An English Ritual for a Hand of Glory

The following is my translation of a Latin passage in Sloane 1727, dated to the seventeenth century:

Make a candle of the fat of a thief, having been hanged, and kindle this where you think treasure to be, and walk through all places that have been suspected.  When you might come to the place under which there is treasure, that candle will burn strongly [and] darkly, and if there is no treasure, the same will cast a bright light.  Candles, having been placed in the hand of a dead thief, kindled, throws onto all the sleeping people in the home a profound sleep.

Generally, when people are looking for the Hand of Glory, they usually turn to the Petit Albert or the Grimorium Verum, so it’s interesting to see an independent appearance in an English manual of magic.

Happy holidays, everyone!  (Yes, that’s an odd transition.)