Part 11

_Ace of Hearts_ signifies feasting and pleasure; if the ace is attended by spades it foretells quarrelling; if by hearts, it shows affection and friendship; if by diamonds, you will hear of some absent friend; if by clubs, merry-making.

_King of Hearts_ shows a man of good natured dissipation, but hot and hasty, rash in his undertakings, and very amorous.

_Queen of Hearts_ denotes a woman of fair complexion, faithful and affectionate.

_Knave of Hearts_ is a person of no particular sex, but always the dearest friend or nearest relation of the consulting party. You must pay great attention to the cards that stand next to the knave, as from them alone you can judge whether the person it represents will favor your inclinations or not.

_Ten of Hearts_ shows good nature and many children; it is a corrective of bad tidings of the cards that stand next to it; its neighboring cards are of good report and it ascertains and confirms their value.

_Nine of Hearts_ promises wealth, grandeur and high esteem; if cards that are unfavorable stand near it, you must look for disappointments, and a reverse if favorable cards follow; these last at a small distance, except to retrieve your losses whether of peace or of goods.

_Eight of Hearts_ is a sign of drinking and feasting.

_Seven of Hearts_ shows the person to be fickle and of an unfaithful disposition; addicted to vice, incontinent, and subject to the mean art of recrimination to excuse themselves although without foundation.

_Six of Hearts_ shows a generous, open and credulous disposition; easily imposed upon, ever the dupe of flatterers, but the good natured friend of the distressed. If this card comes before your king or queen, you will be the dupe; if after, you will have the better.

_Five of Hearts_ shows a wavering and unsteady disposition, never true to one object, but free from every violent attachment.

_Four of Hearts_ shows the person will not be married until very late in life, which will proceed from too great a delicacy in making a choice.

_Trey of Hearts_ shows that your own imprudence will greatly contribute to your experiencing much ill-will from others.

_Deuce of Hearts_ shows that extraordinary success and good fortune will attend the person; though, if unfavorable cards attend, this will be a long time delayed.

SPADES.

_Ace of Spades_ totally relates to affairs of love, without specifying whether lawful or unlawful; it also denotes death when the card is upside down.

_King of Spades_ shows a man ambitious and successful at court, or with some great man, who will have it in his power to advance him; but let him beware of a reverse.

_Queen of Spades_ shows that a person will be corrupted by the rich of both sexes; and, if she is handsome, great attempts will be made on her virtue.

_Knave of Spades_ shows a person who, although they have your welfare at heart, will be too indolent to pursue it with zeal, unless you frequently raise their attention.

_Ten of Spades_ is a card of bad import; it will in a great measure counteract the good effects of the cards near you.

_Nine of Spades_ is the worst card in the pack; it portends dangerous sickness, a total loss of fortune, cruel calamities and endless dissension in your family.

_Eight of Spades_ shows you will experience strong opposition from your friends, or those you imagine to be such. If this card comes close to you, leave your plan and adopt another.

_Seven of Spades_ shows the loss of a most valuable friend, whose death will plunge you in very great distress.

_Six of Spades_ announces a mediocrity of fortune, and very great uncertainty in your undertakings.

_Five of Spades_ will give very little interpretation of your success; it promises good luck in the choice of your companion for life, that you will meet with one fond of you, and immoderately attached to the joys of Hymen; it shows your temper rather sullen.

_Four of Spades_ shows much sickness, and that your friends will injure your fortune.

_Trey of Spades_ shows that you will be fortunate in marriage, but that your partner will be inconstant, and that you will be made very unhappy thereby.

_Deuce of Spades_ always signifies a coffin, but who it is for must depend entirely on the other cards near it.

PROGNOSTICATIONS BY DICE.

This is a certain and innocent way of finding out common occurrences about to take place. Take three dice, shake them well in the box with your left hand, and then cast them out on a board or table, on which you have previously drawn a circle with chalk.

_Three._--A pleasing surprise.

_Four._--A disagreeable one.

_Five._--A stranger who will prove a friend.

_Six._--Loss of property.

_Seven._--Undeserved scandal.

_Eight._--Merited reproach.

_Nine._--A wedding.

_Ten._--A christening.

_Eleven._--A death that concerns you.

_Twelve._--A letter speedily.

_Thirteen._--Tears and sighs.

_Fourteen._--Beware that you are not drawn into some trouble or plot by a secret enemy.

_Fifteen._--Immediate prosperity and happiness.

_Sixteen._--A pleasant journey.

_Seventeen._--You will either be on the water or have dealings with those belonging to it, to your advantage.

