1. Заклинание времен Королевы Елизаветы. Использовалось при сборе вербены
| All hele, thou holy herb vervin, Growing on the ground; In the mount of Calvery There was thou found; Thou helpest many a greife, And stenchest many a wound. In the name of sweet Jesus, I take thee from the ground. O Lord, effect the same That I doe now goe about |
При непосредственно срывании трав
In the name of God, on Mount Olivet
First I thee found;
In the name of Jesus
I pull thee from the ground.
2. Заклинание при сборе вербены.Записано Сэром Вальтером Скоттом
supposed to be addressed to a young woman by the devil, who attempted to seduce her in the shape of a handsome young man:
| Gin you wish to be leman mine, Leave off the St. John's wort and the vervine. |
3. Ориентировочно времен Королевы Виктории
A girl must pluck a leaf from the even-ash, and, holding it in her hand, say—
| This even-ash I hold in my hand, The first I meet is my true man. |
She carries it in her hand a short distance, and if she meets a young man, he will be her future husband. If not, she must put the leaf in her glove, and say—
| This even-ash I hold in my glove, The first I meet is my true love. |
She carries it in her glove a short time, with the same intention as before, but if she meets no one, she places the leaf in her bosom, saying—
| This even-ash I hold in my bosom, The first I meet is my husband. |
And the first young man she meets after this will infallibly be her future partner. There are a great variety of rhymes relating to the even-ash. Another is—
| If you find even-ash or four-leaved clover, You will see your love afore the day's over. |
4. Тысячелистник
This plant, in the eastern counties, is termed yarroway, and there is a curious mode of divination with its serrated leaf, with which you must tickle the inside of your nose, repeating the following lines. If the operation causes the nose to bleed, it is a certain omen of success:
| Yarroway, yarroway, bear a white blow, If my love love me, my nose will bleed now. |
Another mode of divination with this plant caused a dream of a future husband. An ounce of yarrow, sewed up in flannel, must be placed under your pillow when you go to bed, and having repeated the following words, the required dream will be realized:
| Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree, Thy true name it is yarrow; Now who my bosom friend must be, Pray tell thou me to-morrow. |
| Nettle in, dock out, Dock rub nettle out! |
| Out 'ettle, in dock, Dock zhall ha' a new smock; 'Ettle zhant ha' narrun! |