When they took
up. the bottle, the urine was almost gone; so, that they did believe,
that if the fellow could have lived a little longer, he had recovered.
It is a thing very common to nail horse-shoes on the thresholds of
doors: which is to hinder the power of witches that enter into the
house. Most houses of the West end of London, have the horse-shoe on
the threshold. It should be a horse-shoe that one finds. In the
Bermudas, they use to put an iron into the fire when a witch comes in.
Mars is enemy to Saturn. There are very memorable stories of witches
in Gage's Survey of the West-Indies of his own Knowledge: which see.
At Paris when it begins to thunder and lighten, they do presently ring
out the great bell at the Abbey of St. Germain, which they do believe
makes it cease. The like was wont to be done heretofore in Wiltshire;
when it thundered and lightened, they did ring St. Aldhelm's bell, at
Malmsbury Abbey. The curious do say, that the ringing of bells
exceedingly disturbs spirits.
In the Golden Legend by W. de Worde. It is said the evill spirytes
that ben in the regyon of th'ayre doubte moche whan they here the
belles rongen. And this is the cause why the belles ben rongen whan it
thondreth, and whan grete tempeste aud outrages of wether happen to
the ende that the feudes and wycked spirytes shold be abasshed, and
flee and cease of the movynge of tempeste.
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