{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_44638/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_44638","id":"gutenberg_44638","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44638","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Other","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Plants -- Folklore"],"text":"[Illustration: The Garden of Eden\n\n_from John Parkinson\u2019s \u201cParadisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris.\u201d\n\n1656_]\n\n\n\n\n  PLANT LORE,\n  LEGENDS, and LYRICS.\n\n  _EMBRACING THE_\n\n  Myths, Traditions, Superstitions, and\n  Folk-Lore of the Plant Kingdom.\n\n  _BY_\n  RICHARD FOLKARD, JUN.\n\n\n  LONDON:\n  Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington,\n  Crown Buildings, 188, Fleet Street.\n\n  1884.\n\n  [_All Rights Reserved._]\n\n\n\n\n  PRINTED BY R. FOLKARD AND SON,\n  22, DEVONSHIRE STREET, QUEEN SQUARE, BLOOMSBURY,\n  LONDON, W.C.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nHaving, some few years ago, been associated in the conduct of a\njournal devoted to horticulture, I amassed for literary purposes\nmuch of the material made use of in the present volume. Upon the\ndiscontinuance of the journal, I resolved to classify and arrange the\nplant lore thus accumulated, with a view to its subsequent publication,\nand I have since been enabled to enrich the collection with much\nContinental and Indian lore (which I believe is quite unknown to the\ngreat majority of English readers) from the vast store to be found in\nSignor De Gubernatis\u2019 volumes on plant tradition, a French edition of\nwhich appeared two years ago, under the title of _La Mythologie des\nPlantes_. To render the present work comprehensive and at the same\ntime easy of reference, I have divided the volume into two sections,\nthe first of which is, in point of fact, a digest of the second; and\nI have endeavoured to enhance its interest by introducing some few\nreproductions of curious illustrations pertaining to the subjects\ntreated of. Whilst preferring no claim for anything beyond the exercise\nof considerable industry, I would state that great care and attention\nhas been paid to the revision of the work, and that as I am both author\nand printer of my book, I am debarred in that dual capacity from even\npalliating my mistakes by describing them as \u201cerrors of the press.\u201d In\ntendering my acknowledgments to Prof. De Gubernatis and other authors\nI have consulted on the various branches of my subject, I would draw\nattention to the annexed list of the principal works to which reference\nis made in these pages.\n\nRICHARD FOLKARD, Jun.\n\nCricklewood, _August, 1884_.\n\n\n\n\nPrincipal Works Referred to.\n\n\n_Adams, H. C._ \u2018Flowers; their Moral, Language, and Poetry.\u2019\n\n_Albertus Magnus._ _De Mirabilibus Mundi._\n\n_Aldrovandus._ _Ornithologia._\n\n_Bacon, Lord._ \u2018_Sylva Sylvarum_,\u2019 and \u2018Essay on Gardens.\u2019\n\n_Bauhin, C._ _De plantis a divis sanctisve nomen habentibus_ (1591).\n\n_Brand, J._ \u2018Popular Antiquities.\u2019\n\n_Bright, H. A._ \u2018A Year in a Lancashire Garden.\u2019\n\n_Campbell, J. F._ \u2018Tales of the Western Highlands.\u2019\n\n\u2018Choice Notes from _Notes and Queries_.\u2019\n\n_Coles, W._ \u2018Adam in Eden\u2019 (1657); and \u2018The Art of Simpling\u2019 (1656).\n\n\u2018The Compleat English Gardener\u2019 (1683).\n\n\u2018The Countryman\u2019s Recreation\u2019 (1640).\n\n_Croker, T. C._ \u2018Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland.\u2019\n\n_Culpeper, N._ \u2018British Herbal.\u2019\n\n_Cutts, Rev. E._ \u2018Decoration of Churches.\u2019\n\n_Darwin, E._ \u2018The Botanic Garden\u2019: a Poem.\n\n_Dasent, Sir G. W._ \u2018Popular Tales from the Norse.\u2019\n\n_Daubeny, C._ \u2018Trees and Shrubs of the Ancients.\u2019\n\n_Day, Rev. Lal Behari._ \u2018Folk-Tales of Bengal.\u2019\n\n_De Gubernatis, A._ _La Mythologie des Plantes; ou les L\u00e9gendes du\nR\u00e8gne V\u00e9g\u00e9tal._\n\n_Dixon, W. G._ \u2018The Land of the Morning: Japan.\u2019\n\n\u2018The Dutch Gardener\u2019 (1703).\n\n_Dyer, Rev. T. F._ \u2018English Folk-lore.\u2019\n\n_Ennemoser, J._ \u2018History of Magic.\u2019\n\n_Evelyn, J._ \u2018_Sylva_: a Discourse of Forest Trees\u2019 (1662); \u2018The French\nGardener\u2019 (1658); and \u2018_Kalendarium Hortense_\u2019 (1664).\n\n\u2018The Expert Gardener\u2019 (1640).\n\n\u2018The Fairy Family.\u2019\n\n_Farrer, J. A._ \u2018The Names of Flowers\u2019 (In \u2018Cornhill Magazine,\u2019 Vol.\nXLV.).\n\n_Fitzherbarde, Sir Anthony._ \u2018Boke of Husbandry\u2019 (1523).\n\n_Fleetwood, Bishop._ \u2018Curiosities of Nature and Art in Husbandry and\nGardening\u2019 (1707).\n\n\u2018Flower Lore\u2019 (M\u2019Caw & Co., Belfast).\n\n_Gerarde, J._ \u2018The Herbal; or, General Historie of Plantes.\u2019 Edited by\nJohnson (1633).\n\n_Grimm, J._ \u2018Teutonic Mythology\u2019 (Translated by Stallybrass.)\n\n_Henderson, W._ \u2018Folk-lore of the Northern Counties.\u2019\n\n_Hunt, R._ \u2018Popular Romances of the West of England.\u2019\n\n_Ingram, J._ \u2018_Flora Symbolica_.\u2019\n\n_Jameson, Mrs._ \u2018Sacred and Legendary Art\u2019; \u2018Legends of the Monastic\nOrders\u2019; and \u2018Legends of the Madonna.\u2019\n\n_Karr, Alphonse._ \u2018A Tour Round my Garden.\u2019\n\n_Kelly, W. K._ \u2018Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-lore.\u2019\n\n_Kent, Miss._ \u2018_Flora Domestica_,\u2019 and \u2018Sylvan Sketches.\u2019\n\n_King, R. J._ \u2018Sketches and Studies.\u2019\n\n_Kircherus._ _De Luce et Umbra, Ars Magnetica, &c._\n\n\u2018The Language of Flowers\u2019 (Saunders and Otley).\n\n_Liger, Louis._ \u2018The Retired Gardener\u2019 (1717).\n\n_Loudon, J. C._ \u2018Encyclop\u00e6dia of Gardening.\u2019\n\n_Loudon, Mrs._ \u2018Companion to the Flower Garden.\u2019\n\n_Macer Floridus._ _De Viribus Herbarum_ (1527).\n\n_Mallet, M._ \u2018Northern Antiquities.\u2019\n\n_Mannhardt, Prof._ _Baumkultus der Germanen_; _Germanische Mythen_; and\n_Wald- und Feld-Kulte_.\n\n_Marmier, X._ _L\u00e9gendes des Plantes._\n\n_Marshall, S._ \u2018Plant Symbolism\u2019 (In \u2018Natural History Notes,\u2019 Vol. II.).\n\n_Martyn, Thos._ \u2018Miller\u2019s Gardener\u2019s and Botanist\u2019s Dictionary.\u2019\n\n_Matthiolus._ _De Plantis_ (1585).\n\n_Maundevile, Sir John._ \u2018Voiage and Travaile\u2019 (Edit. 1725).\n\n_Mentzelius, C._ _Index Nominum Plantarum Multilinguis_ (1682).\n\n_Moore, T._ \u2018Lalla Rookh.\u2019\n\n_M\u00fcller, Max._ \u2018Selected Essays.\u2019\n\n_Murray, E. C. G._ \u2018Songs and Legends of Roumania.\u2019\n\n_Newton, W._ \u2018Display of Heraldry.\u2019\n\n_Nork._ _Mythologie der Volkssagen._\n\n_Oldenburg, Dr. H._ \u2018Buddha: his Life, Doctrine, and Order.\u2019\n\n_Parkinson, J._ \u2018_Paradisi in Sole: Paradisus Terrestris_\u2019 (1656).\n\n_Paxton, Sir Joseph._ \u2018Botanical Dictionary.\u2019\n\n_Percival, Rev. P._ \u2018The Land of the Veda.\u2019\n\n_Phillips, J._ \u2018_Flora Historical._\u2019\n\n_Pirie, M._ \u2018Flowers, Grasses, and Shrubs.\u2019\n\n_Plat, Sir Hugh, Knt._ \u2018The Garden of Eden\u2019 (1600).\n\n_Pliny._ \u2018Natural History.\u2019\n\n_Porta, J. B._ _Phytognomica_ (1588).\n\n_Pratt, A._ \u2018Flowering Plants and Ferns of Great Britain.\u2019\n\n_Prior, Dr._ \u2018Popular Names of British Plants.\u2019\n\n_Ralston, W. R._ \u2018Forest and Field Myths\u2019 (In \u2018Contemporary Review,\u2019\nVol. XXXI.).\n\n_Rapin, R._ _De Hortorum Cultura_ (Gardiner\u2019s trans., 1665).\n\n_Rawlinson, Rev. G._ \u2018The Religions of the Ancient World.\u2019\n\n_Reade, W. W._ \u2018The Veil of Isis; or, the Mysteries of the Druids.\u2019\n\n_Rea, J._ \u2018Flora, Ceres, and Pomona\u2019 (1665).\n\n_Rimmel, E._ \u2018The Book of Perfumes.\u2019\n\nThe \u2018Royal and Imperial Dream Book.\u2019\n\n_Sawyer, F. E._ \u2018Sussex Folk-lore and Customs.\u2019\n\n_Shway Yoe._ \u2018The Burman: his Life and Notions.\u2019\n\n_Thorpe, B._ \u2018Yule-tide Stories.\u2019\n\n_Tighe, W._ \u2018The Plants\u2019: a Poem.\n\n_Timbs, J._ \u2018Popular Errors;\u2019 \u2018Curiosities of History;\u2019 and \u2018Things Not\nGenerally Known.\u2019\n\n_Turner, Robert._ \u2018_Botanologia_: The Brittish Physician; or, the\nNature and Vertues of English Plants\u2019 (1687).\n\n_Turner, W._ \u2018The Herball.\u2019\n\n_Tusser, Thomas._ \u2018Five Hundred Points of Husbandry\u2019 (1562).\n\n_White, Rev. Gilbert._ \u2018Natural History of Selborne.\u2019\n\n_Wilkinson, Sir G._ \u2018The Ancient Egyptians.\u2019\n\n_Zahn, J._ _Specul\u00e6 Physico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6_ (1696).\n\n\n\n\nTABLE OF CONTENTS.\n\n\n_PART THE FIRST._\n\nINTRODUCTION                                                       xiii.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n  THE WORLD-TREES OF THE ANCIENTS. -- The Scandinavian Ash --\n  The Hindu World-Tree -- The World-Tree of the Buddhists -- The\n  Iranian World-Tree -- The Assyrian Sacred Tree -- The Mother Tree\n  of the Greeks, Romans, and Teutons                                   1\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\n  THE TREES OF PARADISE AND THE TREE OF ADAM. -- The Terrestrial\n  Paradise -- The Paradise of the Persians, Arabians, Hindus,\n  Scandinavians, and Celts -- The Mosaic Paradise -- Eden and the\n  Walls of its Garden -- The Tree of Life -- The Tree of Knowledge\n  -- The Forbidden Fruit -- Adam\u2019s Departure from Paradise --\n  Seth\u2019s Journey to the Garden of Eden -- The Death of Adam -- The\n  Seeds of the Tree of Life -- Moses and his Rods -- King David and\n  the Rods -- Solomon and the Cedars of Lebanon -- The Tree of Adam\n  and the Tree of the Cross                                            9\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n  SACRED PLANTS OF THE ANCIENTS. -- The Parsis and the Cypress --\n  The Oak -- Sacred Plants and Trees of the Brahmans and Buddhists\n  -- Plants Revered by the Burmans -- The Cedar, Elm, Ash, Rowan,\n  Baobab, Nipa, Dragon Tree, Zamang, and Moriche Palm -- The\n  Nelumbo or Sacred Bean -- Plants Worshipped by Egyptians -- The\n  Lotus, Henna, and Pomegranate -- Sacred Plants of the Gr\u00e6co-Roman\n  Divinities -- Plants of the Norse Gods                              21\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n  FLORAL CEREMONIES, GARLANDS, AND WREATHS. -- The Altars of the\n  Gods -- Flowers, Fragrant Woods, and Aromatics -- Incense --\n  Perfumes -- Ceremonies of the Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and\n  Romans -- The Roman Triumphs -- Festivals of the Terminalia\n  and Floralia -- May-day Customs -- Well-flowering -- Harvest\n  Festivals -- Flowers and Weddings -- Floral Games of Toulouse and\n  Salency -- The Rosi\u00e8re -- Rose Pelting -- Battle of Flowers --\n  Japanese New Year\u2019s Festival -- Wreaths, Chaplets, and Garlands     26\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\n  PLANTS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. -- The Virgin Mary and her\n  Flowers -- Joseph\u2019s Plants -- The Plants of Bethlehem -- Flora\n  of the Flight into Egypt -- The Herb of the Madonna -- Plants of\n  the Virgin -- The Annunciation, Visitation, and Assumption -- The\n  Rosary -- The Plants of Christmas -- The Garden of Gethsemane\n  -- Plants of the Passion -- The Crown of Thorns -- The Wood of\n  the Cross -- Veronica -- The Plants of Calvary -- The Trees and\n  the Crucifixion -- The Tree of Judas -- Plants of St. John the\n  Baptist -- Plant Divination on St. John\u2019s Eve -- Flowers of\n  the Saints -- The Floral Calendar -- Flowers of the Church\u2019s\n  Festivals -- Decoration of Churches -- Gospel Oaks -- Memorial\n  Trees -- The Glastonbury Thorn -- St. Joseph\u2019s Walnut Tree -- St.\n  Martin\u2019s Yew                                                        40\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\n  PLANTS OF THE FAIRIES AND NAIADES. -- The Elves and the Oak --\n  Elves of the Forest -- The Elf of the Fir-tree -- The Rose Elf\n  -- Moss or Wood Folk -- The Black Dwarfs -- The Still Folk --\n  The Procca -- English Fairies -- The Fairy Steed -- Fairy Revels\n  -- Elf Grass -- Fairy Plants -- The Cowslip, or Fairy Cup --\n  The Foxglove, or Lusmore -- The Four-leaved Clover -- The Fairy\n  Unguent -- The Russalkis -- Naiades and Water Nymphs -- The\n  Fontinalia -- Fays of the Well                                      64\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\n  SYLVANS, WOOD NYMPHS, AND TREE SPIRITS. -- Fauns, Satyrs, Dryads,\n  and Hamadryads -- The Laurel Maiden -- The Willow Nymph -- The\n  Sister of the Flowers -- Sacred Groves and their Denizens -- The\n  Spirits of the Forest -- The Indian Tree Ghosts -- The Burmese\n  Nats -- The African Wood Spirits -- The Waldgeister of the\n  Germans -- The Elder-mother -- German Tree and Field Spirits        74\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\n  PLANTS OF THE DEVIL. -- Puck\u2019s Plant -- Pixie-stools -- Loki\u2019s\n  Plants -- The Trolls and the Globe-flower -- Accursed and Unlucky\n  Plants -- Plants connected with the Black Art -- Plant-haunting\n  Demons -- The Devil and Fruit Trees -- Tree Demons on St. John\u2019s\n  Eve -- Demons of the Woods and Fields -- The Herb of the Devil --\n  Poisonous and Noxious Plants -- Ill-omened Plants -- The Devil\u2019s\n  Key -- Plants Inimical to the Devil -- The Devil-Chaser -- The\n  Deadly Upas -- The Manchineel -- The Oleander -- The Jatropha\n  Urens -- The Lotos -- The Elder -- The Phallus Impudicus -- The\n  Carrion Flower -- The Antchar -- The Loco or Rattle Weed -- The\n  Aquapura -- Deadly Trees of Hispaniola and New Andalusia --\n  Poisonous Plants                                                    82\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\n  PLANTS OF THE WITCHES. -- The Herbs of Hecate, Circe, and\n  Medea -- Witch Powder -- Witches and Elders -- Sylvan Haunts\n  of Witches -- Witches\u2019 Plant-steeds -- Witches\u2019 Soporifics\n  -- The Nightmare Flower -- Plants used in Spells -- Potions,\n  Philtres, and Hell-broths -- The Hag Taper -- Witch Ointment --\n  The Witches\u2019 Bath -- Foreign Witches and their Plants -- Plants\n  used for Charms and Spells -- Witches\u2019 Prescriptions -- Herbs of\n  Witchcraft -- Plants Antagonistic to Witches                        91\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\n  MAGICAL PLANTS. -- Plants producing Ecstasies and Visions --\n  Soma -- Laurel -- The Druids and Mistletoe -- Prophetic Oaks\n  -- Dream Plants -- Plants producing Love and Sympathy -- The\n  Sorcerer\u2019s Violet -- Plants used for Love Divination -- Concordia\n  -- Discordia -- The Calumny Destroyer -- The Grief Charmer --\n  The Sallow, Sacred Basil, Eugenia, Onion, Bay, Juniper, Peony,\n  Hypericum, Rowan, Elder, Thorn, Hazel, Holly -- The Mystic\n  Fern-seed -- Four-leaved Clover -- The Mandrake, or Sorcerer\u2019s\n  Root -- The Metal Melter -- The Misleading Plant -- Herb of\n  Oblivion -- Lotos Tree -- King Solomon\u2019s Magical Herb Baharas --\n  The Nyctilopa and Springwort -- Plants influencing Thunder and\n  Lightning -- The Selago, or Druid\u2019s Golden Herb -- Gold-producing\n  Plants -- Plants which disclose Treasures -- The Luck Flower --\n  The Key-Flower -- Sesame -- The Herb that Opens -- The Moonwort,\n  or Lunary -- The Sferracavallo -- Magic Wands and Divining Rods\n  -- Moses\u2019 Rod                                                      105\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\n  FABULOUS, WONDROUS, AND MIRACULOUS PLANTS. -- Human Trees --\n  Man-bearing Trees -- The Wak-Wak, or Tree bearing Human Heads\n  -- Chinese and Indian Bird-bearing Tree -- Duck-bearing Tree\n  -- The Barnacle, or Goose Tree -- The Serpent-bearing Tree\n  -- The Oyster-bearing Tree -- The Animal-bearing Tree -- The\n  Butterfly-bearing Tree -- The Vegetable Lamb -- The Lamb-bearing\n  Tree -- Marvellous Trees and Plants -- Vegetable Monstrosities\n  -- Plants bearing Inscriptions and Figures -- Miraculous Plants\n  -- The Tree of St. Thomas -- The Withered Tree of the Sun -- The\n  Tree of Tiberias -- Father Garnet\u2019s Straw                          116\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\n  PLANTS CONNECTED WITH BIRDS AND ANIMALS. -- Seed-sowing Birds --\n  Birds as Almanacks -- The Cuckoo and the Cherry Tree -- Augury\n  by Cock and Barley -- The Nightingale and the Rose -- The Robin\n  and the Thorn -- The Missel-Thrush and Mistletoe -- The Swallow\n  and Celandine -- The Hawk and Hawkweed -- Life-giving Herb --\n  The Woodpecker and the Peony -- The Spring-wort and the Birds\n  -- Choughs and Olives -- Herb of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- The\n  Eyebright and Birds -- Plants named after Birds and Animals        136\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\n  THE DOCTRINE OF PLANT SIGNATURES. -- Illustrations and Examples\n  of the Signatures and Characterisms of Plants -- The Diseases\n  Cured by Herbs -- General Rules of the System of Plant Signatures\n  supposed to Reveal the Occult Powers and Virtues of Vegetables\n  -- Plants Identified with the Various Portions of the Human Body\n  -- The Old Herbals and Herbalists -- Extraordinary Properties\n  attributed to Herbs                                                154\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\n  PLANTS AND THE PLANETS. -- When to Pluck Herbs -- The Plants of\n  Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon --\n  Sun Flowers -- The Influence of the Moon on Plants -- Times and\n  Seasons to Sow and Plant -- The Moon and Gardening Operations --\n  The Moon-Tree -- Plants of the Moon-Goddesses -- The Man in the\n  Moon                                                               164\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\n  PLANT SYMBOLISM AND LANGUAGE. -- Plant Emblems of the Ancients\n  -- The Science of Plant Symbolism -- Floral Symbols of the\n  Scriptures -- The Passion Flower, or Flower of the Five Wounds --\n  Medi\u00e6val Plant Symbolism -- Floral Emblems of Shakspeare -- The\n  Language of Flowers -- Floral Vocabulary of the Greeks and Romans\n  -- A Dictionary of Flowers -- Floral Divination                    176\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\n  FUNERAL PLANTS. -- The Ancient Death-Gods -- The Elysian Fields\n  -- Death Trees -- Funereal Trees -- Aloe, Yew, Cypress, Bay,\n  Arbor-Vit\u00e6, Walnut, Mountain Ash, Tamarisk -- The Decorations of\n  Tombs -- Flowers at Funerals -- Old English Burial Customs --\n  Funeral Pyres -- Embalming -- Mummies -- Plants as Death Portents  189\n\n\n_PART THE SECOND._\n\n  AN ENCYCLOP\u00c6DIA OF SIX HUNDRED PLANTS, ENGLISH AND FOREIGN,\n  giving their Myths, Legends, Traditions, Folk-Lore, Symbolism,\n  and History                                                        205\n\n\n\n\nList of Illustrations.\n\n\n  GATHERING THE SELAGO (_drawn by Louis Absolon_)                 Cover.\n\n  THE GARDEN OF EDEN (_Parkinson\u2019s Paradisus_)             Frontispiece.\n\n  YGGDRASILL, THE MUNDANE ASH (_Finn Magnusen_)                        2\n\n  RELICS OF THE CRUCIFIXION (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                  45\n\n  THE TREE OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                 49\n\n  THE BARNACLE TREE (_Aldrovandi Ornithologia_)                      118\n\n  THE GOOSE TREE (_Gerarde\u2019s Herbal_)                                119\n\n  THE BAROMETZ, OR VEGETABLE LAMB (_Zahn_)                           121\n\n  THE LAMB TREE (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                             122\n\n  DEAD SEA FRUIT (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                            125\n\n  THE STONE TREE (_Gerarde\u2019s Herbal_)                                126\n\n  ARBOR SECCO, OR THE WITHERED TREE (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)         131\n\n  THE MIRACULOUS TREE OF TIBERIAS (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)           132\n\n  FATHER GARNET\u2019S STRAW (_Apology of Eud\u00e6mon Joannes_)               135\n\n  PIOUS BIRDS AND OLIVES (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                    143\n\n  THE PASSION FLOWER OF THE JESUITS (_Parkinson\u2019s Paradisus_)        182\n\n  THE TREE OF DEATH (_Maundevile\u2019s Travels_)                         190\n\n  THE GRANADILLA, OR PASSION FLOWER (_Zahn_)                         487\n\nThe head and tail pieces on pp. xiii., xxiv., 1, 8, 20, 21, 26, 40,\n64, 74, 116, 136, 164, 175, 200, 592, and 610, are reproductions from\noriginals in old herbals, &c.\n\n\n\n\nPart the First.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nThe analogy existing between the vegetable and animal worlds, and\nthe resemblances between human and tree life, have been observed\nby man from the most remote periods of which we have any records.\nPrimitive man, watching the marvellous changes in trees and plants,\nwhich accurately marked not only the seasons of the year, but even the\nperiods of time in a day, could not fail to be struck with a feeling\nof awe at the mysterious invisible power which silently guided such\nwondrous and incomprehensible operations. Hence it is not astonishing\nthat the early inhabitants of the earth should have invested with\nsupernatural attributes the tree, which in the gloom and chill of\nWinter stood gaunt, bare, and sterile, but in the early Spring hastened\nto greet the welcome warmth-giving Sun by investing itself with a\nbrilliant canopy of verdure, and in the scorching heat of Summer\nafforded a refreshing shade beneath its leafy boughs. So we find these\nmen of old, who had learnt to reverence the mysteries of vegetation,\nforming conceptions of vast cosmogonic world- or cloud-trees\novershadowing the universe; mystically typifying creation and\nregeneration, and yielding the divine ambrosia or food of immortality,\nthe refreshing and life-inspiring rain, and the mystic fruit which\nimparted knowledge and wisdom to those who partook of it. So, again,\nwe find these nebulous overspreading world-trees connected with the\nmysteries of death, and giving shelter to the souls of the departed in\nthe solemn shade of their dense foliage.\n\nLooking upon vegetation as symbolical of life and generation, man,\nin course of time, connected the origin of his species with these\nshadowy cloud-trees, and hence arose the belief that humankind first\nsprang from Ash and Oak-trees, or derived their being from Holda, the\ncloud-goddess who combined in her person the form of a lovely woman\nand the trunk of a mighty tree. In after years trees were almost\nuniversally regarded either as sentient beings or as constituting the\nabiding places of spirits whose existence was bound up in the lives of\nthe trees they inhabited. Hence arose the conceptions of Hamadryads,\nDryads, Sylvans, Tree-nymphs, Elves, Fairies, and other beneficent\nspirits who peopled forests and dwelt in individual trees--not only\nin the Old World, but in the dense woods of North America, where the\nMik-amwes, like Puck, has from time immemorial frolicked by moonlight\nin the forest openings. Hence, also, sprang up the morbid notion of\ntrees being haunted by demons, mischievous imps, ghosts, nats, and\nevil spirits, whom it was deemed by the ignorant and superstitious\nnecessary to propitiate by sacrifices, offerings, and mysterious rites\nand dances. Remnants of this superstitious tree-worship are still\nextant in some European countries. The _Irminsul_ of the Germans and\nthe Central Oak of the Druids were of the same family as the _Asherah_\nof the Semitic nations. In England, this primeval superstition has its\ndescendants in the village maypole bedizened with ribbons and flowers,\nand the Jack-in-the-Green with its attendant devotees and whirling\ndancers. The modern Christmas-tree, too, although but slightly known in\nGermany at the beginning of the present century, is evidently a remnant\nof the pagan tree-worship; and it is somewhat remarkable that a similar\ntree is common among the Burmese, who call it the _Padaytha-bin_. This\nTuranian Christmas-tree is made by the inhabitants of towns, who deck\nits Bamboo twigs with all sorts of presents, and pile its roots with\nblankets, cloth, earthenware, and other useful articles. The wealthier\nclasses contribute sometimes a _Ngway Padaytha_, or silver Padaytha,\nthe branches of which are hung with rupees and smaller silver coins\nwrapped in tinsel or coloured paper. These trees are first carried in\nprocession, and afterwards given to monasteries on the occasion of\ncertain festivals or the funerals of Buddhist monks. They represent\nthe wishing-tree, which, according to Burmese mythology, grows in the\nNorthern Island and heaven of the nats or spirits, where it bears on\nits fairy branches whatever may be wished for.\n\nThe ancient conception of human trees can be traced in the\nsuperstitious endeavours of ignorant peasants to get rid of diseases\nby transferring them to vicarious trees, or rather to the spirits who\nare supposed to dwell in them; and it is the same idea that impels\nsimple rustics to bury Elder-sticks and Peach-leaves to which they have\nimparted warts, &c. The recognised analogy between the life of plants\nand that of man, and the cherished superstition that trees were the\nhomes of living and sentient spirits, undoubtedly influenced the poets\nof the ancients in forming their conceptions of heroes and heroines\nmetamorphosed into trees and flowers; and traces of the old belief\nare to be found in the custom of planting a tree on the birth of an\ninfant; the tree being thought to symbolise human life in its destiny\nof growth, production of fruit, and multiplication of its species;\nand, when fully grown, giving shade, shelter, and protection. This\npleasant rite is still extant in our country as well as in Germany,\nFrance, Italy, and Russia; and from it has probably arisen a custom now\nbecoming very general of planting a tree to commemorate any special\noccasion. Nor is the belief confined to the Old World, for Mr. Leland\nhas quite recently told us that he observed near the tent of a North\nAmerican Indian two small evergreens, which were most carefully tended.\nOn enquiry he found the reason to be that when a child is born, or\nis yet young, its parent chooses a shrub, which growing as the child\ngrows, will, during the child\u2019s absence, or even in after years,\nindicate by its appearance whether the human counterpart be ill or\nwell, alive or dead. In one of the Qu\u0101di Indian stories it is by means\nof the sympathetic tree that the hero learns his brother\u2019s death.\n\nIn the middle ages, the old belief in trees possessing intelligence\nwas utilised by the monks, who have embodied the conception in many\nmedi\u00e6val legends, wherein trees are represented as bending their\nboughs and offering their fruits to the Virgin and her Divine Infant.\nSo, again, during the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, trees are\nsaid to have opened and concealed the fugitives from Herod\u2019s brutal\nsoldiery. Certain trees (notably the Aspen) are reputed to have been\naccursed and to have shuddered and trembled ever after on account of\ntheir connexion with the tragedy of Calvary; while others are said\nto have undergone a similar doom because they were attainted by the\nsuicide of the traitor Judas Iscariot.\n\nSeeing that the reverence and worship paid to trees by the ignorant\nand superstitious people was an institution impossible to uproot, the\nearly Christian Church sought to turn it to account, and therefore\nconsecrated old and venerated trees, built shrines beneath their\nshade, or placed on their trunks crucifixes and images of the Blessed\nVirgin. Legends connecting trees with holy personages, miracles, and\nsacred subjects were, in after years, freely disseminated; one of the\nmost remarkable being the marvellous history of the Tree of Adam,\nin which it is sought to connect the Tree of Paradise with the Tree\nof Calvary. Evelyn summarises this misty tradition in the following\nsentence:--\u201cTrees and woods have twice saved the whole world: first, by\nthe Ark, then by the Cross; making full amends for the evil fruit of\nthe tree in Paradise by that which was borne on the tree in Golgotha.\u201d\nIn course of time the flowers and plants which the ancients had\ndedicated to their pagan deities were transferred by the Christian\nChurch to the shrines of the Virgin and sainted personages; this is\nespecially noticeable in the plants formerly dedicated to Venus and\nFreyja, which, as being the choicest as well as the most popular,\nbecame, in honour of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady\u2019s plants. Vast numbers\nof flowers were in course of time appropriated by the Church, and\nconsecrated to her saints and martyrs--the selection being governed\ngenerally by the fact that the flower bloomed on or about the day on\nwhich the Church celebrated the saint\u2019s feast. These appropriations\nenabled the Roman Catholics to compile a complete calendar of flowers\nfor every day in the year, in which each flower is dedicated to a\nparticular saint.\n\nBut if the most beautiful flowers and plants were taken under the\nprotection of the Church, and dedicated to the memory of her holiest\nand most venerated members, so, also, certain trees, plants, and\nflowers--which, either on account of their noxious properties, or\nbecause of some legendary associations, were under a ban--became\nrelegated to the service of the Devil and his minions. Hence we find a\nlarge group of plants associated with enchanters, sorcerers, wizards\nand witches, many of which betray in their nomenclature their Satanic\nassociation, and are, even at the present day, regarded suspiciously as\nill-omened and unlucky. These are the plants which, in the dark days of\nwitchcraft and superstition, were invested with mysterious and magical\nproperties,--the herbs which were employed by hags and witches in their\nheathenish incantations, and from which they brewed their potions and\nhell-broths. Thus Ben Jonson, in his fragment, \u2018The Sad Shepherd,\u2019\nmakes one of his characters say, when speaking of a witch:--\n\n                \u201cHe knows her shifts and haunts,\n  And all her wiles and turns. The venom\u2019d plants\n  Wherewith she kills! where the sad Mandrake grows,\n  Whose groans are dreadful! the dead-numming Nightshade!\n  The stupefying Hemlock! Adder\u2019s-tongue!\n  And Martagan!\u201d\n\nThe association of plants with magic, sorcery, and the black art dates\nfrom remote times. The blind Norse god H\u00f6dr slew Baldr with a twig\nof Mistletoe. In the battles recorded in the Vedas as being fought\nby the gods and the demons, the latter employ poisonous and magical\nherbs which the gods counteract with counter-poisons and health-giving\nplants. Hermes presented to Ulysses the magical Moly wherewith to\nnullify the effects of the potions and spells of the enchantress\nCirce, who was well acquainted with all sorts of magical herbs. The\nDruids professed to know the secrets of many magical plants which\nthey gathered with mysterious and occult rites. The Vervain, Selago,\nMistletoe, Oak, and Rowan were all said by these ancient priests and\nlawgivers to be possessed of supernatural properties; and remnants of\nthe old belief in their magical powers are still extant.\n\nIn works on the subject of plant lore hitherto published in England,\nscarcely any reference has been made to the labours in the field\nof comparative mythology of Max M\u00fcller, Grimm, Kuhn, Mannhardt, De\nGubernatis, and other eminent scholars, whose erudite and patient\ninvestigations have resulted in the accumulation of a vast amount\nof valuable information respecting the traditions and superstitions\nconnected with the plant kingdom. Mr. Kelly\u2019s interesting work on\nIndo-European Tradition, published some years ago, dealt, among\nother subjects, with that of plant lore, and drew attention to\nthe analogy existing between the myths and folk-lore of India and\nEurope relating more especially to plants which were reputed to\npossess magical properties. Among such plants, peculiar interest\nattaches to a group which, according to Aryan tradition, sprang from\nlightning--the embodiment of fire, the great quickening agent: this\ngroup embraces the Hazel, the Thorn, the Hindu _Sami_, the Hindu\n_Palasa_, with its European congener the Rowan, and the Mistletoe:\nthe two last-named plants were, as we have seen, employed in Druidic\nrites. These trees are considered of good omen and as protectives\nagainst sorcery and witchcraft: from all of them wishing-rods (called\nin German _W\u00fcnschelruthen_) and divining-rods have been wont to be\nfashioned--magical wands with which, in some countries, cattle are\nstill struck to render them prolific, hidden springs are indicated,\nand mineral wealth is discovered. Such a rod was thought to be the\ncaduceus of the god Hermes, or Mercury, described by Homer as being\na rod of prosperity and wealth. All these rods are cut with a forked\nend, a shape held to be symbolic of lightning and a rude effigy of the\nhuman form. It is interesting to note that in the _Rigveda_ the human\nform is expressly attributed to the pieces of Asvattha wood used for\nkindling the sacred fire--a purpose fulfilled by the Thorn in the chark\nor instrument employed for producing fire by the Greeks. Another group\nof plants also connected with fire and lightning comprises the Mandrake\n(the root of which is forked like the human form), the Fern _Polypodium\nFilix mas_ (which has large pinnate leaves), the Sesame (called in\nIndia Thunderbolt-flower), the Spring-wort, and the Luck-flower. The\nMandrake and Fern, like King Solomon\u2019s _Baharas_, are said to shine at\nnight, and to leap about like a Will-o\u2019the-wisp: indeed, in Thuringia,\nthe Fern is known as _Irrkraut_, or Misleading Herb, and in Franche\nComt\u00e9 this herb is spoken of as causing belated travellers to become\nlight-headed or thunder-struck. The Mandrake-root and the Fern-seed\nhave the magical property of granting the desires of their possessors,\nand in this respect resemble the Sesame and Luck-flower, which at\ntheir owners\u2019 request will disclose treasure-caves, open the sides\nof mountains, clefts of rocks, or strong doors, and in fact render\nuseless all locks, bolts, and bars, at will. The Spring-wort, through\nthe agency of a bird, removes obstacles by means of an explosion caused\nby the electricity or lightning of which this plant is an embodiment.\nAkin to these are plants known in our country as Lunary or Moonwort and\nUnshoe-the-Horse, and called by the Italians _Sferracavallo_--plants\nwhich possess the property of unshoeing horses and opening locks. A\nRussian herb, the _Rasrivtrava_, belongs to the same group: this plant\nfractures chains and breaks open locks--virtues also claimed for the\nVervain (_Eisenkraut_), the Primrose (_Schl\u00fcsselblume_), the Fern,\nand the Hazel. It should be noted of the Mistletoe (which is endowed\nby nature with branches regularly forked, and has been classified\nwith the lightning-plants), that the Swedes call it \u201cThunder-besom,\u201d\nand attribute to it the same powers as to the Spring-wort. Like the\nFly-Rowan (_Fl\u00f6g-r\u00f6nn_) and the Asvattha, it is a parasite, and is\nthought to spring from seeds dropped by birds upon trees. Just as the\nDruids ascribed peculiar virtues to a Mistletoe produced by this means\non an Oak, so do the Hindus especially esteem an Asvattha which has\ngrown in like manner upon a Sami (_Acacia Suma_).\n\nIt is satisfactory to find that, although the Devil has had certain\nplants allotted to him wherewith to work mischief and destruction\nthrough the agency of demons, sorcerers, and witches, there are\nyet a great number of plants whose special mission it is to thwart\nSatanic machinations, to protect their owners from the dire effects\nof witchcraft or the Evil Eye, and to guard them from the perils of\nthunder and lightning. In our own country, Houseleek and Stonecrop\nare thought to fulfil this latter function; in Westphalia, the\n_Donnerkraut_ (Orpine) is a thunder protective; in the Tyrol,\nthe Alpine Rose guards the house-roof from lightning; and in the\nNetherlands, the St. John\u2019s Wort, gathered before sunrise, is deemed\na protection against thunderstorms. This last plant is especially\nhateful to evil spirits, and in days gone by was called _Fuga d\u00e6monum_,\ndispeller of demons. In Russia, a plant, called the _Certagon_, or\nDevil-chaser, is used to exorcise Satan or his fiends if they torment\nan afflicted mourner; and in the same country the _Prikrit_ is a\nherb whose peculiar province it is to destroy calumnies with which\nmischief-makers may seek to interfere with the consummation of lovers\u2019\nbliss. Other plants induce concord, love, and sympathy, and others\nagain enable the owner to forget sorrow.\n\nPlants connected with dreams and visions have not hitherto received\nmuch notice; but, nevertheless, popular belief has attributed to some\nfew--and notably the Elm, the Four-leaved Clover, and the Russian\n_Son-trava_--the subtle power of procuring dreams of a prophetic\nnature. Numerous plants have been thought by the superstitious to\nportend certain results to the sleeper when forming the subject of his\nor her dreams. Many examples of this belief will be found scattered\nthrough these pages.\n\nThe legends attached to flowers may be divided into four classes--the\nmythological, the ecclesiastical, the historical, and the poetical. For\nthe first-named we are chiefly indebted to Ovid, and to the Jesuit Ren\u00e9\nRapin, whose Latin poem _De Hortorum Cultura_ contains much curious\nplant lore current in his time. His legends, like those of Ovid, nearly\nall relate to the transformation by the gods of luckless nymphs and\nyouths into flowers and trees, which have since borne their names. Most\nof them refer to the blossoms of bulbous plants, which appear in the\nearly Spring; and, as a rule, white flowers are represented as having\noriginated from tears, and pink or red flowers from blushes or blood.\nThe ecclesiastical legends are principally due to the old Catholic\nmonks, who, while tending their flowers in the quietude and seclusion\nof monastery gardens, doubtless came to associate them with the memory\nof some favourite saint or martyr, and so allowed their gentle fancy to\nweave a pious fiction wherewith to perpetuate the memory of the saint\nin the name of the flower. For many of the historical legends we are\nalso indebted to monastic writers, and they mostly pertain to favourite\nsons and daughters of the Church. Amongst what we have designated\npoetical legends must be included the numerous fairy tales in which\nflowers and plants play a not unimportant part, as well as the stories\nwhich connect plants with the doings of Trolls, Elves, Witches, and\nDemons. Many such legends, both English and foreign, will be found\nintroduced in the following pages.\n\nIt has recently become the fashion to explain the origin of myths and\nlegends by a theory which makes of them mere symbols of the phenomena\nappertaining to the solar system, or metaphors of the four seasons and\nthe different periods in a day\u2019s span. Thus we are told that, in the\nwell-known story of the transformation of Daphne into a Laurel-bush,\nto enable her to escape the importunities of Apollo (see p. 404), we\nought not to conceive the idea of the handsome passionate god pursuing\na coy nymph until in despair she calls on the water-gods to change her\nform, but that, on the contrary, we should regard the whole story as\nsimply an allegory implying that \u201cthe dawn rushes and trembles through\nthe sky, and fades away at the sudden appearance of the bright sun.\u201d\nSo, again, in the myth of Pan and Syrinx (p. 559), in which the Satyr\npursues the maiden who is transformed into the Reed from which Pan\nfashioned his pipes, the meaning intended to be conveyed is, we are\ntold, that the blustering wind bends and breaks the swaying Rushes,\nthrough which it rustles and whistles. Prof. De Gubernatis, in his\nvaluable work _La Mythologie des Plantes_, gives a number of clever\nexplanations of old legends and myths, in accordance with the \u201cSolar\u201d\ntheory, which are certainly ingenious, if somewhat monotonous. Let us\ntake, as an example, the German story of the Watcher of the Road, which\nappears at page 326. In this tale a lovely princess, abandoned for a\nrival by her attractive husband, pines away, and at last desiring to\ndie if only she can be sure of going somewhere where she may always\nwatch for him, is transformed into the wayside Endive or Succory. Here\nis the Professor\u2019s explanation:--\u201cDoes not the fatal rival of the\nyoung princess, who cries herself to death on account of her dazzling\nhusband\u2019s desertion, and who even in death desires still to gaze on\nhim, symbolise the humid night, which every evening allures the sun to\nher arms, and thus keeps him from the love of his bride, who awakens\nevery day with the sun, just as does the flower of the Succory?\u201d These\nscientific elucidations of myths, however dexterous and poetical they\nmay be, do not appear to us applicable to plant legends, whose chief\ncharm lies in their simplicity and appositeness; nor can we imagine\nwhy Aryan or other story-tellers should be deemed so destitute of\ninventive powers as to be obliged to limit all their tales to the\ndescription of celestial phenomena. In the Vedas, trees, flowers, and\nherbs are invoked to cause love, avert evil and danger, and neutralise\nspells and curses. The ancients must, therefore, have had an exalted\nidea of their nature and properties, and hence it is not surprising\nthat they should have dedicated them to their deities, and that these\ndeities should have employed them for supernatural purposes. Thus Indra\nconquered Vritra and slew demons by means of the Soma; Hermes presented\nthe all-potent Moly to Ulysses; and Medea taught Jason how to use\ncertain enchanted herbs; just as, later in the world\u2019s history, Druids\nexorcised evil spirits with Mistletoe and Vervain, and sorcerers and\nwise women used St. John\u2019s Wort and other plants to ward off demons and\nthunderbolts. The ancients evidently regarded their gods and goddesses\nas very human, and therefore it would seem unnecessary and unjust so to\nalter their tales about them as to explain away their obvious meaning.\n\nFlowers are the companions of man throughout his life--his attendants\nto his last resting place. They are, as Mr. Ruskin says, precious\nalways \u201cto the child and the girl, the peasant and the manufacturing\noperative, to the grisette and the nun, the lover and the monk.\u201d\nNature, in scattering them over the earth\u2019s surface, would seem to\nhave designed to cheer and refresh its inhabitants by their varied\ncolouring and fragrance, and to elevate them by their wondrous beauty\nand delicacy; from them, as old Parkinson truly wrote, \u201cwe may draw\nmatter at all times, not onely to magnifie the Creator that hath given\nthem such diversities of forms, sents, and colours, that the most\ncunning workman cannot imitate, ... but many good instructions also to\nour selves; that as many herbs and flowers, with their fragrant sweet\nsmels do comfort and as it were revive the spirits, and perfume a whole\nhouse, even so such men as live vertuously, labouring to do good, and\nprofit the Church, God, and the common wealth by their pains or pen,\ndo as it were send forth a pleasing savour of sweet instructions.