_Eighteen._--A great profit, rise in life, or some most desirable good will happen almost immediately; for the answers to the dice are always fulfilled within nine days. To show the same number twice at one trial, portends news from abroad, be the number what it may. If the dice roll over the circle, the number thrown goes for nothing, but the occurrence shows sharp words; and if they fall to the floor, it is blows. In throwing out the dice, if one remains on top of the other, it is a present of which I would have them take care.

AUGURIES BY DOMINOES.

Lay them with their faces on the table and shuffle them; then draw one, and see the number.

_Double-six._--Receiving a handsome sum of money.

_Six-five._--Going to a public amusement.

_Six-four._--Lawsuits.

_Six-three._--Ride in a coach.

_Six-two._--Present of clothing.

_Six-one._--You will perform a friendly action.

_Six-blank._--Guard against scandal, or you will suffer by your inattention.

_Double-five._--A new abode to your advantage.

_Five-four._--A fortunate speculation.

_Five-three._--A visit from a superior.

_Five-two._--A water party.

_Five-one._--A love intrigue.

_Five-blank._--A funeral, but not of a relation.

_Double-four._--Drinking liquor at a distance.

_Four-three._--A false alarm at your house.

_Four-two._--Beware of thieves or swindlers. Ladies take note, this means more than it says.

_Four-one._--Trouble from creditors.

_Four-blank._--Letter from an angry friend.

_Double-three._--Sudden wedding, at which you will be vexed, and by which you will lose a friend.

_Three-two._--Buy no lottery tickets, nor enter into any game of chance, or you will lose.

_Three-one._--A great discovery at hand.

_Three-blank._--An illegitimate child.

_Double-two._--Vexations from a jealous partner.

_Two-one._--You will mortgage or pledge some property soon.

_Double-one._--You will find something to your advantage.

_Double-blank._--The worst presage in all the set; you will meet trouble from a quarter for which you are quite unprepared.

TALISMEN, CHARMS, SPELLS AND INCANTATIONS.

TALISMAN FOR WAR AND BATTLE.

[Illustration]

This Talisman, which is to be made of highly tempered steel, bears on it the powerful words, and also the awful sign, which were conveyed to the Emperor Constantine from heaven, in daylight, and in the presence of his whole army, and whereby he was victorious in battle. It is to be tied around the sword arm.

An ancient manuscript says of it, “He that beareth this sign about him, shall be helpen in every need and necessity.”

A TALISMAN FOR DESTROYING INSECTS AND REPTILES.

[Illustration]

This Talisman is to be made of iron, when the sun and moon enter the sign Scorpio. It has been proved to be powerful in effect; so much so, that no kind of venomous reptile or troublesome insect can come within some yards of the house or place in which it is. The manuscript from which the account of this talisman is taken cost a very large sum, and a medical gentleman, to whom it belonged, affirms that he has himself proved its efficacy; for being at one time much annoyed by beetles, he made a talisman, according to instructions here given, and screwed it to the floor, when these troublesome insects immediately disappeared; but afterwards, when the servant removed it, through ignorance, they returned in great numbers; when he again nailed it to the floor, and they again disappeared.

TALISMAN FOR LOVE.

[Illustration]

This Talisman is said to be wonderfully efficacious in procuring success in amours and love adventures. It must be made when Venus, the planet of love, is the evening star. It should be made of pure silver and worn directly over the heart, on the left breast.

TALISMAN AGAINST ENEMIES.

[Illustration]

This Talisman is to be cast of the purest grain tin, and during the increase of the moon. The characters are to be engraved on it also during the increase of the moon. It may be suspended about the neck, or worn on any part of the body, so that it be kept from the sight of all but the wearer. Its effects are to give victory over enemies, protection against their machinations, and to inspire the wearers thereof with most remarkable confidence.

TALISMAN FOR HEALING DISEASE.

A B R A C A D A B R A A B R A C A D A B R A B R A C A D A B A B R A C A D A A B R A C A D A B R A C A A B R A C A B R A A B R A B A

The letters which compose this charm must be inscribed in a pyramidical form, as above, on the purest white beeswax, of the ordinary thickness, and of a size sufficiently large to admit of the letters being distinctly written by the individual who is sick; or, if he is too sick, by his dearest friend next at hand. Use for writing them a pen made of the quill of a raven, and ink compounded of the smoke of a concentrated taper and rain water. Let the party who is afflicted with the disease wear the charm hung around his neck, enclosed in a bag of virgin parchment, during the time that the moon performs one circuit through the twelve signs of the zodiac, and let it be commenced on the day of the full moon. The wearer must have full faith in Divine Omnipotence, and repeat the letters of the talisman in some one of the different directions in which they may be read, daily.

