a charm or preservative against mischief, witchcraft, or diseases. Amulets have been made of stone, metal, simples, animals, and, in a word, of everything that imagination could suggest. Sometimes they consisted of words, characters, sentences, ranged in a particular order, and engraved upon wood, &c., and worn about the neck, or some other part of the body. At other times they were neither written nor engraved, but prepared with many superstitious ceremonies, great regard being usually paid to the influence of the stars. The Arabs have given to this species of amulet the name of Talisman. All nations have been fond of amulets: the Jews were extremely superstitious in the use of them to drive away diseases; and the Mishna forbids them, unless received from an approved man who had cured at least three persons before by the same means. Among the Christians of the early times amulets were made of the wood of the cross, or rhinds with a text of Scripture written on them, as preservatives against diseases.