WARNING-GIVERS 
 
 
put it on, it puckered up, or hung slouch- 
ingly, or tumbled to pieces.-Percy, Be- 
liques (" The Boy and the Mantle "). 
  METEORS. Falling stars, eclipses, comets, 
and other signs in the heavens, portend 
the death or fall of prince& 
Meteors fright the fixed stars of heaven; 
The pale-faced moon looks bloody on the earth... 
These signs forerun the death or fall of kin. 
Shakespeare, Richard II., act ii. sc. 4 (1591). 
  Consult Matt. xxiv. 29; Luke xxi. 25. 
  MICE AND RATS. If a rat or mouse, dur- 
ing the night, gnaw our clothes, it is in- 
dicative of some impending evil, perhaps 
even death. 
  Nos autem ita leves, atque inconsiderati sumus, 
ut si mures corroserint aliquid quorum est opus 
hoe unum, monstrum putemus? Ante vero 
Marsicum bellum quod Clypeos Lanuvii-mures 
rosissent, maxumum id portentum baruspices 
esse dixerunt. Quasi vero quicquam intersit, 
mures diem noctem aliquid rodentes, scuta an 
cribra corroserint . . . cum vestis a soricibus 
roditur, plus timere suspicionem futuri mali, 
quam prfsens damnum dolere. Unde ilud ele- 
ganter dictum est Catonis, qui cum esset con- 
sultus a quodam, qui sibi erosas esse Caligas 
diceret a soricibus, respondit; non esset illud 
monstrum; sed vere monstrum habendum fuisse, 
si sorices a Caligis roderentur.-Cicero, Divina- 
tio, ii. 27. 
  MOLE-SPOTS. A mole-spot on the arm- 
pit promises wealth and honor; on the 
ankle bespeaks modesty in men, courage 
in women; on the right breast is a sign of 
honesty, on the left forebodes poverty; 
on the chin promises wealth; on the right 
ear, respect; on the left forebodes dis- 
honor; on the centre of the forehead be- 
speaks treachery, sullenness and untidi- 
ness; on the right temple foreshows that 
you will enjoy the friendship of the great; 
on the left temple forebodes distress; on 
the right foot bespeaks wisdom, on the 
left, rashness; on the right side of the 
heart denotes virtue, on the left side, 
wickedness; on the knee of a man denotes 
 
 
that he will have a rich wife, if on the left 
knee of a woman she may expect a large 
family; on the lip is a sign of gluttony 
and talkativeness; on the neck promises 
wealth; on the nose indicates that a man 
will be a great traveller; on the thigh fore- 
bodes poverty and sorrow; on the throat, 
wealth and health; on the wrist, ingenuity. 
  MOON (The). When the "mone lies sair 
on her back, or when her horns are pointed 
towards the zenith, be warned in time, for 
foul weather is nigh at hand."-Dr. Jamie- 
son. 
  Foul weather may also be expected 
"when the new moon appears with the 
old one in her arms." 
   Late, late yestreen I saw the new moone 
     Wi' the auld moone in her arme, 
   And I feir, I feir, my deir master, 
     That we will come to harme. 
            The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens. 
  To see a new fnoon for the first time on 
the right hand, and direct before you, is 
lucky; but to see it on the left hand or 
to turn round and see it behind you, is 
the contrary. 
  If you first see a new moon through 
glass, your wish will come to pass. 
  NAILS. A white spot on the thumb 
promises a present; on the indexfinger de- 
notes a friend;. on the long finger, a foe; 
on the third finger, a letter or sweetheart; 
on the little finger, a journey to go. 
  In America, white spots on the nails are 
considered lucky. 
  NOURGEHAN'S BRACELET gave warning 
of poison by a tremulous motion of the 
stones, which increased as the poison ap- 
proached nearer and nearer.-Comte de 
Caylus, Oriental Tales (" The Four Talis- 
mans "). 
  OPAL turns pale at the approach of poi- 
son. 
  OwLs. The screeching of an owl fore- 
bodes calamity, sickness, or death. On 
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WARNING-GIVERS