Brewer's: Kiss the Place to make it Well

A relic of a very common custom all over the world of sucking poison from wounds. St. Martin of Tours, when he was at Paris, observed at the city gates a leper full of sores; and, going up to him, he kissed the sores, whereupon the lepef was instantly made whole (SulpiciusScverus: Dialogues. Again, when St. Mayeul had committed some grave offence, he was sent, by way of penance, to kiss a leper who was begging alms at the monastery. St. Mayeul went up to the man, kissed his wounds, and the leprosy left him. Half a score similar examples may be found in the Bollandistes, without much searching.

Who ran to help me when I fell, And kissed the place to make it well?

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