\u201d The\npoet Wordsworth reminds us that\n\n  \u201cGod made the flowers to beautify\n  The earth, and cheer man\u2019s careful mood;\n  And he is happiest who hath power\n  To gather wisdom from a flower,\n  And wake his heart in every hour\n          To pleasant gratitude.\u201d\n\nIn these pages will be found many details as to the use of these\nbeauteous gems of Nature, both by the ancient races of the world and\nby the people of our own generation; their adaptation to the Church\u2019s\nceremonial and to popular festivals; their use as portents, symbols,\nand emblems; and their employment as an adornment of the graves of\nloved ones. Much more could have been written, had space permitted,\nregarding their value to the architect and the herald. The Acanthus,\nLotus, Trefoil, Lily, Vine, Ivy, Pomegranate, Oak, Palm, Acacia, and\nmany other plants have been reproduced as ornaments by the sculptor,\nand it is a matter of tradition that to the majestic aspect of an\navenue of trees we owe the lengthy aisle and fretted vault of the\nGothic order of architecture. In the field of heraldry it is noticeable\nthat many nations, families, and individuals have, in addition to their\nheraldic badges, adopted plants as special symbols, the circumstances\nof their adoption forming the groundwork of a vast number of legends: a\nglance at the index will show that some of these are to be discovered\nin the present work. Many towns and villages owe their names to trees\nor plants; and not a few English families have taken their surnames\nfrom members of the vegetable kingdom. In Scotland, the name of Frazer\nis derived from the Strawberry-leaves (_fraises_) borne on the family\nshield of arms, and the Gowans and Primroses also owe their names to\nplants. The Highland clans are all distinguished by the floral badge\nor _Suieachantas_ which is worn in the bonnet. For the most part the\nplants adopted for these badges are evergreens; and it is said that the\ndeciduous Oak which was selected by the Stuarts was looked upon as a\nportent of evil to the royal house.\n\nThe love of human kind for flowers would seem to be shared by many\nmembers of the feathered tribe. Poets have sung of the passion of the\nNightingale for the Rose and of the fondness of the Bird of Paradise\nfor the dazzling blooms of the Tropics: the especial liking, however,\nof one of this race--the _Amblyornis inornata_--for flowers is worthy\nof record, inasmuch as this bird-gardener not only erects for itself\na bower, but surrounds it with a mossy sward, on which it continually\ndeposits fresh flowers and fruit of brilliant hue, so arranged as to\nform an elegant _parterre_.\n\nWe have reached our limit, and can only just notice the old traditions\nrelating to the sympathies and antipathies of plants. The Jesuit\nKircher describes the hatred existing between Hemlock and Rue, Reeds\nand Fern, and Cyclamen and Cabbages as so intense, that one of them\ncannot live on the same ground with the other. The Walnut, it is\nbelieved, dislikes the Oak, the Rowan the Juniper, the White-thorn\nthe Black-thorn; and there is said to be a mutual aversion between\nRosemary, Lavender, the Bay-tree, Thyme, and Marjoram. On the other\nhand, the Rose is reported to love the Onion and Garlic, and to put\nforth its sweetest blooms when in propinquity to those plants; and a\nbond of fellowship is fabled to exist between a Fig-tree and Rue. Lord\nBacon, noticing these traditionary sympathies and antipathies, explains\nthem as simply the outcome of the nature of the plants, and his\nphilosophy is not difficult to be understood by intelligent observers,\nfor, as St. Anthony truly said, the great book of Nature, which\ncontains but three leaves--the Heavens, the Earth, and the Sea--is open\nfor all men alike.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nPLANT LORE, LEGENDS, AND LYRICS.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nThe World-Trees of the Ancients.\n\n\nIt is a proof of the solemnity with which, from the very earliest\ntimes, man has invested trees, and of the reverence with which he\nhas ever regarded them, that they are found figuring prominently in\nthe mythology of almost every nation; and despite the fact that in\nsome instances these ancient myths reach us, after the lapse of ages,\nin distorted and grotesque forms, they would seem to be worthy of\npreservation, if only as curiosities in plant lore. In some cases\nthe myth relates to a mystic cloud-tree which supplies the gods with\nimmortal fruit; in others to a tree which imparts to mankind wisdom\nand knowledge; in others to a tree which is the source and fountain\nof all life; and in others, again, to the actual descent of mankind\nfrom anthropological or parent trees. In one cosmogony--that of the\nIranians--the first human pair are represented as having grown up as\na single tree, the fingers or twigs of each one being folded over the\nother\u2019s ears, till the time came when, ripe for separation, they became\ntwo sentient beings, and were infused by Ormuzd with distinct human\nsouls.\n\nBut besides these trees, which in some form or other benefit and\npopulate the earth, there are to be found in ancient myths records of\nillimitable trees that existed in space whilst yet the elements of\ncreation were chaotic, and whose branches overshadowed the universe.\nOne of the mythical accounts of the creation of the world represents\na vast cosmogonic tree rearing its enormous bulk from the midst of\nan ocean before the formation of the earth had taken place; and\nthis conception, it may be remarked, is in consonance with a Vedic\ntradition that plants were created three ages before the gods. In India\nthe idea of a primordial cosmogonic tree, vast as the world itself,\nand the generator thereof, is very prevalent; and in the Scandinavian\nprose Edda we find the Skalds shadowing forth an all-pervading mundane\nAsh, called Yggdrasill, beneath whose shade the gods assemble every day\nin council, and whose branches spread over the whole world, and even\nreach above heaven, whilst its roots penetrate to the infernal regions.\nThis cloud-tree of the Norsemen is thought to be a symbol of universal\nnature.\n\nThe accompanying illustration is taken from Finn Magnusen\u2019s pictorial\nrepresentation of the Yggdrasill myth, and depicts his conception of\n\n\nThe Norse World-Tree.\n\nAccording to the Eddaic accounts, the Ash Yggdrasill is the greatest\nand best of all trees. One of its stems springs from the central\nprimordial abyss--from the subterranean source of matter--runs up\nthrough the earth, which it supports, and issuing out of the celestial\nmountain in the world\u2019s centre, called Asgard, spreads its branches\nover the entire universe. These wide-spread branches are the \u00e6thereal\nor celestial regions; their leaves, the clouds; their buds or fruits,\nthe stars. Four harts run across the branches of the tree, and bite the\nbuds: these are the four cardinal winds. Perched upon the top branches\nis an eagle, and between his eyes sits a hawk: the eagle symbolises\nthe air, the hawk the wind-still \u00e6ther. A squirrel runs up and down\nthe Ash, and seeks to cause strife between the eagle and Nidh\u00f6gg, a\nmonster, which is constantly gnawing the roots: the squirrel signifies\nhail and other atmospherical phenomena; Nidh\u00f6gg and the serpents that\ngnaw the roots of the mundane tree are the volcanic agencies which\nare constantly seeking to destroy earth\u2019s foundations. Another stem\nsprings in the warm south over the \u00e6thereal Urdar fountain, where the\ngods sit in judgment. In this fountain swim two swans, the progenitors\nof all that species: these swans are, by Finn Magnusen, supposed to\ntypify the sun and moon. Near this fountain dwell three maidens, who\nfix the lifetime of all men, and are called Norns: every day they draw\nwater from the spring, and with it sprinkle the Ash in order that its\nbranches may not rot and wither away. This water is so holy, that\neverything placed in the spring becomes as white as the film within\nan egg-shell. The dew that falls from the tree on the earth men call\nhoney-dew, and it is the food of the bees. The third stem of Yggdrasill\ntakes its rise in the cold and cheerless regions of the north (the\nland of the Frost Giants), over the source of the ocean, typified by a\nspring called Mimir\u2019s Well, in which wisdom and wit lie hidden. Mimir,\nthe owner of this spring, is full of wisdom because he drinks of its\nwaters. One day Odin came and begged a draught of water from the well,\nwhich he obtained, but was obliged to leave one of his eyes as a pledge\nfor it. This myth Finn Magnusen thinks signifies the descent of the\nsun every evening into the sea (to learn wisdom from Mimir during the\nnight); the mead quaffed by Mimir every morning being the ruddy dawn,\nthat, spreading over the sky, exhilarates all nature.\n\n[Illustration: [TO FACE PAGE 2.\n\nYggdrasill, the Mundane Tree.\n\n_From Finn Magnusen\u2019s \u2018Eddal\u00e6ren.\u2019_]\n\n\nThe Hindu World-Tree.\n\nThe Indian cosmogonic tree is the symbol of vegetation, of universal\nlife, and of immortality. In the sacred Vedic writings it receives\nthe special names of _Ilpa_, _Kalpadruma_, _Kalpaka-taru_, and\n_Kalpavriksha_, on the fruits of which latter tree the first men\nsustained and nourished life. In its quality of Tree of Paradise, it\nis called _P\u00e2rij\u00e2ta_; and as the ambrosial tree--the tree yielding\nimmortal food--it is known as _Amrita_ and _Soma_. This mystic\nworld-tree of the Hindus, according to the Rigveda, is supernaturally\nthe God Brahma himself; and all the gods are considered as branches\nof the divine parent stem--the elementary or fragmentary form of\nBrahma, the vast overspreading tree of the universe. In the Vedas\nthis celestial tree is described as the _Pippala_ (Peepul), and is\nalluded to as being in turns visited by two beauteous birds--the one\nfeeding itself on the fruit (typifying probably the moon or twilight);\nthe other simply hovering, with scintillating plumage, and singing\nmelodiously (typifying perhaps the sun or daybreak).\n\nUnder the name of _Ilpa_ (the _Jamboa_, or Rose-apple) the cosmogonic\ntree is described as growing in the midst of the lake Ara in Brahma\u2019s\nworld, beyond the river that never grows old, from whence are procured\nthe waters of eternal youth. Brahma imparts to it his own perfume, and\nfrom it obtains the sap of vitality. To its branches the dead cling and\nclimb, in order that they may enter into the regions of immortality.\n\nAs the _Kalpadruma_, _Kalpaka-taru_, and _Kalpavriksha_, the Indian\nsacred writings describe a cloud-tree, which, by its shadows, produced\nday and night before the creation of sun and moon. This cosmogonic\ntree, which is of colossal proportions, grows in the midst of flowers\nand streamlets on a steep mountain. It fulfils all desires, imparts\nuntold bliss, and, what in the eyes of Buddhists constitutes its chief\nsublimity, it gives knowledge and wisdom to humanity; in a word it\ncombines within its mystic branches all riches and all knowledge.\n\nAs the _Soma_, the world-tree becomes in Indian mysticism a tree\nof Paradise, at once the king of all trees and vegetation, and the\ngod Soma to be adored. It furnishes the divine ambrosia or essence\nof immortality, concealed sometimes in the clouds, sometimes in\nthe billows of the soft and silvery light that proceeds from the\ngreat-Soma, the great Indu, the moon. Hence this mystic tree, from the\nfoliage of which drops the life-giving Soma, is sometimes characterised\nas the Hindu Moon-Tree. Out of this cosmogonic tree the immortals\nshaped the heaven and the earth. It is the Tree of Intelligence, and\ngrows in the third heaven, over which it spreads its mighty branches;\nbeneath it Yama and the Pitris dwell, and quaff the immortalising\nSoma with the gods. At its foot grow plants of all healing virtue,\nincorporations of the Soma. Two birds sit on its top, one of which eats\nFigs, whilst the other simply watches. Other birds press out the Soma\njuice from its branches. This ambrosial tree, besides dropping the\nprecious Soma, bears fruit and seed of every kind known in the world.\n\n\nThe World-Tree of the Buddhists.\n\nThe Sacred Tree of Buddha is in the complex theology of his followers\nrepresented under different guises: it is cosmogonic, it imparts\nwisdom, it produces the divine ambrosia or food of immortality, it\nyields the refreshing and life-inspiring rain, and it affords an\nabiding-place for the souls of the blessed.\n\nThe supernatural and sacred Tree of Buddha, the cloud-tree, the Tree\nof Knowledge, the Tree of Wisdom, the Ambrosia-tree, is covered with\ndivine flowers; it glows and sparkles with the brilliance of all\nmanner of precious stones; the root, the trunk, the branches, and the\nleaves are formed of gems of the most glorious description. It grows\nin soil pure and delightfully even, to which the rich verdure of grass\nimparts the tints of a peacock\u2019s neck. It receives the homage of the\ngods; and the arm of M\u00e2y\u00e2 (the mother of Buddha) when she stretches\nit forth to grasp the bough which bends towards her, shines as the\nlightning illumines the sky. Beneath this sacred tree, the Tree of\nKnowledge, Buddha, at whose birth a flash of light pierced through\nall the world, sat down with the firm resolve not to rise until he\nhad attained the knowledge which \u201cmaketh free.\u201d Then the Tempter,\nM\u00e2ra, advanced with his demoniacal forces: encircling the Sacred Tree,\nhosts of demons assailed Buddha with fiery darts, amid the whirl of\nhurricanes, darkness, and the downpour of floods of water, to drive\nhim from the Tree. Buddha, however, maintained his position unmoved;\nand at length the demons were compelled to fly. Buddha had conquered,\nand in defeating the Tempter M\u00e2ra, and obtaining possession of his\nTree of Knowledge, he had also obtained possession of deliverance.\nProf. De Gubernatis, in explaining this myth, characterises the tree\nas the cloud-tree: in the clouds the heavenly flame is stored, and it\nis guarded by the dark demons. In the Vedic hymns, the powers of light\nand darkness fight their great battle for the clouds, and the ambrosia\nwhich they contain; this is the identical battle of Buddha with the\nhosts of M\u00e2ra. In the cloud-battle the ambrosia (_amrita_) which is in\nthe clouds is won; the enlightenment and deliverance which Buddha wins\nare also called an ambrosia; and the kingdom of knowledge is the land\nof immortality.\n\nThere is a tradition current in Thibet that the Tree of Buddha received\nthe name of _T\u00e2r\u00e2yana_, that is to say, The Way of Safety, because it\ngrew by the side of the river that separates the world from heaven; and\nthat only by means of its overhanging branches could mankind pass from\nthe earthly to the immortal bank.\n\nThe material tree of Buddha is generally represented either under the\nform of the _Asvattha_ (the _Ficus religiosa_), or of the _Udumbara_\n(the _Ficus glomerata_), which appeared at the birth of Buddha; but in\naddition to these guises, we find it also associated with the _Asoka_\n(_Jonesia Asoka_), the _Palasa_ (_Butea frondosa_), the _Bh\u00e2nuphal\u00e2_\n(_Musa sapientum_), and sometimes with the Palmyra Palm (_Borassus\nflabelliformis_).\n\nUnder one of these trees the ascetic, Gautama Buddha, one momentous\nnight, went through successively purer and purer stages of abstraction\nof consciousness, until the sense of omniscient illumination came\nover him, and he attained to the knowledge of the sources of mortal\nsuffering. That night which Buddha passed under the Tree of Knowledge\non the banks of the river _Nairanjan\u00e2_, is the sacred night of the\nBuddhist world. There is a Peepul-tree (_Ficus religiosa_) at Buddha\nGay\u00e2 which is regarded as being this particular tree: it is very much\ndecayed, and must have been frequently renewed, as the present tree\nis standing on a terrace at least thirty feet above the level of the\nsurrounding country.\n\n\nThe Iranian World-Tree.\n\nThe world-tree of the Iranians is the Haoma, which is thought to be\nthe same as the _Gaokerena_ of the Zendavesta. This Haoma, the sacred\nVine of the Zoroastrians, produces the primal drink of immortality\nafter which it is named. It is the first of all trees, planted in\nheaven by Ormuzd, in the fountain of life, near another tree called\nthe \u201cimpassive\u201d or \u201cinviolable,\u201d which bears the seeds of every kind\nof vegetable life. Both these trees are situated in a lake called\nVouru Kasha, and are guarded by ten fish, who keep a ceaseless watch\nupon a lizard sent by the evil power, Ahriman, to destroy the sacred\nHaoma. The \u201cinviolable\u201d tree is also known both as the eagle\u2019s and\nthe owl\u2019s tree. Either one or the other of these birds (probably the\neagle) sits perched on its top. The moment he rises from the tree,\na thousand branches shoot forth; when he settles again he breaks a\nthousand branches, and causes their seed to fall. Another bird, that\nis his constant companion, picks up these seeds and carries them to\nwhere Tistar draws water, which he then rains down upon the earth with\nthe seeds it contains. These two trees--the Haoma and the eagle\u2019s or\n\u201cinviolable\u201d--would seem originally to have been one. The lizard sent\nby Ahriman to destroy the Haoma is known to the Indians as a dragon,\nthe spoiler of harvests, and the ravisher of the Apas, or brides of the\ngods, Peris who navigate the celestial sea.\n\n\nThe Assyrian Sacred Tree.\n\nIn intimate connection with the worship of Assur, the supreme deity\nof the Assyrians, \u201cthe God who created himself,\u201d was the Sacred\nTree, regarded by the Assyrian race as the personification of life\nand generation. This tree, which was considered coeval with Assur,\nthe great First Source, was adored in conjunction with the god; for\nsculptures have been found representing figures kneeling in adoration\nbefore it, and bearing mystic offerings to hang upon its boughs. In\nthese sculptured effigies of the Sacred Tree the simplest form consists\nof a pair of ram\u2019s horns, surmounted by a capital composed of two\npairs of rams\u2019 horns, separated by horizontal bands, above which is a\nscroll, and then a flower resembling the Honeysuckle ornament of the\nGreeks. Sometimes this blossoms, and generally the stem also throws\nout a number of smaller blossoms, which are occasionally replaced by\nFir-cones and Pomegranates. In the most elaborately-portrayed Sacred\nTrees there is, besides the stem and the blossoms, a network of\nbranches, which forms a sort of arch, and surrounds the tree as it were\nwith a frame.\n\nThe Ph\u0153nicians, who were not idolaters, in the ordinary acceptation of\nthe word--inasmuch as they did not worship images of their deities,\nand regarded the ever-burning fire on their altars as the sole emblem\nof the Supreme Being,--paid adoration to this Sacred Tree, effigies of\nwhich were set up in front of the temples, and had sacrifices offered\nto them. This mystic tree was known to the Jews as _Asherah_. At\nfestive seasons the Ph\u0153nicians adorned it with boughs, flowers, and\nribands, and regarded it as the central object of their worship.\n\n\nThe Mother Tree of the Greeks, Romans, and Teutons.\n\nThe Greeks appear to have cherished a tradition that the first race of\nmen sprang from a cosmogonic Ash. This cloud Ash became personified\nin their myth as a daughter of Oceanos, named Melia, who married\nthe river-god Inachos, and gave birth to Phoroneus, in whom the\nPeloponnesian legend recognised the fire-bringer and the first man.\nAccording to Hesychius, however, Phoroneus was not the only mortal to\nwhom the Mother Ash gave birth, for he tells us distinctly that the\nrace of men was \u201cthe fruit of the Ash.\u201d Hesiod also repeats the same\nfable in a somewhat different guise, when he relates how Jove created\nthe third or brazen race of men out of Ash trees. Homer appears to have\nbeen acquainted with this tradition, for he makes Penelope say, when\naddressing Ulysses: \u201cTell me thy family, from whence thou art; for thou\nart not sprung from the olden tree, or from the rock.\u201d The Ash was\ngenerally deemed by the Greeks an image of the clouds and the mother of\nmen,--the prevalent idea being that the Meliai, or nymphs of the Ash,\nwere a race of cloud goddesses, daughters of sea gods, whose domain was\noriginally the cloud sea.\n\nBut besides the Ash, the Greeks would seem to have regarded the Oak as\na tree from which the human race had sprung, and to have called Oak\ntrees the first mothers. This belief was shared by the Romans. Thus\nVirgil speaks\n\n  \u201cOf nymphs and fauns, and savage men, who took\n  Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn Oak.\u201d\n\nIn another passage the great Latin poet, speaking of the _\u00c6sculus_, a\nspecies of Oak, sacred to Jupiter, gives to it attributes which remind\nus in a very striking manner of Yggdrasill, the cloud-tree of the\nNorsemen.\n\n  \u201c_\u00c6sculus in primis, qu\u00e6 quantum vortice ad auras\n  \u00c6therias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit._\u201d--_Georg._ ii.\n\n  \u201cHigh as his topmost boughs to heaven ascend,\n  So low his roots to hell\u2019s dominion tend.\u201d--_Dryden._\n\nIn the \u00c6neid, Book IV., speaking of the Oak as _Quercus_, Virgil uses\nthe same expression with regard to the roots of Jove\u2019s tree descending\nto the infernal regions. Juvenal, also, in his sixth satire, alluding\nto the beginning of the world, speaks of the human race as formed\nof clay or born of the opening Oak, which thus becomes the mystical\nmother-tree of mankind, and, like a mother, sustained her offspring\nwith food she herself created. Thus Ovid tells us that the simple food\nof the primal race consisted largely of \u201cAcorns dropping from the tree\nof Jove;\u201d and we read in Homer and Hesiod that the Acorn was the common\nfood of the Arcadians.\n\nThe belief of the ancient Greeks and Romans that the progenitors of\nmankind were born of trees was also common to the Teutons. At the\npresent day, in many parts of both North and South Germany, a hollow\ntree overhanging a pool is designated as the first abode of unborn\ninfants, and little children are taught to believe that babies are\nfetched by the doctor from cavernous trees or ancient stumps. \u201cFrau\nHolda\u2019s tree\u201d is a common name in Germany for old decayed boles; and\nshe herself, the cloud-goddess, is described in a Hessian legend as\nhaving in front the form of a beautiful woman, and behind that of a\nhollow tree with rugged bark.\n\nBut besides Frau Holda\u2019s tree the ancient Germans knew a cosmogonic\ntree, assimilating to the Scandinavian Yggdrasill. The trunk of this\nTeutonic world-tree was called _Irminsul_, a name implying the column\nof the universe, which supports everything.\n\nA Byzantine legend, which is current in Russia, tells of a vast\nworld-tree of iron, which in the beginning of all things spread its\ngigantic bulk throughout space. Its root is the power of God; its head\nsustains the three worlds,--heaven, with the ocean of air; the earth,\nwith its seas of water; and hell, with its sulphurous fumes and glowing\nflames.\n\nRabbinic traditions make the Mosaic Tree of Life, which stood in\nthe centre of the Garden of Eden, a vast world-tree, resembling in\nmany points the Scandinavian Ash Yggdrasill. A description of this\nworld-tree of the Rabbins, however, need not appear in the present\nchapter, since it will be found on page 13.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nThe Trees of Paradise and the Tree of Adam.\n\n\nAmongst all peoples, and in all ages, there has lingered a belief\npossessing peculiar powers of fascination, that in some unknown region,\nremote and unexplored, there existed a glorious and happy land; a\nland of sunshine, luxuriance, and plenty, a land of stately trees and\nbeauteous flowers,--a terrestrial Paradise.\n\nA tradition contained in the sacred books of the Parsis states that at\nthe beginning of the world Ormuzd, the giver of all good, created the\nprimal steer, which contained the germs of all the animals. Ahriman,\nthe evil spirit, then created venomous animals which destroyed the\nsteer: while dying, there sprang out of his right hip the first man,\nand out of his left hip the first man\u2019s soul. From him arose a tree\nwhence came the original human pair, namely _M\u00e2shya_ and _Mashy\u00f4\u00ee_\nwho were placed in _Heden_, a delightful spot, where grew _Hom_\n(or _Haoma_), the Tree of Life, the fruit of which gave vigour and\nimmortality. This Paradise was in Iran. The woman being persuaded by\nAhriman, in the guise of a serpent, gave her husband fruit to eat,\nwhich was destructive.\n\nThe Persians also imagined a Paradise on Mount Caucasus. The Arabians\nconceived an Elysium in the midst of the deserts of Aden. The pagan\nScandinavians sang of the Holy City of Asgard, situated in the centre\nof the world. The Celts believed an earthly Paradise to exist in the\nenchanted Isle of Avalon--the Island of the Blest--\n\n  \u201cWhere falls not hail or rain, or any snow,\n  Nor even wind blows loudly; but it lies\n  Deep-meadow\u2019d, happy, fair, with orchard lawn\n  And bowery hollows.\u201d\n\nThe Greeks and Romans pictured to themselves the delightful gardens\nof the Hesperides, where grew the famous trees that produced Apples\nof gold; and in the early days of Christendom the poets of the West\ndreamt of a land in the East (the true Paradise of Adam and Eve, as\nthey believed) in which dwelt in a Palm-tree the golden-breasted\nPh\u0153nix,--the bird of the sun, which was thought to abide a hundred\nyears in this Elysium of the Arabian deserts, and then to appear in\nthe Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis, fall upon the blazing altar, and,\npouring forth a melodious song from or through the orifices of its\nfeathers (which thus formed a thousand organ-pipes), cremate itself,\nonly to rise again from its smoking ashes, and fly back to its home\nin the Palm-tree of the earthly Paradise. The Russians tell of a\nterrestrial Paradise to be sought for on the island of Bujan, where\ngrows the vast Oak tree, amidst whose majestic branches the sun nestles\nto sleep every evening, and from whose summit he rises every morning.\n\nThe Hindu religion shadows forth an Elysium on Mount Meru, on the\nconfines of Cashmere and Thibet. The garden of the great Indian god\nIndra is a spot of unparalleled beauty. Here are to be found an\numbrageous grove or wood, where the gods delight to take their ease;\ncooling fountains and rivulets; an enchanting flower-garden, luminous\nflowers, immortalising fruits, and brilliantly-plumed birds, whose\nmelody charms the gods themselves. In this Paradise are fine trees,\nwhich were the first things that appeared above the surface of the\ntroubled waters at the beginning of the creation; from these trees drop\nthe immortalising ambrosia. The principal tree is the _P\u00e2rij\u00e2ta_, the\nflower of which preserves its perfume all the year round, combines in\nits petals every odour and every flavour, presents to each his favorite\ncolour and most-esteemed perfume, and procures happiness for those who\nask it. But beyond this, it is a token of virtue, losing its freshness\nin the hands of the wicked, but preserving it with the just and\nhonourable. This wondrous flower will also serve as a torch by night,\nand will emit the most enchanting sounds, producing the sweetest and\nmost varied melody; it assuages hunger and thirst, cures diseases, and\nremedies the ravages of old age.\n\nThe Paradise of Mahomet is situated in the seventh heaven. In the\ncentre of it stands the marvellous tree called _Tooba_,[1] which is so\nlarge that a man mounted on the fleetest horse could not ride round\nits branches in one hundred years. This tree not only affords the most\ngrateful shade over the whole extent of the Mussulman Paradise; but its\nboughs are laden with delicious fruits of a size and taste unknown to\nmortals, and moreover bend themselves at the wish of the inhabitants\nof this abode of bliss, to enable them to partake of these delicacies\nwithout any trouble. The Koran often speaks of the rivers of Paradise\nas adding greatly to its delights. All these rivers take their rise\nfrom the tree _Tooba_; some flow with water, some with milk, some with\nhoney, and others even with wine, the juice of the grape not being\nforbidden to the blessed.\n\n[1] The name of \u201c_Tooba_\u201d applied to this tree, originated in a\nmisunderstanding of the words _Tooba lahum_, \u201cit is well with them,\u201d or\n\u201cblessedness awaits them,\u201d in Koran xiii., 28. Some commentators took\n_Tooba_ for the name of a tree.\n\nWe have seen how the most ancient races conceived and cherished\nthe notion of a Paradise of surpassing beauty, situate in remote\nand unknown regions, both celestial and terrestrial. It is not,\ntherefore, surprising that the Paradise of the Hebrew race--the Mosaic\nEden--should have been pictured as a luxuriant garden, stocked with\nlovely flowers and odorous herbs, and shaded by majestic trees of every\ndescription.\n\nWe are told, in the second chapter of Genesis, that at the beginning\nof the world \u201cthe Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden,\u201d and\nthat out of this country of Eden a river went out \u201cto water the\ngarden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.\u201d\nThese \u201cheads\u201d or rivers are further on, in the Biblical narrative,\nnamed respectively Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates. Many have\nbeen the speculations as to the exact site, geographical features,\n&c., of Eden, and the Divinely-planted Paradise in its midst, and\nthe subject has been one which has ever been fruitful of controversy\nand conjecture. Sir John Maundevile has recorded that the Garden of\nEden, or Paradise, was enclosed by a wall. This old Eastern traveller\ntells us that although, in the course of his wanderings, he had never\nactually seen the land of Eden, yet wise men had discoursed to him\nconcerning it. He says: \u201cParadise Terrestre, as wise men say, is the\nhighest place of earth--that is, in all the world; and it is so high,\nthat it toucheth nigh to the circle of the moon. For it is so high that\nthe flood of Noah might never come to it, albeit it did cover all the\nearth of the world, all about, and aboven and beneathen, save Paradise\nalone. And this Paradise is enclosed all about with a wall, and men\nwist not whereof it is; for the walls be covered all over with moss, as\nit seemeth. And it seemeth not that the wall is stone of nature. And\nthat wall stretcheth from the South to the North, and it hath not but\none entry, that is closed with fire burning, so that no man that is\nmortal he dare not enter. And in the highest place of Paradise, exactly\nin the middle, is a well that casts out the four streams which run by\ndivers lands, of which the first is called Pison, or Ganges, that runs\nthroughout India. And the other is called Nile, or Gyson, which goes\nthrough Ethiopia, and after through Egypt. And the other is called\nTigris, which runs by Assyria, and by Armenia the Great. And the other\nis called Euphrates, which runs through Media, Armenia, and Persia. And\nmen there beyond say that all the sweet waters of the world, above and\nbeneath, take their beginning from the well of Paradise, and out of the\nwell all waters come and go.\u201d\n\nEden (a Hebrew word, signifying \u201cPleasure\u201d), it is generally conceded,\nwas the most beauteous and luxuriant portion of the world; and the\nGarden of Eden, the Paradise of Adam and Eve, was the choicest and\nmost exquisite portion of Eden. As regards the situation of this\nterrestrial Paradise, the Biblical narrative distinctly states that\nit was in the East, but various have been the speculations as to the\nprecise locality. Moses, in writing of Eden, probably contemplated the\ncountry watered by the Tigris and Euphrates--the land of the mighty\ncity of Babylon. Many traditions confirm this view: not only were\nthere a district called Eden, and a town called Paradisus, in Syria, a\nneighbouring country to Mesopotamia, but in Mesopotamia itself there\nis a certain region which, as late as the year 1552, was called Eden.\nSome would localise the Eden of Scripture near Mount Lebanon, in Syria;\nothers between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, to the west of Babylon;\nothers, again, in the delightful plains of Armenia, or in the highlands\nof Armenia, where the Tigris and Euphrates have their rise. An opinion\nvery generally held is, that Eden was placed at the junction of several\nrivers, on a site which is now swallowed up by the Persian Gulf, and\nthat it never existed after the deluge, which effaced this Paradise\nfrom the face of a polluted earth. Another theory places Eden in a\nvast central portion of the globe, comprising a large piece of Asia\nand a portion of Africa, the four rivers being the Ganges, the Tigris,\nthe Euphrates, and the Nile. Dr. Wild, of Toronto, is of opinion that\nthe Garden of Paradise embraced what we now call Syria. The land\nthat God gave to Abraham and his seed for ever--the Land of Promise,\nthe Holy Land--is the very territory that constituted the Garden of\nParadise. \u201cBefore the flood,\u201d says the reverend gentleman, \u201cthere was\nin connection with this garden, to the east of it, a gate and a flaming\nsword, guarding this gate, and a way to the Tree of Life. On that very\nspot I believe the Great Pyramid of Egypt to be built, to mark where\nthe face of God shone forth to man before the Flood; and the Flood,\nby changing the land surface through the changing of the ocean bed,\nchanged the centre somewhat, and threw it further south. It is the very\ncentre of the earth now where the Pyramid stands, ... and marks the\nplace where the gate of Eden was before the Flood.\u201d[2]\n\n[2] Besides the localities already mentioned, Paradise has been\nlocated on Mount Ararat; in Persia; in Ethiopia; in the land now\ncovered by the Caspian Sea; in a plain on the summit of Mount Taurus;\nin Sumatra; in the Canaries; and in the Island of Ceylon, where there\nis a mountain called the Peak of Adam, underneath which, according to\nnative tradition, lie buried the remains of the first man, and whereon\nis shown the gigantic impress of his foot. Goropius Becanus places\nParadise near the river Acesines, on the confines of India. Tertullian,\nBonaventura, and Durandus affirm that it was under the Equinoctial,\nwhile another authority contends that it was situated beneath the\nNorth Pole. Virgil places the happy land of the Hyperboreans under the\nNorth Pole, and the Arctic Regions were long associated with ideas of\nenchantment and beauty, chiefly because of the mystery that has always\nenveloped these remote and unexplored regions. Peter Comestor and Moses\nBarcephas set Paradise in a region separated from our habitable zone by\na long tract of land and sea, and elevated so that it reaches to the\nsphere of the moon.\n\n\nThe Tree of life.\n\nWhatever may have been the site of the land of Eden or Pleasure, Moses,\nin describing Paradise as its garden (much as we speak of Kent as the\nGarden of England), doubtless wished to convey the idea of a sanctuary\nof delight and primal loveliness; indeed, he tells us that \u201cout of the\nground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the\nsight and good for food.\u201d This Paradise was in the middle of Eden, and\nin the middle of Paradise was planted the Tree of Life, and, close by,\nthe Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Into this garden the Lord put\nthe man whom He had formed, \u201cto dress and to keep it,\u201d in other words\nto till, plant, and sow.\n\nIn the very centre of Paradise, in the midst of the land of Eden,\ngrew the Tree of Life. Now, what was this tree? Various have been the\nconjectures with regard to its nature. The traditions of the Rabbins\nmake the Tree of Life a supernatural tree, resembling the world- or\ncloud-trees of the Scandinavians and Hindus, and bearing a striking\nresemblance to the _Tooba_ of the Mahomedan Paradise. They describe the\nTree of Life as being of enormous bulk, towering far above all others,\nand so vast in its girth, that no man, even if he lived so long, could\ntravel round it in less than five hundred years. From beneath the\ncolossal base of this stupendous tree gushed all the waters of the\nearth, by whose instrumentality nature was everywhere refreshed and\ninvigorated. Regarding these Rabbinic traditions as purely mythical,\ncertain commentators have regarded the Tree of Life as typical only of\nthat life and the continuance of it which our first parents derived\nfrom God. Others think that it was called the Tree of Life because it\nwas a memorial, pledge, and seal of the eternal life which, had man\ncontinued in obedience, would have been his reward in the Paradise\nabove. Others, again, believe that the fruit of it had a certain vital\ninfluence to cherish and maintain man in immortal health and vigour\ntill he should have been translated from the earthly to the heavenly\nParadise.\n\nDr. Wild considers that the Tree of Life stood on Mount Moriah, the\nvery spot selected, in after years, by Abraham, whereon to offer his\nson Isaac, the type, and the mount to which Christ was led out to be\nsacrificed. As Eden occupied the centre of the world, and the Tree\nof Life was planted in the middle of Eden, that spot marked the very\ncentre of the world, and it was necessary that He who was the life of\nmankind should die in the centre of the world, and act from the centre.\nHence, the Tree of Life, destroyed at the flood, on account of man\u2019s\nwickedness, was replaced on the same spot, centuries after, by the\nCross,--converted by the Redeemer into a second and everlasting Tree of\nLife.\n\nAdam was told he might eat freely of every tree in the garden,\nexcepting only the Tree of Knowledge; we may, therefore, suppose\nthat he would be sure to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life,\nwhich, from its prominent position \u201cin the midst of the garden,\u201d\nwould naturally attract his attention. Like the sacred Soma-tree of\nthe Hindus, the Tree of Life probably yielded heavenly ambrosia, and\nsupplied to Adam food that invigorated and refreshed him with its\nimmortal sustenance. So long as he remained in obedience, he was\nprivileged to partake of this glorious food; but when, yielding to\nEve\u2019s solicitations, he disobeyed the Divine command, and partook of\nthe fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, he found it had given to him the\nknowledge of evil--something of which he had hitherto been in happy\nignorance. He had sinned; he was no longer fit to taste the immortal\nambrosia of the Tree of Life; he was, therefore, driven forth from\nEden, and lest he should be tempted once again to return and partake of\nthe glorious fruit of the immortalising tree, God \u201cplaced at the east\nof the Garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword, which turned every\nway, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.\u201d Henceforth the immortal\nfood was lost to man: he could no longer partake of that mystic fruit\nwhich bestowed life and health. Dr. Wild is of opinion that the Tree\nof Knowledge stood on Mount Zion, the spot afterwards selected by\nthe Almighty for the erection of the Temple; because, through the\nShechinah, men could there obtain knowledge of good and evil.\n\nSome have claimed that the Banana, the _Musa paradisiaca_, was the Tree\nof Life, and that another species of the tree, the _Musa sapientum_,\nwas the Tree of Knowledge; others consider that the Indian sacred\nFig-tree, the _Ficus religiosa_, the Hindu world-tree, was the Tree of\nLife which grew in the middle of Eden; and the Bible itself contains\ninternal evidence supporting this idea. In Gen. iii. 8, we read\nthat Adam and Eve, conscious of having sinned, \u201chid themselves from\nthe presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.\u201d Dr.\nWright, however, in his Commentary, remarks that, in the original, the\nword rendered \u201ctrees\u201d is singular--\u201cin the midst of the tree of the\ngarden\u201d--consequently, we may infer that Adam and Eve, frightened by\nthe knowledge of their sin, sought the shelter of the Tree of Life--the\ntree in the centre of the garden; the tree which, if it were the _Ficus\nreligiosa_, would, by its gigantic stature, and the grove-like nature\nof its growth, afford them agreeable shelter, and prove a favourite\nretreat. Beneath the shade of this stupendous Fig-tree, the erring pair\nreflected upon their lost innocence; and in their conscious shame,\nplucked the ample foliage of the tree, and made themselves girdles of\nFig-leaves. Here they remained hidden beneath the network of boughs\nwhich drooped almost to the earth, and thus formed a natural thicket\nwithin which they sought to hide themselves from an angry God.\n\n                  \u201cA pillared shade\n  High over-arched, with echoing walks between.\u201d--_Milton._\n\n\nThe Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.\n\nThe Tree of Knowledge, in the opinion of some commentators, was so\ncalled, not because of any supernatural power it possessed of inspiring\nthose who might eat of it with universal knowledge, as the serpent\nafterwards suggested, but because by Adam and Eve abstaining from or\neating of it after it was prohibited, God would see whether they would\nprove good or evil in their state of probation.\n\nThe tradition generally accepted as to the fruit which the serpent\ntempted Eve to eat, fixes it as the Apple, but there is no evidence\nin the Bible that the Tree of Knowledge was an Apple-tree, unless\nthe remark, \u201cI raised thee up under the Apple-tree,\u201d to be found in\nCanticles viii., 5, be held to apply to our first parents. Eve is\nstated to have plucked the forbidden fruit because she saw that it was\ngood for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and that the tree\nwhich bore it was \u201cto be desired to make one wise.\u201d\n\nAccording to an Indian legend, it was the fruit of the Banana tree\n(_Musa paradisiaca_ or _M. sapientum_) that proved so fatal to Adam and\nEve. We read in Gerarde\u2019s \u2018Herbal,\u2019 that \u201cthe Grecians and Christians\nwhich inhabit Syria, and the Jewes also, suppose it to be that tree\nof whose fruit Adam did taste.\u201d Gerarde himself calls it \u201cAdam\u2019s\nApple-tree,\u201d and remarks of the fruit, that \u201cif it be cut according to\nthe length oblique, transverse, or any other way whatsoever, may be\nseen the shape and forme of a crosse, with a man fastened thereto. My\nselfe have seene the fruit, and cut it in pieces, which was brought me\nfrom Aleppo, in pickle; the crosse, I might perceive, as the forme of\na spred-egle in the root of Ferne, but the man I leave to be sought\nfor by those which have better eies and judgement than my selfe.\u201d Sir\nJohn Mandeville gives a similar account of the cross in the Plantain\nor \u201cApple of Paradise.\u201d In a work by L\u00e9on, called \u2018Africa,\u2019 it is\nstated that the Banana is in that country generally identified with\nthe Tree of Adam. \u201cThe Mahometan priests say that this fruit is that\nwhich God forbade Adam and Eve to eat; for immediately they eat they\nperceived their nakedness, and to cover themselves employed the leaves\nof this tree, which are more suitable for the purpose than any other.