And as an infected body communicates its malady to those that approach or live near it, as we see in the plague, the smallpox, and sore eyes, that run through whole families and cities:-- "Dum spectant oculi laesos, laeduntur et ipsi; Multaque corporibus transitione nocent." ["When we look at people with sore eyes, our own eyes become sore.
Many things are hurtful to our bodies by transition." -- Ovid, De Rem.Amor., 615.] -- so the imagination, being vehemently agitated, darts out infection capable of offending the foreign object.

The ancients had an opinion of certain women of Scythia, that being animated and enraged against any one, they killed him only with their looks.

Tortoises and ostriches hatch their eggs with only looking on them, which infers that their eyes have in them some ejaculative virtue.

And the eyes of witches are said to be assailant and hurtful:-- "Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos." ["Some eye, I know not whose is bewitching my tender lambs." -- Virgil, Eclog., iii.

103.] Magicians are no very good authority with me.