Latin — 1533, repaired
Effectus quoque certos, et observationes, certam naturalium virium possidere tradunt, ut credant morbos quosdam sic auferri posse aliquando, vel inferri: sic ferunt quartanas abigi, si resegmina unguium alligentur ad caudam anguillae, cuius in linteolo [†...] ipsa sic in aqua remissa. Et narrat Plinius, quod ex aegro resegmina unguium et pedibus manibusque, cera permixta, ita ut dicatur, quartanae, tertianae, vel quotidianae febri remedium fieri, atque sic ante solis ortum alienae ianuae affigantur, remedium fore in his morbis. Simili modo omnia resegmina unguium, si ad cavernas formicarum adiiciantur, eam quae primo coeperit trahere, correptam iubet collo subnecti, atque ita discuti morbum: et e ligno fulgure icto, reiecto post terga manibus, aliquid de morbo auferri ferunt: et in quartanis fragmentum clavi e cruce involutum lana, subnectunt collo, aut ipartum e cruce, liberatoque condunt caverna, quam sol non attingat. Item immatura morte raptorum manu, strumas, parotidas gutture tacto sanari affirmant. Item dicunt difficiles partus statim solvi, cum quis lectum in quo sit gravida transferit, lapide vel missili, ex his quae tria animalia singulis ictibus interfecerunt, scilicet, hominem, aprum, ursam. Idem quoque efficere hastam veliterem, evulsam a corpore hominis, si terram non attigerit; sagittas etiam corpore educlas si terram non attigerint, subiectas cubantibus, ferunt amatorium esse. Dicunt etiam comitiales morbos sanari cibo e carne ferae occisae eodem ferro quo homo interfectus sit: negatur oculorum vitia fieri, nec lippire eos, qui cum pedes lavent aqua, inde ter oculos tangant: inguinibus medentur aliqui, licium telae detractum, novenis septenisve nodis adalligantes, ad singulos nodos viduam aliquam nominantes. Item pecudis lien super dolentis lienem extenditur, dicere eo qui remedetur, lieni se remedium facere: post haec iubent ipsum in pariete dormitorii tectove includi et obsignari annulo, ter noniesque carmen dici: liberat eodem vitio lacertae viridis urina, in olla ante cubiculum dormitorii eius cui medetur suspensa, quod aeger egrediens revertensque attingat manu. Item in urina viridis lacertae necatae, Venerem eius qui fecerit cohiberi dicunt: qui vero in urina canis suam ingesserit, dicitur ad Venerem pigrior fieri ac lumborum torpore sentire: ferunt contra omnia mala medicamenta auxiliari suam cuique urinam matutinam in pedem [†...]. Est rana parva arborem scandens, in eius os si quis expuat, ipsamque dimittat, tussim liberare dicitur. Mirum quoque est, sed experimento facile, quod narrat idem Plinius: si quem poeniteat ictus eminus cominusve illati, et statim expuat, medium in manu qua percussit, levatur ilico percussus a poena, hoc de illa quadrupede approbari, statim a tali remedio correcto animalis ingressu. Quidam etiam aggravat ictus ante conatum. Simili modo saliva manu ingesta, expuere similiter in calceamentum dextri pedis antequam induatur, bonum est, cum quis transit locum, in quo aliquod periculum adierit. Despuimus quoque comitiales morbos, contagia, repercutiendo: veniam etiam a diis spei alicuius audacioris petunt aliqui in se despuendo. Simili modo terna despuere deprecatione in omni medicina mos fuit, atque ex hoc effectus adiuvari. Tradunt lupos in agrum non accedere, si capri unius pedibus infractis, cultroque adacto paulatim sanguis circa fines agri spargatur, atque ipse fodiatur in eo loco, a quo coeperit primo trahi. Methanenses Troezeniorum oppidani contra Noti iniuriam ad praeservandas vites praesentaneum remedium certissimo semper experimento compertum habuerunt, si flante adhuc vento, gallum gallinaceum album duo viri diversum trahentes discerperent, medium uterque sua parte retinens vineta perlustraret, quousque circuitu peracto ad eum ex quo moverat locum, ambo sibi obvii rediissent, utque eo loci gallinacei frusta defodissent. Tradunt etiam si quis viperam in vaporem baculo sustineat, eum sutura praecinere: baculum quoque quo anguis rana excussa fit, parturientibus auxiliari, haec Plinius ipse recitat. Iubent etiam in colligendis radicibus et herbis tribus circulis ante gladio circumscribere, postea effodere, cavere praeterea contrarium ventum. Item dicitur, quod si quis mensuraverit hominem mortuum cum fune, primo a cubito ad maiorem digitum, deinde ab humero ad eundem digitum, et postea a capite usque ad pedes, faciendo ter omnes istas mensurationes, si alius quispiam postea cum eodem fune simili modo mensuretur, ferunt illum improsperari, et infortunari, ac cadere in calamitatem et tristitiam. Et narrat Albertus ex Chyrannide, quod si qua mulier te ligaverit maleficiis in amorem suum, accipe camisiam suam, et per capucium, et per manicam eius dextram minge foras, et dissolvetur maleficium. Et narrat Plinius, quod ad sidera gravidis, vel cum remedium alicui adhibetur, digitis pectinatim interse complexis, veneficium esse, idque compertum Alcumena Herculem pariente: peius autem fore, si circa unum ambove genua id fiat. Similiter poplites alternis genibus imponere veneficium est: ideoque haec in consiliis ducum potestatumque fieri vetitum, velut omnes actus impedientia. Sed dicitur si quis ante ostium stans nomine vocet cum muliere iacentem, atque illa respondeat, si tunc aut cultrum, aut acum infigat ostio, frangatque acie dimissa, non poterit iacens coire cum illa, quam diu haec ibi fuerint.