\u201d\nTo this day the Indian Djainas are by their laws forbidden to eat\neither Bananas or Figs. Vincenzo, a Roman missionary of the seventeenth\ncentury, after stating that the Banana fruit in Ph\u0153nicia bears the\neffigy of the Crucifixion, tells us that the Christians of those\nparts would not on any account cut it with a knife, but always broke\nit with their hands. This Banana, he adds, grows near Damascus, and\nthey call it there \u201cAdam\u2019s Fig Tree.\u201d In the Canaries, at the present\ntime, Banana fruit is never cut across with a knife, because it then\nexhibits a representation of the Crucifixion. In the island of Ceylon\nthere is a legend that Adam once had a fruit garden in the vicinity\nof the torrent of Seetagunga, on the way to the Peak. Pridham, in\nhis history of the island, tells us that from the circumstance that\nvarious fruits have been occasionally carried down the stream, both the\nMoormen and Singalese believe that this garden still exists, although\nnow inaccessible, and that its explorer would never return. Tradition,\nhowever, affirms that in the centre of this Ceylon Paradise grows a\nlarge Banana-tree, the fruit of which when cut transversely exhibits\nthe figure of a man crucified, and that from the huge leaves of this\ntree Adam and Eve made themselves coverings.\n\nCertain commentators are of opinion that the Tree of Knowledge was a\nFig-tree--the _Ficus Indica_, the Banyan, one of the sacred trees of\nthe Hindus, under the pillared shade of which the god Vishnu was fabled\nto have been born. In this case the Fig-tree is a tree of ill-omen--a\ntree watched originally by Satan in the form of a serpent, and whose\nfruit gave the knowledge of evil. After having tempted and caused\nAdam to fall by means of its fruit, its leaves were gathered to cover\nnakedness and shame. Again, the Fig was the tree which the demons\nselected as their refuge, if one may judge from the _fauni ficarii_,\nwhom St. Jerome recognised in certain monsters mentioned by the\nprophets. The Fig was the only tree accursed by Christ whilst on earth;\nand the wild Fig, according to tradition, was the tree upon which\nthe traitor Judas hanged himself, and from that time has always been\nregarded as under a bane.\n\nThe Citron is held by many to have been the forbidden fruit. Gerarde\ntells us that this tree was originally called _Pomum Assyrium_, but\nthat it was known among the Italian people as _Pomum Adami_; and,\nwrites the old herbalist, \u201cthat came by the opinion of the common rude\npeople, who thinke it to be the same Apple which Adam did eate of in\nParadise, when he transgressed God\u2019s commandment; whereupon also the\nprints of the biting appeare therein as they say; but others say that\nthis is not the Apple, but that which the Arabians do call _Musa_ or\n_Mosa_, whereof Avicen maketh mention: for divers of the Jewes take\nthis for that through which by eating Adam offended.\u201d\n\nThe Pomegranate, Orange, Corn, and Grapes have all been identified as\nthe \u201cforbidden fruit;\u201d but upon what grounds it is difficult to surmise.\n\nAfter their disobedience, Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise,\nand, according to Arabian tradition, Adam took with him three\nthings--an ear of Wheat, which is the chief of all kinds of food;\nDates, which are the chief of fruits; and the Myrtle, which is\nthe chief of sweet-scented flowers. Maimonides mentions a legend,\ncherished by the Nabatheans, that Adam, when he reached the district\nabout Babylon, had come from India, carrying with him a golden tree\nin blossom, a leaf that no fire would burn, two leaves, each of which\nwould cover a man, and an enormous leaf plucked from a tree beneath\nwhose branches ten thousand men could find shelter.\n\n\nThe Tree of Adam.\n\nThere is a legend handed down both by Hebrews and Greeks, that when\nAdam had attained the ripe age of 900 years, he overtaxed his strength\nin uprooting an enormous bush, and that falling very sick, and feeling\nthe approach of death, he sent his son Seth to the angel who guarded\nParadise, and particularly the way to the Tree of Life, to ask of\nhim some of its ambrosia, or oil of mercy, that he might anoint his\nlimbs therewith, and so regain good health. Seth approached the Tree\nof Knowledge, of the fruit of which Adam and Eve had once partaken. A\nyouth, radiant as the sun, was seated on its summit, and, addressing\nSeth, told him that He was the Son of God, that He would one day come\ndown to earth, to deliver it from sin, and that He would then give the\noil of mercy to Adam.\n\nThe angel who was guarding the Tree of Life then handed to Seth three\nsmall seeds, charging him to place them in his father\u2019s mouth, when\nhe should bury him near Mount Tabor, in the valley of Hebron. Seth\nobeyed the angel\u2019s behests. The three seeds took root, and in a short\ntime appeared above the ground, in the form of three rods. One of\nthese saplings was a branch of Olive, the second a Cedar, the third\na Cypress. The three rods did not leave the mouth of Adam, nor was\ntheir existence known until the time of Moses, who received from God\nthe order to cut them. Moses obeyed, and with these three rods, which\nexhaled a perfume of the Promised Land, performed many miracles, cured\nthe sick, drew water from a rock, &c.\n\nAfter the death of Moses, the three rods remained unheeded in the\nValley of Hebron until the time of King David, who, warned by the\nHoly Ghost, sought and found them there. Hence they were taken by the\nKing to Jerusalem, where all the leprous, the dumb, the blind, the\nparalysed, and other sick people presented themselves before the King,\nbeseeching him to give them the salvation of the Cross. King David\nthereupon touched them with the three rods, and their infirmities\ninstantly vanished. After this the King placed the three rods in a\ncistern, but to his astonishment upon going the next day for them, he\ndiscovered they had all three firmly taken root, that the roots had\nbecome inextricably interlaced, and that the three rods were in fact\nreunited in one stem which had shot up therefrom, and had become a\nCedar sapling,--the tree that was eventually to furnish the wood of the\nCross. This reunion of the three rods was typical of the Trinity. The\nyoung Cedar was subsequently placed in the Temple, but we hear nothing\nmore of it for thirty years, when Solomon, wishing to complete the\nTemple, obtained large supplies of Cedars of Lebanon, and as being well\nadapted for his purpose cut down the Cedar of the Temple. The trunk of\nthis tree, lying with the other timber, was seen by a woman, who sat\ndown on it, and inspired with the spirit of prophecy cried: \u201cBehold!\nthe Lord predicts the virtues of the Sacred Cross.\u201d The Jews thereupon\nattacked the woman, and having stoned her, they plunged the sacred wood\nof the Temple into the _piscina probatica_, of which the water acquired\nfrom that moment healing qualities, and which was afterwards called\nthe Pool of Bethesda. In the hope of profaning it the Jews afterwards\nemployed the sacred wood in the construction of the bridge of Siloam,\nover which everybody unheedingly passed, excepting only the Queen of\nSheba, who, prostrating herself, paid homage to it and prophetically\ncried that of this wood would one day be made the Cross of the Redeemer.\n\nThus, although Adam by eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge,\ncame to know that which was evil, and could no longer be permitted to\npartake of the fruit or essence of the Tree of Life, yet, from its\nseeds, placed in his mouth after death, sprang the tree which produced\nthe Cross of Christ, by means of which he and his race could attain to\neternal life.\n\nAccording to Prof. Mussafia,[3] an authority quoted by De Gubernatis,\nthe origin of this legend of Seth\u2019s visit to Paradise is to be found in\nthe apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus, where it is stated that the Angel\nMichael refused to give the oil of mercy to Seth, and told him that\nChrist would one day visit the earth to anoint all believers, and to\nconduct Adam to the Tree of Mercy. Some of the legends collected by the\nProfessor are very curious.\n\n[3] Treatise on the Legend of the Sacred Wood. Vienna, 1870.\n\nAn Austrian legend records that the Angel Michael gave to Eve and her\nson Seth a spray with three leaves, plucked from the Tree of Knowledge,\nwith directions to plant it on the grave of Adam. The spray took root\nand became a tree, which Solomon placed as an ornament in the Temple of\nJerusalem, and which was cast into the _piscina probatica_, where it\nlay until the day of Christ\u2019s condemnation, when it was taken out and\nfashioned into the Cross on which He suffered.\n\nA German legend narrates that Eve went with Seth to Paradise, where\nshe encountered the serpent; but the Angel Michael gave her a branch\nof Olive, which, planted over the grave of Adam, grew rapidly. After\nthe death of Eve, Seth returned to Paradise, and there met the Angel,\nwho had in his hands a branch to which was suspended the half of the\nApple which had been bitten by his mother Eve. The Angel gave this to\nSeth, at the same time recommending him to take as great care of it as\nof the Olive planted on Adam\u2019s grave, because these two trees would one\nday become the means of the redemption of mankind. Seth scrupulously\nwatched over the precious branch, and at the hour of his death\nbequeathed it to the best of men. Thus it came into the hands of Noah,\nwho took it into the Ark with him. After the Deluge, Noah sent forth\nthe dove as a messenger, and it brought to him a branch of the Olive\nplanted on the tomb of Adam. Noah religiously guarded the two precious\nbranches which were destined to be instrumental in redeeming the human\nrace by furnishing the wood of the Cross.\n\nA second German legend states that Adam, when at the point of death,\nsent Seth to Paradise to gather there for him some of the forbidden\nfruit (probably this is a mistake for \u201csome of the fruit of the Tree\nof Life\u201d). Seth hesitated, saying as an excuse that he did not know\nthe way. Adam directed him to follow a tract of country entirely bare\nof vegetation. Arrived safely at Paradise, Seth persuaded the angel to\ngive him, not the Apple, but simply the core of the Apple tasted by\nEve. On Seth returning home, he found his father dead; so extracting\nfrom the Apple-core three pips, he placed them in Adam\u2019s mouth. From\nthem sprang three plants that Solomon cut down in order to form a\ncross--the selfsame cross afterwards borne by our Saviour, and on which\nHe was crucified--and a rod of justice, which, split in the middle,\neventually served to hold the superscription written by Pilate, and\nplaced at the head of the Cross.\n\nA legend, current in the Greek Church, claims the Olive as the Tree of\nAdam: this, perhaps, is not surprising considering in what high esteem\nthe Greeks have always held the Olive. The legend tells how Seth, going\nto seek the oil of mercy in Paradise, in consequence of his father\u2019s\nillness, was told by the angel that the time had not arrived. The angel\nthen presented him with three branches--the Olive, Cedar, and Cypress:\nthese Seth was ordered to plant over Adam\u2019s grave, and the promise was\ngiven him that when they produced oil, Adam should rise restored to\nhealth. Seth, following these instructions, plaited the three branches\ntogether and planted them over the grave of his father, where they soon\nbecame united as one tree. After a time this tree was transplanted,\nin the first place to Mount Lebanon, and afterwards to the outskirts\nof Jerusalem, and it is there to this day in the Greek Monastery,\nhaving been cut down and the timber placed beneath the altar. From\nthis circumstance the Monastery was called, in Hebrew, the Mother of\nthe Cross. This same wood was revealed to Solomon by the Queen of\nSheba, and Solomon therefore ordered it to be used in the foundation\nof a tower; but the tower having been rent in twain by an earthquake\nwhich occurred at our Saviour\u2019s birth, the wood was cast into a pool\ncalled the _probatica piscina_, to which it imparted wonderful healing\nqualities.[4]\n\n[4] Sir John Maundevile, who visited Jerusalem about the middle of\nthe fourteenth century, states that to the north of the Temple stood\nthe Church of St. Anne, \u201coure Ladyes modre: and there was our Lady\nconceyved. And before that chirche is a gret tree, that began to\ngrowe the same nyght.... And in that chirche is a welle, in manere of\na cisterne, that is clept _Probatica Piscina_, that hath 5 entreez.\nInto that welle aungeles were wont to come from Hevene, and bathen hem\nwith inne: and what man that first bathed him aftre the mevynge of the\nwatre, was made hool of what maner sykenes that he hadde.\u201d\n\nThere is another somewhat similar Greek legend, in which Abraham\ntakes the place of Adam, and the Pine supersedes the Olive. According\nto this version, a shepherd met Abraham on the banks of the Jordan,\nand confessed to him a sin he had committed. Abraham listened, and\ncounselled the erring shepherd to plant three stakes, and to water them\ncarefully until they should bud. After forty days the three stakes had\ntaken the form of a Cypress, a Cedar, and a Pine, having different\nroots and branches, but one indivisible trunk. This tree grew until the\ntime of Solomon, who wished to make use of it in the construction of\nthe Temple. After several abortive attempts, it was at length made into\na seat for visitors to the Temple. The Sibyl Erythr\u00e6a (the Queen of\nSheba) refused to sit upon it, and exclaimed: \u201cThrice blessed is this\nwood, on which shall perish Christ, the King and God.\u201d Then Solomon had\nthe wood mounted on a pedestal and adorned with thirty rings or crowns\nof silver. These thirty rings became the thirty pieces of silver, the\nprice of Judas, the betrayer, and the wood was eventually used for the\nSaviour\u2019s Cross.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nSacred Trees & Plants of the Ancients.\n\n\nAll the nations of antiquity entertained for certain trees and\nplants a special reverence, which in many cases degenerated into a\nsuperstitious worship. The myths of all countries contain allusions\nto sacred or supernatural plants. The Veda mentions the heavenly tree\nwhich the lightning strikes down; the mythology of the Finns speaks of\nthe celestial Oak which the sun-dwarf uproots; Yama, the Vedic god of\ndeath, sits drinking with companies of the blessed, under a leafy tree,\njust as in the northern Saga Hel\u2019s place is at the foot of the Ash\nYggdrasill.\n\nIn the eyes of the ancient Persians the tree, by its changes in Spring,\nSummer, Autumn, and Winter, appeared as the emblem of human existence,\nwhilst at the same time, by the continuity of its life, it was\nreverently regarded as a symbol of immortality. Hence it came to pass\nthat in Persia trees of unusual qualities were in course of time looked\nupon as being the abode of holy and even celestial spirits. Such trees\nbecame sacred, and were addressed in prayer by the reverential Parsis,\nthough they eschewed the worship of idols, and honoured the sun and\nmoon simply as symbols. Ormuzd, the good spirit, is set forth as giving\nthis command:--\u201cGo, O Zoroaster! to the living trees, and let thy mouth\nspeak before them these words: I pray to the pure trees, the creatures\nof Ormuzd.\u201d Of all trees, however, the Cypress, with its pyramidal\ntop pointing to the sky, was to the Parsis the most venerated: hence\nthey planted it before their temples and palaces as symbolic of the\ncelestial fire.\n\nThe Oak, the strongest of all trees, has been revered as the emblem\nof the Supreme Being by almost all the nations of heathendom, by the\nJewish Patriarchs, and by the children of Israel, who eventually came\nto esteem the tree sacred, and offered sacrifices beneath its boughs.\nEgyptians, Greeks, Romans, Teutons, and Celts, all considered the Oak\nas sacred, and the Druids taught the people of Britain to regard this\ntree with peculiar reverence and respect. It is frequently mentioned\nby the Roman poets as the tree of Jove, to whom it was dedicated; and\nnear to Chaonia, a mountainous part of Epirus, was a forest of Oaks,\ncalled the Chaonian or Dodon\u00e6an Forest, where oracles were given, as\nsome say, by the trees themselves. The world-tree of Romowe, the old\ncentre of the Prussians, was an Oak, and it was reverenced as a tree of\ngreat sanctity.\n\nThe Indians adored the tree _Asoka_, consecrated to Vishnu; and the\nBanyan, in the belief that Vishnu was born amongst its branches.[5]\n\n[5] In the rites appertaining to the great sacrifice in honour of the\ngod Vishnu at the end of March, the following plants were employed,\nand consequently acquired a sacred character in the eyes of the\nIndians:--Sesamum seed, leaves of the Asvattha, Mango leaves, flowers\nof the Sami, Kunda flowers, the Lotus flower, Oleander flowers,\nNagakesara flowers, powdered Tulasi leaves, powdered Bel leaves, leaves\nof the Kunda, Barley meal, meal of the Nivara grain (a wild paddy),\npowder of Sati leaves, Turmeric powder, meal of the Syamaka grain,\npowdered Ginger, powdered Priyangu seeds, Rice meal, powder of Bel\nleaves, powder of the leaves of the Amblic Myrobalan, and Kangni seed\nmeal.--_An Imperial Assemblage at Delhi Three Thousand Years Ago._\n\nThe _Soma-lat\u00e2_ (_Sarcostemma aphylla_), or sacred plant yielding the\nimmortal fluid offered to the gods on the altars of the Brahmans,\nis regarded with extreme reverence. The name _Amrita_, or Immortal\nTree, is given to the _Euphorbia_, _Panicum Dactylon_, _Cocculus\ncordifolius_, _Pinus Deodara_, _Emblica officinalis_, _Terminalia\ncitrina_, _Piper longum_, and many others. The Holy Basil (_Ocimum\nsanctum_) is looked upon as a sacred plant. The Deodar is the\n_Devad\u00e2ru_ or tree-god of the Shastras, alluded to in Vedic hymns as\nthe symbol of majesty and power.\n\nTo Indra, the supreme god of the Vedic Olympus, are dedicated the\n_Terminalia Arjuna_ (the Tree of Indra), the _Methonica superba_\n(the Flower of Indra), a species of Pumpkin called _Indra-v\u00e2runik\u00e2_\n(appertaining to Indra and Varuna), the _Vitex Negundo_ (the drink of\nIndra), the _Abrus precatorius_, and Hemp (the food of Indra).\n\nTo Brahma are sacred the _Butea frondosa_, the _Ficus glomerata_,\nthe Mulberry (the seed of Brahma), the _Clerodendron Siphonanthus_,\nthe _Hemionitis cordifolia_ (leaf of Brahma), the _Saccharum Munga_\n(with which is formed the sacred girdle of the Brahmans), and the _Poa\ncynosuroides_, or Kusa Grass, a species of Vervain, employed in Hindu\nsacrificial rites, and held in such sanctity as to be acknowledged as a\ngod.\n\nThe Peepul or Bo-tree (_Ficus religiosa_) is held sacred by Buddhists\nas the Holy Tree and the Tree of Knowledge.\n\nThe Burmese Buddhists surround their Pagodas and religious houses with\ntrees, for which they entertain a high regard. The first holy men dwelt\nunder the shade of forest trees, and from that circumstance, in the\nBurmese cultus, every Budh is specially connected with some tree--as\nShin Gautama with the Banyan, under which he attained his full dignity,\nand the _Shorea robusta_, under which he was born and died--and, as we\nare told, the last Budh of this world cycle, Areemadehya, will receive\nhis Buddhaship under the _Mesua ferrea_.\n\nThe Burman also regards the Eugenia as a plant of peculiar sanctity--a\nprotective from all harm. The Jamboa, or Rose Apple, is held in much\nreverence in Thibet, where it is looked upon as the representative of\nthe mystical _Amrita_, the tree which in Paradise produces the _amrita_\nor ambrosia of the gods.\n\nThe Cedar has always been regarded by the Jews as a sacred tree; and\nto this day the Maronites, Greeks, and Armenians go up to the Cedars\nof Lebanon, at the Feast of the Transfiguration, and celebrate Mass at\ntheir feet.\n\nTo the ancient inhabitants of Northern Europe the Elm and the Ash were\nobjects of especial veneration. Many sacred trees or pillars, formed\nof the living trunks of trees, have been found in Germany, called\n_Irminseule_, one of which was destroyed by Charlemagne in 772, in\nWestphalia.\n\nThe Mountain Ash, or Rowan Tree, was, in olden times, an object of\ngreat veneration in Britain; and in Evelyn\u2019s day was reputed of such\nsanctity in Wales, that there was not a churchyard that did not contain\none.\n\nThe colossal Baobab (_Adansonia_) is worshipped as a divinity by the\nnegroes of Senegambia. The Nipa or Susa Palm (_Nipa fruticans_) is\nthe sacred tree of Borneo. The gigantic Dragon Tree (_Drac\u00e6na Draco_)\nof Orotava was for centuries the object of deep reverence to the\naborigines of the Canary Isles. The Zamang of Guayra, an enormous\nMimosa, has from time immemorial been held sacred in the province of\nCaracas. The Moriche Palm (_Mauritia flexuosa_) is considered a deity\nby the Tamancas, a tribe of Oronoco Indians, and is held sacred by the\naboriginal Mexicans.\n\nThe Nelumbo, or Sacred Bean (_Nelumbium speciosum_), was the Lotus\nadored by the Ancient Egyptians, who also paid divine honours to the\nOnion, Garlic, Acacia, Laurel, Peach-tree, Lentils of various sorts,\nand the Heliotrope. Wormwood was dedicated to Isis, and _Antirrhinum_\n(supposed to be the ancient _Cynocephalia_, or Dog\u2019s Head) to Osiris.\n\nThe sacred Lotus of the East, the flower of the\n\n          \u201cOld Hindu mythologies, wherein\n  The Lotus, attribute of Ganga--embleming\n  The world\u2019s great reproductive power--was held\n  In veneration,\u201d\n\nwas the _Nelumbium speciosum_. This mystic flower is a native of\nNorthern Africa, India, China, Japan, Persia, and Asiatic Russia,\nand in all these countries has, for centuries, maintained its sacred\ncharacter. It is the _Lien-wha_ of the Chinese, and, according to their\ntheology, enters into the beverage of immortality.\n\nHenna (_Lawsonia alba_), the flower of Paradise, is dedicated to\nMahomet, who characterised it as the \u201cchief of the flowers of this\nworld and the next.\u201d\n\nThe Pomegranate-tree was highly reverenced both by the Persians and the\nJews. The fruit was embroidered on the hem of Aaron\u2019s sacred robe, and\nadorned the robes of Persia\u2019s ancient Priest-Kings.\n\nPine-cones were regarded by the Assyrians as sacred symbols, and as\nsuch were used in the decoration of their temples.\n\nIn Teutonic and Scandinavian mythology the Rose is sacred to Hulda, the\nFlax to Bertha, the Spignel to Baldr, and the Hair Moss (_Polytrichum\ncommune_) is dedicated to Thor\u2019s wife, Sif. Of the divinities after\nwhom the days of the week were named, the Sun has his special flower,\nthe Moon her Daisy, Tyr (_Tuesday_) the Tys-fiola or March Violet\nand the Mezereon; Woden (_Wednesday_) the _Geranium sylvaticum_\n(Odin\u2019s Favour) and the Monkshood (Odin\u2019s Helm); Thor (_Thursday_)\nthe Monkshood (Thor\u2019s Hat) and the Burdock (Thor\u2019s Mantle); Frig\n(_Friday_) and Freyja, who is often confounded with her, had many\nplants dedicated to them, which have since been transferred to Venus\nand the Virgin Mary, and are not now recognised by the name of either\nof the Scandinavian goddesses. In the North of Europe, however, the\n_Supercilium Veneris_ is still known as Freyja\u2019s Hair, and the perfumed\nOrchis _Gymnadenia conopsea_ as Frigg\u2019s Grass. S\u00e6terne or S\u00e6tere\n(_Saturday_), the supposed name of an Anglo-Saxon god, is probably but\na mere adaptation of the Roman Saturnus. It may, perhaps, be apposite\nto quote (for what it may be worth) Verstegan\u2019s statement that the\nSaxons represented \u201cSeater\u201d as carrying a pail of water in which were\nflowers and fruits, whereby \u201cwas declared that with kindly raine he\nwould nourish the earth to bring foorth such fruites and flowers.\u201d\n\nIn the Grecian and Roman mythology we find numerous trees and flowers\ndedicated to the principal divinities. Thus, the\n\n  Alder        was dedicated to  Neptune.\n  Apple         \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Venus.\n  Ash           \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Mars.\n  Bay           \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Apollo.\n  Beech         \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Jupiter Ammon.\n  Cornel Cherry \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Apollo.\n  Cypress       \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Pluto.\n  Dittany       \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Juno, Diana, and Luna.\n  Dog-grass     \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Mars.\n  Fir           \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Cybele and Neptune.\n  Heliotrope    \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Ph\u0153bus Apollo.\n  Horsetail     \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Saturn.\n  Iris          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Juno.\n  Ivy           \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Bacchus.\n  Laurel        \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Apollo.\n  Lily          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Juno.\n  Maidenhair    \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Pluto and Proserpine.\n  Myrtle        \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Venus and Mars.\n  Narcissus     \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Ceres, Pluto, and Proserpine.\n  Oak           \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Jupiter.\n  Olive         \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Minerva.\n  Palm          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Mercury.\n  Pine          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Neptune and Pan.\n  Pink          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Jupiter.\n  Pomegranate   \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Juno.\n  Poplar        \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Hercules.\n  Poppy         \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Ceres, Diana, and Somnus.\n  Rhamnus       \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Janus.\n  Rocket        \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Priapus.\n  Rose          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Venus.\n  Vine          \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Bacchus.\n  Willow        \u201e      \u201e      \u201e  Ceres.\n\nTo the Furies was consecrated the Juniper; the Fates wore wreaths of\nthe Narcissus, and the Muses Bay-leaves.\n\nThe Grecian Centaurs, half men, half horses, like their Indian brethren\nthe Gandharvas, understood the properties of herbs, and cultivated\nthem; but, as a rule, they never willingly divulged to mankind their\nknowledge of the secrets of the vegetable world. Nevertheless, the\nCentaur Chiron instructed \u00c6sculapius, Achilles, \u00c6neas, and other heroes\nin the polite arts. Chiron had a panacea of his own, which is named\nafter him _Chironia Centaurium_, or _Gentiana Centaurium_; and, as a\nvulnerary, the _Ampelos Chironia_ of Pliny, or _Tamus communis_. In\nIndia, on account of the shape of its leaves, the _Ricinus communis_ is\ncalled _Gandharvahasta_ (having the hands of a Gandharva).\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nFloral Ceremonies, Wreaths, and Garlands.\n\n\nThe application of flowers and plants to ceremonial purposes is of\nthe highest antiquity. From the earliest periods, man, after he had\ndiscovered\n\n  \u201cWhat drops the Myrrh and what the balmy Reed,\u201d\n\noffered up on primitive altars, as incense to the Deity, the choicest\nand most fragrant woods, the aromatic gums from trees, and the subtle\nessences he obtained from flowers. In the odorous but intoxicating\nfumes which slowly ascended, in wreaths heavy with fragrance, from the\naltar, the pious ancients saw the mystic agency by which their prayers\nwould be wafted from earth to the abodes of the gods; and so, says\nMr. Rimmel, \u201cthe altars of Zoroaster and of Confucius, the temples of\nMemphis, and those of Jerusalem, all smoked alike with incense and\nsweet-scented woods.\u201d Nor was the admiration and use of vegetable\nproductions confined to the inhabitants of the old world alone, for the\nMexicans, according to the Abb\u00e9 Clavigero, have, from time immemorial,\nstudied the cultivation of flowers and odoriferous plants, which they\nemployed in the worship of their gods.\n\nBut the use of flowers and odorous shrubs was not long confined by\nthe ancients to their sacred rites; they soon began to consider them\nas essential to their domestic life. Thus, the Egyptians, though\nthey offered the finest fruit and the finest flowers to the gods,\nand employed perfumes at all their sacred festivals, as well as at\ntheir daily oblations, were lavish in the use of flowers at their\nprivate entertainments, and in all circumstances of their every-day\nlife. At a reception given by an Egyptian noble, it was customary,\nafter the ceremony of anointing, for each guest to be presented with\na Lotus-flower when entering the saloon, and this flower the guest\ncontinued to hold in his hand. Servants brought necklaces of flowers\ncomposed chiefly of the Lotus; a garland was put round the head,\nand a single Lotus-bud, or a full-blown flower was so attached as\nto hang over the forehead. Many of them, made up into wreaths and\ndevices, were suspended upon stands placed in the room, garlands of\nCrocus and Saffron encircled the wine cups, and over and under the\ntables were strewn various flowers. Diodorus informs us that when\nthe Egyptians approached the place of divine worship, they held the\nflower of the Agrostis in their hand, intimating that man proceeded\nfrom a well-watered land, and that he required a moist rather than a\ndry aliment; and it is not improbable that the reason of the great\npreference given to the Lotus on these occasions was derived from the\nsame notion.\n\nThis fondness of the ancients for flowers was carried to such an extent\nas to become almost a vice. When Antony supped with Cleopatra, the\nluxurious Queen of Egypt, the floors of the apartments were usually\ncovered with fragrant flowers. When Sardanapalus, the last of the\nAssyrian monarchs, was driven to dire extremity by the rapid approach\nof the conqueror, he chose the death of an Eastern voluptuary: causing\na pile of fragrant woods to be lighted, and placing himself on it with\nhis wives and treasures, he soon became insensible, and was suffocated\nby the aromatic smoke. When Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king,\nheld high festival at Daphne, in one of the processions which took\nplace, boys bore Frankincense, Myrrh, and Saffron on golden dishes,\ntwo hundred women sprinkled everyone with perfumes out of golden\nwatering-pots, and all who entered the gymnasium to witness the games\nwere anointed with some perfume contained in fifteen gold dishes,\nholding Saffron, Amaracus, Lilies, Cinnamon, Spikenard, Fenugreek, &c.\nWhen the Roman Emperor Nero sat at banquet in his golden palace, a\nshower of flowers and perfumes fell upon him; but Heliogabalus turned\nthese floral luxuries into veritable curses, for it was one of the\npleasures of this inhuman being to smother his courtiers with flowers.\n\nBoth Greeks and Romans caried the delicate refinements of the taste\nfor flowers and perfumes to the greatest excess in their costly\nentertainments; and it is the opinion of Baccius that at their desserts\nthe number of their flowers far exceeded that of their fruits. The\nodour of flowers was deemed potent to arouse the fainting appetite;\nand their presence was rightly thought to enhance the enjoyment of the\nguests at their banqueting boards:--\n\n  \u201cThe ground is swept, and the triclinium clear,\n  The hands are purified, the goblets, too,\n  Well rinsed; each guest upon his forehead bears\n  A wreath\u2019d flow\u2019ry crown; from slender vase\n  A willing youth presents to each in turn\n  A sweet and costly perfume; while the bowl,\n  Emblem of joy and social mirth, stands by,\n  Filled to the brim; and then pours out wine\n  Of most delicious flavour, breathing round\n  Fragrance of flowers, and honey newly made,\n  So grateful to the sense, that none refuse;\n  While odoriferous fumes fill all the room.\u201d--_Xenophanes._\n\nIn all places where festivals, games, or solemn ceremonials were held,\nand whenever public rejoicings and gaiety were deemed desirable,\nflowers were utilised with unsparing hands.\n\n                \u201cSet before your doors\n  The images of all your sleeping fathers,\n  With Laurels crowned; with Laurels wreath your posts,\n  And strew with flowers the pavement; let the priest\n  Do present sacrifice; pour out the wine,\n  And call the gods to join with you in gladness.\u201d--_Dryden._\n\nIn the triumphal processions of Rome the streets were strewed with\nflowers, and from the windows, roofs of houses, and scaffolds, the\npeople cast showers of garlands and flowers upon the crowds below and\nupon the conquerors proudly marching in procession through the city.\nMacaulay says--\n\n  \u201cOn ride they to the Forum,\n    While Laurel-boughs and flowers,\n  From house-tops and from windows,\n    Fell on their crests in showers.\u201d\n\nIn the processions of the Corybantes, the goddess Cybele, the\nprotectress of cities, was pelted with white Roses. In the annual\nfestivals of the Terminalia, the peasants were all crowned with\ngarlands of flowers; and at the festival held by the gardeners in\nhonour of Vertumnus on August 23rd, wreaths of budding flowers and the\nfirst-fruits of their gardens were offered by members of the craft.\n\nIn the sacrifices of both Greeks and Romans, it was customary to\nplace in the hands of victims some sort of floral decoration, and the\npresiding priests also appeared crowned with flowers.\n\n  \u201cThus the gay victim with fresh garlands crowned,\n  Pleased with the sacred pipe\u2019s enlivening sound.\n  Through gazing crowds in solemn state proceeds,\n  And dressed in fatal pomp, magnificently bleeds.\u201d--_Phillips._\n\nThe place erected for offerings was called by the Romans _ara_, an\naltar. It was decorated with leaves and grass, adorned with flowers,\nand bound with woollen fillets: on the occasion of a \u201ctriumph\u201d these\naltars smoked with perfumed incense.\n\nThe Greeks had a Nymph of Flowers whom they called Chloris, and the\nRomans the goddess Flora, who, among the Sabines and the Phoceans,\nhad been worshipped long before the foundation of the Eternal City.\nAs early as the time of Romulus the Latins instituted a festival in\nhonour of Flora, which was intended as a public expression of joy at\nthe appearance of the welcome blossoms which were everywhere regarded\nas the harbingers of fruits. Five hundred and thirteen years after\nthe foundation of Rome the Floralia, or annual floral games, were\nestablished; and after the sibyllic books had been consulted, it was\nfinally ordained that the festival should be kept every 20th day of\nApril, that is four days before the calends of May--the day on which,\nin Asia Minor, the festival of the flowers commences. In Italy, France,\nand Germany, the festival of the flowers, or the festival of spring,\nbegins about the same date--_i.e._, towards the end of April--and\nterminates on the feast of St. John.\n\nThe festival of the Floralia was introduced into Britain by the Romans;\nand for centuries all ranks of people went out a-Maying early on the\nfirst of the month. The juvenile part of both sexes, in the north, were\nwont to rise a little after midnight, and walk to some neighbouring\nwood, accompanied with music and the blowing of horns,\n\n  \u201cTo get sweet Setywall [red Valerian],\n  The Honeysuckle, the Harlock,\n  The Lily and the Lady-smock,\n  To deck their summer hall.\u201d\n\nThey also gathered branches from the trees, and adorned them with\nnosegays and crowns of flowers, returning with their booty homewards,\nabout the rising of the sun, forthwith to decorate their doors and\nwindows with the flowery spoil. The after-part of the day, says an\nancient chronicler, was \u201cchiefly spent in dancing round a tall pole,\nwhich is called a May-pole; which, being placed in a convenient part of\nthe village, stands there, as it were, consecrated to the goddess of\nflowers, without the least violation offered it in the whole circle of\nthe year.\u201d\n\n  \u201cYour May-pole deck with flowery coronal;\n  Sprinkle the flowery coronal with wine;\n  And in the nimble-footed galliard, all,\n  Shepherd and shepherdess, lively join,\n  Hither from village sweet and hamlet fair,\n  From bordering cot and distant glen repair:\n  Let youth indulge its sport, to old bequeath its care.\u201d\n\nOld John Stowe tells us that on May-day, in the morning, \u201cevery man,\nexcept impediment, would walk into the sweet meadows and green woods,\nthere to rejoice their spirits with the beauty and savour of sweet\nflowers, and with the harmony of birds praising God in their kind.\u201d In\nthe days of Henry VIII. it was the custom for all classes to observe\nthe May-day festival, and we are told that the king himself rode\na-Maying from Greenwich to Shooter\u2019s Hill, with his Queen Katherine,\naccompanied by many lords and ladies. Chaucer relates how on May-day\n\n            \u201cWent forth all the Court both most and least;\n  To fetch the floures fresh, and branch and blome,\n  And namely Hawthorn brought both page and grome;\n  And then rejoysen in their great delite,\n  Eke each at other threw the floures bright.\n  The Primrose, Violette, and the Golde,\n  With garlands partly blue and white.\u201d\n\nThe young maidens repaired at daybreak to the meadows and hill-sides,\nfor the purpose of gathering the precious May-dew, wherewith to make\nthemselves fair for the remainder of the year. This old custom is still\nextant in the north of England and in some districts of Scotland.\nRobert Fergusson has told how the Scotch lassies swarmed at daybreak on\nArthur\u2019s Seat:\n\n  \u201cOn May-day in a fairy ring,\n  We\u2019ve seen them round St. Anthon\u2019s spring\n  Frae grass the caller dew-draps wring,\n                To wet their ein,\n  And water clear as crystal spring.\n                To synd them clean.\u201d\n\nIn Ross-shire the lassies pluck sprigs of Ivy, with the May-dew on\nthem, that have not been touched by steel.\n\nIt was deemed important that flowers for May garlands and posies should\nbe plucked before the sun rose on May-day morning; and if perchance,\nCuckoo-buds were included in the composition of a wreath, it was\ndestroyed directly the discovery was made, and removed immediately from\na posie.\n\nIn the May-day sports on the village green, it was customary to choose\nas May Queen either the best dancer or the prettiest girl, who, at\nsundown was crowned with a floral chaplet--\n\n  \u201cSee where she sits upon the grassie greene,\n    A seemly sight!\n  Yclad in scarlet, like a mayden queene,\n    And ermines white.\n  Upon her head a crimson coronet,\n  With Daffodils and Damask Roses set:\n    Bay-leaves betweene,\n    And Primroses greene\n  Embellished the sweete Violet.\u201d--_Spenser._\n\nThe coronation of the rustic queen concluded the out-door festivities\nof May-day, although her majesty\u2019s duties would not appear to have been\nfulfilled until she reached her home.\n\n  \u201cThen all the rest in sorrow,\n    And she in sweet content,\n  Gave over till the morrow,\n    And homeward straight they went;\n  But she of all the rest\n    Was hindered by the way,\n  For every youth that met her\n    Must kiss the Queen of May!\u201d\n\nAt Horncastle, in Lincolnshire, there existed, till the beginning of\nthe present century, a ceremony which evidently derived its origin\nfrom the Roman Floralia. On the morning of May-day, a train of youths\ncollected themselves at a place still known as the May-bank. From\nthence, with wands enwreathed with Cowslips they walked in procession\nto the may-pole, situated at the west end of the town, and adorned\non that morning with every variety of wild flowers. Here, with loud\nshouts, they struck together their wands, and, scattering around the\nCowslips, testified their thankfulness for the bounteous promise of\nspring.\n\nAubrey (MS., 1686), tells us that in his day \u201cat Woodstock in\nOxon they every May-eve goe into the parke, and fetch away a\nnumber of Haw-thorne-trees, which they set before their dores.\u201d In\nHuntingdonshire, fifty years ago, the village swains were accustomed,\nat sunrise, to place a branch of May in blossom before the door of\nanyone they wished to honour. In Tuscany the expression, _Appiccare\nil maio ad una porta_, has passed into a proverb, and means to lay\nsiege to a maiden\u2019s heart and make love to her. In the vicinity of\nValenciennes, branches of Birch or Hornbeam are placed by rural swains\nat the doors of their sweethearts; thorny branches at the portals of\nprudes; and Elder boughs at the doors of flirts. In the villages of\nProvence, on May-day, they select a May Queen. Crowned with a wreath,\nand adorned with garlands of Roses, she is carried through the streets,\nmounted on a platform, her companions soliciting and receiving the\nofferings of the towns-people. In olden times it was customary even\namong the French nobility to present May to friends and neighbours,\nor as it was called, _esmayer_. Sometimes this presenting of May was\nregarded as a challenge. The custom of planting a May-tree in French\ntowns subsisted until the 17th century: in 1610, one was planted in\nthe court of the Louvre. In some parts of Spain the name of _Maia_ is\ngiven to the May Queen (selected generally as being the handsomest lass\nof the village), who, decorated with garlands of flowers, leads the\ndances in which the young people spend the day. The villagers in other\nprovinces declare their love by planting, during the preceding night,\na large bough or a sapling, decked with flowers, before the doors of\ntheir sweethearts. In Greece, bunches of flowers are suspended over the\ndoors of most houses; and in the rural districts, the peasants bedeck\nthemselves with flowers, and carry garlands and posies of wild flowers.\n\nIn some parts of Italy, in the May-day rejoicings, a May-tree or\na branch in blossom and adorned with fruit and ribbands, plays a\nconspicuous part: this is called the _Maggio_, and is probably a\nreminiscence of the old Grecian _Eiresione_.\n\nOf the flowers specially dedicated to May, first and foremost is the\nHawthorn blossom. In some parts of England the _Convallaria_ is known\nas May Lily. The Germans call it _Mai blume_, a name they also apply to\nthe Hepatica and Kingcup. In Devon and Cornwall the Lilac is known as\nMay-flower, and much virtue is thought to be attached to a spray of the\nnarrow-leaf Elm gathered on May morning.\n\nIn Asia Minor the annual festival of flowers used to commence on the\n28th of April, when the houses and tables were covered with flowers,\nand every one going into the streets wore a floral crown. In Germany,\nFrance, and Italy, the _f\u00eate_ of the flowers, or the _f\u00eate_ of\nspring, commences also towards the end of April, and terminates at\nMidsummer. Athenians, on an early day in spring, every year crowned\nwith flowers all children who had reached their third year, and in\nthis way the parents testified their joy that the little ones had\npassed the age rendered critical by the maladies incident to infants.