CHAPTER V

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CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS, AND DIVINATIONS.

Attempted Cure of Diseases by Charms and Incantations—Magic Mirrors—Fire-Crackers as Charms—Exorcising the Spirit of an Executed Criminal—Firing Cannon at the Pei-ho—Shooting Arrows at a Tidal Wave—Iron Plates Sunk as Charms—Anti-Demoniacal Powers of Certain Woods—The Bamboo, Peach, Willow and Plum—Charms Affixed to Buildings—Coffin Nails—Cats in Clay as Charms—Stone Lions—Coins under Door Sills—Cash Swords—Triangles—The “Evil Eye”—The Swastika or Thor’s Hammer—The Eight Diagrams—Arrows on the Roof—Stone Slabs—Red Cloth—Murderer’s Knives, the Classics and Fishing Nets &c.—Drawings of Reptiles or Animals—Taking a Hair of the Dog that Bit You—Lustrations by Spittle—Characts or Written Charms—Red and Yellow, Lucky Colours—Ashes of Burnt Paper Charms taken in Tea, &c.—Amulets—Lucky Cash—Lock and Hook Amulets—Bells as Amulets—Divinations—Divining Sticks—Spirit Rapping—Somnambules or Media—Form of Incantation—Divination by Willow-wood Images—Mesmerism—Chinese Sortes Virgilianæ—Divination by Paper Slips—Trained Birds—Chiromancy or Palmistry—Physiognomy—Divination by Leaves, pp. 45–63.

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