Close translation
Certain effects too, and observances, they say possess a fixed power among natural things, so that some believe certain diseases can thus sometimes be taken away, or brought on: thus they say quartan fevers are driven off, if nail-parings are tied to the tail of an eel, which itself is then released back into the water in a piece of linen [†...]. And Pliny relates that, from a sick person, nail-parings from the feet and hands, mixed with wax, so that it is said, become a remedy for quartan, tertian, or daily fever, when fixed before sunrise to a stranger's door — this will be a remedy for these illnesses. In similar fashion, all nail-parings, if thrown to the burrows of ants, whichever ant first begins to drag them off is to be caught and tied beneath the neck, and thus the disease is shaken off: and from wood struck by lightning, thrown back over the shoulders with the hands, they say something of the disease is taken away: and in quartan fevers, a fragment of a nail from a cross, wrapped in wool, is tied beneath the neck, or a piece from a cross, and once the patient is freed it is hidden in a cave the sun does not reach. Likewise they affirm that by the hand of one who died before his time, scrofulous swellings and glandular tumors of the throat are healed when touched. They also say that difficult births are resolved at once, when someone moves the bed on which the pregnant woman lies, using a stone or missile from among those with which three animals have been killed with single blows each — namely a man, a boar, a bear. The same effect is also said to be produced by a light throwing-spear drawn out of a man's body, if it has not touched the ground; likewise arrows drawn out of a body, if they have not touched the ground, placed beneath those lying down, are said to be an aid to love. They also say the falling sickness is cured by eating the flesh of a wild beast killed with the same iron with which a man was killed: it is denied that eye troubles or bleariness occur in those who, after washing their feet in water, then touch their eyes three times with it from that water: some treat groin ailments with thread drawn from a web, tying it with nine or seven knots, naming some widow at each knot. Likewise the spleen of a sheep is applied stretched over the aching spleen of a patient, the one performing the remedy saying that he is making a remedy for the spleen: after this they order the patient to be shut into the wall or roof of the sleeping-chamber and sealed with a ring, and a charm said three times nine times: the urine of a green lizard frees one from the same ailment, when hung in a pot before the door of the sleeping-chamber of the one being treated, so that the patient touches it with his hand going out and coming back. Likewise, in the urine of a killed green lizard, they say the sexual desire of whoever did the killing is restrained; but whoever puts his own urine into a dog's, is said to become sluggish toward Venus and to feel numbness in the loins: they say that one's own morning urine, applied to the foot, helps against all bad remedies [†...]. There is a small frog that climbs trees; if one spits into its mouth and lets it go, this is said to cure a cough. It is also remarkable, though easily tested, what the same Pliny relates: if one who repents of a blow given at a distance or close at hand spits at once into the middle of the hand with which he struck, the one struck is immediately relieved of the pain — this being confirmed by that four-footed animal, at once corrected from such a remedy after the animal's approach. Some, indeed, aggravate a blow before the attempt. In similar fashion, spitting saliva into the hand and then spitting likewise into the shoe of the right foot before putting it on is good, when someone passes through a place where he has met some danger. We also spit against the falling sickness and against contagions, by way of repelling them: some also, by spitting upon themselves, ask pardon of the gods for some rather bold hope. In similar fashion it was customary in all medicine to spit three times with an invocation, and effects to be aided by this. They say wolves do not approach a field, if, one goat's feet being broken and a