\nThe Roman Catholic priesthood, always alert at appropriating popular\npagan customs, and adapting them to the service of their church, have\nperpetuated this old practice. The little children crowned with flowers\nand habited as angels, who to this day accompany the procession of the\nCorpus Domini at the beginning of June, are taught to scatter flowers\nin the road, to symbolise their own spring-time and the spring-time of\nnature. On this day, along the entire route of the procession at Rome,\nthe ground is thickly strewn with Bay and other fragrant leaves. In\nthe worship of the Madonna, flowers play an important r\u00f4le, and Roman\naltars are still piled up with fragrant blossoms, and still smoke with\nperfumed incense.\n\nAfter the feast of Whitsuntide, the young Russian maidens repair to the\nbanks of the Neva, and fling in its waters wreaths of flowers, which\nare tokens of affection to absent friends.\n\nIn the West of Germany and the greater part of France the ceremony is\nobserved of bringing home on the last harvest wain a tree or bough\ndecorated with flowers and gay ribbons, which is graciously received by\nthe master and planted on or near the house, to remain there till the\nnext harvest brings its successor. Some rite of this sort, Mr. Ralston\nsays, seems to have prevailed all over the North of Europe. \u201cSo, in\nthe autumnal harvest thanksgiving feast at Athens, it was customary\nto carry in sacred procession an Olive-branch wrapped in wool, called\n_Eiresione_, to the temple of Apollo, and there to leave it; and in\naddition to this a similar bough was solemnly placed beside the house\ndoor of every Athenian who was engaged in fruit culture or agriculture,\nthere to remain until replaced by a similar successor twelve months\nlater.\u201d\n\n\nWell-Flowering.\n\nFrom the earliest days of the Christian era our Lord\u2019s ascension\ninto heaven has been commemorated by various ceremonies, one of\nwhich was the perambulation of parish boundaries. At Penkridge, in\nStaffordshire, as well as at Wolverhampton, long after the Reformation,\nthe inhabitants, during the time of processioning, used to adorn\ntheir wells with boughs and flowers; and this ancient custom is still\npractised every year at Tissington, in Derbyshire, where it is known\nas \u201cwell-flowering.\u201d There are five wells so decorated, and the mode\nof dressing or adorning them is this:--the flowers are inserted in\nmoist clay and put upon boards cut in various forms, surrounded with\nboughs of Laurel and White Thorn, so as to give the appearance of\nwater issuing from small grottoes. The flowers are arranged in various\npatterns, to give the effect of mosaic work, and are inscribed with\ntexts of Scripture and suitable mottoes. After church, the congregation\nwalk in procession to the wells and decorate them with these boards, as\nwell as with garlands of flowers, boughs, &c. Flowers were cast into\nthe wells, and from their manner of falling, lads and lasses divined as\nto the progress of their love affairs.\n\n  \u201cBring flowers! bring flowers! to the crystal well,\n  That springs \u2019neath the Willows in yonder dell.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  And we\u2019ll scatter them over the charmed well,\n  And learn our fate from its mystic spell.\u201d\n\n  \u201cAnd she whose flower most tranquilly\n  Glides down the stream our Queen shall be.\n          In a crown we\u2019ll wreath\n          Wild flowers that breathe;\n  And the maiden by whom this wreath shall be worn\n  Shall wear it again on her bridal morn.\u201d--_Merritt._\n\nBefore the Reformation the Celtic population of Scotland, the Hebrides,\nIreland, Wales, and Cornwall were in the habit of naming wells and\nsprings after different saints and martyrs. Though forbidden by the\ncanons of St. Anselm, many pilgrimages continued to be made to them,\nand the custom was long retained of throwing nosegays into springs and\nfountains, and chaplets into wells. Sir Walter Scott tells us that \u201cin\nPerthshire there are several wells dedicated to St. Fillan, which are\nstill places of pilgrimage and offerings, even among Protestants.\u201d\n\n  \u201cThence to St. Fillan\u2019s blessed well\n  Whose spring can frenzied dreams dispel,\n  And the crazed brain restore.\u201d\n\nInto some of these Highland wells flowers are cast, and occasionally\npins, while the surrounding bushes are hung with rags and shreds, in\nimitation of the old heathen practice. The ceremony of sprinkling\nrivers with flowers was probably of similar origin. Milton and Dryden\nboth allude to this custom being in vogue as regards the Severn, and\nthis floral rite is described in \u2018The Fleece\u2019 as follows:--\n\n  \u201cWith light fantastic toe the nymphs\n  Thither assembled, thither every swain;\n  And o\u2019er the dimpled stream a thousand flowers,\n  Pale Lilies, Roses, Violets, and Pinks,\n  Mix\u2019d with the greens of Burnet, Mint, and Thyme,\n  And Trefoil, sprinkled with their sportive arms.\n  Such custom holds along th\u2019 irriguous vales,\n  From Wreken\u2019s brow to rocky Dolvoryn,\n  Sabrina\u2019s early haunt.\u201d\n\n\nBridal Floral Ceremonies.\n\nIn all countries flowers have from time immemorial been chosen as the\nhappy accompaniment of bridal ceremonies. Among the ancients it was\ncustomary to crown newly-married persons with a chaplet of red and\nwhite Roses. On arriving at the house of her husband, the Roman bride\nfound woollen fillets round the door-posts, which were adorned with\nevergreens and blossoms, and anointed with the fat of wolves to avert\nenchantment.\n\nIn M. Barth\u00e9lemi\u2019s \u2018Travels of Young Anacharsis\u2019 the author, describing\na marriage ceremony in the Island of Delos, says that the inhabitants\nof the island assembled at daybreak, crowned with flowers; flowers\nwere strewn in the path of the bride and bridegroom; and the house\nwas garlanded with them. Singers and dancers appeared crowned with\nOak, Myrtles, and Hawthorn. The bride and bridegroom were crowned with\nPoppies, and upon their approach to the temple, a priest received them\nat the entrance, and presented to each a branch of Ivy--a symbol of the\ntie which was to unite them for ever.[6]\n\n[6] \u2018_Voyage du Jeune Anacharsis en Gr\u00e8ce, vers le milieu du quatri\u00e8me\nsi\u00e8cle avant l\u2019ere vulgaire._\u2019\n\nAt Indian nuptials, the wedding wreath, the _varam\u00e2l\u00e2_, united bride\nand bridegroom. At the marriage feasts of the Persians, a little tree\nis introduced, the branches of which are laden with fruit: the guests\nendeavour to pluck these without the bridegroom perceiving them; if\nsuccessful, the latter has to make them a present; if, however, a guest\nfails, he has to give the bridegroom a hundred times the value of the\nobject he sought to remove from the tree.\n\nIn Germany, among the inhabitants of Oldenburg, there exists a curious\nwedding custom. When the bridegroom quits his father\u2019s roof to settle\nin some other town or village, he has his bed linen embroidered at\nthe corners with flowers surmounted by a tree, on whose branches are\nperched cock birds: on each side of the tree are embroidered the\nbridegroom\u2019s initials. In many European countries it is customary to\nplant before the house of a newly-married couple, one or two trees, as\na symbol of the good luck wished them by their friends.\n\n\nFloral Games and Festivals.\n\nFloral games have for many years been held at Toulouse, Barcelona,\nTortosi, and other places; but the former are the most famed, both on\naccount of their antiquity and the value of the prizes distributed\nduring the _f\u00eates_. The ancient city of Toulouse had formerly a great\nreputation for literature, which had, however, been allowed to decline\nuntil the visit of Charles IV. and his bride determined the capitouls\nor chief magistrates to make an effort to restore its prestige as the\ncentre of Proven\u00e7al song. Troubadours there were who, banded together\nin a society, met in the garden of the Augustine monks to recite their\nsongs, _sirventes_, and ballads; and in order to foster the latent\ntaste for poetry, the capitouls invited the poets of the Langue d\u2019oc,\nto compete for a golden Violet to be awarded to the author of the best\npoem produced on May 4th, 1324. The competition created the greatest\nexcitement, and great numbers of people met to hear the judges\u2019\ndecision: they awarded the golden Violet to Arnaud Vidal for his poem\nin honour of the Virgin. In 1355, three prizes were offered--a golden\nViolet for the best song; an Eglantine (Spanish Jasmine), for the best\n_sirvente_, or finest pastoral; and a _Flor-de-gang_ (yellow Acacia)\nfor the best ballad. In later years four prizes were competed for,\nviz., an Amaranth, a Violet, a Pansy, and a Lily. In 1540, Clemence\nIsaure, a poetess, bequeathed the bulk of her fortune to the civic\nauthorities to be expended in prizes for poetic merits, and in _f\u00eates_\nto be held on the 1st and 3rd of May. She was interred in the church\nof La Daurade, on the high altar of which are preserved the golden\nflowers presented to the successful competitors at the Floral Games.\nThe ceremonies of the _f\u00eates_ thus revived by Clemence Isaure commenced\nwith the strewing of her tomb with Roses, followed by mass, a sermon,\nand alms-giving. In 1694, the _Jeux Floraux_ were merged into the\nAcademy of Belles Lettres, which gives prizes, but almost exclusively\nto French poets. The festival, interrupted by the Revolution, was once\nmore revived in 1806, and is still held annually in the Hotel-de-Ville,\nToulouse.\n\nSt. Medard, Bishop of Noyon, in France, instituted in the sixth\ncentury a festival at Salency, his birth-place, for adjudging a most\ninteresting prize offered by piety to virtue. This prize consists of\na simple crown of Roses bestowed on the girl who is acknowledged by\nall her competitors to be the most amiable, modest, and dutiful. The\nfounder of this festival had the pleasure of crowning his own sister as\nthe first _Rosiere_ of Salency. This simple institution still survives,\nand the crown of Roses continues to be awarded to the most virtuous\nof the maidens of the obscure French village. A similar prize is\nawarded in the East of London by an active member of the Roman Catholic\nChurch--the ceremony of crowning the Rose Queen being performed\nannually in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham.\n\nIn the middle ages the Queen of Flowers contributed to a singular\npopular festival at Treviso, in Italy. In the middle of the city the\ninhabitants erected a mock castle of upholstery. The most distinguished\nunmarried females of the place defended the fortress, which was\nattacked by the youth of the other sex. The missiles with which both\nparties fought consisted of Roses, Lilies, Narcissi, Violets, Apples,\nand Nuts, which were hurled at each other by the combatants. Volleys\nof Rose-water and other perfumes were also discharged by means of\nsyringes. This entertainment attracted thousands of spectators from far\nand near, and the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa himself accounted it a\nmost pleasing diversion.\n\nThe custom of pelting with Roses is still common in Persia, where it\nis practised during the whole season that these flowers are blooming.\nA company of young men repair to the places of public entertainment to\namuse the guests with music, singing, and dancing, and in their way\nthrough the streets they pelt the passengers whom they meet with Roses,\nand generally receive a small gratuity in return.\n\nStriking features of the Japanese festival on New Year\u2019s Day are the\ndecorations erected in front of nearly every door, of which Mr. Dixon\ntells us the principal objects are, on the right a _Pinus densiflora_,\non the left a _P. Thunbergius_, both standing upright: the former is\nsupposed to be of the female and the latter of the male sex, and both\nsymbolise a robust age that has withstood the storms and trials of\nlife. Immediately behind each of the Pines is a Bamboo, the straight\nstem of which, with the knots marking its growth, indicates hale life\nand fulness of years. A straw rope of about six feet in length connects\nthe Bamboos seven or more feet from the ground, thus completing the\ntriumphal arch. In the centre of the rope (which is there to ward off\nevil spirits) is a group in which figures a scarlet lobster, the bent\nback of which symbolises old age: this is embedded in branches of the\n_Melia Japonica_, the older leaves of which still remain after the\nyoung ones have burst forth. So may the parents continue to flourish\nwhile children and grandchildren spring forth! Another plant in the\ncentral group is the _Polypodium dicotomon_, a Fern which is regarded\nas a symbol of conjugal life, because the fronds spring in pairs\nfrom the stem. There are also bunches of seaweed, which have local\nsignificance, and a lucky bag, filled with roasted Chesnuts, the seeds\nof the _Torreya nucifera_, and the dried fruit of the _Kaki_.\n\n\nGarlands, Chaplets, and Wreaths.\n\nAll the nations of antiquity--Indians, Chinese, Medes, Persians,\nAssyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans--were\naccustomed to deck themselves, their altars, and their dwellings with\nflowers, and to weave chaplets and garlands of leaves and blossoms.\nIn the Vedic _Vishnupur\u00e2na_, the sage Durv\u00e2sas (one of the names of\nSiva, the destroyer), receives of the goddess Sr\u00ee (the Indian Venus)\na garland of flowers gathered from the trees of heaven. Proceeding on\nhis way, he meets the god Indra, seated on an elephant, and to pay\nhim homage he places on his brow the garland, to which the bees fly\nin order to suck the ambrosia. The Persians were fond of wearing on\ntheir heads crowns made of Myrrh and a sweet-smelling plant called\nLabyzus. Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king, once held some games at\nDaphne, to which thousands of guests were invited, who, after being\nrichly feasted, were sent away with crowns of Myrrh and Frankincense.\nJosephus, in his history of the Jews, has recorded the use of crowns\nin the time of Moses, and on certain occasions the mitre of the High\nPriest was adorned with a chaplet of Henbane (_Hyoscyamus niger_).\nWreaths and chaplets were in common use among the Egyptians at a\nvery early period; and although the Lotus was principally preferred\nin their formation, many other flowers and leaves were employed--as\nof the Chrysanthemum, Acinos, Acacia, Strychnos, Persoluta, Anemone,\nConvolvulus, Olive, Myrtle, Amaracus, Xeranthemum, Bay-tree, and\nothers. Plutarch says that when Agesilaus visited Egypt, he was so\ndelighted with the chaplets of Papyrus sent him by the King, that he\ntook some home when he returned to Sparta. In India, Greece, and Rome,\nthe sacrificial priests were crowned, and their victims were decorated\nwith garlands of flowers.\n\nIn ancient Greece and Rome the manufacture of garlands and chaplets\nbecame quite an art, so great was the estimation in which these\nadornments were held by these highly-civilised nations. With them the\ncomposition of a garland possessed a deep significance, and warriors,\nstatesmen, and poets alike coveted these simple insignia at the hands\nof their countrymen. Pliny tells us that the Sicyonians were considered\nto surpass all other people in the art of arranging the colours of\ngarlands and imparting to them the most agreeable mixture of perfumes.\nThey derived this taste from Glycera, a woman so skilled in the art of\narranging chaplets and garlands that she won the affection of Pausias,\na celebrated painter, who delighted in copying the wreaths of flowers\nso deftly arranged by his mistress. Some of these pictures were still\nin existence when Pliny wrote, four hundred and fifty years after they\nwere painted. Cato, in his treatise on gardens, directs specially that\nthey should be planted with such flowers as are adapted for chaplets\nand wreaths. Pliny states that Mnestheus and Callimachus, two renowned\nGreek physicians, compiled several books on the virtues of chaplets,\npointing out those hurtful to the brain, as well as those which had\na beneficial influence on the wearer; for both Greeks and Romans had\nfound, by experience, that certain plants and flowers facilitated the\nfunctions of the brain, and assisted materially to neutralise the\ninebriating qualities of wine. Thus, as Horace tells us, the floral\nchaplets worn by guests at feasts were tied with the bark of the Linden\nto prevent intoxication.\n\n  \u201cI tell thee, boy, that I detest\n  The grandeur of a Persian feast;\n  Nor for me the binder\u2019s rind\n  Shall no flow\u2019ry chaplet bind.\n  Then search not where the curious Rose,\n  Beyond his season loitering grows;\n  But beneath the mantling Vine,\n  While I quaff the flowing wine,\n  The Myrtle\u2019s wreath shall crown our brows,\n  While you shall wait and I carouse.\u201d\n\nBesides the guests at feasts, the attendants were decorated with\nwreaths, and the wine-cups and apartments adorned with flowers.\nFrom an anecdote related by Pliny we learn that it was a frequent\ncustom, common to both Greeks and Romans, to mix the flowers of their\nchaplets in their wine, when they pledged the healths of their friends.\nCleopatra, to ridicule the mistrust of Antony, who would never eat or\ndrink at her table without causing his taster to test every viand, lest\nany should be poisoned, commanded a chaplet of flowers to be prepared\nfor the Roman General, the edges of which were dipped in the most\ndeadly poison, whilst that which was woven for her own brow was, as\nusual, mixed with aromatic spices. At the banquet Antony received his\ncoronet of flowers, and when they had become cheerful through the aid\nof Bacchus, Cleopatra pledged him in wine, and taking off the wreath\nfrom her head, and rubbing the blossoms into her goblet, drank off the\ncontents. Antony was following her example, but just as he had raised\nthe fatal cup to his lips, the Queen seized his arm, exclaiming, \u201cCure\nyour jealous fears, and learn that I should not have to seek the means\nof your destruction, could I live without you.\u201d She then ordered a\nprisoner to be brought before them, who, on drinking the wine from\nAntony\u2019s goblet, instantly expired in their presence.\n\nThe Romans wore garlands at sacred rites, games and festivals, on\njourneys and in war. When an army was freed from a blockade its\ndeliverer was presented with a crown composed of the Grass growing\non the spot. In modern heraldry, this crown of Grass is called the\nCrown Obsidional, and appertains to the general who has held a\nfortress against a besieging army and ultimately relieved it from\nthe assailants. To him who had saved the life of a Roman soldier was\ngiven a chaplet of Oak-leaves: this is the modern heraldic civic crown\nbestowed on a brave soldier who has saved the life of a comrade or has\nrescued him after having been taken prisoner by the enemy. The glories\nof all grand deeds were signalized by the crown of Laurel among both\nGreeks and Romans. This is the heraldic Crown Triumphant, adjudged\nin our own times to a general who has achieved a signal victory. The\nRomans were not allowed by law to appear in festal garlands on ordinary\noccasions. Hence C\u00e6sar valued most highly the privilege accorded him by\nthe Senate of wearing a Laurel crown, because it screened his baldness,\nwhich, both by the Romans and Jews, was considered a deformity. This\ncrown was generally composed of the Alexandrian Laurel (_Ruscus\nHypoglossum_)--the Laurel usually depicted on busts and coins. The\nvictors at the athletic games were adjudged crowns differing in their\ncomposition according to the place in which they had won their honours.\nThus, crowns of\n\n  Olive                    were given at the  Olympic games.\n  Beech, Laurel, or Palm    \u201e    \u201e    \u201e   \u201e   Pythian   \u201e\n  Parsley                   \u201e    \u201e    \u201e   \u201e   Nemean    \u201e\n  Pine                      \u201e    \u201e    \u201e   \u201e   Isthmian  \u201e\n\nIt is not too much to say that Greeks and Romans employed garlands,\nwreaths, and festoons of flowers on every possible occasion; they\nadorned with them the sacrificial victims, the statue of the god to\nwhom sacrifice was offered, and the priest who performed the rite. They\nplaced chaplets on the brows of the dead, and strewed their graves\nwith floral wreaths, whilst at their funeral feasts the parents of\nthe departed one encircled their heads with floral crowns. They threw\nthem to the successful actors on the stage. They hung with garlands\nthe gates of their cities on days of rejoicing. They employed floral\nwreaths at their nuptials. Nearly all the plants composing these\nwreaths had a symbolical meaning, and they were varied according to\nthe seasons and the circumstances of the wearer. The Hawthorn adorned\nGrecian brides; but the bridal wreath of the Romans was usually\ncomposed of Verbena, plucked by the bride herself. Holly wreaths were\nsent as tokens of good wishes. Chaplets of Parsley and Rue were worn to\nkeep off evil spirits.\n\nBut the employment of garlands has by no means been confined to the\nancients. At the present day the inhabitants of India make constant use\nof them. The Brahmin women, who burn themselves on the funeral pyres\nof their husbands, deck their persons with chaplets and garlands, and\npresent wreaths to the young women who attend them at this terrible\nsacrifice. The young Indian girls adorn themselves with garlands\nduring the festival of K\u00e2madeva, the god of love, which takes place\nduring the last days of spring. In the nuptial ceremonies of India,\nthe garland of flowers is still a feature which possesses a recognised\nsymbolic value. In Northern India garlands of the African Marigold are\nplaced on the trident emblem of Mah\u00e2deva, and both male and female\nworshippers wear chaplets composed of the same sacred flower on his\nfestivals. The _Moo-le-hua_, a fragrant Jasmine, is employed in China\nand other Eastern countries in forming wreaths for the decoration of\nladies\u2019 hair, and an Olive crown is still the reward of literary merit\nin China. The Japanese of both sexes are fond of wearing wreaths of\nfragrant blossoms.\n\nThe Italians have artificers called Festaroli, whose especial office\nit is to manufacture garlands and festoons of flowers and other\ndecorations for feasts. The maidens of Greece, Germany, and Roumania\nstill bear wreaths of flowers in certain processions which have long\nbeen customary in the spring of the year. The Swiss peasants are\nfond of making garlands, for rural festivities, of the Globe-flower\n(_Trollius Europ\u00e6us_), which grows freely on all the chain of the Alps.\nIn Germany a wreath of Vervain is presented to the newly-married, and\nin place of the wreath of Orange-blossoms which decorates the brow\nof the bride in England, France, and America, a chaplet of Myrtle is\nworn. The blossom of the _Bizarade_ or bitter Orange is most prized for\nwreaths and favours when the fresh flowers can be procured.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nPlants of the Christian Church.\n\n\nAfter Rome Pagan became Rome Christian, the priests of the Church of\nChrist recognised the importance of utilising the connexion which\nexisted between plants and the old pagan worship, and bringing the\nfloral world into active co-operation with the Christian Church by the\ninstitution of a floral symbolism which should be associated not only\nwith the names of saints, but also with the Festivals of the Church.\n\nBut it was more especially upon the Virgin Mary that the early Church\nbestowed their floral symbolism. Mr. Hepworth Dixon, writing of those\nquiet days of the Virgin\u2019s life, passed purely and tenderly among the\nflowers of Nazareth, says--\u201cHearing that the best years of her youth\nand womanhood were spent, before she yet knew grief, on this sunny hill\nand side slope, her feet being for ever among the Daisies, Poppies, and\nAnemones, which grow everywhere about, we have made her the patroness\nof all our flowers. The Virgin is our Rose of Sharon--our Lily of the\nValley. The poetry no less than the piety of Europe has inscribed to\nher the whole bloom and colouring of the fields and hedges.\u201d\n\nThe choicest flowers were wrested from the classic Juno, Venus, and\nDiana, and from the Scandinavian Bertha and Freyja, and bestowed upon\nthe Madonna, whilst floral offerings of every sort were laid upon her\nshrines.\n\nHer husband, Joseph, has allotted to him a white _Campanula_, which in\nBologna is known as the little Staff of St. Joseph. In Tuscany the name\nof St. Joseph\u2019s staff is given to the Oleander: a legend recounts that\nthe good Joseph possessed originally only an ordinary staff, but that\nwhen the angel announced to him that he was destined to be the husband\nof the Virgin Mary, he became so radiant with joy, that his very staff\nflowered in his hand.\n\nBefore our Saviour\u2019s birth, the Virgin Mary, strongly desiring to\nrefresh herself with some luscious cherries that were hanging in\nclusters upon the branch of a tree, asked Joseph to gather some for\nher. He hesitated, and mockingly said--\u201cLet the father of thy child\npresent them to you.\u201d Instantly the branch of the Cherry-tree inclined\nitself to the Virgin\u2019s hand, and she plucked from it the refreshing\nfruit. On this account the Cherry has always been dedicated to the\nVirgin Mary. The Strawberry, also, is specially set apart to the\nVirgin\u2019s use; and in the Isle of Harris a species of Beans, called\nMolluka Beans, are called, after her, the Virgin Mary\u2019s Nuts.\n\nAt Bethlehem, the manger in which the Infant Jesus was laid after His\nbirth was filled with Our Lady\u2019s Bedstraw (_Galium verum_). Some few\ndrops of the Virgin\u2019s milk fell upon a Thistle, which from that time\nhas had its leaves spotted with white, and is known as Our Lady\u2019s\nThistle (_Carduus Marianus_). In Germany the _Polypodium vulgare_,\nwhich grows in clefts of rocks, is believed to have sprung from\nthe milk of the Virgin (in ancient times from Freyja\u2019s milk). The\n_Pulmonaria_ is also known as _Unser Frauen Milch_ (Our Lady\u2019s Milk).\n\nWhen, after the birth of Jesus, His parents fled into Egypt, traditions\nrecord that in order that the Virgin might conceal herself and the\ninfant Saviour from the assassins sent out by Herod, various trees\nopened, or stretched their branches and enlarged their leaves. As\nthe Juniper is dedicated to the Virgin, the Italians consider that\nit was a tree of that species which thus saved the mother and child,\nand the Juniper is supposed to possess the power of driving away evil\nspirits and of destroying magical spells. The Palm, the Willow, and the\nRosemary have severally been named as having afforded their shelter to\nthe fugitives. On the other hand, the Lupine, according to a tradition\nstill current among the Bolognese, received the maledictions of the\nVirgin Mary because, during the flight, certain plants of this species,\nby the noise they made, drew the attention of the soldiers of Herod to\nthe spot where the harassed travellers had halted.\n\nDuring the flight into Egypt a legend relates that certain precious\nbushes sprang up by the fountain where the Virgin washed the swaddling\nclothes of her Divine babe. These bushes were produced by the drops of\nwater which fell from the clothes, and from which germinated a number\nof little plants, each yielding precious balm. Wherever the Holy Family\nrested in their flight sprang up the _Rosa Hierosolymitana_--the _Rosa\nMari\u00e6_, or Rose of the Virgin. Near the city of On there was shown for\nmany centuries the sacred Fig-tree under which the Holy Family rested.\nThey also, according to Bavarian tradition, rested under a Hazel.\n\n\nPlants of the Virgin Mary.\n\nIn Tuscany there grows on walls a rootless little pellitory\n(_Parietaria_), with tiny pale-pink flowers and small leaves. They\ngather it on the morning of the Feast of the Ascension, and suspend it\non the walls of bed-rooms till the day of the Nativity of the Virgin\n(8th September), from which it derives its name--the Herb of the\nMadonna. It generally opens its flowers after it has been gathered,\nretaining sufficient sap to make it do so. This opening of a cut\nflower is regarded by the peasantry as a token of the special blessing\nof the Virgin. Should the flower not open, it is taken as an omen of\nthe Divine displeasure. In the province of Bellune, in Italy, the\n_Matricaria Parthenium_ is called the Herb of the Blessed Mary: this\nflower was formerly consecrated to Minerva.\n\nIn Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, they give the name of _Mariengras_\n(Herb of Mary) to different Ferns, and in those countries Mary often\nreplaces the goddess Freyja, the Venus of the North, in the names of\nflowers. No doubt the monks of old delighted in bestowing upon the\nVirgin Mary the floral attributes of Venus, Freyja, Isis, and other\ngoddesses of the heathen; but, nevertheless, it is not long since that\na Catholic writer complained that at the Reformation \u201cthe very names\nof plants were changed in order to divert men\u2019s minds from the least\nrecollection of ancient Christian piety;\u201d and a Protestant writer of\nthe last century, bewailing the ruthless action of the Puritans in\ngiving to the \u201cQueen of Beauty\u201d flowers named after the \u201cQueen of\nHeaven,\u201d says: \u201cBotany, which in ancient times was full of the Blessed\nVirgin Mary, ... is now as full of the heathen Venus.\u201d\n\nAmongst the titles of honour given to the Virgin in the \u2018Ballad of\nCommendation of Our Lady,\u2019 in the old editions of Chaucer, we find:\n\u201cBenigne braunchlet of the Pine tree.\u201d\n\nIn England \u201cLady\u201d in the names of plants generally has allusion to\nOur Lady, Notre Dame, the Virgin Mary. Our Lady\u2019s Mantle (_Alchemilla\nvulgaris_) is the M\u00e1r\u00edu Stakkr of Iceland, which insures repose when\nplaced beneath the pillow. _Scandix Pecten_ was Our Lady\u2019s Comb, but in\nPuritan times was changed into Venus\u2019 Comb. The _Cardamine pratensis_\nis Our Lady\u2019s Smock; _Neottia spiralis_, Our Lady\u2019s Tresses; _Armeria\nvulgaris_, Our Lady\u2019s Cushion; _Anthyllis vulneraria_, Our Lady\u2019s\nFingers; _Campanula hybrida_, Our Lady\u2019s Looking-glass; _Cypripedium\nCalceolus_, Our Lady\u2019s Slipper; the Cowslip, Our Lady\u2019s Bunch of Keys;\nBlack Briony, Our Lady\u2019s Seal (a name which has been transferred\nfrom Solomon\u2019s Seal, of which the \u2018Grete Herbal\u2019 states, \u201cIt is al\none herbe, Solomon\u2019s Seale and Our Lady\u2019s Seale\u201d). Quaking Grass,\n_Briza media_, is Our Lady\u2019s Hair; Maidenhair Fern, the Virgin\u2019s\nHair; Mary-golds (_Calendula officinalis_) and Mary-buds (_Caltha\npalustris_) are both named after the Virgin Mary. The _Campanula_ and\nthe _Digitalis_ are in France the Gloves of Mary; the _Nardus Celtica_\nis by the Germans called _Marienblumen_; the White-flowered Wormwood\nis _Unser Frauen Rauch_ (Smoke of Our Lady); _Mentha spicata_ is in\nFrench, _Menthe de Notre Dame_--in German, _Unser Frauen M\u00fcntz_;\nthe _Costus hortensis_, the _Eupatorium_, the _Matricaria_, the\n_Gallitrichum sativum_, the _Tanacetum_, the _Persicaria_, and a\n_Parietaria_ are all, according to Bauhin, dedicated to the Virgin\nMary. The name of Our Lady\u2019s Tears, or _Larmes de Sainte Marie_, has\nbeen given to the Lily of the Valley, as well as to the _Lithospermon_\nof Dioscorides, the _Satyrium maculatum_, and the _Satyrium basilicum\nmajus_. The _Narcissus Italicus_ is the Lily of Mary. The Toad Flax is\nin France _Lin de Notre Dame_, in Germany, _Unser Frauen Flachs_. The\nDead-Nettle is _Main de Sainte Marie_. Besides the _Alchemilla_, the\n_Leontopodium_, the _Drosera_, and the _Sanicula major_ are called on\nthe Continent Our Lady\u2019s Mantle. Woodroof, Thyme, Groundsel, and St.\nJohn\u2019s Wort form the bed of Mary.\n\nIn Piedmont they give the name of the Herb of the Blessed Mary to a\ncertain plant that the birds are reputed to carry to their young ones\nwhich have been stolen and imprisoned in cages, in order that it shall\ncause their death and thus deliver them from their slavery.\n\nThe Snowdrop is the Fair Maid of February, as being sacred to the\nPurification of the Virgin (February 2nd), when her image was removed\nfrom the altar and Snowdrops strewed in its place.\n\nTo the Madonna, in her capacity of Queen of Heaven, were dedicated\nthe Almond, the White Iris, the White Lily, and the Narcissus, all\nappropriate to the Annunciation (March 25th). The Lily and White and\nRed Roses were assigned to the Visitation of Our Lady (July 2nd): these\nflowers are typical of the love and purity of the Virgin Mother. To the\nFeast of the Assumption (August 15th) is assigned the Virgin\u2019s Bower\n(_Clematis Flammula_); to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (September\n8th) the Amellus (_Aster Amellus_); and to the Conception (December\n8th) the Arbor Vit\u00e6.\n\nSt. Dominick instituted the \u201cDevotion of the Rosary\u201d of the Virgin\nMary--a series of prayers, to mark the repetition of which a chaplet\nof beads is employed, which consists of fifteen large and one hundred\nand fifty small beads; the former representing the number of _Pater\nNosters_, the latter the number of _Ave Marias_. As these beads were\nformerly made of Rose-leaves tightly pressed into round moulds, where\nreal Roses were not strung together, this chaplet was called a Rosary,\nand was blessed by the Pope or some other holy person before being so\nused.\n\n_Valeriana sativa_ is in France called _Herbe de Marie Magdaleine_, in\nGermany _Marien Magdalenen Kraut_; the Pomegranate is the _Pommier de\nMarie Magdaleine_ and _Marien Magdalenen Apfel_.\n\n\nThe Plants of Our Saviour.\n\nWe have seen that at the birth of Christ, the infant Jesus was laid on\na manger containing _Galium verum_, at Bethlehem, a place commemorated\nby the _Ornithogalum umbellatum_, or Star of Bethlehem, the flowers\nof which resemble the pictures of the star that indicated the birth\nof Jesus. Whilst lying in the manger, a spray of the rose-coloured\nSainfoin, says a French legend, was found among the dried grass\nand herbs which served for His bed. Suddenly the Sainfoin began to\nexpand its delicate blossoms, and to the astonishment of Mary, formed\na wreath around the head of the holy babe. In commemoration of the\ninfant Saviour having laid on a manger, it is customary, in some parts\nof Italy, to deck mangers at Christmas time with Moss, Sow-Thistle,\nCypress, and prickly Holly: boughs of Juniper are also used for\nChristmas decorations, because tradition affirms that the Virgin\nand Child found safety amongst its branches when pursued by Herod\u2019s\nmercenaries. The Juniper is also believed to have furnished the wood of\nthe Cross on which Jesus was crucified.\n\nAt Christmas, according to an ancient pious tradition, all the plants\nrejoice. In commemoration of the birth of our Saviour, in countries\nnearer His birthplace than England, the Apple, Cherry, Carnation, Balm,\nRose of Jericho, and Rose of Mariastem (in Alsatia), burst forth into\nblossom at Christmas, whilst in our own land the day is celebrated\nby the blossoming of the Glastonbury Thorn, sprung from St. Joseph\u2019s\nstaff, and the flowering of the Christmas Rose, or Christ\u2019s Herb, known\nin France as _la Rose de Noel_, and in Germany as _Christwurzel_.\n\nOn Good Friday, in remembrance of the Passion of our Lord, all the\ntrees, says the legend, shudder and tremble. The Swedes and Scotch have\na tradition that Christ was scourged with a rod of the dwarf Birch,\nwhich was once a noble tree, but has ever since remained stunted and\nlowly. It is called _L\u00e1ng Fredags ris_, or Good Friday rod. There is\nanother legend extant, which states that the rod with which Christ was\nscourged was cut from a Willow, and that the trees of its species have\ndrooped their branches to the earth in grief and shame from that time,\nand have, consequently, borne the name of Weeping Willows.\n\n\nThe Crown of Thorns.\n\nSir J. Maundevile, who visited the Holy Land in the fourteenth century,\nhas recorded that he had many times seen the identical crown of Thorns\nworn by Jesus Christ, one half of which was at Constantinople and the\nother half at Paris, where it was religiously preserved in a vessel\nof crystal in the King\u2019s Chapel. This crown Maundevile says was of\n\u201cJonkes of the see, that is to sey, Rushes of the see, that prykken als\nscharpely as Thornes;\u201d he further adds that he had been presented with\none of the precious thorns, which had fallen off into the vessel, and\nthat it resembled a White Thorn. The old traveller gives the following\ncircumstantial account of our Lord\u2019s trial and condemnation, from which\nit would appear that Jesus was first crowned with White Thorn, then\nwith Eglantine, and finally with Rushes of the sea. He writes:--\u201cIn\nthat nyghte that He was taken, He was ylad into a gardyn; and there\nHe was first examyned righte scharply; and there the Jewes scorned\nHim, and maden Him a croune of the braunches of Albespyne, that is\nWhite Thorn, that grew in the same gardyn, and setten it on His heved,\nso faste and so sore, that the blood ran doun be many places of His\nvisage, and of His necke, and of His schuldres. And therefore hathe\nthe White Thorn many vertues; for he that berethe a braunche on him\nthereoffe, no thondre, ne no maner of tempest may dere him; ne in the\nhows that it is inne may non evylle gost entre ne come unto the place\nthat it is inne. And in that same gardyn Seynt Petre denyed oure Lord\nthryes. Aftreward was oure Lord lad forthe before the bischoppes and\nthe maystres of the lawe, in to another gardyn of Anne; and there also\nHe was examyned, repreved, and scorned, and crouned eft with a White\nThorn, that men clepethe Barbarynes, that grew in that gardyn; and that\nhathe also manye vertues. And afterward He was lad into a gardyn of\nCayphas, and there He was crouned with Eglentier. And aftre He was lad\nin to the chambre of Pylate, and there He was examynd and crouned. And\nthe Jewes setten Hym in a chayere and cladde Hym in a mantelle; and\nthere made thei the croune of Jonkes of the see; and there thei kneled\nto Hym, and skorned Hym, seyenge: \u2018Heyl, King of the Jewes!\u2019\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Relics of the Crucifixion. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nThe illustration represents the Crown of Thorns, worn by our Saviour,\nhis coat without seams, called _tunica inconsutilis_; the sponge; the\nreed by means of which the Jews gave our Lord vinegar and gall; and one\nof the nails wherewith He was fastened to the Cross. All these relics\nMaundevile tells us he saw at Constantinople.\n\nOf what particular plant was composed the crown of Thorns which the\nRoman soldiers plaited and placed on the Saviour\u2019s head, has long been\na matter of dispute. Gerarde says it was the _Paliurus aculeatus_,\na sharp-spined shrub, which he calls Christ\u2019s Thorn; and the old\nherbalist quotes Bellonius, who had travelled in the Holy Land, and who\nstated that this shrubby Thorn was common in Judea, and that it was\n\u201cThe Thorne wherewith they crowned our Saviour Christ.\u201d The melancholy\ndistinction has, however, been variously conferred on the Buckthorns,\n_Rhamnus Spina Christi_ and _R. Paliurus_; the Boxthorn, the Barberry,\nthe Bramble, the Rose-briar, the Wild Hyssop, the Acanthus, or\nBrank-ursine, the _Spartium villosum_, the Holly (called in Germany,\n_Christdorn_), the Acacia, or _Nabkha_ of the Arabians, a thorny plant,\nvery suitable for the purpose, since its flexible twigs could be\ntwisted into a chaplet, and its small but pointed thorns would cause\nterrible wounds; and, in France, the Hawthorn--the _\u00e9pine noble_. The\nWest Indian negroes state that Christ\u2019s crown was composed of a branch\nof the Cashew-tree, and that in consequence one of the golden petals of\nits blossom became black and blood-stained.\n\nThe Reed Mace (_Typha latifolia_) is generally represented as the reed\nplaced, in mockery, by the soldiers in the Saviour\u2019s right hand.\n\n\nThe Wood of the Cross.\n\nAccording to the legend connected with the Tree of Adam, the wood of\nthe Cross on which our Lord was crucified was Cedar--a beam hewn from\na tree which incorporated in itself the essence of the Cedar, the\nCypress, and the Olive (the vegetable emblems of the Holy Trinity).\nCurzon, in his \u2018Monasteries of the Levant,\u2019 gives a tradition that the\nCedar was cut down by Solomon, and buried on the spot afterwards called\nthe Pool of Bethesda; that about the time of the Passion of our Blessed\nLord the wood floated, and was used by the Jews for the upright posts\nof the Cross. Another legend makes the Cross of four kinds of wood\nrepresenting the four quarters of the globe, or all mankind: it is not,\nhowever, agreed what those four kinds of wood were, or their respective\nplaces in the Cross. Some say they were the Palm, the Cedar, the Olive,\nand the Cypress; hence the line--\n\n  \u201c_Ligna crucis Palma, Cedrus, Cupressus, Oliva._\u201d\n\nIn place of the Palm or the Olive, some claim the mournful honour for\nthe Pine and the Box; whilst there are others who aver it was made\nentirely of Oak. Another account states the wood to have been the\nAspen, and since that fatal day its leaves have never ceased trembling\nwith horror.\n\n  \u201cFar off in Highland wilds \u2019tis said\n  That of this tree the Cross was made.\u201d\n\nIn some parts of England it is believed that the Elder was the\nunfortunate tree; and woodmen will look carefully into the faggots\nbefore using them for fuel, in case any of this wood should be bound\nup in them. The gipsies entertain the notion that the Cross was made\nof Ash; the Welsh that the Mountain Ash furnished the wood. In the\nWest of England there is a curious tradition that the Cross was made\nof Mistletoe, which, until the time of our Saviour\u2019s death, had been\na goodly forest tree, but was condemned henceforth to become a mere\nparasite.\n\nSir John Maundevile asserts that the Cross was made of Palm, Cedar,\nCypress, and Olive, and he gives the following curious account of\nits manufacture:--\u201cFor that pece that wente upright fro the erthe to\nthe heved was of Cypresse; and the pece that wente overthwart to the\nwiche his honds weren nayled was of Palme; and the stock that stode\nwithin the erthe, in the whiche was made the morteys, was of Cedre; and\nthe table aboven his heved, that was a fote and an half long, on the\nwhiche the title was written, in Ebreu, Grece, and Latyn, that was of\nOlyve. And the Jewes maden the Cros of theise 4 manere of trees: for\nthei trowed that oure Lord Jesu Crist scholde han honged on the Cros\nals longe as the Cros myghten laste. And therfore made thei the foot\nof the Cros of Cedre: for Cedre may not in erthe ne in watre rote.\nAnd therfore thei wolde that it scholde have lasted longe. For thei\ntrowed that the body of Crist scholde have stonken; therfore thei made\nthat pece that went from the erthe upward, of Cypres: for it is welle\nsmellynge, so that the smelle of His body scholde not greve men that\nwenten forby. And the overthwart pece was of Palme: for in the Olde\nTestament it was ordyned that whan on overcomen, He scholde be crowned\nwith Palme. And the table of the tytle thei maden of Olyve; for Olyve\nbetokenethe pes. And the storye of Noe wytnessethe whan that the culver\nbroughte the braunche of Olyve, that betokend pes made betwene God and\nman. And so trowed the Jewes for to have pes whan Crist was ded: for\nthei seyd that He made discord and strif amonges hem.