with three and one. For the same, take nine grains of barley and poke the sore, and at every poke say, ‘φεῦγε, φεῦγε κριθή σε διώκει, _flee, flee, barley thee chaseth_.’ For the same, touch the sore with the medicinal or ring finger, and say thrice, ‘vigaria gasaria.’ To shorten the matter, blood may be stanched by the words, ‘sicycuma, cucuma, ucuma, cuma, uma, ma, a.’ Also by ‘Stupid on a mountain went, stupid, stupid was;’ by socnon socnon; σοκσοκαμ συκιμα; by ψα ψε ψη ψε ψη ψα ψε. For toothache say, ‘Argidam margidam sturgidam;’ also, spit in a frog’s mouth, and request him to make off with the toothache. For a troublesome uvula catch a spider, say suitable words, and make a phylactery of it. For a quinsy lay hold of the throat with the thumb and the ring and middle fingers, cocking up the other two, and tell it to be gone.” Nine is the number consecrated by Buddhism, three is sacred among Brahminical and Christian people. Pythagoras held that the unit or monad is the principle and the end of all. One is a good principle. Two, or the dyad, is the origin of contrasts and separation, and is an evil principle. Three, or the triad, is the image of the attributes of God. Four, or the tetrad, is the most perfect of numbers and the root of all things. It is holy by nature. Five, or the pentad, is everything; it stops the power of poisons, and is redoubted by evil spirits. Six is a fortunate number. Seven is powerful for good or evil, and is a sacred number. Eight is the first cube, so is man four-square or perfect. Nine, as the multiple of three, is sacred. Ten, or the decad, is the measure of all it contains, all the numeric relations and harmonies.[586]