o out to catch them. I
have been told that serpents, fried or boiled, are frequently eaten by
the Arabians, both in Egypt and Arabia, though they know not how to
fascinate them, but catch them either alive or dead.

"4th.--After they have eaten their soup, they procure a blessing from
their scheik, who uses some superstitious ceremonies, and, amongst
others, spits on them several times with certain gestures."

The blessing of the priest, Hasselquist pronounces correctly enough to
be mere superstition; we may fairly conclude that the eating of the
snakes is also irrelevant,--both of these circumstances being calculated
to increase popular wonder only, and to lead the observers from the true
scent, which probably is the employment of preventive simples.
Hasselquist had been told of a plant with which the charmers anointed
or rubbed themselves before they touched the serpents; but, as no such
plant was produced to him, he regarded it as fabulous. We have seen
reason, however, to conclude that the real key to the mystery lies
there.[193]

The ancients believed that the human spittle was so fatal to serpents
that much of the secret of charming lay in the knowledge of this fact.
Of course this would make Psylli of all men; but there may be this
measure of truth in the supposition, that the natural exudations of a
human body which has been bathed or rubbed with a penetrating
alexipharmic, may be so impregnated with the odour, as to be peculiarly
repellent of the snake. Denham describes a scene of snake-charming in
which the spittle played an important part. A juggler brought him in a
bag two venomous snakes, which he set at liberty, beginning to beat a
little drum. They immediately reared themselves on their tails, moving
in a sort of dance. The juggler played various tricks with them,
sometimes wreathing them round his neck, coiling them in his bosom, or
throwing them among the people. On pointing his finger at their mouth,
they immediately raised themselves in attitude to spring forward and
strike; but after having exasperated them to the utmost, _he had only to
spit in their face_, to make them retreat quite crest-fallen. From his
description these seem to have been of the genus _Naia_, upwards of six
feet long, and very venomous. The fangs, he says, had been extracted;
but still, to guard against all possible injury, the fellow who played
tricks with them had a large roll of cloth wound round the right
arm.[194]

The