\u201d\n\n\nPlants of the Crucifixion.\n\nIn Brittany the Vervain is known as the Herb of the Cross. John White,\nwriting in 1624, says of it--\n\n  \u201cHallow\u2019d be thou Vervain, as thou growest in the ground,\n  For in the Mount of Calvary thou first was found.\n  Thou healedst our Saviour Jesus Christ\n  And staunchedst His bleeding wound.\n  In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,\n      I take thee from the ground.\u201d\n\nIn the Flax-fields of Flanders, there grows a plant called the\n_Roodselken_, the red spots on the leaves of which betoken the blood\nwhich fell on it from the Cross, and which neither rain nor snow has\nsince been able to wash off. In Cheshire a similar legend is attached\nto the _Orchis maculata_, which is there called Gethsemane.\n\n  \u201cThose deep unwrought marks,\n  The villager will tell thee,\n  Are the flower\u2019s portion from the atoning blood\n  On Calvary shed. Beneath the Cross it grew.\u201d\n\nIn Palestine there exists a notion that the red Anemone grew at\nthe foot of the Cross, and hence the flower bears the name of the\n\u201cBlood-drops of Christ.\u201d The Wood Sorrel is introduced in their\npaintings of the Crucifixion by the early Italian painters, perhaps as\nsymbolizing the Trinity with its triple leaf.\n\nWhilst wearily bearing His Cross on the way to Calvary, our Lord passed\nby the door of St. Veronica, who, with womanly compassion, wiped with\nher kerchief the drops of agony from His brow. The Redeemer\u2019s features\nremained miraculously impressed on the linen, and from that time the\nflowers of the wayside Speedwell have ever borne a representation of\nthe precious relic. In Brittany it is said that whilst Christ was\nbearing His Cross a little robin took from His mocking crown one of the\nthorns, steeped in His blood, which dyed the robin\u2019s breast; henceforth\nthe robin has always been the friend of man.\n\n  \u201cBearing His cross, while Christ passed forth forlorn,\n  His God-like forehead by the mock crown torn,\n  A little bird took from that crown one thorn,\n  To soothe the dear Redeemer\u2019s throbbing head,\n  That bird did what she could; His blood, \u2019tis said,\n  Down dropping, dyed her bosom red.\u201d--_J. H. Abrahall._\n\nThe early Spanish settlers of South America saw in the _Flor de las\ncinco llagas_, the Flower of the Five Wounds, or Passion Flower, a\nmarvellous floral emblem of the mysteries of Christ\u2019s Passion, and the\nJesuits eagerly adopted it as likely to prove useful in winning souls\nto their faith.\n\nAn old legend, probably of monkish origin, recounts the emotions of\nplants on the death of the Saviour of mankind.\n\nThe Pine of Damascus said:--As a sign of mourning, from this day my\nfoliage will remain sombre, and I will dwell in solitary places.\n\nThe Willow of Babylon.--My branches shall henceforth incline towards\nthe waters of the Euphrates, and there shed the tears of the East.\n\nThe Vine of Sorrento.--My grapes shall be black, and the wine that\nshall flow from my side shall be called _Lacryma Christi_.\n\nThe Cypress of Carmel.--I will be the guest of the tombs, and the\ntestimony of grief.\n\nThe Yew.--I will be the guardian of graveyards. No bee shall pillage\nwith impunity my poisoned flowers. No bird shall rest on my branches;\nfor my exhalations shall give forth death.\n\nThe Iris of Susa.--Henceforth I will wear perpetual mourning, in\ncovering with a violet veil my golden chalice.\n\nThe Day Lily.--I will shut every evening my sweet-smelling corolla, and\nwill only re-open it in the morning with the tears of the night.\n\nIn the midst of these lamentations of the flowers the Poplar alone held\nhimself upright, cold, and arrogant as a free-thinker. As a punishment\nfor this pride, from that day forth, at the least breath of wind it\ntrembles in all its limbs. Revolutionists have, therefore, made it the\nTree of Liberty.\n\n\nThe Tree of Judas Iscariot.\n\nIn connection with the Crucifixion of our Lord many trees have had the\nill-luck of bearing the name of the traitor Judas--the disciple who,\nafter he had sold his Master, in sheer remorse and despair went and\nhanged himself on a tree.\n\n[Illustration: The Tree of Judas. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nThe Fig, the Tamarisk, the Wild Carob, the Aspen, the Elder, and the\nDog Rose have each in their turn been mentioned as the tree on which\nthe suicide was committed. As regards the Fig, popular tradition\naffirms that the tree, after Judas had hung himself on it, never\nagain bore fruit; that the Fig was the identical Fig-tree cursed by\nour Lord; and that all the wild Fig-trees sprang from this accursed\ntree. According to a Sicilian tradition, however, Judas did not hang\nhimself on a Fig but on a Tamarisk-tree called _Vruca_ (_Tamarix\nAfricana_): this _Vruca_ is now only a shrub, although formerly it\nwas a noble tree; at the time of Judas\u2019 suicide it was cursed by God,\nand thenceforth became a shrub, ill-looking, misshapen, and useless.\nIn England, according to Gerarde, the wild Carob is the Judas-tree\n(_Cercis Siliquastrum_): this _Arbor Jud\u00e6_ was in olden times known as\nthe wild or foolish Cod. By many, however, the Elder has been supposed\nto be the fatal tree: thus we read in Piers Plowman\u2019s \u2018Vision\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cJudas he japed\n  With Jewen silver,\n  And sithen on an Eller\n  Hanged hymselve.\u201d\n\nSir John Maundevile, from whose work the foregoing illustration has\nbeen copied, corroborates this view; for he tells us that in his day\nthere stood in the vicinity of Mount Sion \u201cthe tree of Eldre, that\nJudas henge him self upon, for despeyr.\u201d\n\nA Russian proverb runs:--\u201cThere is an accursed tree which trembles\nwithout even a breath of wind,\u201d in allusion to the Aspen (_Populus\ntremula_); and in the Ukraine they say that the leaves of this tree\nhave quivered and shaken since the day that Judas hung himself on it.\n\n\nThe Plants of St. John.\n\nPopular tradition associates St. John the Baptist with numerous\nmarvels of the plant world. St. John was supposed to have been born\nat midnight; and on the eve of his anniversary, precisely at twelve\no\u2019clock, the Fern blooms and seeds, and this wondrous seed, gathered\nat that moment, renders the possessor invisible: thus, in Shakspeare\u2019s\nHenry IV., Gadshill says: \u201cWe have the receipt of Fern-seed, we walk\ninvisible.\u201d\n\nThe Fairies, commanded by their queen, and the demons, commanded by\nSatan, engage in fierce combats at this mysterious time, for the\npossession of the invisible seed.\n\nIn Russia, on St. John\u2019s Eve, they seek the flower of the _Paporot_\n(_Aspidium Filix mas_), which flowers only at the precise moment of\nmidnight, and will enable the lucky gatherer, who has watched it\nflower, to realise all his desires, to discover hidden treasures, and\nto recover cattle stolen or strayed. In the Ukraine it is thought that\nthe gatherer of the Fern-flower will be endowed with supreme wisdom.\n\nThe Russian peasants also gather, on the night of the Vigil of St.\nJohn, the _Tirlic_, or _Gentiana Amarella_, a plant much sought after\nby witches, and only to be gathered by those who have been fortunate\nenough first to have found the _Plakun_ (_Lythrum Salicaria_), which\nmust be gathered on the morning of St. John, without using a knife or\nother instrument in uprooting it. This herb the Russians hold to be\nvery potent against witches, bad spirits, and the evil eye. A cross\ncut from the root of the _Plakun_, and worn on the person, causes\nthe wearer to be feared as much as fire. Another herb which should be\ngathered on St. John\u2019s Eve is the _Hieracium Pilosella_, called in\nGermany _Johannisblut_ (blood of St. John): it brings good-luck, but\nmust be uprooted with a gold coin.\n\nIn many countries, before the break of day on St. John\u2019s morning, the\ndew which has fallen on vegetation is gathered with great care. This\ndew is justly renowned, for it purifies all the noxious plants and\nimparts to certain others a fabulous power. By some it is treasured\nbecause it is believed to preserve the eyes from all harm during the\nsucceeding year. In Venetia the dew is reputed to renew the roots of\nthe hair on the baldest of heads. It is collected in a small phial,\nand a herb called _Basilica_ is placed in it. In Normandy and the\nPyrenees it is used as a wash to purify the skin; in Brittany it is\nthought that, thus used, it will drive away fever; and in Italy,\nRoumania, Sweden, and Iceland it is believed to soften and beautify\nthe complexion. In Egypt the _nucta_ or miraculous drop falls before\nsunrise on St. John\u2019s Day, and is supposed to have the effect of\nstopping the plague. In Sicily they gather the _Hypericum perforatum_,\nor Herb of St. John, and put it in oil, which is by this means\ntransformed into a balm infallible for the cure of wounds.\n\nIn Spain garlands of flowers are plucked in the early morn of St.\nJohn\u2019s Day, before the dew has been dried by the sun, and a favourite\nwether is decked with them, the village lasses singing--\n\n  \u201cCome forth, come forth, my maidens,\n      we\u2019ll gather Myrtle boughs,\n  And we shall learn from the dews of the Fern\n      if our lads will keep their vows:\n  If the wether be still, as we dance on the hill,\n      and the dew hangs sweet on the flowers,\n  Then we\u2019ll kiss off the dew, for our lovers are true,\n      and the Baptist\u2019s blessing is ours.\u201d\n\nThe populace of Madrid were long accustomed, on St. John\u2019s Eve, to\nwander about the fields in search of Vervain, from a superstitious\nnotion that this plant possesses preternatural powers when gathered at\ntwelve o\u2019clock on St. John\u2019s Eve.\n\nIn some parts of Russia the country people heat their baths on the Eve\nof St. John and place in them the herb _Kunalnitza_ (_Ranunculus_); in\nother parts they place herbs, gathered on the same anniversary, upon\nthe roofs of houses and stables, as a safeguard against evil spirits.\nThe French peasantry rub the udders of their cows with similar herbs,\nto ensure plenty of milk, and place them over the doorways of cattle\nsheds and stables.\n\nOn the Eve of St. John, Lilies, Orpine, Fennel, and every variety of\n_Hypericum_ are hung over doors and windows. Garlands of Vervain and\nFlax are also suspended inside houses; but the true St. John\u2019s garland\nis composed of seven elements, namely white Lilies, green Birch,\nFennel, _Hypericum_, Wormwood, and the legs of game birds: these are\nbelieved to have immense power against evil spirits. After daybreak on\nSt. John\u2019s Day it is dangerous to pluck herbs; the gatherer running the\nrisk of being afflicted with cancer.\n\nAccording to Bauhin, the following plants are consecrated to St.\nJohn:--First and specially the _Hypericum_, or perforated St. John\u2019s\nWort, the _fuga d\u00e6monum_, or devil\u2019s flight, so named from the virtue\nascribed to it of frightening away evil spirits, and acting as a charm\nagainst witchcraft, enchantment, storms, and thunder. It is also called\n_Tutsan_, or All-heal, from its virtues in curing all kinds of wounds;\nand _Sanguis hominis_, because of the blood-red juice of its flowers.\n\nThe leaves of the common St. John\u2019s Wort are marked with blood-like\nspots, which alway appear on the 29th of August, the day on which the\nBaptist was beheaded. The \u201cFlower of St. John\u201d is the _Chrysanthemum_\n(Corn Marigold), or, according to others, the _Buphthalmus_ (Ox-Eye) or\nthe _Anacyclus_. Grapes of St. John are Currants. The Belt or Girdle\nof St. John is Wormwood. The Herbs of St. John comprise also _Mentha\nsarracenica_ or _Costus hortensis_; _Gallithricum sativum_ or _Centrum\ngalli_ or _Orminum sylvestre_; in Picardy _Abrotanum_ (a species of\nSouthernwood); and, according to others, the _Andros\u00e6mon_ (Tutsan),\nthe _Scrophularia_, and the _Crassula major_. The scarlet _Lychnis\nCoronaria_ is said to be lighted up on his day, and was formerly called\n_Candelabrum ingens_. A species of nut is named after the Saint. The\nCarob is St. John\u2019s Mead, so called because it is supposed to have\nsupplied him with food in the wilderness, and to be the \u201clocusts\u201d\nmentioned in the Scriptures.\n\nThe festival of St. John would seem to be a favourite time with maidens\nto practice divination in their love affairs. On the eve of St. John,\nEnglish girls set up two plants of Orpine on a trencher, one for\nthemselves and the other for their lover; and they estimate the lover\u2019s\nfidelity by his plant living and turning to theirs, or otherwise. They\nalso gather a Moss-rose so soon as the dew begins to fall, and, taking\nit indoors, carefully keep it till New Year\u2019s Eve, when, if the blossom\nis faded, it is a sign of the lover\u2019s insincerity, but if it still\nretains its common colour, he is true. On this night, also, Hemp-seed\nis sown with certain mystic ceremonies. In Brittany, on the Saint\u2019s\nVigil, young men wearing bunches of green Wheat-ears, and lasses decked\nwith Flax-blossoms, assemble round one of the old pillar-stones and\ndance round it, placing their wreath upon it. If it remains fresh for\nsome time after, the lover is to be trusted, but should it wither\nwithin a day or two, so will the love prove but transient. In Sweden,\non St. John\u2019s Eve, young maidens arrange a bouquet composed of nine\ndifferent flowers, among which the _Hypericum_, or St. John\u2019s Wort, or\nthe Ox-eye Daisy, St. John\u2019s Flower, must be conspicuous. The flowers\nmust be gathered from nine different places, and the posy be placed\nbeneath the maiden\u2019s pillow. Then he who she sees in her dreams will\nbe sure soon to arrive.[7]\n\n[7] For further details of the rites of St John\u2019s Eve, see Part II.,\nunder the heads \u201cFERN,\u201d \u201cHEMP,\u201d and \u201cMOSS-ROSE.\u201d\n\n  \u201cThe village maids mysterious tales relate\n  Of bright Midsummer\u2019s sleepless nights; the Fern\n  That time sheds secret seeds; and they prepare\n  Untold-of rites, predictive of their fate:\n  Virgins in silent expectation watch\n  Exact at twelve\u2019s propitious hour, to view\n  The future lover o\u2019er the threshold pass;\n  Th\u2019 inviting door wide spread, and every charm\n  Performed, while fond hope flutters in the breast,\n  And credulous fancy, painting his known form,\n  Kindles concordant to their ardent wish.\u201d--_Bidlake._\n\n\nFlowers of the Saints.\n\nIn the dark ages the Catholic monks, who cultivated with assiduity all\nsorts of herbs and flowers in their monastic gardens, came in time to\nassociate them with traditions of the Church, and to look upon them\nas emblems of particular saints. Aware, also, of the innate love of\nhumanity for flowers, they selected the most popular as symbols of\nthe Church festivals, and in time every flower became connected with\nsome saint of the Calendar, either from blowing about the time of the\nsaint\u2019s day, or from being connected with him in some old legend.\n\nSt. Benedict\u2019s herbs are the Avens, the Hemlock, and the Valerian,\nwhich were assigned to him as being antidotes; a legend of the saint\nrelating that upon his blessing a cup of poisoned wine, which a monk\nhad presented to him to destroy him, the glass was shivered to pieces.\nTo St. Gerard was dedicated the _\u00c6gopodium Podagraria_, because it\nwas customary to invoke the saint against the gout, for which this\nplant was esteemed a remedy. St. Christopher has given his name to the\nBaneberry (_Act\u00e6a spicata_), the Osmund Fern (_Osmunda regalis_), the\nFleabane (_Pulicaria dysenterica_), and, according to old herbalists,\nto several other plants, including _Betonica officinalis_, _Vicia\nCracca_ and _Sepium_, _Gnaphalium germanicum_, _Spir\u00e6a ulmaria_, two\nspecies of Wolf\u2019s Bane, &c. St. George has numerous plants named after\nor dedicated to him. In England his flower is the Harebell, but abroad\nthe Peony is generally called after him. His name is also bestowed\non the _Lilium convallium_. The Herb of St. George is the _Valeriana\nsativa_; his root, _Dentaria major_; his Violet, _Leucoium luteum_;\nhis fruit, _Cucumis agrestis_. In Asia Minor the tree of St. George is\nthe Carob. The _Eryngium_ was dedicated to St. Francis under the name\nof St. Francis\u2019s Thorn. _Bunium flexuosum_, is St. Anthony\u2019s nut--a\npig-nut, because he is the patron of pigs; and _Senecio Jacob\u00e6a_ is\nSt. James\u2019s Wort (the saint of horses and colts)--used in veterinary\npractice. The Cowslip is dedicated to St. Peter, as Herb Peter of the\nold herbals, from some resemblance which it has to his emblem--a bunch\nof keys. As the patron of fishermen, _Crithmum maritimum_, which grows\non sea-cliffs, was dedicated to this saint, and called in Italian\nSan Pietro, in French Saint Pierre, and in English Samphire. Most of\nthese saintly names were, however, given to the plants because their\nday of flowering is connected with the festival of the saint. Hence\n_Hypericum guadrangulare_ is the St. Peter\u2019s Wort of the modern floras,\nfrom its flowering on the 29th of June. The Daisy, as Herb Margaret,\nis popularly supposed to be dedicated to \u201cMargaret that was so meek\nand mild;\u201d probably from its blossoming about her day, the 22nd of\nFebruary: in reality, however, the flower derived its name from St.\nMargaret of Cortona. _Barbarea vulgaris_, growing in the winter, is St.\nBarbara\u2019s Cress, her day being the fourth of December, old style; and\n_Centaurea solstitialis_ derives its Latin specific, and its popular\nname, St. Barnaby\u2019s Thistle, from its flourishing on the longest\nday, the 11th of June, old style, which is now the 22nd. _Nigella\ndamascena_, whose persistent styles spread out like the spokes of a\nwheel, is named Katharine\u2019s flower, after St. Katharine, who suffered\nmartyrdom on a wheel. The Cranesbill is called Herb Robert, in honour\nof St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme and founder of the Cistercian Order.\nThe Speedwell is St. Paul\u2019s Betony. Archangel is a name given to one\numbelliferous and three labiate plants. An angel is said to have\nrevealed the virtues of the plants in a dream. The umbelliferous plant,\nit has been supposed, has been named _Angelica Archangelica_, from\nits being in blossom on the 8th of May, old style, the Archangel St.\nMichael\u2019s Day. Flowering on the _f\u00eate_ day of such a powerful angel,\nthe plant was supposed to be particularly useful as a preservative of\nmen and women from evil spirits and witches, and of cattle from elfshot.\n\nRoses are the special flowers of martyrs, and, according to a\ntradition, they sprang from the ashes of a saintly maiden of Bethlehem\nwho perished at the stake. Avens (_Geum urbanum_) the _Herba\nbenedicta_, or Blessed Herb, is a plant so blessed that no venomous\nbeast will approach within scent of it; and, according to the author\nof the _Ortus sanitatis_, \u201cwhere the root is in a house, the devil\ncan do nothing, and flies from it, wherefore it is blessed above all\nother herbs.\u201d The common Snowdrops are called Fair Maids of February.\nThis name also, like the Saints\u2019 names, arises from an ecclesiastical\ncoincidence: their white flowers blossom about the second of February,\nwhen maidens, dressed in white, walked in procession at the Feast of\nthe Purification.\n\nThe name of Canterbury Bells was given to the _Campanula_, in honour of\nSt. Thomas of England, and in allusion probably to the horse-bells of\nthe pilgrims to his shrine. _Saxifraga umbrosa_ is both St. Patrick\u2019s\ncabbage and St. Anne\u2019s needlework; _Polygonum Persicaria_ is the\nVirgin\u2019s Pinch; _Polytrichum commune_, St. Winifred\u2019s Hair; _Myrrhis\nodorata_, Sweet Cicely; _Origanum vulgare_, Sweet Margery; _Oscinium\nBasilicum_, Sweet Basil. _Angelica sylvestris_, the Root of the Holy\nGhost; Hedge Hyssop, Cranesbill, and St. John\u2019s Wort are all surnamed\nGrace of God; the Pansy, having three colours on one flower, is called\nHerb Trinity; the four-leaved Clover is an emblem of the Cross, and all\ncruciform flowers are deemed of good omen, having been marked with the\nsign of the Cross. The Hemp Agrimony is the Holy Rope, after the rope\nwith which Christ was bound; and the Hollyhock is the Holy Hock (an old\nword for Mallow).\n\nThe feeling which inspired this identification of flowers and herbs\nwith holy personages and festivals is gracefully expressed by a\nFranciscan in the following passage:--\u201cMindful of the Festivals which\nour Church prescribes, I have sought to make these objects of floral\nnature the timepieces of my religious calendar, and the mementos of\nthe hastening period of my mortality. Thus I can light the taper to\nour Virgin Mother on the blowing of the white Snowdrop, which opens\nits flower at the time of Candlemas; the Lady\u2019s Smock and the Daffodil\nremind me of the Annunciation; the blue Harebell, of the Festival\nof St. George; the Ranunculus, of the Invention of the Cross; the\nScarlet Lychnis, of St. John the Baptist\u2019s day; the white Lily, of the\nVisitation of our Lady; and the Virgin\u2019s Bower, of the Assumption;\nand Michaelmas, Martinmas, Holy Rood, and Christmas have all their\nappropriate decorations.\u201d In later times we find the Church\u2019s Calendar\nof English flowers embodied in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cThe Snowdrop, in purest white arraie,\n  First rears her hedde on Candlemass daie:\n  While the Crocus hastens to the shrine\n  Of Primrose lone on S. Valentine.\n  Then comes the Daffodil beside\n  Our Ladye\u2019s Smock at our Ladye tide,\n  Aboute S. George, when blue is worn,\n  The blue Harebells the fields adorn;\n  Against the daie of the Holie Cross,\n  The Crowfoot gilds the flowrie grasse.\n  When S. Barnabie bright smiles night and daie,\n  Poor Ragged Robbin blooms in the hay.\n  The scarlet Lychnis, the garden\u2019s pride,\n  Flames at S. John the Baptist\u2019s tide;\n  From Visitation to S. Swithen\u2019s showers,\n  The Lillie white reigns queen of the floures\n  And Poppies a sanguine mantle spread,\n  For the blood of the dragon S. Margaret shed,\n  Then under the wanton Rose agen,\n  That blushes for penitent Magdalen,\n  Till Lammas Daie, called August\u2019s Wheel,\n  When the long Corn smells of Cammomile.\n  When Marie left us here belowe,\n  The Virgin\u2019s Bower is full in blowe;\n  And yet anon the full Sunflower blew,\n  And became a starre for S. Bartholomew.\n  The Passion-flower long has blowed,\n  To betoken us signs of the holie rood:\n  The Michaelmass Dasie among dede weeds,\n  Blooms for S. Michael\u2019s valorous deeds,\n  And seems the last of the floures that stood,\n  Till the feste of S. Simon and S. Jude;\n  Save Mushrooms and the Fungus race,\n  That grow till All Hallowtide takes place.\n  Soon the evergreen Laurel alone is green,\n  When Catherine crownes all learned menne;\n  Then Ivy and Holly berries are seen,\n  And Yule clog and wassail come round agen.\u201d\n\n  _Anthol. Bor. et Aus._\n\nThe Roman Catholics have compiled a complete list of flowers, one for\nevery day in the year, in which each flower has been dedicated to a\nparticular saint, usually for no better reason than because it bloomed\nabout the date of the saint\u2019s feast day. This Saints\u2019 Floral Directory\nis to be found _in extenso_ in Hone\u2019s \u2018Every-day Book.\u2019 In the Anglican\nchurch the principal Festivals or Red Letter Days have each their\nappropriate flowers assigned them, as will be seen from the following\ntable:--\n\n DATE.      SAINT.             APPROPRIATE FLOWER.\n\n Nov.  30.  S. Andrew.         S. Andrew\u2019s Cross--_Ascyrum Crux Andre\u00e6_.\n\n Dec.  21.  S. Thomas.         Sparrow Wort--_Erica passerina_.\n\n       25.  Christmas.         Holly--_Ilex bacciflora_.\n\n       26.  S. Stephen.        Purple Heath--_Erica purpurea_.\n\n       27.  S. John Evan.      Flame Heath--_Erica flammea_.\n\n       28.  Innocents.         Bloody Heath--_Erica cruenta_.\n\n Jan.   1.  Circumcision.      Laurustine--_Viburnum tinus_.\n\n        6.  Epiphany.          Screw Moss--_Tortula rigida_.\n\n       25.  Conversion of   }  Winter Hellebore--_Helleborus hyemalis_.\n              S. Paul.      }\n\n Feb.   2.  Purification of }  Snowdrop--_Galanthus nivalis_.\n              B. V. M.      }\n\n       24.  S. Matthias.       Great Fern--_Osmunda regalis_.\n\n Mar.  25.  Annunciation    }\n              of B. V. M.   }  Marigold--_Calendula officinalis_.\n\n Apr.  25.  S. Mark.           Clarimond Tulip--_Tulipa pr\u00e6cox_.\n\n\n May    1.  S. Philip and   {  Tulip--_Tulipa Gesneri_,\n              S. James.     {      dedicated to S. Philip.\n                            {  Red Campion--_Lychnis dioica rubra_.\n                            {  Red Bachelor\u2019s Buttons--_Lychnis dioica\n                            {      plena_, dedicated to S. James.\n\n June  11.  S. Barnabas.       Midsummer Daisy--_Chrysanthemum\n                                   leucanthemum_.\n\n       24.  S. John Baptist.   S. John\u2019s Wort--_Hypericum pulchrum_.\n\n       29.  S. Peter           Yellow Rattle--_Rhinanthus Galli_.\n\n July  25.  S. James           Herb Christopher--_Act\u00e6a spicata_.\n\n Aug.  24.  S. Bartholomew     Sunflower--_Helianthus annuus_.\n\n Sept. 21.  S. Matthew      {  Ciliated Passion-flower.--_Passiflora\n                            {      ciliata_.\n\n       29.  S. Michael.        Michaelmas Daisy--_Aster Tradescanti_.\n\n Oct.  18.  S. Luke.           Floccose Agaric--_Agaricus floccosus_.\n\n       28.  S. Simon and    {  Late Chrysanthemum--_Chrysanthemum\n              S. Jude       {      serotinum_.\n                            {  Scattered Starwort--_Aster passiflorus_,\n                            {      dedicated to S. Jude.\n\n Nov.   1.  All Saints.        Amaranth.\n\nIn old church calendars Christmas Eve is marked \u201c_Templa\nexornantur_\u201d--Churches are decked.\n\nHerrick, in the time of Charles I., thus combines a number of these old\ncustoms connected with the decoration of churches--\n\n        \u201cDown with Rosemary and Bays,\n          Down with the Mistletoe,\n        Instead of Holly now upraise\n          The greener Box for show.\n\n        The Holly hitherto did sway;\n          Let Box now domineer,\n        Until the dancing Easter Day\n          Or Easter\u2019s Eve appear.\n\n        Then youthful Box, which now hath grace\n          Your houses to renew,\n        Grown old, surrender must his place\n          Unto the crisped Yew.\n\n        When Yew is out, then Birch comes in,\n          And many flowers beside,\n        Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,\n          To honour Whitsuntide.\n\n        Green Rushes then, and sweetest Bents,\n          With cooler Oaken boughs,\n        Come in for comely ornaments\n          To re-adorn the house.\n\n  Thus times do shift; each thing his turn does hold,\n  New things succeed as former things grow old.\u201d\n\n\nFlowers of the Church\u2019s Festivals.\n\nIn the services of the Church every season has its appropriate\nfloral symbol. In olden times on Feast days places of worship were\nsignificantly strewed with bitter herbs. On the Feast of Dedication\n(the first Sunday in October) the Church was decked with boughs and\nstrewn with sweet Rushes; for this purpose _Juncus aromaticus_ (now\nknown as _Acorus Calamus_) was used.\n\n  \u201cThe Dedication of the Church is yerely had in minde,\n  With worship passing Catholicke, and in a wondrous kinde.\n  From out the steeple hie is hanged a crosse and banner fayre,\n  The pavement of the temple strowde with hearbes of pleasant ayre;\n  The pulpets and the aulters all that in the Church are seene,\n  And every pewe and pillar great are deckt with boughs of greene.\u201d\n\n  _T. Naogeorgus, trans. by Barnabe Googe_, 1570.\n\nIt was customary to strew Rushes on the Church floor on all high\ndays. Newton, in his \u2018Herbal to the Bible\u2019 (1587), speaks of \u201cSedge\nand Rushes, with which many in the country do use in Summer time\nto strewe their parlors and Churches, as well for coolness and for\npleasant smell.\u201d Cardinal Wolsey in the pride of his pomp had the\nstrewings of his great hall at Hampton Court renewed every day. Till\nlately the floor of Norwich Cathedral was strewn with _Acorus Calamus_\non festal days, and when the _Acorus_ was scarce, the leaves of the\nyellow Iris were used. At the church of St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol,\nRushes are strewn every Whitsuntide. The parish of Middleton-Cheney,\nNorthamptonshire, has a benefaction to provide hay for strewing the\nChurch in summer, the rector providing straw in the winter. In Prussia\n_Holcus odoratus_ is considered Holy Grass, and is used for strewing\npurposes. The Rush-bearings which are still held in Westmoreland, and\nwere until quite recently general in Cheshire, would appear to be a\nrelic of the custom of the Dedication Feast. At these Rush-bearings\nyoung men and women carry garlands in procession through the village to\nthe Church, which they enter and decorate with their floral tributes.\nBesides giving the Church a fresh strewing every feast day, it was\nin olden times customary to deck it with boughs and flowers; and as\nthe flowers used at festivals were originally selected because they\nhappened to be in bloom then, so in time they came to be associated\ntherewith.\n\nOn PALM SUNDAY, it was customary for the congregation to carry Palm\nbranches in procession, and deposit them on the altar of the Church\nto be blessed, after which they were again distributed to the people.\nVarious substitutes for the Eastern Palm were used in England, but\nthe most popular was the Sallow, because its lithe green wands, full\nof sap, and covered with golden catkins, were at that season of the\nyear the things most full of life and blossom. Yew branches were also\nemployed for Palm, and some Churches were decked with boughs of Box.\n\nWhite Broom and white flowers of all descriptions are applicable to the\ngreat festival of EASTER, as well as purple Pasque flowers and golden\nDaffodils. The peasants of Bavaria weave garlands of the fragrant\nColtsfoot (_Nardosmia fragrans_) on Easter Day, and cast them into\nthe fire. In ROGATION WEEK processions perambulated the parishes with\nthe Holy Cross and Litanies, to mark the boundaries and to invoke the\nblessing of God on the crops: on this occasion maidens made themselves\ngarlands and nosegays of the Rogation-flower, _Polygala vulgaris_,\ncalled also the Cross-, Gang-, and Procession-flower.\n\nOn ASCENSION DAY it is customary in Switzerland to suspend wreaths of\nEdelweiss over porches and windows,--this flower of the Alps being,\nlike the Amaranth, considered an emblem of immortality, and peculiarly\nappropriate to the festival.\n\nMAY DAY, in olden times, was the anniversary of all others which was\nassociated with floral ceremonies. In the early morn all ranks of\npeople went out a-Maying, returning laden with Hawthorn blossoms and\nMay flowers, to decorate churches and houses. Shakspeare notices how,\nin his day, every one was astir betimes:--\n\n                    \u201c\u2019Tis as much improbable,\n  Unless we swept them from the door with cannons,\n  To scatter \u2019em, as \u2019tis to make \u2019em sleep\n  On May-day morning.\u201d\n\nIt being also the festival of SS. PHILIP AND JAMES, the feast partook\nsomewhat of a religious character. The people not only turned the\nstreets into leafy avenues, and their door-ways into green arbours,\nand set up a May-pole decked with ribands and garlands, and an arbour\nbesides for Maid Marian to sit in, to witness the sports, but the\nfloral decorations extended likewise into the Church. We learn from\nAubrey that the young maids of every parish carried about garlands of\nflowers, which they afterwards hung up in their Churches; and Spenser\nsings how, at sunrise--\n\n  \u201cYouth\u2019s folke now flocken in everywhere\n  To gather May-buskets and smelling Brere;\n  And home they hasten the postes to dight\n  And all the Kirke pillours ere day light\n  With Hawthorn buds and sweete Eglantine,\n  And girlonds of Roses, and Soppes-in-wine.\u201d\n\nThe beautiful milk-white Hawthorn blossom is essentially the flower\nof the season, but in some parts of England the Lily of the Valley is\nconsidered as \u201cThe Lily of the May.\u201d In Cornwall and Devon Lilac is\nesteemed the May-flower, and special virtues are attached to sprays of\nIvy plucked at day-break with the dew on them. In Germany the Kingcup,\nLily of the Valley, and Hepatica are severally called _Mai-blume_.\n\nWHITSUNTIDE flowers in England are Lilies of the Valley and Guelder\nRoses, but according to Chaucer (\u2018Romaunt of the Rose\u2019) Love bids his\npupil--\n\n  \u201cHave hatte of floures fresh as May,\n  Chapelett of Roses of Whit-Sunday,\n  For sich array ne costeth but lite.\u201d\n\nThe Germans call Broom Pentecost-bloom, and the Peony the Pentecost\nRose. The Italians call Whitsunday _Pasqua Rosata_, Roses being then in\nflower.\n\nTo TRINITY SUNDAY belong the Herb-Trinity or Pansy and the Trefoil. On\nST. BARNABAS DAY, as on ST. PAUL\u2019S DAY, the churches were decked with\nBox, Woodruff, Lavender, and Roses, and the officiating Priests wore\ngarlands of Roses on their heads.\n\nOn ROYAL OAK DAY (May 29th), in celebration of the restoration of\nKing Charles II., and to commemorate his concealment in an aged Oak\nat Boscobel, gilded Oak-leaves and Apples are worn, and Oak-branches\nare hung over doorways and windows. From this incident in the life of\nCharles II., the Oak derives its title of Royal.\n\n  \u201cBlest Charles then to an Oak his safety owes;\n    The Royal Oak, which now in song shall live,\n  Until it reach to Heaven with its boughs;\n    Boughs that for loyalty shall garlands give.\u201d\n\nOn CORPUS CHRISTI DAY it was formerly the custom in unreformed England\nto strew the streets through which the procession passed with flowers,\nand to decorate the church with Rose and other garlands. In North Wales\na relic of these ceremonies lingered till lately in the practice of\nstrewing herbs and flowers at the doors of houses on the Corpus Christi\nEve. In Roman Catholic countries flowers are strewed along the streets\nin this festival, and the route of the procession at Rome is covered\nwith Bay and other fragrant leaves.\n\nOn the Vigil of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, Stowe tells us that in his time\nevery man\u2019s door was shadowed with green Birch, long Fennel, St. John\u2019s\nWort, Orpine, white Lilies, and such like, garnished upon with garlands\nof beautiful flowers, and also lamps of glass, with oil burning in them\nall night. Birch is the special tree, as the yellow St. John\u2019s Wort\n(_Hypericum_) is the special flower, of St. John. In the life of Bishop\nHorne we read that in the Court of Magdalen, Oxford, a sermon used to\nbe preached on this day from the stone pulpit in the corner, and \u201cthe\nquadrangle was furnished round with a large fence of green boughs, that\nthe meeting might more nearly resemble that of John Baptist in the\nwilderness.\u201d\n\nOn ALL SAINTS\u2019 or ALL HALLOWS\u2019 DAY, Roman Catholics are wont to visit\nthe graves of departed relatives or friends, and place on them wreaths\nof Ivy, Moss, and red Berries. On the Eve of this day, Hallowe\u2019en\n(October 31st), many superstitious customs are still practised. In\nthe North young people dive for Apples, and for divining purposes\nfling Nuts into the fire; hence the vulgar name of Nut-crack Night.\nIn Scotland young women determine the figure and size of their future\nhusbands by paying a visit to the Kail or Cabbage garden, and \u201cpu\u2019ing\nthe Kailstock\u201d blindfold. They also on this night throw Hazel Nuts in\nthe fire, named for two lovers, judging according as they burn quickly\ntogether, or start apart, the course of their love.\n\nAt CHRISTMAS tide Holly (the \u201choly tree\u201d), Rosemary, Laurel, Bay, Arbor\nVit\u00e6, and Ivy are hung up in churches, and are suitable also for the\ndecoration of houses, with the important addition of Mistletoe (which,\non account of its Druidic connection, is interdicted in places of\nworship). Ivy should only be placed in outer passages or doorways. At\nChristmas, which St. Gregory termed the \u201cfestival of all festivals,\u201d\nthe evergreens with which the churches are ornamented are a fitting\nemblem of that time when, as God says by the prophet Isaiah, \u201cI will\nplant in the wilderness the Cedar, the Shittah tree and the Myrtle, and\nthe Oil tree; I will set in the desert the Fir tree and the Pine, and\nthe Box tree together (xli., 19). The glory of Lebanon shall come unto\nthee, the Fir tree, the Pine tree, and the Box together, to beautify\nthe place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet\nglorious\u201d (lx., 13).\n\n\nGospel Oaks and Memorial Trees.\n\nThere exist in different parts of England several ancient trees,\nnotably Oaks, which are traditionally said to have been called Gospel\ntrees in consequence of its having been the practice in times long\npast to read under a tree which grew upon a boundary-line a portion of\nthe Gospel on the annual perambulation of the bounds of the parish on\nAscension Day. In Herrick\u2019s poem of the \u2018Hesperides\u2019 occur these lines\nin allusion to this practice:--\n\n              \u201cDearest, bury me\n  Under that holy Oak or Gospel tree,\n  Where, though thou see\u2019st not, thou mayest think upon\n  Me when thou yearly go\u2019st in procession.\u201d\n\nMany of these old trees were doubtless Druidical, and under their\n\u201cleafy tabernacles\u201d the pioneers of Christianity had probably preached\nand expounded the Scriptures to a pagan race. The heathen practice of\nworshipping the gods in woods and trees continued for many centuries,\ntill the introduction of Christianity; and the first missionaries\nsought to adopt every means to elevate the Christian worship to higher\nauthority than that of paganism by acting on the senses of the heathen.\nSt. Augustine, Evelyn tells us, held a kind of council under an Oak in\nthe West of England, concerning the right celebration of Easter and\nthe state of the Anglican church; \u201cwhere also it is reported he did\na great miracle.\u201d On Lord Bolton\u2019s estate in the New Forest stands\na noble group of twelve Oaks known as the Twelve Apostles: there is\nanother group of Oaks extant known as the Four Evangelists. Beneath the\nvenerable Yews at Fountain Abbey, Yorkshire, the founders of the Abbey\nheld their council in 1132.\n\n\u201cCross Oaks\u201d were so called from their having been planted at the\njunction of cross roads, and these trees were formerly resorted to by\naguish patients, for the purpose of transferring to them their malady.\n\nVenerable and noble trees have in all ages and in all countries been\never regarded with special reverence. From the very earliest times\nsuch trees have been consecrated to holy uses. Thus, the Gomerites, or\ndescendants of Noah, were, if tradition be true, accustomed to offer\nprayers and oblations beneath trees; and, following the example of\nhis ancestors, the Patriarch Abraham pitched his tents beneath the\nTerebinth Oaks of Mamre, erected an altar to the Lord, and performed\nthere sacred and priestly rites. Beneath an Oak, too, the Patriarch\nentertained the Deity Himself. This tree of Abraham remained till the\nreign of Constantine the Great, who founded a venerable chapel under\nit, and there Christians, Jews, and Arabs held solemn anniversary\nmeetings, believing that from the days of Noah the spot shaded by the\ntree had been a consecrated place.\n\nDean Stanley tells us that \u201con the heights of Ephraim, on the central\nthoroughfare of Palestine, near the Sanctuary of Bethel, stood two\nfamous trees, both in after times called by the same name. One was the\nOak-tree or Terebinth of Deborah, under which was buried, with many\ntears, the nurse of Jacob (Gen. xxxv. 8). The other was a solitary\nPalm, known in after times as the Palm-tree of Deborah. Under this\nPalm, as Saul afterwards under the Pomegranate-tree of Migron, as St.\nLouis under the Oak-tree of Vincennes, dwelt that mother in Israel,\nDeborah, the wife of Lapidoth, to whom the sons of Israel came to\nreceive her wise answers.\u201d\n\nSince the time when Solomon cut the Cedars of Lebanon for the purpose\nof employing them in the erection of the Temple of the Lord, this\nrenowned forest has been greatly shorn of its glories; but a grove of\nnearly four hundred trees still exists. Twelve of the most valuable of\nthese trees bear the titles of \u201cThe Friends of Solomon,\u201d or \u201cThe Twelve\nApostles.\u201d Every year the Maronites, Greeks, and Armenians go up to the\nCedars, at the Feast of the Transfiguration, and celebrate mass on a\nhomely stone altar erected at their feet.\n\nIn Evelyn\u2019s time there existed, near the tomb of Cyrus, an\nextraordinary Cypress, which was said to exude drops of blood every\nFriday. This tree, according to Pietro della Valla, was adorned with\nmany lamps, and fitted for an oratory, and was for ages resorted to by\npious pilgrims.\n\nThevenot and other Eastern travellers mention a tree which for\ncenturies had been regarded with peculiar reverence. \u201cAt Matharee,\u201d\nsays Thevenot, \u201cis a large garden surrounded by walls, in which are\nvarious trees, and among others, a large Sycamore, or Pharaoh\u2019s Fig,\nvery old, which bears fruit every year. They say that the Virgin\npassing that way with her son Jesus, and being pursued by a number of\npeople, the Fig-tree opened to receive her; she entered, and it closed\nher in, until the people had passed by, when it re-opened, and that it\nremained open ever after to the year 1656, when the part of the trunk\nthat had separated itself was broken away.\u201d\n\nNear Kennety Church, in the King\u2019s County, Ireland, is an Ash, the\ntrunk of which is nearly 22 feet round, and 17 feet high, before the\nbranches break out, which are of enormous bulk. When a funeral of the\nlower class passes by, they lay the body down a few minutes, say a\nprayer, and then throw a stone to increase the heap which has been\naccumulating round the roots.\n\nThe Breton nobles were long accustomed to offer up a prayer beneath the\nbranches of a venerable Yew which grew in the cloister of Vreton, in\nBrittany. The tree was regarded with much veneration, as it was said to\nhave originally sprung from the staff of St. Martin.\n\nIn England, the Glastonbury Thorn was long the object of pious\nreverence. This tree was supposed to have sprung from the staff of\nJoseph of Arimathea, to whom the original conversion of this country\nis attributed in monkish legends. The story runs that when Joseph of\nArimathea came to convert the heathen nations he selected Glastonbury\nas the site for the first Christian Church, and whilst preaching\nthere on Christmas-day, he struck his staff into the ground, which\nimmediately burst into bud and bloom; eventually it grew into a\nThorn-bush, which regularly blossomed every Christmas-day, and became\nknown throughout Christendom as the Glastonbury Thorn.\n\n                \u201cThe winter Thorn, which\n  Blossoms at Christmas, mindful of our Lord.