knife driven in little by little, blood is sprinkled around the boundaries of the field, and the goat itself is buried in the place from which the blood first began to be drawn. The townsmen of Methana in the territory of Troezen, against the harm of the south wind, for preserving their vines, had a ready remedy always found certain by trial: that, while the wind was still blowing, two men, pulling a white cock apart in opposite directions, each keeping his own part, should go around the vineyard, until, the circuit completed, both, arriving back at the place from which they had set out, should meet each other, and there bury the pieces of the cock. They also say that if one holds up a viper in vapor with a staff, it will hiss in tune with the sewing; also that the staff by which a snake is driven off a frog helps women in labor — these things Pliny himself relates. They also order that, in gathering roots and herbs, one should first trace three circles around them with a sword, then dig them up, taking care besides against an opposing wind. Likewise it is said that if one measures a dead man with a cord, first from the elbow to the middle finger, then from the shoulder to the same finger, and afterward from the head down to the feet, doing all these measurings three times, if someone else is afterward measured in like fashion with the same cord, they say he will fail to prosper and be unfortunate, and fall into calamity and sadness. And Albertus relates from the Kyranides, that if some woman has bound you by sorceries into love of her, take her shift, and through its hood, and through its right sleeve, urinate outward, and the sorcery will be dissolved. And Pliny relates that, for pregnant women in labor, or when a remedy is applied to someone, interlacing the fingers comb-fashion is a poisoning/harmful act, and that this was discovered when Alcmena was giving birth to Hercules: but it will be worse if this is done around one or both knees. Similarly, to place the hollows of the knees one upon another, alternating, is a harmful act: and therefore this was forbidden to be done in the councils of generals and magistrates, as being among all the acts that impede business. But it is said that if someone standing before a door calls by name a woman lying within, and she answers, if he then drives either a knife or a needle into the door, and breaks off the point left in it, the one lying within will not be able to have intercourse with that woman so long as these remain there.
Modern rendering
Certain effects and observances, they say, carry a real power drawn from nature — enough that people believe some diseases can actually be taken away or brought on this way. For instance, they say quartan fever can be driven off by tying nail clippings to an eel's tail and releasing the eel back into the water wrapped in a bit of linen [†...]. Pliny reports that nail clippings from a sick person's hands and feet, mixed with wax and pinned to a stranger's door before sunrise, are supposed to cure quartan, tertian, or daily fevers. Similarly, if you throw all your nail clippings near an anthill, whichever ant first starts dragging one off should be caught and tied under your neck — this is said to shake off the illness. Wood struck by lightning, thrown back over your shoulders, is said to take away part of the sickness too. For quartan fevers, people tie a fragment of a nail from a crucifix, wrapped in wool, around the neck, or a splinter from a cross — and once the patient recovers, they bury it in a cave the sun never reaches. It's also claimed that scrofulous swellings and throat tumors are healed by the touch of a hand belonging to someone who died before their time. Difficult labor, they say, resolves instantly if someone moves the bed the pregnant woman is lying on using a stone or missile that has killed, in single blows, three creatures — a man, a boar, and a bear. The same effect is credited to a light throwing-spear pulled from a man's body without touching the ground; likewise arrows pulled from a body without touching the ground, placed under people in bed, are said to work as a love charm. Epilepsy, they say, is cured by eating meat from a wild animal killed with the same weapon that killed a man. It's claimed you'll never get eye trouble or bleariness if, after washing your feet, you touch your eyes three times with that water. Some treat groin ailments with thread pulled from woven cloth, tying nine or seven knots in it and naming a widow at each knot. Or a sheep's spleen is stretched over the patient's aching spleen while the healer says he's making a remedy for it; afterward the patient is shut into the wall or ceiling of the bedroom, sealed there with a ring, and a charm is recited twenty-seven times. The same ailment, they say, is cured by the urine of a green lizard, hung in a jar by the bedroom door so the patient touches it going in and out. Urinating on a killed green lizard is said to curb the killer's sex drive; but urinating into a dog's urine is said to make a man sluggish in bed and give him numbness in the loins. They also say your own morning urine, applied to the foot, counters all harmful remedies [†...]