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Page 12
Another danger from which children required to be shielded was the
baneful influence of the _evil eye_. Malicious people were believed to
possess the power of doing harm by merely looking upon those whom they
wished to injure. This belief is very ancient. From Professor
Conington's _Satires of A. Persius Flaccus_, I extract the following
notice of it:--"Look here--a grandmother or a superstitious aunt has
taken baby from his cradle, and is charming his forehead and his
slavering lips against mischief by the joint action of her middle finger
and her purifying spittle; for she knows right well how to check the
evil eye. Then she dandles him in her arms, and packs off the pinched
little hope of the family, so far as wishing can do it, to the domains
of Licinus, or the palace of Croesus. 'May he be a catch for my lord and
lady's daughter! May the pretty ladies scramble for him! May the ground
he walks on turn to a rose-bed.' But _I_ will never trust a nurse to
pray for me or mine; good Jupiter, be sure to refuse her, though she may
have put on white for the occasion."
The Romans used to hang red coral round the necks of their children to
save them from falling-sickness, sorcery, charms, and poison. In this
country coral beads were hung round the necks of babies, and are still
used in country districts to protect them from an evil eye. Coral bells
are used at present. The practice was originated by the Roman Catholics
to frighten away evil spirits.
I have quite a vivid remembrance of being myself believed to be the
unhappy victim of an evil eye. I had taken what was called a _dwining_,
which baffled all ordinary experience; and, therefore, it was surmised
that I had got "a blink of an ill e'e." To remove this evil influence, I
was subjected to the following operation, which was prescribed and
superintended by a neighbour "skilly" in such matters:--A sixpence was
borrowed from a neighbour, a good fire was kept burning in the grate,
the door was locked, and I was placed upon a chair in front of the fire.
The operator, an old woman, took a tablespoon and filled it with water.
With the sixpence she then lifted as much salt as it could carry, and
both were put into the water in the spoon. The water was then stirred
with the forefinger till the salt was dissolved. Then the soles of my
feet and the palms of my hands were bathed with this solution thrice,
and after these bathings I was made to taste the solution three times.
The operator then drew her wet forefinger across my brow,--called
_scoring aboon the breath_. The remaining contents of the spoon she then
cast right over the fire, into the hinder part of the fire, saying as
she did so, "_Guid preserve frae a' skaith._" These were the first words
permitted to be spoken during the operation. I was then put in bed, and,
in attestation of the efficacy of the charm, recovered. To my knowledge
this operation has been performed within these 40 years, and probably in
many outlying country places it is still practised. The origin of this
superstition is probably to be found in ancient fire worship. The great
blazing fire was evidently an important element in the transaction; nor
was this a solitary instance in which regard was paid to fire. I
remember being taught that it was unlucky to spit into the fire, some
evil being likely shortly after to befall those who did so. Crumbs left
upon the table after a meal were carefully gathered and put into the
fire. The cuttings from the nails and hair were also put into the fire.
These freaks certainly look like survivals of fire worship.
The influence of those possessing the evil eye was not confined to
children, but might affect adults, and also goods and cattle. But for
the bane there was provided the antidote. One effective method of
checking the evil influence was by _scoring aboon the breath_. In my
case, as I was the victim, _scoring_ with a wet finger was sufficient;
but the suspected possessor of the evil eye was more roughly treated,
_scoring_ in this case being effected with some sharp instrument so as
to draw blood. I have never seen this done, but some fifty years ago an
instance occurred in my native village. A child belonging to a poor
woman in this village was taken ill and had convulsive fits, which were
thought to be due to the influence of the evil eye. An old woman in the
neighbourhood, whose temper was not of the sweetest, was suspected. She
was first of all invited to come and see the child in the hope that
sympathy might change the influence she was supposed to be exerting; but
as the old woman appeared quite callous to the sufferings of the child,
the mother, as the old woman was leaving the house, scratched her with
her nails across the brow, and drew blood. This circumstance raised
quite a sensation in the village. Whether the child recovered after this
operation I do not remember. Many other instances of the existence of
this superstitious practice in Scotland within the present century might
be presented, but I content myself with quoting one which was related in
a letter to the _Glasgow Weekly Herald_, under the signature F.A.:--"I
knew of one case of the kind in Wigtownshire, in the south of Scotland,
about the year 1825, as near as I can mind. I knew all parties very
well. A farmer had some cattle which died, and there was an old woman
living about a mile from the farm who was counted no very canny. She was
heard to say that there would be mair o' them wad gang the same way. So
one day, soon after, as the old woman was passing the farmhouse, one of
the sons took hold of her and got her head under his arm, and cut her
across the forehead. By the way, the proper thing to be cut with is a
nail out of a horse-shoe. He was prosecuted and got imprisonment for
it."
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