\u201d\n\nLike the Thorn of Glastonbury, an Oak, in the New Forest, called the\nCadenham Oak, produced its buds always on Christmas Day; and was,\nconsequently, regarded by the country people as a tree of peculiar\nsanctity. Another miraculous tree is referred to in Collinson\u2019s\n\u2018History of Somerset.\u2019 The author, speaking of the Glastonbury Thorn,\nsays that there grew also in the Abbey churchyard, on the north side of\nSt. Joseph\u2019s Chapel, a miraculous Walnut-tree, which never budded forth\nbefore the Feast of St. Barnabas (that is, the 11th of June), and on\nthat very day shot forth leaves, and flourished like its usual species.\nIt is strange to say how much this tree was sought after by the\ncredulous; and though not an uncommon Walnut, Queen Anne, King James,\nand many of the nobility of the realm, even when the times of monkish\nsuperstition had ceased, gave large sums of money for small cuttings\nfrom the original.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nPlants of the Fairies and Naiades.\n\n\nCenturies before Milton wrote that \u201cMillions of spiritual creatures\nwalk the earth unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep,\u201d our Saxon\nancestors, whilst yet they inhabited the forests of Germany, believed\nin the existence of a diminutive race of beings--the \u201cmissing link\u201d\nbetween men and spirits--to whom they attributed extraordinary actions,\nfar exceeding the capabilities of human art. Moreover, we have it on\nthe authority of the father of English poetry that long, long ago, in\nthose wondrous times when giants and dwarfs still deigned to live in\nthe same countries as ordinary human beings,\n\n  \u201cIn the olde dayes of King Artour,\n  Of which the Bretons speken gret honour,\n  All was this land fulfilled of faerie;\n  The Elf-quene and hire joly compaynie\n  Danced full oft in many a grene mede.\n  This was the old opinion as I rede.\u201d\n\nThe old Welsh bards were accustomed to sing their belief that King\nArthur was not dead, but conveyed away by the fairies into some charmed\nspot where he should remain awhile, and then return again to reign\nwith undiminished power. These wondrous inhabitants of Elf-land--these\nFays, Fairies, Elves, Little Folk, Pixies, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Dwarfs,\nPigmies, Gnomes, and Trolls are all more or less associated with the\nplant kingdom. They make their habitations in the leafy branches of\ntrees, or dwell in the greater seclusion of their hollow trunks;\nthey dally and gambol among opening buds and nodding blossoms; they\nhide among blushing Roses and fragrant shrubs; they dance amid the\nButtercups, Daisies, and Meadow-Sweet of the grassy meads; and, as\nShakspeare says, they \u201cuse flowers for their charactery.\u201d\n\nGrimm tells us that in Germany the Elves are fond of inhabiting Oak\ntrees, the holes in the trunks of which are deemed by the people to be\nutilised by the Fairies as means of entry and exit. A similar belief\nis entertained by the Hindus, who consider holes in trees as doors by\nwhich the inhabiting spirit passes in and out. German elves are also\nfond of frequenting Elder-trees.\n\nThe Esthonians believe that during a thunder-storm, and in order to\nescape from the lightning, the timorous Elves burrow several feet\nbeneath the roots of the trees they inhabit. As a rule these forest\nElves are good-natured: if they are not offended, not only will they\nabstain from harming men, but they will even do them a good turn, and\nteach them some of the mysteries of nature, of which they possess the\nsecret.\n\nThe Elves were in former days thought to practise works of mercy in\nthe woods, and a certain sympathetic affinity with trees became thus\npropagated in the popular faith. The country-folk were careful not to\noffend the trees that were inhabited by Fairies, and they never sought\nto surprise the Elfin people in their mysterious retreats, for they\ndreaded the power of these invisible creatures to cause ill-luck or\nsome unfortunate malady to fall on those against whom they had a spite.\nEven deaths were sometimes laid at their door.\n\nA German legend relates that as a peasant woman one day tried to uproot\nthe stump of an old tree in a Fir forest, she became so feeble that at\nlast she could scarcely manage to walk. Suddenly, while endeavouring to\ncrawl to her home, a mysterious-looking man appeared in the path before\nthe poor woman, and upon hearing what was the matter with her, he at\nonce remarked that she had wounded an Elf. If the Elf got well, so\nwould she; but if the Elf should unfortunately perish, she would also\nassuredly die. The stump of the old Fir-tree was the abode of an Elf,\nand in endeavouring to uproot it, the woman had unintentionally injured\nthe little creature. The words of the mysterious personage proved\ntoo true. The peasant languished for some time, but drooped and died\non the same day as the wounded Elf. To this day, in the vast forests\nof Germany and Russia, instead of uprooting old Firs, the foresters,\nremembering the Elfish superstition, always chop them down above the\nroots.\n\nIn the Indian legend of S\u00e2vitri, the youthful Satyavant, while felling\na tree, perspires inordinately, is overcome with weakness, sinks\nexhausted, and dies. He had mortally wounded the Elf of the tree. Since\nthe days of \u00c6sop it has become a saying that Death has a weakness for\nwoodmen.\n\nIn our own land, Oaks have always been deemed the favourite abodes of\nElves, and wayfarers, upon approaching groves reputed to be haunted by\nthem, used to think it judicious to turn their coats for good luck.\nThus Bishop Corbet, in his _Iter Boreale_, writes:--\n\n                              \u201cWilliam found\n  A means for our deliverance: \u2018Turn your cloakes,\u2019\n  Quoth he, \u2018for Pucke is busy in these Oakes;\n  If ever we at Bosworth will be found,\n  Then turn your cloakes, for this is Fairy ground.\u2019\u201d\n\nIt was believed that the Fairy folk made their homes in the recesses of\nforests or secluded groves, whence they issued after sunset to gambol\nin the fields; often startling with their sudden appearance the tired\nherdsman trudging homeward to his cot, or the goodwife returning from\nher expedition to market. Thus we read of \u201cFairy Elves whose midnight\nrevels by a forest side or fountain some belated peasant sees.\u201d\n\n  \u201cWould you the Fairy regions see,\n  Hence to the greenwoods run with me;\n  From mortals safe the livelong night,\n  There countless feats the Fays delight.\u201d--_Leftly._\n\nIn the Isle of Man the Fairies or Elves used to be seen hopping from\ntrees and skipping from bough to bough, whilst wending their way to the\nFairy midnight haunts.\n\nIn such esteem were they held by the country folk of Devon and\nCornwall, that to ensure their friendship and good offices, the\nFairies, or Pixies, used formerly to have a certain share of the fruit\ncrop set apart for their special consumption.\n\nHans Christian Andersen tells of a certain Rose Elf who was\ninstrumental in punishing the murderer of a beautiful young maiden to\nwhom he was attached. The Rose, in olden times, was reputed to be under\nthe especial protection of Elves, Fairies, and Dwarfs, whose sovereign,\nLaurin, carefully guarded the Rose-garden.\n\n  \u201cFour portals to the garden lead, and when the gates are closed,\n  No living wight dare touch a Rose, \u2019gainst his strict command opposed.\n  Whoe\u2019er would break the golden gates, or cut the silken thread,\n  Or who would dare to waste the flowers down beneath his tread,\n  Soon for his pride would leave to pledge a foot and hand;\n  Thus Laurin, King of Dwarfs, rules within his land.\u201d\n\nA curious family of the Elfin tribe were the Moss- or Wood-Folk, who\ndwelt in the forests of Southern Germany. Their stature was small, and\ntheir form weird and uncouth, bearing a strange resemblance to certain\ntrees, with which they flourished and decayed. Describing a Moss-woman,\nthe author of \u2018The Fairy Family\u2019 says:--\n\n  \u201c\u2018A Moss-woman!\u2019 the hay-makers cry,\n  And over the fields in terror they fly.\n  She is loosely clad from neck to foot\n  In a mantle of Moss from the Maple\u2019s root,\n  And like Lichen grey on its stem that grows\n  Is the hair that over her mantle flows.\n  Her skin, like the Maple-rind, is hard,\n  Brown and ridgy, and furrowed and scarred;\n  And each feature flat, like the bark we see,\n  Where a bough has been lopped from the bole of a tree,\n  When the newer bark has crept healingly round,\n  And laps o\u2019er the edge of the open wound;\n  Her knotty, root-like feet are bare,\n  And her height is an ell from heel to hair.\u201d\n\nThe Moss- or Wood-Folk also lived in some parts of Scandinavia. Thus,\nwe are told that, in the churchyard of Store Hedding, in Zealand, there\nare the remains of an Oak wood which were trees by day and warriors by\nnight.\n\nThe Black Dwarfs were a race of Scandinavian Elves, inhabiting\ncoast-hills and caves; the favourite place of their feasts and\ncarousings, however, was under the spreading branches of the\nElder-tree, the strong perfume of its large moon-like clusters of\nflowers being very grateful to them. As has been before pointed out,\nan unexplained connection of a mysterious character has always existed\nbetween this tree and the denizens of Fairy-land.\n\nThe Still-Folk of Central Germany were another tribe of the Fairy\nKingdom: they inhabited the interior of hills, in which they had their\nspacious halls and strong rooms filled with gold, silver, and precious\nstones--the entrance to which was only obtained by mortals by means\nof the Luck-flower, or the Key-flower (_Schl\u00fcsselblume_). They held\ncommunication with the outer world, like the Trolls of Scandinavia,\nthrough certain springs or wells, which possessed great virtues: not\nonly did they give extraordinary growth and fruitfulness to all trees\nand shrubs that grew near them, whose roots could drink of their\nwaters, or whose leaves be sprinkled with the dews condensed from their\nvapours, but for certain human diseases they formed a sovereign remedy.\n\nIn Monmouthshire, in years gone by, there existed a good Fairy, or\nProcca, who was wont to appear to Welshmen in the guise of a handful of\nloose dried grass, rolling and gambolling before the wind.\n\n\nFairy Revels.\n\nThe English Fays and Fairies, the Pixies of Devon--\n\n              \u201cFantastic Elves, that leap\n  The slender Hare-cup, climb the Cowslip bells,\n  And seize the wild bee as she lies asleep,\u201d\n\naccording to the old pastoral poets, were wont to bestir themselves\nsoon after sunset--a time of indistinctness and gloomy grandeur, when\nthe moonbeams gleam fitfully through the wind-stirred branches of their\nsylvan retreats, and when sighs and murmurings are indistinctly heard\naround, which whisper to the listener of unseen beings. But it is at\nmidnight that the whole Fairy kingdom is alive: then it is that the\nfaint music of the blue Harebell is heard ringing out the call to the\nElfin meet:\n\n  \u201c\u2019Tis the hour of Fairy ban and spell,\n  The wood-tick has kept the minutes well,\n  He has counted them all with click and stroke,\n  Deep on the heart of the forest Oak;\n  And he has awakened the sentry Elve,\n    That sleeps with him in the haunted tree,\n  To bid him ring the hour of twelve,\n    And call the Fays to their revelry.\n\n  \u201cThey come from the beds of the Lichen green,\n  They creep from the Mullein\u2019s velvet screen,\n  Some on the backs of beetles fly\n    From the silver tops of moon-touched trees,\n  Where they swing in their cobweb hammocks high,\n    And rocked about in the evening breeze;\n  Some from the hum-bird\u2019s downy nest,\n    Had driven him out by Elfin power,\n  And pillowed on plumes of his rainbow crest,\n    Had slumbered there till the charmed hour;\n  Some had lain in a scarp of the rock,\n    By glittering ising-stars inlaid,\n  And some had opened the \u2018Four-o\u2019-Clock,\u2019\n    And stolen within its purple shade;\n  And now they throng the moonlight glade,\n    Above, below,--on every side,\n  Their little minim forms arrayed,\n    In the tricksy pomp of Fairy pride.\u201d--_Dr. Drake\u2019s \u2018Culprit Fay.\u2019_\n\nLike the Witches, Fairies dearly love to ride to the trysting-place\non an aerial steed. A straw, a blade of Grass, a Fern, a Rush, or a\nCabbage-stalk, alike serve the purpose of the little people. Mounted on\nsuch simple steeds, each joyous Elf sings--\n\n  \u201cNow I go, now I fly,\n  Malkin, my sweet spirit, and I.\n  O what a dainty pleasure \u2019tis\n  To ride in the air,\n  When the morn shines fair,\n  And sing and dance, and toy and kiss!\u201d\n\nArrived at the spot selected for the Fairy revels--mayhap, \u201ca bank\nwhereon the wild Thyme blows, where Oxlips and the nodding Violet\ngrows\u201d--the gay throng wend their way to a grassy link or neighbouring\npasture, and there the merry Elves trip and pace the dewy green sward\nwith their printless feet, causing those dark green circles that are\nknown to mortals as \u201cFairy Rings.\u201d\n\n  The Fays that haunt the moonlight dell,\n  The Elves that sleep in the Cowslip\u2019s bell,\n  The tricksy Sprites that come and go,\n    Swifter than a gleam of light;\n  Where the murmuring waters flow,\n    And the zephyrs of the night,\n  Bending to the flowers that grow,\n    Basking in the silver sheen,\n  With their voices soft and low,\n    Sing about the rings of green\n  Which the Fairies\u2019 twinkling feet,\n    In their nightly revels, beat.\n\nOld William Browne depicts a Fairy trysting-place as being in proximity\nto one of their sylvan haunts, and moreover gives us an insight into\nthe proceedings of the Fays and their queen at one of their meetings.\nHe says:--\n\n  \u201cNear to this wood there lay a pleasant meade\n  Where Fairies often did their measures treade,\n  Which in the meadows made such circles greene,\n  As if with garlands it had crowned beene,\n  Or like the circle where the signes we tracke,\n  And learned shepheards call\u2019t the zodiacke;\n  Within one of these rounds was to be seene\n  A hillock rise, where oft the Fairie queene\n  At twilight sat, and did command her Elves\n  To pinch those maids that had not swept their shelves;\n  And further, if by maiden\u2019s oversight,\n  Within doors water were not brought at night,\n  Or if they spread no table, set no bread,\n  They should have nips from toe unto the head,\n  And for the maid that had performed each thing,\n  She in the water-pail bade leave a ring.\u201d\n\nSt. John\u2019s Eve was undoubtedly chosen for important communication\nbetween the distant Elfin groves and the settlements of men, on account\nof its mildness, brightness, and unequalled beauty. Has not Shakspeare\ntold us, in his \u2018Midsummer\u2019s Night\u2019s Dream,\u2019 of the doings, on this\nnight, of Oberon, Ariel, Puck, Titania, and her Fairy followers?--\n\n          \u201cThe darling puppets of romance\u2019s view;\n  Fairies, and Sprites, and Goblin Elves we call them,\n  Famous for patronage of lovers true;\n  No harm they act, neither shall harm befall them,\n  So do not thou with crabbed frowns appal them.\u201d\n\nYet timorous and ill-informed folk, mistrusting the kindly disposition\nof Elves and Fairies, took precautions for excluding Elfin visitors\nfrom their dwellings by hanging over their doors boughs of St. John\u2019s\nWort, gathered at midnight on St. John\u2019s Eve. A more kindly feeling,\nhowever, seems to have prevailed at Christmas time, when boughs of\nevergreen were everywhere hung in houses in order that the poor\nfrost-bitten Elves of the trees might hide themselves therein, and thus\npass the bleak winter in hospitable shelter.\n\n\nFairy Plants.\n\nIn Devonshire the flowers of Stitchwort are known as Pixies.\n\nOf plants which are specially affected by the Fairies, first mention\nshould be made of the Elf Grass (_Vesleria c\u00e6rulea_), known in Germany\nas _Elfenkraut_ or _Elfgras_. This is the Grass forming the Fairy\nRings, round which, with aerial footsteps, have danced\n\n      \u201cYe demi-puppets, that\n  By moonlight do the green sour ringlets make,\n  Whereof the ewe not bites.\u201d--_Shakspeare\u2019s Tempest._\n\nThe Cowslip, or Fairy Cup, Shakspeare tells us forms the couch of\nAriel--the \u201cdainty Ariel\u201d who has so sweetly sung of his Fairy life--\n\n  \u201cWhere the bee sucks, there lurk I;\n  In a Cowslip\u2019s bell I lie;\n  There I couch when owls do cry;\n  On a bat\u2019s back I do fly\n  After summer merrily.\n  Merrily, merrily, shall I live now\n  Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.\u201d\n\nThe fine small crimson drops in the Cowslip\u2019s chalice are said to\npossess the rare virtue of preserving, and even of restoring, youthful\nbloom and beauty; for these ruddy spots are fairy favours, and\ntherefore have enchanted value. Shakspeare says of this flower of the\nFays:--\n\n  \u201cAnd I serve the Fairy queen,\n  To dew her orbs upon the green:\n  The Cowslips tall her pensioners be;\n  In their gold coats spots you see;\n  Those be rubies, fairy favours:\n  In those freckles live their savours.\u201d\n\nAnother of the flowers made potent use of by the Fairies of Shakspeare\nis the Pansy--that \u201clittle Western flower\u201d which Oberon bade Puck\nprocure:--\n\n  \u201cFetch me that flower,--the herb I showed thee once:\n  The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid,\n  Will make a man or woman madly dote\n  Upon the next live creature that it sees.\u201d\n\nThe Anemone, or Wind-flower, is a recognised Fairy blossom. The crimson\nmarks on its petals have been painted there by fairy hands; and, in wet\nweather, it affords shelter to benighted Elves, who are glad to seek\nshelter beneath its down-turned petals. Tulips are greatly esteemed by\nthe Fairy folk, who utilise them as cradles in which to rock the infant\nElves to sleep.\n\nThe Fairy Flax (_Linum catharticum_) is, from its extreme delicacy,\nselected by the Fays as the substance to be woven for their raiment.\nThe _Pyrus Japonica_ is the Fairies\u2019 Fire. Fairy-Butter (_Tremella\narborea_ and _albida_) is a yellowish gelatinous substance, found upon\nrotten wood or fallen timber, and which is popularly supposed to be\nmade in the night, and scattered about by the Fairies. The _Pezita_, an\nexquisite scarlet Fungus cup, which grows on pieces of broken stick,\nand is to be found in dry ditches and hedge-sides, is the Fairies\u2019 Bath.\n\nTo yellow flowers growing in hedgerows, the Fairies have a special\ndislike, and will never frequent a place where they abound; but it is\nnotorious that they are passionately fond of most flowers. It is part\nof their mission to give to each maturing blossom its proper hue, to\nguide creepers and climbing plants, and to teach young plants to move\nwith befitting grace.\n\nBut the Foxglove is the especial delight of the Fairy tribe: it is\n_the_ Fairy plant _par excellence_. When it bends its tall stalks the\nFoxglove is making its obeisance to its tiny masters, or preparing to\nreceive some little Elf who wishes to hide himself in the safe retreat\nafforded by its accommodating bells. In Ireland this flower is called\nLusmore, or the Great Herb. It is there the Fairy Cap, whilst in Wales\nit becomes the Goblin\u2019s Gloves.\n\nAs the Foxglove is the special flower of the Fairies, so is a\nfour-leaved Clover their peculiar herb. It is believed only to grow\nin places frequented by the Elfin tribe, and to be gifted by them with\nmagic power.\n\n  \u201cI\u2019ll seek a four-leaved Clover\n  In all the Fairy dells,\n  And if I find the charmed leaf,\n  Oh, how I\u2019ll weave my spells!\u201d--_S. Lover._\n\nThe maiden whose search has been successful for this diminutive plant\nbecomes at once joyous and light-hearted, for she knows that she will\nassuredly see her true love ere the day is over. The four-leaved Clover\nis the only plant that will enable its wearer to see the Fairies--it is\na magic talisman whereby to gain admittance to the Fairy kingdom,[8]\nand unless armed with this potent herb, the only other means available\nto mortals who wish to make the acquaintance of the Fairies is to\nprocure a supply of a certain precious unguent prepared according to\nthe receipt of a celebrated alchymist, which, applied to the visual\norbs, is said to enable anyone with a clear conscience to behold\nwithout difficulty or danger the most potent Fairy or Spirit he may\nanywhere encounter. The following is the form of the preparation:--\n\n\u201cR. A pint of Sallet-oyle, and put it into a vial-glasse; but first\nwash it with Rose-water and Marygolde water; the flowers to be gathered\ntowards the east. Wash it till the oyle come white; then put it into\nthe glasse, _ut supra_: and then put thereto the budds of Holyhocke,\nthe flowers of Marygolde, the flowers or toppers of Wild Thyme, the\nbudds of young Hazle: and the Thyme must be gathered neare the side\nof a hill where Fayries used to be: and take the grasse of a Fayrie\nthrone. Then all these put into the oyle into the glasse: and sette it\nto dissolve three dayes in the sunne, and then keep it for thy use; _ut\nsupra_.\u201d--[_Ashmolean MSS._].\n\n[8] See legend in Part II., under the head of \u201cCLOVER.\u201d\n\n\nPlants of the Water Nymphs and Fays.\n\nCertain of the Fairy community frequented the vicinity of pools, and\nthe banks of streams and rivers. Ben Jonson tells of \u201cSpan-long Elves\nthat dance about a pool;\u201d and Stagnelius asks--\n\n  \u201cSay, know\u2019st the Elfin people gay?\n  They dwell on the river\u2019s strand;\n  They spin from the moonbeams their festive garb,\n  With their small and lily hand.\u201d\n\nOf this family are the Russalkis, river nymphs of Southern Russia, who\ninhabit the alluvial islands studding the winding river, or dwell in\ndetached coppices fringing the banks, or construct for themselves homes\nwoven of flowering Reeds and green Willow-boughs.\n\nThe Swedes delight to tell of the Str\u00f6mkarl, or boy of the stream, a\nmystic being who haunts brooks and rivulets, and sits on the silvery\nwaves at moonlight, playing his harp to the Elves and Fays who dance on\nthe flowery margin, in obedience to his summons--\n\n  \u201cCome queen of the revels--come, form into bands\n    The Elves and the Fairies that follow your train;\n  Tossing your tresses, and wreathing your hands,\n    Let your dainty feet dance to my wave-wafted strain.\u201d\n\nThe Gr\u00e6co-Latin Naiades, or Water-nymphs, were also of this family:\nthey generally inhabited the country, and resorted to the woods or\nmeadows near the stream over which they presided. It was in some such\nlocality on the Asiatic coast that the ill-fated Hylas was carried off\nby Isis and the River-nymphs, whilst obtaining water from a fountain.\n\n  \u201cThe chiefs composed their wearied limbs to rest,\n  But Hylas sought the springs, by thirst opprest;\n  At last a fount he found with flow\u2019rets graced:\n  On the green bank above his urn he placed.\n  \u2019Twas at a time when old Ascanius made\n  An entertainment in his watery bed,\n  For all the Nymphs and all the Naiades\n  Inhabitants of neighb\u2019ring plains and seas.\u201d\n\nThese inferior deities were held in great veneration, and received from\ntheir votaries offerings of fruit and flowers; animal sacrifices were\nalso made to them, with libations of wine, honey, oil, and milk; and\nthey were crowned with Sedges and flowers. A remnant of these customs\nwas to be seen in the practice which formerly prevailed in this country\nof sprinkling rivers with flowers on Holy Thursday. Milton, in his\n\u2018Comus,\u2019 tells us that, in honour of Sabrina, the Nymph of the Severn--\n\n              \u201cThe shepherds at their festivals\n  Carol her good deeds loud in rustic lays,\n  And throw sweet garland wreaths into her stream,\n  Of Pansies, Pinks, and gaudy Daffodils.\u201d\n\nA belief in the existence of good spirits who watched and guarded\nwells, springs and streams, was common to the whole Aryan race. On\nthe 13th of October the Romans celebrated at the Porta Fontinalis a\nfestival in honour of the Nymphs who presided over fountains and wells:\nthis was termed the Fontinalia, and during the ceremonies wells and\nfountains were ornamented with garlands. To this day the old heathen\ncustom of dressing and adorning wells is extant, although saints and\nmartyrs have long since taken the place of the Naiades and Water-nymphs\nas patrons. In England, well-dressing at Ascension-tide is still\npractised, and some particulars of the ancient custom will be found in\nthe chapter on Floral Ceremonies.\n\n  \u201cThe fountain marge is fairly spread\n    With every incense flower that blows,\n    With flowry Sedge and Moss that grows,\n  For fervid limbs a dewy bed.\u201d--_Fane._\n\nPilgrimages are made to many holy wells and springs in the United\nKingdom, for the purpose of curing certain diseases by the virtues\ncontained in their waters, or to dress these health-restoring fountains\nwith garlands and posies of flowers. It is not surprising to find Ben\nJonson saying that round such \u201cvirtuous\u201d wells the Fairies are fond of\nassembling, and dancing their rounds, lighted by the pale moonshine--\n\n  \u201cBy wells and rills, in meadows greene,\n    We nightly dance our hey-day guise;\n  And to our Fairye king and queene\n    We chant our moonlight minstrelsies.\u201d--_Percy Reliques_.\n\nIn Cornwall pilgrimages are made in May to certain wells situated close\nto old blasted Oaks, where the frequenters suspend rags to the branches\nas a preservative against sorcery and a propitiation to the Fairies,\nwho are thought to be fond of repairing at night to the vicinity of the\nwells. From St. Mungo\u2019s Well at Huntly, in Scotland, the people carry\naway bottles of water, as a talisman against the enmity of the Fairies,\nwho are supposed to hold their revels at the Elfin Croft close by, and\nare prone to resent the intrusion of mortals.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nSylvans, Wood Nymphs, and Tree Spirits.\n\n\nClosely allied to the Fairy family, the Well Fays, and the Naiades,\nare the Sylvans of the Gr\u00e6co-Roman mythology, which everywhere depicts\ngroves and forests as the dwelling-places and resorts of merry bands\nof Dryads, Nymphs, Fauns, Satyrs, and other light-hearted frequenters\nof the woods. Mindful of this, Horace, when extolling the joys and\npeacefulness of sylvan retirement, sings:--\n\n  \u201cMe the cool woods above the rest advance,\n  Where the rough Satyrs with the light Nymphs dance.\u201d\n\nThe Dryads were young and beautiful nymphs who were regarded as\nsemi-goddesses. Deriving their name from the Greek word _drus_, a\ntree, they were conceived to dwell in trees, groves, and forests, and,\naccording to tradition, were wont to inflict injuries upon people who\ndared to injure the trees they inhabited and specially protected.\nNotwithstanding this, however, they frequently quitted their leafy\nhabitations, to wander at will and mingle with the wood nymphs in their\nrural sports and dances. They are represented veiled and crowned with\nflowers. Such a sylvan deity Rinaldo saw in the Enchanted Forest, when\n\n  \u201cAn aged Oak beside him cleft and rent,\n  And from his fertile hollow womb forth went\n  (Clad in rare weeds and strange habiliment)\n  A full-grown Nymph.\u201d\n\nThe Hamadryads were only females to the waist, their lower parts\nmerging into the trunks and roots of trees. Their life and power\nterminated with the existence of the tree over which they presided.\nThese sylvan deities had long flowing hair, and bore in their hands\naxes wherewith to protect the tree with which they were associated\nand on the existence of which their own life depended. The trees of\nthe Hamadryads usually grew in some secluded spot, remote from human\nhabitations and unknown to men, where\n\n  \u201cMuch sweet grass grew higher than grew the Reed,\n  And good for slumber, and every holier herb,\n  Narcissus and the low-lying Melilote,\n  And all of goodliest blade and bloom that springs\n  Where, hid by heavier Hyacinth, Violet buds\n  Blossom and burn, and fire of yellower flowers,\n  And light of crescent Lilies and such leaves\n  As fear the Faun\u2019s, and know the Dryad\u2019s foot.\u201d--_Theocritus._\n\nThe rustic deities, called by the Greeks Satyrs, and by the Romans,\nFauns, had the legs, feet, and ears of goats, and the rest of the\nbody human. These Fauns, according to the traditions of the Romans,\npresided over vegetation, and to them the country folk gave anything\nthey had a mind to ask--bunches of Grapes, ears of Wheat, and all sorts\nof fruit. The food of the Satyrs was believed, by the early Romans,\nto be the root of the Orchis or Satyrion; its aphrodisiacal qualities\nexciting them to those excesses to which they are stated to have been\nso strongly addicted.\n\nA Roumanian legend[9] tells of a beauteous sylvan nymph called the\nDaughter of the Laurel, who is evidently akin to the Dryads and wood\nnymphs; and Mr. Ralston, in an article on \u2018Forest and Field Myths,\u2019[10]\ngives the following variation of the story:--\u201cThere was once a\nchildless wife who used to lament, saying, \u2018If only I had a child, were\nit but a Laurel berry!\u2019 And heaven sent her a golden Laurel berry; but\nits value was not recognised, and it was thrown away. From it sprang\na Laurel-tree, which gleamed with golden twigs. At it a prince, while\nfollowing the chase, wondered greatly; and determining to return to\nit, he ordered his cook to prepare a dinner for him beneath its shade.\nHe was obeyed. But during the temporary absence of the cook, the tree\nopened, and forth came a fair maiden who strewed a handful of salt over\nthe viands, and returned into the tree, which immediately closed upon\nher. The prince returned and scolded the cook for over-salting the\ndinner. The cook declared his innocence; but in vain. The next day just\nthe same occurred. So on the third day the prince kept watch. The tree\nopened, and the maiden came forth. But before she could return into the\ntree, the prince caught hold of her and carried her off. After a time\nshe escaped from him, ran back to the tree, and called upon it to open.\nBut it remained shut. So she had to return to the prince, and after a\nwhile he deserted her. It was not till after long wandering that she\nfound him again, and became his loyal consort.\u201d Mr. Ralston says that\nin Hahn\u2019s opinion the above story is founded on the Hellenic belief in\nDryads; but he himself thinks it belongs to an earlier mythological\nfamily than the Hellenic, though the Dryad and the Laurel-maiden are\nundoubtedly kinswomen. \u201cLong before the Dryads and Oreads had received\nfrom the sculpturesque Greek mind their perfection of human form and\nface, trees were credited with woman-like inhabitants, capable of doing\ngood and ill, and with power of their own, apart from those possessed\nby their supernatural tenants, of banning and blessing. Therefore was\nit that they were worshipped, and that recourse was had to them for\nthe strengthening of certain rites. Similar ideas and practices still\nprevail in Asia: survivals of them may yet be found in Europe.\u201d\n\n[9] The legend is given in Part II., under the heading \u201cLAUREL.\u201d\n\n[10] _Contemporary Review_, Vol. xxxi., p. 520.\n\nIn Moldavia there lingers the cherished tradition of Mariora Floriora,\nthe Zina (nymph) of the mountains, the Sister of the Flowers, at whose\napproach the birds awoke and sung merrily, desirous of anticipating her\nevery wish, and the wild flowers exhaled their choicest perfume, and,\nbowing gently in the wind, proffered every virtue contained in their\nblossoms. Yielding one day to the fascinations of a mortal, Mariora\nFloriora gave herself to him, and forgot her flowers, so that the\nleaves fell yellow and withered, and the flowers drooped their heads\nand faded. Then they complained to the Sun that the flower nymph no\nlonger tended them, but rambled over the mountains and meadows absorbed\nwith her mortal lover. So a Zm\u00e9u (evil spirit) was sent, who seized her\nin his arms, and carried her away over the mountain. Now she is never\nseen; but when the moon is shining on a serene night, her plaintive\nmurmurs are sometimes heard in the caverns of the mountain.\n\n\nSacred Groves and their Denizens.\n\nThe Roman goddess Pomona, we are told by Ovid, came of the family of\nDryads, or sylvan deities; and although \u201cthe Nymph frequented not the\nfluttering stream, nor meads, the subject of a virgin\u2019s dream,\u201d yet--\n\n  \u201cIn garden culture none could her excel,\n  Or form the pliant souls of plants so well,\n  Or to the fruit more gen\u2019rous flavours lend,\n  Or teach the trees with nobler loads to bend.\u201d\n\nAs a deity, Pomona presided over gardens and all sorts of fruit-trees,\nand was honoured with a temple in Rome, and a regular priest, called\n_Flamen Pomonalis_, who offered sacrifices to her divinity for the\npreservation of fruit. In this respect Pomona differed from the other\nSylvans, who were only regarded as semi-gods and goddesses. The worship\nof these sylvan deities, however, by the Greeks and Romans caused\nthem to regard with reverence and respect their nemorous habitations.\nHence we find that, like the Egyptians, they were fond of surrounding\ntheir temples and fanes with groves and woods, which in time came to\nbe regarded as sacred as the temples themselves. Pliny, speaking of\ngroves, says: \u201cThese were of old the temples of the gods; and after\nthat simple but ancient custom, men at this day consecrate the fairest\nand goodliest trees to some deity or other; nor do we more adore our\nglittering shrines of gold and ivory than the groves in which, with\nprofound and awful silence, we worship them.\u201d Ancient writers often\nrefer to \u201cvocal forests,\u201d--in their sombre and gloomy recesses, the\nfrighted wayfarer imagined, as the wind soughed and rustled through the\ndense foliage, that the tree spirits were humming some sportive lay,\nor--perchance more frequently--chanting weirdly some solemn dirge. The\ngrove which surrounded Jupiter\u2019s Temple at Dodona was supposed to be\nendowed with the gift of prophecy, and oracles were frequently there\ndelivered by the sacred Oaks.\n\n  \u201cDue honours once Dodona\u2019s forest had,\n  When oracles were through the Oaks conveyed.\n  When woods instructed prophets to foretel,\n  And the decrees of fate in trees did dwell.\u201d\n\nIn course of time each tree of these sacred groves was held to be\ntenanted, or presided over, either by a god or goddess, or by one of\nthe sylvan semi-deities. Impious was deemed he who dared to profane\nthe sanctity of one of these nemorous retreats, either by damaging or\nby felling the consecrated trees. Rapin, in his Latin poem on Gardens,\nsays:\n\n  \u201cBut let no impious axe profane the woods,\n  Or violate the sacred shades; the Gods\n  Themselves inhabit there. Some have beheld\n  Where drops of blood from wounded Oaks distill\u2019d;\n  Have seen the trembling boughs with horror shake!\n  So great a conscience did the ancients make\n  To cut down Oaks, that it was held a crime\n  In that obscure and superstitious time.\n  When Driopeius Heaven did provoke,\n  By daring to destroy th\u2019 \u00c6monian Oak,\n  And with it its included Dryad too,\n  Avenging Ceres then her faith did show\n  To the wrong\u2019d nymph.\u201d\n\nWhen threatened with the woodman\u2019s axe, the tutelary genius of the\ndoomed tree would intercede for its life, the very leaves would sigh\nand groan, the stalwart trunk tremble with horror. Ovid relates how\nErisichthon, a Thessalian, who derided Ceres, and cut down the trees\nin her sacred groves, was, for his impiety, afflicted with perpetual\nhunger. Of one huge old Oak the poet says--\n\n  \u201cIn the cool dusk its unpierc\u2019d verdure spread\n  The Dryads oft their hallow\u2019d dances led.\u201d\n\nBut the vindictive Erisichthon bade his hesitating servants fell the\nvenerable tree, and, dissatisfied with their speed, seized an axe, and\napproached it, declaring that nothing should save the Oak:--\n\n  \u201cHe spoke, and as he pois\u2019d a slanting stroke,\n  Sighs heav\u2019d and tremblings shook the frighted Oak;\n  Its leaves look\u2019d sickly, pale its Acorns grew,\n  And its long branches sweat a chilly dew,\n  But when his impious hand a wound bestow\u2019d,\n  Blood from the mangled bark in currents flow\u2019d.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  The wonder all amaz\u2019d: yet one more bold,\n  The fact dissuading, strove his axe to hold;\n  But the Thessalian, obstinately bent,\n  Too proud to change, too harden\u2019d to repent,\n  On his kind monitor his eyes, which burn\u2019d\n  With rage, and with his eyes his weapon, turn\u2019d;\n  Take the reward (says he) of pious dread;--\n  Then with a blow lopp\u2019d off his parted head.\n  No longer check\u2019d, the wretch his crime pursued,\n  Doubled his strokes, and sacrilege renew\u2019d;\n  When from the groaning trunk a voice was heard,--\n  \u2018A Dryad I,\u2019 by Ceres\u2019 love preferred,\n  Within the circle of this clasping rind\n  Coeval grew, and now in ruin join\u2019d;\n  But instant vengeance shall thy sin pursue,\n  And death is cheered with this prophetic view.\u201d\n\n  _Garth\u2019s Ovid._\n\n\nTree Spirits.\n\nOvid, in his \u2018Metamorphoses,\u2019 has told us how, after Daphne had been\nchanged into a Laurel, the nymph-tree still panted and heaved her\nheart; how, when Phaethon\u2019s grief-stricken sisters were transformed\ninto Poplars, they continued to shed tears, which were changed into\namber; how Myrrha, metamorphosed into a tree, still wept, in her bitter\ngrief, the precious drops which retain her name; how Dryope, similarly\ntransformed, imparted her life to the branches, which glowed with\na human heat; and how the tree into which the nymph Lotis had been\nchanged, shook with sudden horror when its blossoms were plucked and\nblood welled from the broken stalks. In these poetic conceptions it is\neasy to see the embodiment of a belief very rife among the Greeks and\nRomans that trees and shrubs were tenanted in some mysterious manner\nby spirits. Thus Virgil tells us that when \u00c6neas had travelled far in\nsearch of the abodes of the blest--\n\n  \u201cHe came to groves, of happy souls the rest;\n  To evergreens, the dwellings of the blest.\u201d\n\nNor was this notion confined simply to the Greeks and Romans, for among\nthe ancients generally there existed a wide-spread belief that trees\nwere either the haunts of disembodied spirits, or contained within\ntheir material growth the actual spirits themselves. Evelyn tells us\nthat \u201cthe Ethnics do still repute all great trees to be divine, and\nthe habitations of souls departed: these the Persians call _Pir_ and\n_Im\u00e0m_.\u201d The Persians, however, entertaining a profound regard for\ntrees of unusual magnitude, were of opinion that only the spirits of\nthe pure and holy inhabited them.\n\nIn this respect they differed from the Indians, who believed that both\ngood and evil spirits dwelt in trees. Thus we read in the story of a\n_Brahmadaitya_ (a Bengal folk-tale), of a certain Banyan-tree haunted\nby a number of ghosts who wrung the necks of all who were rash enough\nto approach the tree during the night. And, in the same tale, we are\ntold of a Vakula-tree (_Mimusops Elengi_) which was the haunt of a\n_Brahmadaitya_ (the ghost of a Brahman who dies unmarried), who was a\nkindly and well-disposed spirit. In another folk-tale we are introduced\nto the wife of a Brahman who was attacked by a _Sankchinni_, or female\nghost, inhabiting a tree near the Brahman\u2019s house, and thrust by the\nvindictive ghost into a hole in the trunk. The Rev. Lal Behari Day\nexplains that _Sankchinnis_ or _Sankhachurnis_ are female ghosts of\nwhite complexion, who usually stand in the dead of night at the foot\nof trees. Sometimes these tree-spirits appear to leave their usual\nsylvan abode and enter into human beings, in which case an exorcist is\nemployed, who detects the presence of the spirit by lighting a piece of\nTurmeric root, which is an infallible test, as no ghost can put up with\nthe smell of burnt Turmeric.\n\nThe Sh\u00e1n\u00e1rs, aborigines of India, believe that disembodied spirits\nhaunt the earth, dwelling in trees, and taking special delight in\nforests and solitary places. Against the malignant influence of these\nwandering spirits, protection is sought in charms of various kinds; the\nleaves of certain trees being esteemed especially efficacious. Among\nthe Hindus, if an infant refuse its food, and appear to decline in\nhealth, the inference is drawn that an evil spirit has taken possession\nof it. As this demon is supposed to dwell in some particular tree, the\nmothers of the northern districts of Bengal frequently destroy the\nunfortunate infant\u2019s life by depositing it in a basket, and hanging the\nsame on the demon\u2019s tree, where it perishes miserably.[11]\n\n[11] \u2018The Land of the Veda,\u2019 by Rev. P. Percival.\n\nIn Burmah the worship of Nats, or spirits of nature, is very general.\nIndeed among the Karens, and numerous other tribes, this spirit-worship\nis their only form of belief. The shrines of these Nats are often, in\nthe form of cages, suspended in Peepul or other trees--by preference\nthe Le\u2019pan tree, from the wood of which coffins are made. When a Burman\nstarts on a journey, he hangs a bunch of Plantains, or a spray of the\nsacred _Eugenia_, on the pole of his buffalo cart, to conciliate any\nspirit he may intrude upon. The lonely hunter in the forest deposits\nsome Rice, and ties together a few leaves, whenever he comes across\nsome imposing-looking tree, lest there should be a Nat dwelling there.\nShould there be none, the tied-back leaves will, at any rate, stand in\nevidence to the Nat or demon who presides over the forest. Some of the\nNats or spirits are known far and wide by special or generic names.\nThere is the Hmin Nat who lives in woods, and shakes those he meets\nso that they go mad. There is the Akakasoh, who lives in the tops of\ntrees; Shekkasoh, who lives in the trunk; and Boomasoh, who dwells\ncontentedly in the roots. The presence of spirits or demons in trees\nthe Burman believes may always be ascertained by the quivering and\ntrembling of the leaves when all around is still.\n\nSchweinfurth, the African explorer, tells us that, at the present day,\namong the Bongos and the Niam-Niams, woods and forests are regarded\nwith awe as weird and mysterious places, the abodes of supernatural\nbeings. The malignant spirits who are believed to inhabit the dark and\ngloomy forests, and who inspire the Bongos with extraordinary terror,\nhave, like the Devil, wizards, and witches, a distinctive name: they\nare called _bit\u00e2bohs_; whilst the sylvan spirits inhabiting groves and\nwoods are known as _rangas_. Under this last designation are comprised\nowls of different species, bats, and the _ndorr_, a small ape, with\nlarge red eyes and erect ears, which shuns the light of day, and hides\nitself in the trunks of trees, from whence it comes forth at night.