. There's a small tree-climbing frog — spit in its mouth and let it go, and this is said to cure a cough. Here's another odd but easily tested one from Pliny: if you regret hitting someone, at range or up close, and immediately spit into the palm of the hand you struck with, the person you hit is instantly relieved of the pain — this was supposedly confirmed by [a particular four-legged animal], which stopped attacking as soon as this remedy was applied, right when the animal approached. Some people, though, make a blow worse on purpose before striking. Similarly, spitting into your hand and then into your right shoe before putting it on is good luck when passing through a place where you once faced danger. We also spit to ward off epilepsy and contagion; some ask the gods' pardon for a bold hope by spitting on themselves. It was likewise customary in medicine generally to spit three times while reciting a charm, believing this helped the treatment work. Wolves, they say, won't come near a field if you break a goat's legs, slowly drive in a knife, sprinkle its blood around the field's boundary, and bury the goat where the bloodletting began. The people of Methana, near Troezen, had a remedy they always found reliable for protecting their vines against damage from the south wind: while the wind was still blowing, two men would pull a white rooster apart in opposite directions, each keeping his half, and walk the vineyard's perimeter with it until, having gone all the way around, they met back at their starting point — then bury the pieces of rooster there. They also claim that holding up a viper on a stick in rising steam makes it hiss in time with sewing being done nearby, and that the same stick used to knock a snake off a frog helps women in labor — these last from Pliny himself. When gathering roots and herbs, they also say to trace three circles around the plant with a sword before digging it up, and to watch out for an unfavorable wind. It's also said that if you measure a dead man with a cord — first elbow to middle finger, then shoulder to the same finger, then head to feet, doing each measurement three times — and someone else is later measured the same way with that same cord, that person will be unlucky and fall into misfortune and sorrow. Albertus, citing the Kyranides, says that if a woman has bound you to her with sorcery, you should take her shift, and urinate out through its hood and its right sleeve, and the spell will break. Pliny also reports that interlacing the fingers, comb-fashion, is harmful for women in labor or when treating someone — something discovered, he says, when Alcmena was giving birth to Hercules — and worse still if done around one or both knees; likewise crossing the backs of the knees one over the other is harmful, which is why this was banned in war councils and government meetings, since it was believed to obstruct all business. And it's said that if a man stands at a door and calls a woman lying inside by name, and she answers, then drives a knife or needle into the door and snaps off the point left there, the man inside won't be able to have sex with her for as long as it stays there.
Editorial flags — draft status
- lacuna: Opening eel/nail-paring remedy clause is OCR-mangled beyond full confidence ('IgminaunguiusgriligctutadcQUaanguillacuiusinlinteolo'); core claim (nail parings + eel + linen) is clear but exact grammar is reconstructed, marked [†...] in latin
- lacuna: 'ferunt contra omnia mala medicamenta auxiliari suam cuique urinam matuti- ...in pedem' — the specific application detail before 'in pedem' is truncated/damaged; marked [†...]
- uncertain: 'hoc de illa quadrupede approbari' — Pliny's source passage names a specific animal (in the source, a mule) whose behavior confirms the spitting-cure; OCR destroyed the identifying word, kept as lacuna rather than supplied from outside memory of Pliny NH 28
- list: This chapter is a long catalogue of discrete folk remedies/observances (nail parings, lightning-struck wood, cross-nail fragments, lizard urine, knee-crossing taboo, door-knife charm, etc.) in Agrippa's characteristic Pliny-derived list style; each item should be checked against page images individually — several turn on a single damaged word (see reconstructions/lacunae above) and a wrong reading of any one folk-remedy detail is exactly the kind of error the spec flags as costly