uld take effect on werwolves,
since the property of werwolfery is a gift which is, more or less,
directly acquired from the malevolent spirits.

But I am not only dubious as to the powers of exorcism generally, I am
also dubious as to its effect on werwolves. I have come across a good
many alleged cases of its having been successfully practised on
werwolves, but in regard to these cases, the authority is not very
reliable, nor the corroborative evidence strong.

Nearly all the methods prescribed embrace the use of some potion; such,
for example, as sulphur, asafoetida, and castoreum, mixed with clear
spring water; or hypericum, compounded with vinegar--which two potions
seem to have been (and to be still) the most favoured recipes for
removing the devilish power.

The ceremony of exorcism proceeded as follows: The werwolf was sprinkled
three times with one of the above solutions, and saluted with the sign
of the cross, or addressed thrice by his baptismal name, each address
being accompanied by a blow on the forehead with a knife; or he was
sprinkled, whilst at the same time his girdle was removed; or in lieu of
being sprinkled, he had three drops of blood drawn from his chest, or
was compelled to kneel in one spot for a great number of years.

A full description of the practice and failure of exorcism was cited to
me the other day in connexion with a comparatively recent happening in
Asiatic Russia:--

Tina Peroviskei, a wealthy young widow, who lived in St. Nicholas
Street, Moscow--not a hundred yards from the house of Herr Schauman, the
well-known German banker and horticulturist (every one in Russia has
heard of the Schauman tulips)--met a gentleman named Ivan Baranoff at a
friend's house, and, despite the warning of her brother, married him.

Ivan Baranoff did not look more than thirty years of age. He was usually
dressed in grey furs--a grey fur coat, grey fur leggings, and a grey fur
cap. His features were very handsome--at least, so Tina thought--his
hair was flaxen, glossy, and bright as a mirror; and his mouth, when
open, displayed a most brilliant set of even, white teeth. Tina had
three children by her first husband, and the fuss Ivan Baranoff made of
them pleased her immensely. Their own father never evinced a greater
anxiety for their welfare. Ivan brought them the most expensive toys and
sweetmeats--particularly sweetmeats--and would insist on seeing for
himself that they had plenty of rich, creamy