\nAs a protection against the influence of these malignant spirits of\nthe woods, the Bongos have recourse to certain magical roots which are\nsold to them by their medicine-men. According to those worthies no one\ncan enter into communication with the wood spirits except by means of\ncertain roots, which enable the possessor to exorcise evil spirits, or\ngive him the power of casting spells. All old people, but especially\nwomen, are suspected of having relations, more or less intimate, with\nthe sylvan spirits, and of consulting the malign demons of the woods\nwhen they wish to injure any of their neighbours. This belief in evil\nspirits, which is general among the Bongos and other tribes of Africa,\nexists also among the Niam-Niams. For the latter, the forest is the\nabode of invisible beings who are constantly conspiring to injure\nman; and in the rustling of the foliage they imagine they hear the\nmysterious dialogues of the ghostly inhabitants of the woods.\n\nThe ancient German race, in whom there existed a deep reverence\nfor trees, peopled their groves and forests with a whole troup of\n_Waldgeister_, both beneficent and malevolent. A striking example is\nto be seen in the case of the Elder, in which dwells the _Hylde-moer_\n(Elder-mother), or _Hylde-vinde_ (Elder-queen), who avenges all\ninjuries done to the Elder-tree. On this account Elder branches may not\nbe cut until permission has been asked of the _Hylde-moer_. In Lower\nSaxony the woodman will, on his bended knee, ask permission of the\nElder-tree before cutting it, in these words: \u201cLady Elder, give me some\nof thy wood; then will I give thee, also, some of mine when it grows\nin the forest.\u201d This formula is repeated three times.\n\nNearly allied to the tree-spirits were the Corn-spirits,[12] which\nhaunted and protected the green or yellow fields. Mr. Ralston tells us\nthat by the popular fancy they were often symbolised under the form\nof wolves, or of \u201cbuckmen,\u201d goat-legged creatures, similar to the\nclassic Satyrs. \u201cWhen the wind blows the long Grass or waving Corn,\nGerman peasants still say, \u2018The Grass-wolf\u2019 or \u2018The Corn-wolf,\u2019 is\nabroad! In some places the last sheaf of Rye is left as a shelter to\nthe _Roggenwolf_, or Rye-wolf, during the winter\u2019s cold; and in many a\nsummer or autumn festive rite, that being is represented by a rustic,\nwho assumes a wolf-like appearance. The Corn-spirit, however, was often\nsymbolised under a human form.\u201d\n\n[12] Further details will be found in the succeeding chapter.\n\nThe belief in the existence of a spirit whose life is bound up in\nthat of the tree it inhabits remains to the present day. There is a\nwide-spread German belief that if a sick man is passed through a cleft\nmade in a tree, which is immediately afterwards bound up, the man\nand the tree become mysteriously connected--if the tree flourishes\nso will the man; but if it withers he will die. Should, however, the\ntree survive the man, the soul of the latter will inhabit the tree;\nand (according to Pagan tradition) if the tree be felled and used for\nship-building, the dead man\u2019s ghost becomes the haunting genius of\nthe ship. This strange notion may have had its origin in the classic\nstory of the Argonauts and their famous ship. A beam on the prow of the\n_Argo_ had been cut by Minerva out of the forest of Dodona, where the\ntrees were thought to be inhabited by oracular spirits: hence the beam\nretained the power of giving oracles to the voyagers, and warned them\nthat they would never reach their country till Jason had been purified\nof the murder of Absyrtus. There is a story that tells how, when a\nmusician cut a piece of wood from a tree into which a girl had been\nmetamorphosed by her angry mother, he was startled to see blood oozing\nfrom the wound. And when he had shaped it into a bow, and played with\nit upon his violin before her mother, such a heart-rending wail made\nitself heard, that the mother was struck with remorse, and bitterly\nrepented of her hasty deed. Mr. Ralston quotes a Czekh story of a Nymph\nwho appeared day by day among men, but always went back to her willow\nby night. She married a mortal, bare him children, and lived happily\nwith him, till at length he cut down her Willow-tree: that moment his\nwife died. Out of this Willow was made a cradle, which had the power of\ninstantly lulling to sleep the babe she had left behind her; and when\nthe babe became a child, it was able to hold converse with its dead\nmother by means of a pipe, cut from the twigs growing on the stump,\nwhich once had been that mother\u2019s abiding-place.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nPlants of the Devil.\n\n\nWe have seen, in a former chapter, how intimate has been the\nassociation between flowers and the Fairies, Pixies, or Elves, and,\ntherefore, it is not surprising to find that the King of Fairies, Puck,\nhas a plant specially dedicated to him. This is the _Lycoperdon_, or\nPuckfist. Dr. Prior points out that in some old works Puck, who has the\ncredit of being partial to coarse practical jokes, is alluded to as\nno other than the Devil. His very name would seem to be derived from\n_Pogge_, a toad, which in popular opinion was the impersonation of the\nDevil: hence Toadstools, Pixie-stools, or Paddock-stools, were thought\nto be but Devil\u2019s droppings--the work of those Elves\n\n              \u201cWhose pastime\n  Is to make moonlight Mushrooms.\u201d\n\nIn Sussex, the Puff-ball is called Puck\u2019s Stool, and the needle of the\n_Scandix Pecten_ is called Pook-needle.\n\nLoki, the Scandinavian malignant spirit, possesses many of the\ncharacteristics of Puck, and is in point of fact the Devil of the old\nNorse mythology. In Jutland, _Polytrichum commune_ is called Loki\u2019s\nOats, and the Yellow Rattle is known there as Loki\u2019s Purse. The Trolls,\na race of gigantic demons, or evil spirits, spoken of in Northern\nmythology, have given their name to the Globe-flower (_Trollius_),\nwhich is also known as the Troll-flower, probably on account of its\nacrid and poisonous qualities having suggested its use by these\nfollowers of the Devil.\n\nSpeaking generally, trees, plants, and herbs of evil omen may be\nplaced in the category of plants of the Devil, and amongst them must\nbe included such as have the reputation of being accursed, enchanted,\nunlucky, and sorrowful. The plants dedicated to Hecate, the Grecian\ngoddess of Hell, who presided over magic and enchantments, as well\nas those made use of by her daughters Medea and Circe, in their\nsorceries, were all satanic. Circe was specially distinguished for\nher knowledge of venomous herbs, and in later times the plants used\nby her were universally employed by witches and sorcerers in their\nincantations. The spells of wizards, magicians, witches, and others\nwho were acquainted with the secrets appertaining to the black art,\nwere always made in the name of the Devil: hence all herbs and plants\nemployed by them became veritable plants of the Devil. These plants are\nparticularised in the chapter on Plants of the Witches.\n\nThe belief that certain trees are haunted by the Devil, or by malignant\ndemons who act as his satellites, is of world-wide extent, and, in\nconnection with tree spirits, the subject has been incidentally touched\nupon in the previous chapter. A Russian proverb says that \u201cFrom all\nold trees proceeds either an owl or a Devil;\u201d and in many countries\nwhere a tree becomes old and past bearing, its sterility is attributed\nto a demon. The Albanians believe that trees are haunted by Devils\nwhich they call _a\u00ebrico_. Certain trees are especially affected by\nthese aerial demons: these are the Fig, the Walnut, the wild Plum, the\nMulberry, the Sycamore, the Pimpernel, the Willow, and in general all\nfruit trees (but especially the Cherry) when they are old and cease to\nbear. As regards sterile fruit trees, the belief that they are haunted\nby Devils is common to many countries. In some parts of England,\nBlackberries are never picked after Michaelmas-day, when the Devil is\nsupposed to stamp them with his hoof. Mrs. Latham has told us that the\nwatchfulness of the Devil makes it dangerous to go out nutting on a\nSunday, and worthy mothers may be heard warning their children against\nit by assuring them that if they do so, \u201cthe Devil will hold down the\nbranches for them.\u201d Mr. Sawyer has pointed out that the Sussex saying,\n\u201cas black as the Devil\u2019s nutting bag,\u201d is associated with this belief.\nSt. Ouen, writing in the 17th century, cautioned shepherds and others\nnever to let their flocks pass a hollow tree, because by some means or\nother the Devil was sure to have taken possession of it.\n\nMoore, in \u2018The Light of the Haram,\u2019 speaks of the _Siltim_, a demon\nwhich is thought to haunt the forests of Persia, and to lurk among\nthe trees in human form. The Indian demons _bh\u00fbt\u00fbs_ and _pi\u00e7ac\u00e2s_ are\nrepresented as dwelling in trees.\n\nIn the vicinity of Mount Etna the country people have a very strong\naversion to sleep beneath trees on St. John\u2019s Eve, lest they should\nbecome possessed of an evil spirit; for according to popular tradition,\non that night--the shortest of the year--the demons inhabiting trees\nand plants quit their leafy habitations, and seek refuge in the first\nobject they come across.\n\nIn Germany, numerous demons are recognised as dwelling in trees; and,\naccording to Prof. Mannhardt, whole troops of emissaries of the Devil\nare thought to haunt the fields, and lurk among the crops of Wheat\nand vegetables. Among the most noticeable of this satanic legion are\nthe _Aprilochse_, a demon infesting the fields in April; _Auesau_, or\nSow of the Wheatsheaf, a spirit which lies concealed among the Corn;\n_Baumesel_, a goblin of the trees; _Erntebock_, a demon which steals\npart of the Corn during harvest; _Farre_, or the Little Bull, one\nof a number of spirits infesting the Corn-fields; _Gerstenwolf_, or\nBarley-wolf, a demon which devours the Barley; _Graswolf_, a spirit\nhaunting pastures; _Habergeiss_, or _Haferbock_, Goat of the Oats;\n_Halmbock_, a goblin whose hiding-place is among straw or the stems of\nplants; _Heukatze_ and _Heupudel_, Hay Cat and Pup, demons infesting\nHay; _Kartoffelwolf_, or Potato-goblin; _Katzenmann_, or Man-Cat,\na monster dwelling amidst Wheat; _Kleesau_, or Sow of the Clover;\n_Krautesel_, or Ass of the Grass, a spirit especially inimical to\nLettuces; _Kornwolf_, _Kornsau_, _Kornstier_, _Kornkuh_, _Kornmutter_,\n_Kornkind_, and _Kornmaid_, all demons, spirits, and monsters infesting\nCorn.\n\nIn some parts of Russia the Devil is invoked through the medium of a\nherb. On the occasion of a marriage, the peasants put into a bottle\nof brandy a certain plant called the Herb of the Devil; the bottle is\nthen ornamented with ribbons and coloured tapers, and armed with this\npresent the father of the intended bride pays a visit to the father of\nthe bridegroom, who offers to ransom this bottled Devil by the payment\nof five kopecks. \u201cNo,\u201d says the girl\u2019s father, \u201cOur princess wishes\nmore than that.\u201d So after further bargaining, a price of fifty kopecks\nis finally agreed upon. In certain parts of Russia the Tobacco-plant\nis deemed a diabolic plant. In India the Witches\u2019 Herb (_Sinapis\nracemosa_) is called _Asur\u00ee_ (the she-devil).\n\nA few plants named after dragons, serpents, or snakes, and many of\nthose which are of a poisonous or noxious nature, must be classed\nwith the plants of the Devil; such as, for example, the Upas, the\nManchineel, the Magnolia, the Oleander, that deadly Persian flower, the\n_Kerzereh_, the f\u0153tid _Stapelia_, the _Phallus impudicus_, the Thief\u2019s\nPlant of the Franche-Comt\u00e9 Mountains, which opens all doors; that\nsatanic plant, the sap of which gives to Witches the power of riding\nin the air on a broomstick; and the accursed plant which misleads the\ntraveller, dragging him from one path to another, but always leading\nhim farther and farther away from his goal, until at last he sinks\nexhausted with fatigue.\n\nCertain plants and trees have become ill-omened from having received\nthe maledictions of some divine personage. Several were cursed by the\nVirgin Mary during her flight into Egypt. The tree which yielded the\ntimber of the Cross became for all time \u201cthe accursed tree\u201d; the tree\non which Judas hung himself became also a satanic tree. Under this ban\nhave been included the Fig, the Tamarisk, the Aspen, the Dog Rose, the\nElder, and the Cercis or Judas Tree.\n\nMany plants, both in England and on the Continent, have been specially\nnamed after the Devil. Thus we find that, on account of the f\u0153tid\nodour of the gum or juice obtain from its root, _Ferula Assaf\u0153tida_\nis known in Germany, Sweden, and Italy as Devil\u2019s Dung (_Stercus\nDiaboli_), although it is employed in Persia and Arabia as a medicine,\nThe Poplar-leaved Fig is the Devil\u2019s tree; the berry of the Deadly\nNightshade, the Devil\u2019s berry: the plant itself is called Death\u2019s Herb,\nand in olden times its fruit bore the name of Dwale-berry--the word\n_dvale_, which is Danish, meaning a deadly trance. An old German name\nfor the Briony was Devil\u2019s Cherry. The Germans, also, called the Petty\nSpurge (_Euphorbia Peplus_) _Teufelsmilch_, Devil\u2019s Milk; a species\nof ground Moss, _Teufelsklaeun_, Devil\u2019s Claws. The Clematis is the\nDevil\u2019s Thread; Indigo, Devil\u2019s Dye; and the Mandrake, from the lurid\nglare its leaves emit during the night-time, the Devil\u2019s Candle. In\nan old work we find the description of a small herb called _Clavis\nDiaboli_, which is so poisonous that if cattle eat it they immediately\nbegin to swell, and eventually die, unless by good luck they should\nhappen to catch sight of another plant of the same species, when the\npoison is dispelled and the animals will recover. We are likewise\nassured that the seed is so poisonous as to render it unsafe for anyone\nto walk over a plant of this genus unless his feet have previously been\nwrapped in the leaves.\n\n_Scabiosa succisa_ is generally known as the Devil\u2019s-Bit Scabious, a\nname it obtained from a notion which was formerly very prevalent that\nthe short blackish root of the plant had originally been bitten short\nby the Devil out of spite to mankind, because he knew that otherwise\nit would be good for many profitable uses. This belief was also very\ngeneral on the Continent, as the plant bears a corresponding name in\nFrance, Germany, and Holland. Dr. Prior quotes a legend recorded by\nThrelkeld, that \u201cthe root was once longer, until the Devil bit away the\nrest, for spite; for he needed it not to make him sweat who is always\ntormented with fear of the day of judgment.\u201d According to the _Ortus\nSanitatis_, on the authority of Oribasius, the plant was called _Morsus\nDiaboli_, \u201cbecause with this root the Devil practised such power, that\nthe mother of God, out of compassion, took from the Devil the means\nto do so with it any more; and in the great vexation that he had that\nthe power was gone from him, he bit it off, so that it grows no more\nto this day.\u201d Gerarde says: \u201cThe great part of the root seemeth to be\nbitten away: old fantasticke charmers report that the Devil did bite it\nfor envie, because it is an herbe that hath so many good vertues, and\nis so beneficial to mankinde.\u201d After recounting minor virtues, the old\nherbalist remarks that Devil\u2019s Bit is potential against the stingings\nof venomous beasts, poisons, and pestilent diseases, and will consume\nand waste away plague sores, if pounded and laid upon them.\n\nThe _Nigella Damascena_ is called Devil-in-the-Bush, from its round\ncapsules peering from a bush of finely-divided involucre. The long awns\nof _Scandix Pecten_ are termed the Devil\u2019s Darning Needles, the beans\nof its seed vessels being called Venus\u2019 comb. The Dodder (_Cuscuta_)\nhas gained the opprobrious epithet of Devil\u2019s Guts, from the\nresemblance of its stem to cat-gut, and its mischievous tendencies.\nThe acrid milk or sap extracted from the Euphorbia has, from its\npoisonous qualities, obtained the name of Devil\u2019s Milk. The poisonous\nPuff-balls (_Lycoperdon_) are called Devil\u2019s Snuff-boxes, on account of\nthe dust or particles they contain, which have long borne an ill name.\nGerarde says that \u201cit is very dangerous for the eies, for it hath been\noften seene that divers have beene pore-blinde ever after when some\nsmall quantitie thereof hath beene blowne into their eies.\u201d The Fungus\n_Exidia glandulosa_ (Witches\u2019 Butter) is known in Sweden as the Devil\u2019s\nButter.\n\nAlthough the Devil extends his authority over so many plants, it\nis satisfactory to know that the St. John\u2019s Wort is a dispeller of\ndemons (_Fuga d\u00e6monum_), and that there is in Russia a plant called\nthe Devil-chaser. Prof. De Gubernatis tells us that he has received\nfrom the Princess Galitzin Prazorova the following particulars of this\nplant, which is known as _Certagon_. It grows in meads and woods, is\nsomewhat thorny, and bears a deep-blue flower. It protects infants\nfrom fright, and drives away the Devil. Sometimes the plant is boiled\nin water, and the children are bathed in it. At other times the plant\nis merely placed in the cradle. If mourners are prostrated with grief\nand the recollection of the departed one (which is simply a visitation\nof the Devil) it is only necessary to hold up a sprig of the mystic\n_Certagon_, when the excessive grief will be assuaged, and the Devil\nwill be compelled to flee. The best way to exorcise an evil spirit\nfrom the dead is to sit on the pall, to chew some seeds of Camphor\nwhile combing the hair of the corpse, and finally to wave aloft the\n_Certagon_--the Devil-chaser.\n\n\nNoxious, Deadly, and Ill-Omened Plants.\n\nProf. De Gubernatis remarks that \u201cthere are good and bad herbs, and\ngood and bad plants: the good are the work of Ormuzd, the bad the\nwork of Ahriman.\u201d All these bad herbs, plants, and trees, noxious,\npoisonous, and deadly--the dangerous classes in the vegetable\nkingdom--are of evil augury, and belong to the category of Plants of\nthe Devil.\n\nThere are many trees and plants which emit emanations highly injurious,\nand in some cases fatal to life. Perhaps the most notorious of these is\nthe deadly Upas, which rises in the \u2018Valley of Death\u2019 in Java, where it\nis said to blight all neighbouring vegetation, and to cause the very\nbirds that approach it in their flight to drop down lifeless. No animal\ncan live where its baneful influence extends, and no man durst approach\nits pestilential shade.\n\nThe _Strychnos Tient\u00e9_ is the plant which yields the Upas Tient\u00e9, one\nof the Javanese poisons; it contains strychnia, and is as deadly as\nstrychnine itself. The _Upas Antiar_ is another Javanese poison--a\nbitter, milky juice, which acts violently on the heart.\n\nThe noxious exudations of the Manchineel-tree are said to cause certain\ndeath to those who rashly sleep beneath its foliage. The wonderfully\nfragrant blossoms of the _Magnolia grandiflora_ emit so strong a\nperfume that, when inhaled in the immediate neighbourhood of a group\nin flower, it becomes overpowering. The Indians will never sleep under\nMagnolia in blossom.\n\nLinn\u00e6us has mentioned a case in which the odour of the Oleander, or\nRose-bay (_Nerium Oleander_), proved fatal. The foliage and flowers of\nthis shrub will exercise a deadly influence on many quadrupeds: hence\nit is called in India the Horse-killer, and in Italy, Ass-bane.\n\nThe Elder-tree is reputed to exhale so narcotic a scent when in\nflower, that it is unwholesome for animals to rest under its shade;\nand it is considered unadvisable to plant one of these trees where its\nexhalations can be wafted into a sleeping apartment. On account of this\npungent smell, country people often strike with Elder-boughs the leaves\nof fruit-trees and vegetables, in order that by being impregnated with\nthe scent of the Elder-berries, they may prove noisome to troublesome\ninsects.\n\nThe _Jatropha urens_, a native of Brazil, is a plant the properties\nof which are so noxious that its possession is absolutely fraught\nwith danger. Not many years ago the Curator of Kew Gardens was one\nday reaching over a plant when its fine bristly stings touched his\nwrist: the first sensation was a numbness and swelling of the lips; the\naction of the poison was on the heart, circulation was stopped, and the\nunfortunate Curator soon fell unconscious. A doctor was fetched, who\nadministered antidotes effectually; but no gardener could afterwards\nbe got to come within arm\u2019s length of the diabolical plant; and both\nit and another specimen, subsequently introduced, shortly afterwards\nmysteriously disappeared from the house.\n\nThe _Nitraria tridentata_, which is by some believed to be the\nLotos-tree of the ancients, grows in the Desert of Soussa, near Tunis,\nand is called _Damouch_ by the Arabs, who are fully alive to the\nsemi-intoxicating qualities of its berries, which produce a state of\nlassitude similar to the infatuating food of the Lotophagi.\n\nAlex. Pouchkine has given a vivid description of the Indian _Antchar_,\nthought to be a variety _Aconitum ferox_. Growing in a wild and\nsterile desert, this _Antchar_ has its roots and the sickly verdure\nof its branches steeped in poison. Melted by the mid-day heat, the\npoison filters through the plant\u2019s outer skin in clammy drops: in the\nevening these become congealed into a transparent gum. Birds turn aside\ndirectly they see this deadly plant; the tiger avoids it; a passing\npuff of wind shakes its foliage,--the wind hurries on tainted and\ninfected; a shower waters for an instant its drooping leaves, and from\nits branches forthwith falls a deadly rain on the burning soil. But a\nman has made a sign: another man obeys. The _Antchar_ must be procured.\nHe departs without hesitation; and on the morrow brings back the\ndeadly gum, and some drooping stalks and leaves, while from his pallid\nbrow the cold sweat falls in streams. He staggers, falls on the mats of\nthe tent, and, poor miserable slave, expires at the feet of his proud\nmaster. And the prince steeps his ruthless arrows in the cruel poison;\nthey are destined to carry destruction to his neighbours across the\nfrontier.\n\nIn Mexico there grows a herb, familiarly known there as the Loco or\nRattle Weed, which has such a powerful effect on animals, that horses\neating it are driven raving mad.\n\nIn Scotland there is a certain weed that grows in and about the Borgie\nWell at Cambuslang, near Glasgow, which possesses the awful property of\nmaking all who drink of its waters mad. Hence the local saying:\n\n  \u201cA drink of the Borgie, a bite of the weed,\n  Sets a\u2019 the Cam\u2019slang folk wrang in the head.\u201d\n\nSome few plants are repellent from the obnoxious smells which they\nemit: among these are the _Phallus impudicus_, and many of the\nStapelias. One--the Carrion-flower--has an odour so like putrid meat,\nthat flesh flies, attracted by it, deposit their ova in the flowers;\nand when the maggots are in due course produced, they perish miserably\nfor lack of food.\n\nZahn, in his _Specul\u00e6 Physico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6_ (1696) enumerates\nseveral trees and plants which had, in his day, acquired a very\nsinister reputation. He tells us that--\n\n\u201cHerrera speaks of a tree, in Granada, called _Aquapura_, which is so\npoisonous, that when the Spaniards, at first ignorant of its deadly\npower, slept under its shade, their members were all swelled, as if\nthey had taken dropsy. The barbarians also, who lingered naked or\nintoxicated under it, had their skin broken by large swellings, which\ndistended their intestines, and brought them to a miserable death.\n\n\u201cThere is a tree in Hispaniola, bearing Apples of a very fragrant\nsmell, which, if they are tasted, prove hurtful and deadly. If any one\nabides for a time beneath its shade he loses sight and reason, and\ncannot be cured save by a long sleep. Similar trees are found in the\nisland Codega.\n\n\u201cIn the same island, Hispaniola, another kind of tree is found which\nproduces fruit formed like Pears, very pleasant to the sight, and of\ndelicious odour. If any one lies beneath its shade and falls asleep,\nhis face begins to swell, and he is seized with severe pain in the\nhead, and with the sorest cold. In the same island another tree is\nfound, whose leaf, if touched, causes at once a tumour of a very\npainful nature to break out, which can only be checked and healed\nby frequent washing with sea water. There also grows a plant called\n_Cohobba_, which is said to be lymphatic. It intoxicates by its mere\nsmell, and renders fanatical, Cardanus believes this plant to be of\nthe _Stramonium_ (_Datura_) family, which infuriates those who drink it.\n\n\u201cIn New Andalusia very poisonous trees are seen. If one of their leaves\nwere to fall upon a person, he would be killed at once, unless the\nplace be quickly smeared with the spittle of a fasting man. These trees\nare called pestiferous and pestilent, from the sudden death which they\ncause, like the plague.\n\n\u201cIn the island of San Juan de Porto Ricco grow certain small\nfruit-bearing trees which are so pernicious that if a person lies down\nand sleeps beneath their shade, he is seized with paralysis and cannot\nmove from the place. Should, perchance, a fish taste of their fallen\nleaves, and a man eat the fish, he either dies at once or at least\nloses all his hair.\n\n\u201cOn an island near Brazil a very pleasant tree is said to grow, whose\nleaves are not unlike those of the Laurel. But if any person should\ntouch \u2018a leaf of this tree, and then touch his face and eyes with the\nhand, he is at once deprived of sight and suffers the severest pains\nin his eyes. Not far distant, however, there grows another tree, whose\nleaves, if rubbed over the eyes, restore the eyesight, and remove the\npains.\n\n\u201cKircher relates that a wonderful tree is found in the Philippine\nIslands. Its leaves, facing eastward, are healthy, but those facing\nwestward are poisonous.\n\n\u201cClusius states that in America there is a kind of Larch, which\nmakes men who sleep under its shade so delirious, that when they are\nawakened, they are out of their minds and assume strange attitudes.\nSome act like prophets, some like soldiers, some like merchants,\neveryone for the time being as his natural propensity impels him.\n\n\u201cIn the bishopric of New Spain, called Antequera, around the valley of\nGuaxaca, a strange poisonous plant is found which, if given to anyone\nin food or drink, at once causes death. If it is dried and removed\nanywhere, according to the time from its being cut, it kills. Thus: if\nit has been cut for a year, so after a year it causes death; if for a\nmonth, then after a month it brings death.\n\n\u201cThe inhabitants of Macassar in the island of Celebes obtain from a\ncertain tree growing there a most deadly and virulent poison, in which\nthey dip their weapons. So pestiferous is this poisonous tree, that the\nearth around it for some distance produces neither grass nor vegetable\nlife of any kind. Although instant death may sometimes be avoided by\nmeans of antidotes, yet the victim is doomed to die even after a lapse\nof two or three years. Married men and Mushroom-eaters are more subject\nto the action of this poison than other people.\n\n\u201c_Ophiusa_, in the island of Elephantine, in Ethiopia, has a livid and\nhorrid appearance. If persons drink it they become dreadfully afraid of\nserpents--so much so, that they commit suicide. Palm wine, however, is\nsaid to counteract its influence.\n\n\u201cThe plant called _Apium risus_ is noxious, through causing those who\npartake of it to die of excessive laughter. Apuleius says that this\nis more particularly the case when the herb is taken by a person who\nhas not broken his fast. From the fact that the plant was also known\nas _Sardonia_ arose the expression \u201csardonic smile.\u201d People who taste\nit do not die at once from laughter, but, as Salustius relates, rather\nfrom the contraction of the nerves of the lips and the muscles of the\nmouth; but they appear to die by laughing.\n\n\u201cIn Bactria and around the Dnieper, a plant called _Gelotophyllis_\nis said to grow, which, if it be drunk with wine and myrrh, produces\ncontinuous laughter. A similar result is produced by _Arum \u00c6gyptiacum_,\nwhen eaten, and by the flowers or seed of the _Datura_.\n\n\u201c_Therionarca_ grows in Cappadocia and Mysia. All wild animals which\ntouch it become torpid, and can only regain animation by being\nbesprinkled with the water voided by hy\u00e6nas.\u201d\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nPlants of the Witches.\n\n\nHecate, the Grecian goddess of the infernal regions, presided over\nmagic and enchantment, and may fairly be styled the goddess, queen,\nand patroness of Witches and sorcerers. She was acquainted with the\nproperties of every herb, and imparted this knowledge to her daughters\nMedea and Circe.[13] To this trio of classical Witches were specially\nconsecrated the following herbs:--The Mandrake, the Deadly Nightshade,\nthe Common Nightshade, the Wolfs-bane, the Pontic Azalea, the Cyclamen,\nthe Cypress, Lavender, Hyssop-leaved Mint, the Poley or Mountain\nGermander, the Ethiopian Pepper, the Corn Feverfew, the Cardamom, the\nMusk Mallow, the Oriental Sesame, the rough Smilax, the Lion\u2019s-foot\nCudweed (a love philtre), and Maidenhair, a plant particularly dear to\nPluto. Medea was specially cognisant of the qualities of the Meadow\nSaffron, Safflower, Dyer\u2019s Alkanet, the clammy Plantain or Fleawort,\nthe Chrysanthemum, and the brown-berried Juniper. All these plants\nare, therefore, persistently sought for by Witches, who have not only\nthe power of understanding and appreciating the value of herbs, but\nknow also how to render harmless and innocuous plants baleful and\ndeadly. Thus we find that an Italian Witch, condemned in 1474, was\nshown to have sown a certain noxious powder amidst the herbage near her\ndwelling, and the unfortunate cows, stricken at first with the Evil\nEye, were at length attacked with a lingering but deadly malady. So,\nagain, in the \u2018Tempest,\u2019 Shakspeare tells us that in the magic rings\ntraced on the grass by the dance of the Elves, the herbage is imbued\nwith a bitterness which is noisome to cattle. These rings, which are\noften to be met with on the Sussex Downs, are there called Hag-tracks,\nbecause they are thought to be caused by hags and Witches who dance\nthere at night.\n\n[13] Early Greek writers describe Circe as the daughter of Sol and\nPerseis, and Medea as her niece.\n\nIt is recorded that, during the period of the Witch persecutions,\nwhoever found himself unexpectedly under an Elder-tree was\ninvoluntarily seized with such horror, that he in all probability fell\ninto an ecstatic or hysterical state. Although not one of the trees\ndedicated to Hecate and her Witch progeny, the Elder appears to have\ninvariably possessed a certain weird attraction for mischievous Elves\nand Witches, who are fond of seeking the shelter of its pendent boughs,\nand are wont to bury their satanic offspring, with certain cabalistic\nceremonies, beneath its roots.\n\nThese satanic children of Witches are elfish creatures, sometimes\nbutterflies, sometimes bumble bees, sometimes caterpillars or worms.\nThey are called good or bad things--Holds or Holdikens. The Witches\ninjure cattle with them; conjure them into the stem of a tree; and,\nas we have seen, bury them under the Elder-bushes; then, as the\ncaterpillars eat the foliage of the tree, the hearts of those people\nare troubled of whom the Witches think.\n\nThe ill-omened _Cercis Siliquastrum_, or Judas Tree, is reputed to\nbe specially haunted by Witches, who experience a grim pleasure in\nassembling around the tree on which the traitorous disciple is said to\nhave hung himself. Perhaps it is they who have spread the tradition\nthat death overtakes anyone who is unfortunate enough to fall into one\nof these trees.\n\nThe Witches of the Tyrol are reputed to have a great partiality for\nAlder-trees.\n\nWitches are fond of riding about through the air in the dead of night,\nand perform long journeys to attend their meetings. Matthison tells us\nthat\n\n  \u201cFrom the deep mine rush wildly out\n  The troop of Gnomes in hellish rout:\n  Forth to the Witches\u2019 club they fly;\n  The Griffins watch as they go by.\n  The horn of Satan grimly sounds;\n  On Blocksberg\u2019s flanks strange din resounds,\n  And Spectres crowd its summit high.\u201d\n\nTheir favourite steeds for these midnight excursions are besoms, which\nare generally to be found ready to hand; but the large Ragwort (which\nin Ireland is called the Fairies\u2019 Horse) is highly prized for aerial\nflights. Bulrushes are also employed for locomotive purposes, and other\nplants are used for equipments, as we read in \u2018The Witch of Fife\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cThe first leet night, quhan the new moon set,\n    Quhan all was dousse and mirk,\n  We saddled our naigis wi\u2019 the Moon-fern leif,\n    And rode fra Kilmerrin Kirk.\n  Some horses were of the Brume-cane framit,\n    And some of the greine Bay-tree,\n  But mine was made of are Humloke schaw,\n    And a stout stallion was he.\u201d\n\nWilliam of Auverne, who wrote in the thirteenth century, states that\nwhen the Witches of his time wished to go to the place of rendezvous,\nthey took a Reed or Cane, and, on making some magical signs, and\nuttering certain barbarous words, it became transformed into a horse,\nwhich carried them thither with extraordinary rapidity.\n\nIf the Witches are married, it becomes necessary to administer to\ntheir husbands a potion that shall cause them to slumber and keep them\nasleep during the Witches\u2019 absence in the night. For this purpose the\nSleep-Apple, a mossy sort of excrescence on the Wild Rose, and Hawthorn\n(called in the Edda Sleep-Thorn), are employed, because they will not\nallow anyone to awake till they are taken away. A very favourite plant\nmade use of by American Witches to produce a similar result, is the\n_Flor de Pesadilla_, or Nightmare Flower of Buenos Ayres, a small,\ndark-green foliaged plant, with lanceolate leaves and clusters of\ngreenish-white flowers, which emit a powerful narcotic smell. From the\nacrid milky juice pressed from the stem of this plant, Witches obtain\na drug which, administered to their victims, keeps them a prey all\nnight to terrible dreams, from which they awake with a dull throbbing\nsensation in the brain, while a peculiar odour pervades the chamber,\ncausing the air to appear heavy and stifling.\n\nBen Jonson, in his \u2018Masque of Queens,\u2019 introduces therein a conventicle\nof Witches, who, as part of the business which has brought them\ntogether, relate their deeds. One of the hags, who has been gathering\nthat mysterious plant of superstition, the Mandragora, croaks:--\n\n  \u201cI last night lay all alone\n    On the ground, to hear the Mandrake groan;\n    And plucked him up, though he grew full low;\n    And, as I had done, the cock did crow.\u201d\n\nAnother, whose sinister proceedings have excited the neighbouring\nwatch-dogs, remarks:--\n\n  \u201cAnd I ha\u2019 been plucking plants among\n  Hemlock, Henbane, Adder\u2019s-tongue;\n  Nightshade, Moonwort, Libbard\u2019s-bane,\n  And twice by the dogs was like to be ta\u2019en.\u201d\n\nAnd a third, who has procured a supply of the plants needful for the\nworking of the Witches\u2019 spells, says:--\n\n  \u201cYes, I have brought to help our vows\n  Homed Poppy, Cypress boughs,\n  The Fig-tree wild that grows on tombs,\n  And juice that from the Larch-tree comes.\u201d\n\nOne of the principal results of the knowledge possessed by Witches of\nthe properties of herbs was the concoction by them of noxious or deadly\npotions with which they were enabled to work their impious spells.\nOvid tells us how Medea, in compounding a poisonous draught, employed\nMonk\u2019s-hood or Wolfs-bane, the deadly _Aconitum_, that sprang up from\nthe foam of the savage many-headed Cerberus, the watch-dog of the\ninfernal regions:--\n\n  \u201cMedea to dispatch a dang\u2019rous heir\n  (She knew him) did a poisonous draught prepare,\n  Drawn from a drug long while reserved in store,\n  For desp\u2019rate uses, from the Scythian shore,\n  That from the Echidn\u00e6an monster\u2019s jaws\n  Derived its origin.\u201d\n\nMedea\u2019s sister, the Enchantress Circe, having been neglected by a youth\nfor whom she had conceived a passion, turned him, by means of a herb\npotion, into a brutal shape, for\n\n  \u201cLove refused, converted to disdain.\n  Then, mixing powerful herbs with magic art,\n  She changed his form who could not change his heart.\u201d\n\nSo intimate was the acquaintance of this celebrated Witch with the\nsubtle properties of all plants, that by the aid of the noxious juices\nshe extracted from them, she was enabled to exercise marvellous powers\nof enchantment. At her bidding,\n\n  \u201cNow strange to tell, the plants sweat drops of blood,\n  The trees are toss\u2019d from forests where they stood;\n  Blue serpents o\u2019er the tainted herbage slide,\n  Pale glaring spectres on the \u00e6ther ride.\u201d\n\nCirce was assiduous in \u201csimpling on the flow\u2019ry hills,\u201d and her\nattendants were taught to despise the ordinary occupations of women:\nthey were unburdened by household cares,\n\n  \u201cBut culled, in canisters, disastrous flowers\n  And plants from haunted heaths and Fairy bowers,\n  With brazen sickles reap\u2019d at planetary hours\n  Each dose the goddess weighed with watchful eye;\n  So nice her art in impious pharmacy.\u201d\n\nOld Gerarde tells us that Circe made use in her incantations and\nwitchcrafts of the Mullein or Hag-taper (_Verbascum Thapsus_); and\nGower relates of Medea that she employed the Feldwode, which is\nprobably the same plant, its Anglo-Saxon name being _Feldwyrt_.\n\n  \u201cTho toke she Feldwode and Verveine,\n  Of herbes ben nought better tweine.\u201d\n\nThe composition of philtres, and the working of spells and incantations\nto induce love, are amongst the most highly prized of witches\u2019\nfunctions, investing them with a power which they delight to wield, and\nleading to much pecuniary profit.\n\nIn Moore\u2019s \u2018Light of the Haram,\u2019 the Enchantress Namouna, who was\nacquainted with all spells and talismans, instructs Nourmahall to\ngather at midnight--\u201cthe hour that scatters spells on herb and\nflower\u201d--certain blossoms that, when twined into a wreath, should act\nas a spell to recall her Selim\u2019s love. The flowers gathered, the\nEnchantress proceeds to weave the magic chaplet, singing the while--\n\n  \u201cI know where the wing\u2019d visions dwell\n    That around the night-bed play;\n  I know each herb and floweret\u2019s bell,\n    Where they hide their wings by day;\n        Then hasten we, maid,\n        To twine our braid,\n  To-morrow the dreams and flowers will fade.\n\n  \u201cThe image of love, that nightly flies\n    To visit the bashful maid;\n  Steals from the Jasmine flower, that sighs\n    Its soul, like her, in the shade.\n  The dream of a future happier hour,\n    That alights on misery\u2019s brow,\n  Springs out of the silvery Almond flower\n    That blooms on a leafless bough.\n\n  \u201cThe visions that oft to worldly eyes\n    The glitter of mines unfold,\n  Inhabit the mountain herb that dyes\n    The tooth of the fawn like gold.\n  The phantom shapes--oh, touch not them!--\n    That appal the murderer\u2019s sight,\n  Lurk in the fleshly Mandrake\u2019s stem,\n    That shrieks when pluck\u2019d at night!\n\n  \u201cThe dream of the injur\u2019d, patient mind,\n    That smiles at the wrongs of men,\n  Is found in the bruis\u2019d and wounded rind\n    Of the Cinnamon, sweetest then.\n        Then hasten we, maid,\n        To twine our braid,\n  To-morrow the dreams and flowers will fade.\u201d\n\nThe chief strength of poor witches lies in the gathering and boiling of\nherbs. The most esteemed herbs for their purposes are the Betony-root,\nHenbane, Mandrake, Deadly Nightshade, Origanum, Antirrhinum, female\nPhlox, Arum, Red and White Celandine, Millefoil, Horned Poppy, Fern,\nAdder\u2019s-tongue, and ground Ivy. Root of Hemlock, \u201cdigged in the\ndark,\u201d slips of Yew, \u201cslivered in the moon\u2019s eclipse,\u201d Cypress, Wild\nFig, Larch, Broom, and Thorn are also associated with Witches and\ntheir necromancy. The divining Gall-apple of the Oak, the mystic\nMistletoe, the Savin, the Moonwort, the Vervain, and the St. John\u2019s\nWort are considered magical, and therefore form part of the Witches\u2019\npharmacop\u0153ia--to be produced as occasion may require, and their juices\ninfused in the hell-broths, philtres, potions, and baleful draughts\nprepared for their enemies. Cuckoo-flowers are gathered in the meadows\non the first of May. Chervil and Pennyroyal are used because they both\nhave the effect of making anyone tasting their juices see double.\nOften many herbs are boiled together--by preference seven or nine.\nThree kinds of wood make bewitched water boil. Witch-ointments, to be\neffective, must contain seven herbs.\n\nOne of the favourite remedies of Scotch Witches is the Woodbine or\nHoneysuckle. In effecting their magical cures, they cause their\npatients to pass a certain number of times (usually nine) through\na \u201cgirth\u201d or garland of Woodbine, repeating the while certain\nincantations and invocations. According to Spenser, Witches in the\nSpring of every year were accustomed to do penance, and purify\nthemselves by bathing in water wherein Origane and Thyme had been\nplaced:--\n\n  \u201cTill on a day (that day is every Prime,\n  When witches wont do penance for their crime)\n  I chaunst to see her in her proper hew,\n  Bathing herself in Origane and Thyme.\u201d\n\nIn Lower Germany, the Honeysuckle is called _Albranke_, the\nWitch-snare. Long running plants and entangled twigs are called\nWitch-scapes, and the people believe that a Witch hard pursued could\nescape by their means.\n\nOn the _Walpurgisnacht_, the German Witches are wont to gather Fern to\nrender themselves invisible. As a protection against them, the country\npeople, says Aubrey, \u201cfetch a certain Thorn, and stick it at their\nhouse door, believing the Witches can then do them no harm.\u201d On the way\nto the orgies of this night, the Oldenburg Witches are reputed to eat\nup all the red buds of the Ash, so that on St. John\u2019s Day the Ash-trees\nappear denuded of them.\n\nThe German Witches are cunning in the use and abuse of roots: for\nexample, they recommend strongly the _Meisterwurzel_ (root of the\nmaster), the _B\u00e4rwurzel_ (root of the bears), the _Eberwurzel_ (root of\nthe wild boar), and the _Hirschwurzel_ (root of the stag--a name given\nto the Wild Parsley, to the Black Gentian, and to the _Thapsia_), as a\nmeans of making a horse run for three consecutive days without feeding\nhim.\n\nOn St. John\u2019s Eve, the Witches of Russia are busily engaged searching\non the mountains for the _Gentiana amarella_, and on the morning of St.\nJohn\u2019s Day, for the _Lythrum silicaria_, without having found which no\none can hope to light upon the former herb. These herbs being hostile\nto Witches, are sought by them only to be destroyed.\n\nIn Franche-Comt\u00e9 they tell of a certain satanic herb, of which the\njuice gives to Witches the power of riding in the air on a broomstick\nwhen they wish to proceed to their nocturnal meeting.\n\n\nPlants used for Charms and Spells.