allowed to wash on the 16th Tybi; whilst the name of Set might
not be pronounced on the 24th of Pharmuthi. Fish was forbidden on
certain days; and what was still more difficult in a country so
rich in mice, on the 12th of Tybi no mouse might be seen. The
most tiresome prohibitions, however, were those which occurred
not infrequently, namely, those concerning work and going out:
for instance, four times in Paophi the people had to 'do nothing
at all,' and five times to sit the whole day or half the day in
the house; and the same rule had to be observed each month. It
was impossible to rejoice if a child was born on the 23d of
Thoth; the parents knew it could not live. Those born on the 20th
of Choiakh would become blind, and those born on the 3d of
Choiakh, deaf."


CHARMS AND INCANTATIONS

Where such conceptions as these pertained, it goes without saying
that charms and incantations intended to break the spell of the
unlucky omens were equally prevalent. Such incantations consisted
usually of the recitation of certain phrases based originally, it
would appear, upon incidents in the history of the gods. The
words which the god had spoken in connection with some lucky
incident would, it was thought, prove effective now in bringing
good luck to the human supplicant--that is to say, the magician
hoped through repeating the words of the god to exercise the
magic power of the god. It was even possible, with the aid of the
magical observances, partly to balk fate itself. Thus the person
predestined through birth on an unlucky day to die of a serpent
bite might postpone the time of this fateful visitation to