Latin Texts & Translations

The cast-off slough of a snake, attached to the loins, facili-

tates delivery: care must be taken, however, to remove it immediately after. It is administered, too, in wine, mixed with frankincense: taken in any other form, it is productive of abortion. A staff, by the aid of which a person has parted ^[Note] a frog from a snake, will accelerate parturition. Ashes of the troxallis, ^[Note] applied with honey, act as an emmenagogue; the same, too, with the spider that descends as it spins its thread from aloft; it must be taken, however, in the hollow of the hand, crushed, and applied accordingly: if, on the contrary, the spider is taken while ascending, it will arrest menstruation.

The stone aëtites, ^[Note] that is found in the eagle's nest, preserves the fœtus against all insidious attempts at producing abortion. A vulture's feather, placed beneath the feet of the woman, accelerates parturition. It is a well-known fact, that pregnant women must be on their guard against ravens' eggs, for if a female in that state should happen to step over one, she will be sure to miscarry by the mouth. ^[Note] A hawk's dung, taken in honied: wine, would appear to render females fruitful. Goose- grease, or that of the swan, acts emolliently upon indurations and abscesses of the uterus.