Note 22 — Chapter V · THE BLACK ART.
Reading edition
The idea that witches extract substances out of a sick person’s body is very common.22 The witch in Macbeth says, “I will drain him dry as hay.” In the same way the original object of kissing is said to be to extract an evil spirit out of a person. Many people get a holy man to kiss a sick child and blow over some water which is given it to drink, and thus the evil spirit is removed.