I haven't come across this particular one but the formula is very similar
to many charms which people carried ( I know of some in use as late as
the early twentieth century). The formula would always promise
protection from any number of dangerous situations & would guarantee the
cure/prevention of diseases. The way that the charm "worked" was that it
had to be written - the act of writing was thought to act as a form of
invocation, this seems to stem from times when being able to write was
not common - & it had to be concealed - either on the person or hidden
away in a wall or secret place. The earlier charms are, like the one you
quote, very Christian in style , invoking saints etc. Later they
degenerate into some wonderful jumbles of invocations of saints, magic
formulas ("abracadabra" is very popular) & just about anything you can
imagine. Even when they invoke the strangest forms of aid, they almost
always end with "In the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit/Ghost" &
have a cross drawn on them.
Alison M.
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