If it be required to perform a cure upon one at a distance, or without the afflicted party’s knowledge thereof, write the talisman as above and then you may perform the cure by scraping out one line of the talisman every day with a new knife kept for the express purpose. At the scraping out of each line, say, “So as I destroy the letters of this talisman, _Abracadabra_, so, by virtue of this sacred name, may all grief and dolor depart from [here mention the name of the sick person]. So I destroy this disease. Amen.”

Many have healed divers diseases in this way; the disease wearing, little by little, away.

_Charms to be used on particular Eves of Feasts and Festivals, to procure Dreams, Tokens, and other Insights into Futurity._

FEAST OF ST. ANNE’S.

This is a hard trial, but what is not possible to any young lady who wishes to know her lot in marriage?--that most important change in human life.

Prepare yourself three days previous to the eve of this female saint, by living on bread and water and sprigs of parsley, and touch no other thing whatever, or your labor will be lost. The eve begins at the sixth hour. Go to bed as soon as convenient, and speak not a word after you once begin to undress; get into bed, lie on your left side with your head as low as possible, and repeat the following verse three times:

St. Anne, in silver clouds descend, Prove thyself a female’s friend; Be it good or be it harm, Let me have knowledge from the charm; Be it husbands one, two, three, Let me in rotation see; And if Fate decrees me four, (No good maid could wish far more), Let me view them in my dream, Fair and clearly to be seen; But if the stars decree Perpetual virginity, Let me sleep on, and dreaming not, I shall know my single lot.

MAGIC ROSE.

Gather your rose on the 27th of June; let it be full blown, and as bright a red as you can get; pluck it between the hours of three and four in the morning, taking care to have no witness of the transaction; convey it to your chamber, and hold it over a chafing dish or any convenient utensil for the purpose, in which there is charcoal and sulphur of brimstone; hold your rose over the smoke for about five minutes, and you will see it have a wonderful effect on the flower. Before the rose gets the least cool, clap it in a sheet of writing paper, on which is written your own name and that of the man you love best; also the date of the morning star that has the ascendancy at that time; fold it up and seal it neatly with three separate seals, then run and bury the parcel at the foot of the tree from which you gathered the flower. Here let it remain untouched till the 6th of July; take it up at midnight, go to bed and place it under your pillow, and you will have a singular and eventful dream before morning, or, at least, before your usual time of rising. You may keep the rose under your head three nights without spoiling the charm. When you have done with the rose and paper be sure to burn them.

CUPID’S NOSEGAY.

On the first night of the new moon in July, take a red rose, a white rose, a yellow flower, a blue one, a sprig of rue and rosemary, and nine blades of long grass; bind all together with a lock of your own hair; kill a white pigeon, sprinkle the nosegay with the blood from the heart, and some common salt; wrap the flowers in a white handkerchief, and lay it under your head, on the pillow, when you go to rest; and, before morning, you will see your fate as clear as if you had your nativity cast by the best astrologer in the world; not only in respect to love, lovers, or marriage, but in the other most important affairs of your life. Storms, in this dream, foretell great trouble; and graves or churchyards are fatal tokens, and so is climbing steep and dangerous places.

LOVE’S CORDIAL.

_To be tried the Third Night of a New Moon._

Take brandy, rum, gin, wine and the oil of amber, of each a teaspoonful; a teaspoonful of cream, and three of spring water; drink it as you get into bed; repeat--

This mixture of love I take for my potion, That I of my destiny may have a notion; Cupid befriend me, new moon be kind, And show unto me the fate that’s designed.

You will dream of drink, and, according to the quality or manner of it being presented, you may tell the condition to which you will rise or fall by marriage. Water is poverty; and, if you dream of a drunken man, it is ominous that you will have a drunken mate. If you dream of drinking too much, you will fall, at a future period, into that sad error yourself, without great care; and what is a worse sight than an inebriated female? She cannot guard her own honor, ruins her own and family’s substance, and often clothes herself with rags. Trouble is often used as an excuse for this vicious habit; but it gives more trouble than it takes away.

THE NINE KEYS.

Get nine small keys; they must all be your own by begging or purchase (borrowing will not do, nor must you tell what you want them for); plait a three-plaited band of your own hair, and tie them together, fastening the ends with nine knots; fasten them with one of your garters to your left wrist on going to bed, and bind the other garter around your head; then say--

St. Peter, take it not amiss, To try your favor I’ve done this; You are the ruler of the keys, Favor me, then, if you please: Let me then your influence prove, And see my dear and wedded love.

This must be done on the eve of St. Peter’s, and is an old charm used by the maidens of Rome in ancient times, who put great faith in it.

THE WITCHES’ CHAIN.

