’It was my brother got the knowledge of cures from a book that was thrown down before him on the road.  What language was it written in?  What language would it be but Irish?  May be it was God gave it to him, and may be it was the other people.  He was a fine strong man; and he weighed fifteen stone; and he went to England, and there he cured all the world, so that the doctors had no way of living.  So one time he got in a ship to go to America; and the doctors had bad men engaged to shipwreck him out of the ship; he wasn’t drowned, but he was broken to pieces on the rocks, and the book was lost along with him.  But he taught me a good deal out of it.  So I know all herbs, and I do a good many cures; and I have brought a good many children home to the world, and never lost one, or one of the women that bore them.’

I asked her to teach me some of her fragments of Druids’ wisdom, the healing power of herbs.  So she came another day, and brought some herbs, and sorted them out on a table, and said:  ’This is Dwareen (knapweed); and what you have to do with this, is to put it down with other herbs, and with a bit of threepenny sugar, and to boil it, and to drink it, for pains in the bones; and don’t be afraid but it will cure you.  Sure the Lord put it in the world for curing.

’And this is Corn-corn [tansy]; it s very good for the heart—­boiled like the others.

’This is Athair-talav, the father of all herbs (wild camomile).  This is very hard to pull; and when you go for it, you must have a black-handled knife.  And whatever way the wind is when you begin to cut it, if it changes while you’re cutting it, you’ll lose your mind.  And if you are paid for cutting it, you can do it when you like; but if not, they mightn’t like it.  I knew a woman was cutting at one time, and a voice, an enchanted voice, called out:  “Don’t cut that if you are not paid, or you’ll be sorry.”  But if you put a bit of this with every other herb you drink, you’ll live for ever.  My grandmother used to put a bit with everything she took, and she lived to be over a hundred.

’And this is Camal buidhe (loose-strife), that will keep all bad things away.

’This is Cuineal Muire (mullein), the blessed candle of our Lady.

’This is the Fearaban (water-buttercup); and it’s good for every bone of your body.

’This is Dub-cosac (trichomanes), that’s good for the heart; very good for a sore heart.

’Here are the Slanlus (plantain) and the Garblus (dandelion); and these would cure the wide world; and it was these brought our Lord from the Cross, after the ruffians that were with the Jews did all the harm to Him.  And not one could be got to pierce His heart till a dark man came; and he said:  “Give me the spear and I’ll do it.”  And the blood that sprang out touched his eyes and they got their sight.  And it was after that, His Mother and Mary and Joseph gathered these herbs and cured His wounds.