CHAP. 25.—TEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE LION.
Lion's fat, mixed with oil of roses, protects the skin of the
face from all kinds of spots, and preserves the whiteness of the
complexion; it is remedial also for such parts of the body as
have been frozen by snow, and for swellings in the joints. The
frivolous lies of the magicians assert that persons who are
anointed with lion's fat, will more readily win favour with
kings and peoples; more particularly when the fat has been
used that lies between the eyebrows of the animal-a place, in
fact, where there is no fat to be found! The like effects they
promise also from the possession of a lion's tooth, one from the
right side in particular, as also the shaggy hairs that are
found upon the lower jaw. The gall, used as an ointment in
combination with water, improves the eyesight, and, employed
with the fat of the same animal, is a cure for epilepsy; but
a slight taste only must be taken of it, and the patient must
run immediately after swallowing it, in order to digest it. A
lion's heart, used as food, is curative of quartan fevers, and
the fat, taken with oil of roses, of quotidian fevers. Wild
beasts will fly from persons anointed with lion's fat, and it is
thought to be a preservative even against treacherous practices.