Let three young women join in making a long chain, about a yard will do, of Christmas juniper, and mistletoe berries; and at the end of every link put an oak acorn. Exactly before midnight let them assemble in a room by themselves, where no one can disturb them; leave a window open, and take the key out of the key-hole and hang it over the chimney-piece; have a good fire, and place in the midst of it a long thinnish log of wood, well sprinkled with oil, salt and fresh mould; then wrap the chain around it, each maiden having an equal share in the business; then sit down, and on her left knee let each maiden have a prayer book, opened at the matrimonial service. Just as the last acorn is burned, the future husband will cross the room; each one will see her own proper spouse, but he will be invisible to the rest of the wakeful virgins. Those that are not to wed will see a coffin, or some misshapen form, cross the room. Go to bed instantly, and you will all have remarkable dreams. This must be done either on a Wednesday or Friday night, but no other.

LOVE LETTERS.

On receiving a love letter that has any particular declaration in it, lay it wide open; then fold it in nine folds, pin it next to your heart, and thus wear it till bedtime; then place it in your left hand glove, and lay it under your head. If you dream of gold, diamonds, or any costly gems, your lover is true, and means what he says; if of white linen, you will lose him by death; and if of flowers, he will prove false. If you dream of his saluting you, he is at present false and means not what he professes, but only to draw you into a snare.

STRANGE BED.

On going to rest, take a glass of water, half fill it with salt, and drink it off as quick as you can; do not speak afterwards, but compose yourself to sleep, and thirst will cause you to dream; which, joined to a strange bed, will have a true effect.

THE MAGIC RING.

Borrow a wedding ring, concealing the purpose for which you borrow it; but no widow’s or pretended marriage ring will do--it spoils the charm. Wear it for three hours at least before you retire to rest, and then suspend it by a hair off your head, over your pillow; write within a circle resembling a ring, the sentence from the matrimonial service beginning with, _With this ring I thee wed_, and around the circle write your own name at full length, and the figures that stand for your age; place it under your pillow, and your dream will fully explain whom you are to marry, and what kind of a fate you will have with them. If your dream is too confused to remember it, or you do not dream at all, it is a certain sign you will never be married.

HYMENIAL CHARM.

The night before your nuptials, write your name on a piece of paper, as small as possible, with the name of your spouse elect, the date of the wedding day, the month and the year; enclose all in a circle of blood drawn from one of your fingers, fold the paper into nine folds, place it in the stocking drawn from your left leg, and place it between your head and the pillow, and by your dreams of that night you may guess what will be the fate attending your nuptial life.

FOR A GIRL TO ASCERTAIN IF SHE WILL SOON MARRY.

Find a green pea-pod with exactly nine peas in it, and hang it over the door of a room or entry-way, without letting any person know that you have done so; you must then watch the door and see who goes through first; if it is a bachelor, or an unmarried young man, you will positively be married before the current crop of peas is disposed of; if it is a woman, you will have to sigh in single blessedness another year; if a married man, be careful and not allow your lover too much liberty in his attentions.

VALENTINE CHARM.

If you receive one of those love tokens, and cannot guess the party who sent it, or are in any doubt, the following method will explain it to a certainty: Prick the fourth finger of your left hand, and with a crow quill write on the back of the valentine the day and hour in which you were born, and the date of the year; also of the present one, the moon’s age, and the name of the present morning star, all of which you will find in the almanac, and the sign into which the sun has entered. Try this on the first Friday after you receive the valentine, but do not go to bed till midnight; place the paper in your left shoe, and put it under your pillow, lie on your left side, and repeat three times:

St. Valentine, pray condescend To be this night a maiden’s friend; Let me now my lover see, Be he of high or low degree; By a sign his station show, Be it weal or be it woe. Let him come to my bedside, And my fortune thus decide.

The young woman will be sure to dream of the identical person who sent the valentine and be enabled to guess if he is to be her husband.

ACORN CHARM.

This is to be tried on the third day of the months between September and March. Let any number of young women (not exceeding nine, and minding that there is an odd one in the company) assemble together, and each string nine acorns on a separate string, or as many acorns as there are females in company, but not more; wrap them around a long stick of wood, and place it in the fire just as the clock strikes twelve at night. Say not a word, but sit around the fire till all the acorns are consumed; then rake out the ashes and retire to bed almost directly, repeating:

May love and marriage be the theme, To visit me in this night’s dream: Gentle Venus be my friend, The image of my lover send. Let me see his form and face, And his occupation trace; By a symbol or a sign, Cupid, forward my design.

CHRISTMAS SPELL.

Steep mistletoe berries, to the number of nine, in a mixture of ale, wine, vinegar and honey; take them on going to bed, and you will dream of your future lot. A storm in this dream is very bad; it is most likely you will then marry a sailor, who will suffer shipwreck at sea; but to see either sun, moon or stars, is an excellent presage; so are flowers; but a coffin is an index of a disappointment in love.

LENT CHARM.