Chapter V

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.