\n\nIn medi\u00e6val times the sick poor were accustomed to seek and find\nthe relief and cure of their ailments at the hands of studious,\nkind-hearted monks, and gentle, sympathetic nuns; but after the\nReformation, the practice of the healing art was relegated either to\ncharitable gentlewomen, who deemed it part of their duty to master\nthe mysteries of simpling, or to the Wise Woman of the village,\nwho frequently combined the professions of midwife and simpler,\nand collected and dispensed medical herbs. Too often, however, the\ntrade in simples and herbs was carried on by needy and ignorant\npersons--so-called herbalists, quack doctors, and charlatans, or aged\ncrones, desirous of turning to account the superficial knowledge\nthey possessed of the properties of the plants which grew on the\nneighbouring hill-sides, or were to be found nearer at hand in the\nfields and hedgerows. As these simplers and herbalists often made\nserious mistakes in their treatment, and were willing, as a rule, to\nsupply noisome and poisonous herbs to anyone who cared to pay their\nprice, it is not to be wondered at that they were often regarded with\ndread by their ignorant neighbours, and that eventually they came to be\nstigmatised as Wizards and Witches.\n\nIn the preface to \u201cThe Brittish Physician,\u201d a work issued by one Robert\nTurner, \u201cbotanical student,\u201d two hundred years ago, the author, after\nexpatiating on the value of herbs and plants, adds: \u201cbut let us not\noffer sacrifices unto them, and say charms over them, as the Druids\nof old and other heathens; and as do some cacochymists, Medean hags,\nand sorcerers nowadays, who, not contented with the lawful use of the\ncreatures, out of some diabolical intention, search after the more\nmagical and occult vertues of herbs and plants to accomplish some\nwicked ends; and for that very cause, King Hezekiah, fearing lest the\nherbals of Solomon should come into profane hands, caused them to be\nburned.\u201d The old herbalist was doubtless acquainted with many of the\nsuperstitious practices of the \u201cMedean hags\u201d--the Wise Women, old\nwives, and Witches of the country--to whom he so scathingly refers.\nThese ill-favoured beldames had a panacea for every disease, a charm or\na potion for every disorder, a talisman or amulet against every ill. In\naddition to herbs, Rowan-tree, salt, enchanted flints, south-running\nwater, and doggrel verses were the means employed for effecting a cure;\nwhilst diseases were supposed to be laid on by forming pictures and\nimages of clay or wax, by placing a dead hand or mutilated member in\nthe house of the intended victim, or by throwing enchanted articles\nat his door. In reality, however, the mischief was done by means of\npoisonous herbs or deadly potions, cunningly prepared by the Witch and\nher confederates.\n\nOne of the most remarkable of the many superstitions inculcated by\nthese ignorant and designing Witches and quacks, was the notion that\ndiseases could be transferred from human beings to trees. Gilbert\nWhite has recorded that at Selborne there stood, in his time, a row\nof Pollard-Ashes which, when young and flexible, had been severed and\nheld open by wedges, while ruptured children, stripped naked, were\npushed through the apertures, under a belief that their infirmity would\nbe thereby cured. Children were also passed through cleft trees, to\ncast out all witchcraft, or to neutralise its baleful effects, and to\nprotect them from the influence of Witches; and sometimes they were\npassed through the branches of a Maple, in order that they might be\nlong-lived. Sick sheep were made to go through the cleft of a young\nOak, with a view of transferring their diseases to the spirit of the\ntree. People afflicted with ague were directed to repair to the Cross\nOaks which grew at the junctions of cross-roads, for the purpose of\ntransferring to them their malady. Aguish patients were ordered to\nproceed without speaking or crossing water, to a lofty Willow, to make\na gash in it, breathe three times into the crevice, close it quickly,\nand hasten away without looking back: if they did this correctly, the\nague was warranted to leave them. A twisted neck or cuts in the body\nwere thought to be cured by twisting a Willow round the affected part.\nIn the West of England, peasants suffering from blackhead were bidden\nto crawl under an arched Bramble, and if they had the toothache, the\nprescribed remedy was for them to bite the first Fern that appeared in\nSpring. In other parts of the country toothache was cured by sticking\ninto the bark of a young tree the decayed tooth after it had been\ndrawn. If a child did not willingly learn to walk, the Wise Woman of\nthe village would direct its troubled mother to make it creep through\nthe long withes of the Blackberry-bush, which were grown down to the\nearth, and had taken fresh root therein. Sufferers from gout were\nrelieved by the Witch transferring the disorder to some old Pine-tree,\nor rather to the genius inhabiting it. Many magical arts attended the\ntransference of the disease to the spirit of the vicarious tree, and\nthe operation was generally accompanied by the recital of some formula.\nAmongst the forms of adjuration was the following commencement: \u201cTwig,\nI bind thee; fever, now leave me!\u201d A sufferer from cramp was ordered\nto stretch himself on a Plum-tree, and say, \u201cClimbing-plant, stand!\nPlum-tree, waver.\u201d\n\nIf we seek for the origin of this superstitious notion of transferring\ndiseases to trees, we shall find a clue in the works of Prof.\nMannhardt, who recounts the names of demons which in Germany are\nidentified with nearly all the maladies of plants, and particularly\nwith those of Wheat and vegetables.[14] The superstitious country\npeople, struck with the affinity which exists between the vegetable\nworld and the animal world, came, in course of time, to think that the\nsame demon caused the disease of plants and that of man; and therefore\nthey conceived that, in order to safeguard mankind, it was only\nnecessary to confine the demon in the plant. Examples of this belief\nare still to be found in our own country, and similar superstitious\nobservances are common on the Continent. The German peasant creeps\nthrough an Oak cleft to cure hernia and certain other disorders; and\nthe Russian moujik splits an Ilex in order to perform a similar\ncurative operation. De Gubernatis tells us that the Venetian peasant,\nwhen fever-stricken, repairs to a tree, binds up the trunk, and says\nto it thrice, without taking breath, \u201cI place thee here, I leave thee\nhere, and I shall now depart.\u201d Thereupon the fever leaves the patient;\nbut if the tree be a fruit tree, it will from that time cease to yield\nfruit. In the Netherlands, a countryman who is suffering from the ague\nwill go early in the morning to an old Willow-tree, tie three knots in\na branch, and say: \u201cGood morning, old one! I give thee the cold; good\nmorning, old one.\u201d This done, he will turn round quickly, and run off\nas fast as he can, without looking behind him.\n\n[14] The names of certain of these demons will be found in the previous\nchapter.\n\nBut to revert to the superstitious practices of English Witches, Wise\nWomen, and midwives. One of their prescriptions for the ague was as\nfollows:--A piece of the nail of each of the patient\u2019s fingers and\ntoes, and a bit of hair from the nape of the neck, being cut whilst\nthe patient was asleep, the whole were wrapped up in paper, and the\nague which they represented was put into a hole in an Aspen tree,\nand left there, when by degrees the ague would quit the patient\u2019s\nbody. A very old superstition existed that diseases could be got rid\nof by burying them: and, indeed, Ratherius relates that, so early as\nthe tenth century, a case of epilepsy was cured by means of a buried\nPeach-blossom; it is not surprising, therefore, that English Witches\nshould have professed themselves able to cure certain disorders in this\nfashion; and accordingly we find that diseases and the means of their\ncure were ordered by them to be buried in the earth and in ants\u2019 nests.\n\nOne of the Witches\u2019 most reliable sources of obtaining money from\ntheir dupes was the concoction of love-philtres for despondent swains\nand love-sick maidens. In the composition of these potions, the\njuices of various plants and herbs were utilised; but these will be\nfound adverted to in the chapter on Magical Plants. Fresh Orchis was\nemployed by these cunning and unscrupulous simplers, to beget pure\nlove; and dried Orchis to check illicit love. Cyclamen was one of the\nherbs prescribed by aged crones for a love potion, and by midwives it\nwas esteemed a most precious and invaluable herb; but an expectant\nmother was cautioned to avoid and dread its presence. If, acting on\nthe advice of the Wise Woman, she ate Quince- and Coriander-seed,\nher child, it was promised, would assuredly be ingenious and witty;\nbut, on the contrary, should she chance to partake too bountifully of\nOnions, Beans, or similar vaporous vegetable food, she was warned that\nher offspring would be a fool, and possibly even a lunatic. Mothers\nwere also sagely cautioned that to preserve an infant from evil, it\nwas necessary to feed it with Ash-sap directly it was born; and they\nwere admonished that it should never be weaned while the trees were in\nblossom, or it would have grey hair.\n\nAs relics of the charms and prescriptions of the old Witches, countless\nsuperstitions connected with plants are to be found at the present day\nrife in all parts of the country. Of these the following are perhaps\nthe principal:--For the cure of diseases: Blue Cornflowers gathered\non Corpus Christi Sunday stop nose-bleeding if they are held in the\nhand till they are warm. Club Moss is considered good for all diseases\nof the eyes, and Euphrasy and Rue for dimness of sight. Cork has the\npower of keeping off the cramp, and so have Horse-chesnuts if carried\nin the pocket. Elder-sticks in the pocket of a horseman when riding\nprevent galling; and the same, with three, five, or seven knots, if\ncarried in the pocket will ward off rheumatism. A Potato (stolen, if\npossible) or a piece of Rowan-wood in the trousers pocket will also\ncure rheumatism. The roots of Pellitory of Spain and Tarragon, held\nbetween the teeth, cure the toothache, and so will splinters of an Oak\nstruck by lightning. Hellebore, Betony, Honesty, and Rue are antidotes\nagainst madness. The root of a male Peony, dried and tied to the neck,\ncures epilepsy and relieves nightmare. Castoreum, Musk, Rue-seed, and\nAgnus Castus-seed are likewise all remedies for nightmare. Chelidonium\nplaced under the bare feet will cure jaundice. A twig of Myrtle carried\nabout the person is efficacious in cases of tumour in the groin. Green\nWormwood placed in the shoes will relieve pains in the stomach of the\nwearer. Spurge and Laurel-leaves, if broken off upwards, will cause\nvomiting; if downwards, purging. Plantain laid under the feet removes\nweariness; and with Mugwort worn beneath the soles of his feet a man\nmay walk forty miles without tiring. Agnus Castus, if carried in the\nhand, will prevent weariness; and when placed in a bed preserves\nchastity. Henbane, laid between the sheets, also preserves chastity,\nand will besides kill fleas. Necklaces of Peony-root, worn by children,\nprevent convulsions. The excrescence found in Rose-bushes, known as\n\u201cRobin Redbreast\u2019s Cushion,\u201d when hung round children\u2019s necks, will\ncure whooping-cough. Pansy-leaves, placed in the shoe, or Sage-leaves\neaten, will cure ague. The roots of white Briony, bruised and applied\nto any place, when the bones are broken, help to draw them forth, as\nalso splinters, arrow-heads, and thorns in the flesh. The root of an\nIris, if it grow upwards, will attract all thorns from the flesh; if,\non the contrary, it inclines downwards, it will cure wounds. A piece\nof Oak, rubbed in silence on the body, on St. John\u2019s Day, before the\nsun rises, heals all open wounds. An Apple is deemed potent against\nwarts, and so is a green Elder-stick, rubbed over them, and then buried\nin muck, to rot. Sometimes the Elder-stick has a notch cut in it for\neach wart; it is then rubbed over the warts, and finally burned.\nWarts are also cured by pricking them with a Gooseberry-thorn passed\nthrough a wedding-ring; and by rubbing them with a Bean-shell, which is\nafterwards secretly taken under an Ash-tree by the operator, who then\nrepeats the words--\n\n  \u201cAs this Bean-shell rots away,\n  So my warts shall soon decay.\u201d\n\nCatmint will cause those of the most gentle and mild dispositions to\nbecome fierce and quarrelsome. Crocus-flowers will produce laughter and\ngreat joy. Rosemary, worn about the body, strengthens the memory. He\nwho sows seed should be careful not to lay it on a table, otherwise it\nwill not grow. In sowing peas, take some of them in your mouth before\nthe sun goes down, keep them there in silence while you are sowing the\nrest, and this will preserve them from sparrows. A piece of wood out of\na coffin that has been dug up, when laid in a Cabbage-bed, will defend\nit from caterpillars. A bunch of wild Thyme and Origanum, laid by the\nmilk in a dairy, prevents its being spoiled by thunder: Sunflowers are\nalso held to be a protection against thunder. A bunch of Nettles laid\nin the barrel, in brewing, answers the same purpose. Water Pepper, put\nunder the saddle of a tired horse, will refresh him and cause him to\ntravel well again. Basil, if allowed to rot under an earthen jar, will\nbecome changed into scorpions, and the frequent smelling of this herb\nis apt to generate certain animals like scorpions in the brain. The Oak\nbeing a prophetic tree, a fly in the gall-nut is held to foretell war;\na maggot, dearth; a spider, pestilence.\n\nProbably the most frequent visitors to the Witch\u2019s cottage were vain\nand silly maidens, desirous either of procuring some potion which\nshould enhance their rustic charms, or of learning from the lips of the\nWitch the mysteries of the future. To such credulous applicants the\nbeldame would impart the precious secrets, that Lilies of the Valley,\ngathered before sunrise, and rubbed over the face, would take away\nfreckles; and that Wild Tansy, soaked in butter-milk for nine days,\nand then applied as a wash to the face, would cause the user to look\nhandsome. For those who were anxious to consult her as to their love\naffairs, or desired to test her powers of divination, the Witch had\nan abundant stock of charms and amulets, and was prepared with mystic\nand unerring spells. She would take a root of the Bracken-fern, and,\ncutting its stem very low down, would show to the inquiring maiden the\ninitial letter of her future husband\u2019s name. She knew where to procure\ntwo-leaved and four-leaved Clover, and even-leaved Ash, by the aid of\nwhich lovers would be forthcoming before the day was over. She could\ninstruct a lass in the mystic rite of Hemp-sowing in the churchyard at\nmidnight on St. Valentine\u2019s Eve. She knew and would reveal where Yarrow\nwas to be found growing on a dead man\u2019s grave, and would teach country\nwenches the charmed verse to be repeated when the magic plant should\nbe placed beneath their pillow. She could superintend the construction\nof \u201cThe Witches\u2019 Chain\u201d by three young women, and could provide the\nnecessary Holly, Juniper, and Mistletoe-berries, with an Acorn for\nthe end of each link; and she would instruct them how to wind this\nmystic chain around a long thin log of wood, which was to be placed on\nthe fire, accompanied by many magical rites (the secret of which she\nwould divulge), and then burnt, with the promised result that just as\nthe last Acorn was consumed, each of the three maidens should see her\nfuture husband walk across the room, or if she were doomed to celibacy,\nthen a coffin or some misshapen form.\n\nThe Witch was cunning in the composition of draughts which should\nprocure dreams, and the secret of many of these potions is still known\nand treasured. Thus: fresh Mistletoe-berries (not exceeding nine in\nnumber), steeped in a liquid composed of equal proportions of wine,\nbeer, vinegar, and honey, taken as pills on an empty stomach before\ngoing to bed, will cause dreams of your future destiny (providing you\nretire to rest before twelve) either on Christmas-eve or on the first\nand third of a new moon. Similar dreams may be procured by making a\nnosegay of various-coloured flowers, one of a sort, a sprig of Rue, and\nsome Yarrow off a grave; these must be sprinkled with a few drops of\nthe oil of Amber, applied with the left hand, and bound round the head\nunder the night-cap, when retiring to bed, which must be supplied with\nclean linen. A prophetic dream is to be procured through the medium\nof what is known as \u201cMagic Laurel,\u201d by carrying out the following\nformula:--Rise between three and four o\u2019clock in the morning of your\nbirthday, with cautious secresy, so as to be observed by no one, and\npluck a sprig of Laurel; convey it to your chamber, and hold it over\nsome lighted brimstone for five minutes, which you must carefully\nnote by a watch or dial; wrap it in a white linen cloth or napkin,\ntogether with your own name written on paper, and that of your lover\n(or if there is more than one, write all the names down), write also\nthe day of the week, the date of the year, and the age of the moon;\nthen haste and bury it in the ground, where you are sure it will not be\ndisturbed for three days and three nights; then take it up, and place\nthe parcel under your pillow for three nights, and your dreams will be\ntruly prophetic as to your destiny. A dream of fate is to be procured\non the third day of the months between September and March by any odd\nnumber of young women not exceeding nine, if each string nine Acorns on\na separate string (or as many Acorns as there are young women), wrap\nthem round a long stick of wood, and place it in the fire, precisely\nat midnight. The maidens, keeping perfect silence, must then sit round\nthe fire till all the Acorns are consumed, then take out the ashes, and\nretire to bed directly, repeating--\n\n  \u201cMay love and marriage be the theme,\n  To visit me in this night\u2019s dream;\n  Gentle Venus, be my friend,\n  The image of my lover send;\n  Let me see his form and face,\n  And his occupation trace;\n  By a symbol or a sign,\n  Cupid, forward my design.\u201d\n\n\nPlants Antagonistic to Witchcraft.\n\nThe Rowan, Mountain Ash, or Care-tree has a great repute among country\nfolk in the cure of ills arising from supernatural as well as natural\ncauses. It is dreaded and shunned by evil spirits; it renders null\nthe spells of Witches and sorcerers, and has many other marvellous\nproperties. A piece of Rowan wood carried in the pocket of a peasant\nacts as a charm against ill-wishes, and bunches of Care suspended over\nthe cow\u2019s stall and wreathed around her horns will guard her from the\neffects of the Evil Eye and keep, her in health, more especially if her\nmaster does not forget to repeat regularly the pious prayer--\n\n  \u201cFrom Witches and Wizards, and long-tailed Buzzards,\n  And creeping things that run in hedge-bottoms,\n        Good Lord, deliver us!\u201d\n\nThe Ash, in common with the Rowan-tree, possesses the property of\nresisting the attacks of Witches, Elves, and other imps of darkness; on\nthis account Ash-sap is administered to newly-born children, as without\nsome such precaution the Fairies or Witches might change the child, or\neven steal it.\n\n  \u201cRowan, Ash, and red thread\n  Keep the Devils frae their speed.\u201d\n\nThe Hazel, according to German tradition, is inimical to Witches and\nenchanters. North says that by means of Hazel-rods Witches can be\ncompelled to restore to animals and plants the fecundity of which by\ntheir malign influence they had previously deprived them.\n\nElder, gathered on the last day of April, and affixed to the doors and\nwindows of the house, disappoints designing Witches and protects the\ninhabitants from their diabolical spells.\n\nMistletoe, as a distinctly sacred plant, is considered a talisman\nagainst witchcraft. A small sprig of this mystic plant worn round the\nneck is reputed to possess the power of repelling Witches, always\nprovided that the bough from which it was cut has not been allowed to\ntouch the earth after being gathered. Plucked with certain ceremonies\non the Eve of St. John, and hung up in windows, it is considered an\ninfallible protection against Witches, evil spirits, and phantoms, as\nwell as against storms and thunder.\n\nCyclamen would appear to be considered a preservative from the assaults\nof witchcraft and evil spirits, if we may judge from the following\ncouplet:--\n\n  \u201cSt. John\u2019s Wort and fresh Cyclamen she in her chamber kept,\n  From the power of evil angels to guard him while he slept.\u201d\n\nVervain and St. John\u2019s Wort, carried about the person, will prove a\nsure preservation against the wiles of Satan and the machinations and\nsorcery of Witches.\n\n  \u201cGin you would be leman of mine,\n  Lay aside the St. John\u2019s Wort and the Vervain.\u201d\n\nDill has also the reputation of counteracting the enchantments of\nWitches and sorcerers--\n\n          \u201cThe Verdain and the Dill\n  That hindreth Witches of their will.\u201d\n\nSt. John\u2019s Wort (_Hypericum_), the _Fuga D\u00e6monum_ of the old\nwriters, is a plant detested by Witches, who are scared when in its\nneighbourhood.\n\n  \u201cSt. John\u2019s Wort, scaring from the midnight heath\n  The Witch and Goblin with its spicy breath.\u201d\n\nHerb Paris, according to Matthiolus, takes away all evil done by\nwitchcraft; Pimpernel is potent to prevent it; and Angelica worn round\nthe neck will defeat the malignant designs of Witches, who moreover, it\nis satisfactory to know, detest the Bracken Fern, because if its stem\nbe cut, there will be found therein the monogram of Christ. Flowers of\na yellow or greenish hue, growing in hedgerows, are also repugnant to\nthem.\n\nIn the Tyrol there exists a belief that by binding Rue, Broom,\nMaidenhair, Agrimony, and ground Ivy, into one bundle, the bearer of\nthe same is enabled to see and know Witches.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nMagical Plants.\n\n\nIn remote ages, the poisonous or medicinal properties of plants were\nsecrets learnt by the most intelligent and observant members of\npastoral and nomadic tribes and clans; and the possessor of these\nsecrets became often both medicine-man and priest, reserving to himself\nas much as possible the knowledge he had acquired of herbs and their\nuses, and particularly of those that would produce stupor, delirium,\nand madness; for by these means he could produce in himself and others\nmany startling and weird manifestations, which the ignorance of his\nfellows would cause them to attribute to Divine or supernatural causes.\nThe _Zuckungen_, or convulsions, ecstacies, temporary madness, and\nravings, that formerly played so important a part in the oracular and\nsacerdotal ceremonies, and which survive even at the present day, had\ntheir origin in the tricks played by the ancient medicine-man in order\nto retain his influence over his superstitious brethren. The exciting\nand soporific properties of certain herbs and plants, and the peculiar\nphenomena which, in skilful hands, they could be made to produce in\nthe victim, were well known to the ancient seers and priests, and so\nwere easily foretold; while the symptoms and effects could be varied\naccordingly as the plants were dried, powdered, dissolved in water,\neaten freshly gathered, or burnt as incense on the altars. The subtle\npowers of opiates obtained from certain plants were among the secrets\ncarefully preserved by the magi and priests.\n\nAccording to Prosper Alpinus, dreams of paradise and celestial visions\nwere produced among the Egyptians by the use of Opium; and Kaempfer\nrelates that after having partaken of an opiate in Persia, he fell into\nan ecstatic state, in which he conceived himself to be flying in the\nair beyond the clouds, and associating with celestial beings.\n\nFrom the juice of the Hemp, the Egyptians have for ages prepared an\nintoxicating extract, called _Hash\u00eesh_, which is made up into balls\nof the size of a Chestnut. Having swallowed some of these, and thereby\nproduced a species of intoxication, they experience ecstatic visions.\n\nAmong the Brahmins, the Soma, a sacred drink prepared from the pungent\njuice of the _Asclepias acida_, or _Cyanchum viminale_, was one of the\nmeans used to produce the ecstatic state. Soma juice was employed to\ncomplete the phrensied trances of the Indian Yogis or seers: it is said\nto have the effect of inducing the ecstatic state, in which the votary\nappears in spirit to soar beyond the terrestrial regions, to become\nunited with Brahma, and to acquire universal lucidity (_clairvoyance_).\nWindischmann observes that in the remote past, the mystic Soma was\ntaken as a holy act--a species of sacrament; and that, by this means,\nthe soul of the communicant became united with Brahma. It is frequently\nsaid that even Parashpati partook of this celestial beverage, the\nessence, as it is called, of all nourishment. In the human sacrifices,\nthe Soma-drink was prepared with magical ceremonies and incantations,\nby which means the virtues of the inferior and superior worlds were\nsupposed to be incorporated with the potion.\n\nJohn Weir speaks of a plant, growing on Mount Lebanon, which places\nthose who taste it in a state of visionary ecstacy; and Gassendi\nrelates that a fanatical shepherd in Provence prepared himself for the\nvisionary and prophetic state by using Stramonium.\n\nThe Laurel was held specially sacred to Apollo, and the Pythia who\ndelivered the answer of the god to those who consulted the famous\noracle at Delphi, before becoming inspired, shook a Laurel-tree that\ngrew close by, and sometimes ate the leaves with which she crowned\nherself. A Laurel-branch was thought to impart to prophets the faculty\nof seeing that which was obscure or hidden; and the tree was believed\nto possess the property of inducing sleep and visions. Among the\nancients it was also thought useful in driving away spectres. Evelyn,\nremarking on the custom of prophets and soothsayers sleeping upon\nthe boughs and branches of trees, or upon mattresses composed of\ntheir leaves, tells us that the Laurel and _Agnus Castus_ were plants\n\u201cwhich greatly composed the phansy, and did facilitate true visions,\nand that the first was specially efficacious to inspire a poetical\nfury.\u201d According to Abulensis, he adds, \u201csuch a tradition there goes\nof Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, in imitation of her father-in-law.\u201d And\nhe thinks it probable that from that incident the Delphic Tripos, the\nDodon\u00e6an Oracle in Epirus, and others of a similar description, took\ntheir origin. Probably, when introducing the Jewish fortune-tellers in\nhis sixth satire, Juvenal alludes to the practice of soothsayers and\nsibyls sleeping on branches and leaves of trees, in the lines--\n\n                        \u201cWith fear\n  The poor she-Jew begs in my Lady\u2019s ear,\n  The grove\u2019s high-priestess, heaven\u2019s true messenger,\n  Jerusalem\u2019s old laws expounds to her.\u201d\n\nThe Druids, besides being priests, prophets, and legislators, were also\nphysicians; they were acquainted, too, with the means of producing\ntrances and ecstacies, and as one of their chief medical appliances\nthey made use of the Mistletoe, which they gathered at appointed times\nwith certain solemn ceremonies, and considered it as a special gift\nof heaven. This plant grew on the Oak, the sacred tree of the Celts\nand Druids; it was held in the highest reverence, and both priests\nand people then regarded it as divine. To this day the Welsh call\n_Pren-awr_--the celestial tree--\n\n  \u201cThe mystic Mistletoe,\n  Which has no root, and cannot grow\n  Or prosper but by that same tree\n  It clings to.\u201d\n\nThe sacred Oak itself was thought to possess certain magical properties\nin evoking the spirit of prophecy: hence we find the altars of the\nDruids were often erected beneath some venerated Oak-tree in the sombre\nrecesses of the sacred grove; and it was under the shadow of such trees\nthat the ancient Germans offered up their holy sacrifices, and their\ninspired bards made their prophetic utterances. The Greeks had their\nprophetic Oaks that delivered the oracles of Jupiter in the sacred\ngrove of Dodona--\n\n  \u201cSuch honours famed Dodona\u2019s grove acquired,\n  As justly due to trees by heaven inspired;\n  When once her Oaks did fate\u2019s decrees reveal,\n  And taught wise men truths future to foretel.\u201d--_Rapin._\n\nThe Arcadians attributed another magical power to the Oak, for they\nbelieved that by stirring water with an Oaken bough rain could be\nbrought from the clouds.\n\nThe Russians are acquainted with a certain herb which they call\n_Son-trava_, or Dream Herb, which has been identified with the\n_Pulsatilla patens_. This plant is said to blossom in the month of\nApril, and to put forth an azure-coloured flower; if this is placed\nunder the pillow, it will induce dreams, and these dreams are said to\nbe fulfilled. In England, a four-leaved Clover similarly treated will\nproduce a like result.\n\nLike the Grecian sorceresses, Medea and Circe, the Vedic magicians\nwere acquainted with numerous plants which would produce love-philtres\nof the most powerful character, if not altogether irresistible. The\nfavourite flowers among the Indians for their composition are the\nMango, Champak, Jasmine, Lotus, and Asoka. According to Albertus\nMagnus, the most powerful flower for producing love is that which\nhe calls _Provinsa_. The secret of this plant had been transmitted\nby the Chaldeans. The Greeks knew it as _Vorax_, the Latins as\n_Proventalis_ or _Provinsa_; and it is probably the same plant now\nknown to the Sicilians as the _Pizzu\u2019ngurdu_, to which they attribute\nmost subtle properties. Thus the chastest of women will become the\nvictim of the most burning passion for the man who, after pounding the\n_Pizzu\u2019ngurdu_, is able to administer it to her in any sort of food.\n\nSatyrion was a favourite herb with magicians, sorceresses, Witches,\nand herbalists, who held it to be one of the most powerful incentives\nof amatory passions. Kircher relates the case of a youth who, whenever\nhe visited a certain corner of his garden, became so inflamed with\npassionate longings, that, with the hope of obtaining relief, he\nmentioned the circumstance to a friend, who, upon examing the spot,\nfound it overgrown with a species of Satyrion, the odour from which had\nthe effect of producing amatory desires.\n\nThe Mandrake, Carrot, Cyclamen, Purslain (_Aizoon_), Valerian,\nNavel-wort (_Umbilicus Veneris_), Wild Poppy (_Papaver Argemone_),\nAnemone, _Orchis odoratissima_, _O. cynosorchis_, _O. tragorchis_,\n_O. triorchis_, and others of the same family, and Maidenhair Fern\n(_Capillus Veneris_) have all of them the property of inspiring love.\n\nIn Italy, Basil is considered potent to inspire love, and its scent is\nthought to engender sympathy. Maidens think that it will stop errant\nyoung men and cause them to love those from whose hands they accept a\nsprig. In England, in olden times, the leaves of the Periwinkle, when\neaten by man and wife, were supposed to cause them to love one another.\nAn old name appertaining to this plant was that of the \u201cSorcerer\u2019s\nViolet,\u201d which was given to it on account of its frequent use by\nwizards and quacks in the manufacture of their charms against the\nEvil Eye and malign spirits. The French knew it as the _Violette des\nSorciers_, and the Italians as _Centocchio_, or Hundred Eyes.\n\nIn Poland, a plant called _Troizicle_, which has bluish leaves and red\nflowers, has the reputation of causing love and forgetfulness of the\npast, and of enabling him who employs it to go wherever he desires.\n\nHelmontius speaks of a herb that when held in the palm of the hand\nuntil it grows warm, will rapidly acquire the power of detaining the\nhand of another until it not only grows warm, also, but the owner\nbecomes inflamed with love. He states that by its use he inspired a dog\nwith such love for himself, that he forsook a kind mistress to follow\nhim, a stranger. This herb is said to be met with everywhere, but\nunfortunately the name is not given.\n\nCumin is thought to possess a mystical power of retention: hence it\nhas found its way into many a love-philtre, as being able to ensure\nfidelity and constancy in love.\n\nAmong the plants and flowers to which the power of divination has been\nascribed, and which are consulted for the most part by rustic maidens\nin affairs of the heart, are the Centaury, Bluet, or Horseknot, the\nStarwort, the Ox-eye Daisy, the Dandelion, Bachelor\u2019s Buttons, the\nPrimrose, the Rose, the Poppy, the Hypericum, the Orpine, the Yarrow,\nthe Mugwort, the Thistle, the Knotweed, Plantain, the Stem of the\nBracken Fern, Four-leaved and Two-leaved Clover, Even Ash-leaves, Bay\nor Bay-leaves, Laurel-leaves, Apples and Apple-pips, Nuts, Onions,\nBeans, Peascods, Corn, Maize, Hemp-seed, &c.\n\nAlbertus Magnus states that _Valeria_ yields a certain juice of amity,\nefficacious in restoring peace between combatants; and that the\nherb _Provinsa_ induces harmony between husband and wife. Gerarde,\nin his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 mentions a plant, called _Concordia_, which he\nsays is _Argentina_, or Silver-weed (_Potentilla anserina_); and in\nPiedmont, at the present time, there grows a plant (_Palma Christi_),\nlocally known as _Concordia_, which the peasantry use for matrimonial\ndivinations. The root of the plant is said to be divided into two\nparts, each bearing a resemblance to the human hand, with five fingers:\nif these hands are found united, marriage is sure; but if separated,\na rupture between the lovers is presaged. There is also, in Italy, a\nplant known as _Discordia_, likewise employed for love divinations. In\nthis plant the male flowers are violet, the female white; the male and\nfemale flowers blossom almost always the one after the other--the male\nturns to the East, the female to the West.\n\nIn the Ukraine, there grows a plant called there _Prikrit_, which,\nif gathered between August 15th and October 1st, has the property\nof destroying calumnies spread abroad in order to hinder marriages.\nIn England, the Baccharis, or Ploughman\u2019s Spikenard, is reputed to\nbe able to repel calumny. In Russia, a plant called _Certagon_, the\nDevil-chaser, is used to exorcise the devil, who is supposed to haunt\nthe grief-stricken husband or wife whom death has robbed of the loved\none. This grief-charming plant is also used to drive away fear from\ninfants. The Sallow has many magical properties: no child can be born\nin safety where it is hung, and no spirit can depart in peace if its\nfoliage be anywhere near.\n\nThe Zu\u00f1is, a tribe of Mexican Indians, hold in high veneration a\ncertain magical plant called _T\u00e9-na-tsa-li_, which they aver grows\nonly on one mountain in the West, and which produces flowers of many\ncolours, the most beautiful in the world, whilst its roots and juices\nare a panacea for all injuries to the flesh of man.\n\nThe Indian _Tulasi_, or Sacred Basil (_Ocimum sanctum_) is\npre-eminently a magical herb. By the Hindus it is regarded as a plant\nof the utmost sanctity, which protects those that cultivate it from\nall misfortunes, guards them from diseases and injuries, and ensures\nhealthy children. In Burmah, the _Eugenia_ is endowed with similar\nmagical properties, and is regarded by the Burmese with especial\nreverence.\n\nThe Onion, if suspended in a room, possesses the magical powers of\nattracting and absorbing maladies that would otherwise attack the\ninmates.\n\nIn Peru, there is said to grow a wonderful tree called _Theomat_. If a\nbranch be placed in the hand of a sick person, and he forthwith shows\ngladness, it is a sign that he will at length recover; but if he\nshows sadness and no sign of joy, that is held to be a certain sign of\napproaching death.\n\nIn England, the withering of Bay-leaves has long been considered\nominous of death: thus Shakspeare writes--\n\n  \u201c\u2019Tis thought the King is dead; we will not stay.\n    The Bay-trees in our country are all withered.\u201d\n\nThe smoke of the green branches of the Juniper was the incense offered\nby the ancients to the infernal deities, whilst its berries were burnt\nat funerals to keep off evil spirits.\n\nThe Peony drives away tempests and dispels enchantments. The St. John\u2019s\nWort (called of old _Fuga d\u00e6monum_) is a preservative against tempests,\nthunder, and evil spirits, and possesses other magical properties which\nare duly enumerated in another place.\n\nThe Rowan-tree of all others is gifted with the powers of magic, and is\nheld to be a charm against the Evil Eye, witchcraft, and unholy spells.\nThe Elder, the Thorn, the Hazel, and the Holly, in a similar manner,\npossess certain properties which entitle them to be classed as magical\nplants. Garlic is employed by the Greeks, Turks, Chinese, and Japanese,\nas a safeguard against the dire influences of the Evil Eye.\n\nThe extraordinary attributes of the Fern-seed are duly enumerated in\nPart II., under the head of FERN, and can be there studied by all who\nare desirous of investigating its magic powers.\n\nThe Clover, if it has four leaves, is a magical plant, enabling him who\ncarries it on his person to be successful at play, and have the power\nof detecting the approach of malignant spirits. If placed in the shoe\nof a lover, the four-leaved Clover will ensure his safe return to the\narms and embraces of his sweetheart.\n\nThe Mandrake is one of the most celebrated of magical plants, but for\nan enumeration of its manifold mystic powers readers must be referred\nto the description given in Part II., under the head of MANDRAKE. This\nplant was formerly called _Circeium_, a name derived from Circe, the\ncelebrated enchantress. The Germans call it _Zauberwurzel_ (Sorcerer\u2019s\nroot), and the young peasant girls of the Fatherland often wear bits of\nthe plant as love charms.\n\nThe marshes of China are said to produce a certain fruit which the\nnatives call _Peci_. If any one puts with this fruit a copper coin into\nhis mouth, he can diminish it with no less certainty than the fruit\nitself, and reduce it to an eatable pulp.\n\nIn France, Piedmont, and Switzerland, the country-people tell of a\ncertain Herb of Oblivion which produces loss of memory in anyone\nputting his foot upon it. This herb also causes wayfarers to lose their\nway, through the unfortunates forgetting the aspects of the country,\neven although they were quite familiar to them before treading on the\nHerb of Forgetfulness. Of a somewhat similar nature must have been the\nfruit of the Lotos-tree, which caused the heroes of the Odyssey to\nforget their native country.\n\nKing Solomon, whose books on Magic King Hezekiah destroyed lest their\ncontents should do harm, ascribed great magical powers to a root\nwhich he called _Baharas_ (or _Baara_). Josephus, in his History of\nthe Jewish Wars, states that this wonderful root is to be found in\nthe region of Jud\u00e6a. It is like a flame in colour, and in the evening\nappears like a glittering light; but upon anyone approaching it with\nthe idea of pulling it up, it appears to fly or dart away, and will\navoid its pursuer until it be sprinkled either with menstrual blood or\n_lotium femininum_.\n\n  \u201cThe Mandrake\u2019s charnel leaves at night\u201d\n\npossess the same characteristic of shining through the gloom, and, on\nthat account, the Arabians call it the Devil\u2019s Candle.\n\nThe ancients knew a certain herb called _Nyctilopa_, which had the\nproperty of shining from afar at night: this same herb was also known\nas _Nyctegredum_ or _Chenomychon_, and geese were so averse to it, that\nupon first spying it they would take to instant flight. Perhaps this\nis the same plant as the _Johanniswurzel_ or Springwort (_Euphorbia\nlathyris_), which the peasants of Oberpfalz believe can only be found\namong the Fern on St. John\u2019s Night, and which is stated to be of a\nyellow colour, and to shine at night as brightly as a candle. Like\nthe Will-o\u2019-the-Wisp, the _Johanniswurzel_ eludes the grasp of man by\ndarting and frisking about.\n\nSeveral plants are credited with possessing the power of preservation\nfrom thunder and lightning. Pliny mentions the _Vibro_, which he calls\n_Herba Britannica_, as a plant which, if picked before the first\nthunderblast of a storm was heard, was deemed a safeguard against\nlightning. In the Netherlands, the St. John\u2019s Wort, gathered before\nsunrise, is credited with protective powers against lightning. In\nWestphalia, the _Donnerkraut_ (the English Orpine, or Live-long) is\nkept in houses as a preservative from thunder. In England, the Bay\nis considered a protection from lightning and thunder; the Beech was\nlong thought to be a safeguard against the effects of lightning; and\nHouseleek or Stonecrop, if grown upon a roof, is still regarded as\nprotecting the house from being struck by lightning. The _Gnaphalium_,\nan Everlasting-flower, is gathered on the Continent, on Ascension Day,\nand suspended over doorways, to fulfil the same function. In Wales, the\nStonecrop is cultivated on the roof to keep off disease.\n\nThe Selago, or Golden Herb of the Druids, imparted to the priestess who\npressed it with her foot, the knowledge of the language of animals and\nbirds. If she touched it with iron, the sky grew dark, and a misfortune\nbefell the world.\n\nThe old magicians were supposed to have been acquainted with certain\nplants and herbs from which gold could be extracted or produced. One\nof these was the Sorb-tree, which was particularly esteemed for its\ninvaluable powers; another was a herb on Mount Libanus, which was\nsaid to communicate a golden hue to the teeth of the goats and other\nanimals that grazed upon it. Niebuhr thinks this may be the herb which\nthe Eastern alchymists employed as a means of making gold. Father\nDundini noticed that the animals living on Mount Ida ate a certain\nherb that imparted a golden hue to the teeth, and which he considered\nproceeded from the mines underground. It was an old belief in Germany,\nby the shores of the Danube, and in Hungary, that the tendrils and\nleaves of the Vines were plated with gold at certain periods, and\nthat when this was the case, it was a sure sign that gold lay hidden\nsomewhere near.\n\nPlutarch speaks of a magical herb called _Zaclon_, which, when bruised\nand thrown into wine, would at once change it into water.\n\nSome few plants, like the well-known _Sesame_ of the \u2018Arabian Nights,\u2019\nare credited with the power of opening doors and obtaining an entry\ninto subterranean caverns and mountain sides. In Germany, there is a\nvery favourite legend of a certain blue Luck-flower which gains for its\nfortunate finder access to the hidden recesses of a mountain, where\nuntold riches lie heaped before his astonished eyes. Hastily filling\nhis pockets with gold, silver, and gems, he heeds not the presence\nof a dwarf or Fairy, who, as he unknowingly drops the Luck-flower\nwhilst leaving the treasure-house, cries \u201cForget not the best of all.\u201d\nThinking only of the wealth he has pocketed, he unheedingly passes\nthrough the portal of the treasure cave, only just in time to save\nhimself from being crushed by the descending door, which closes with an\nominous clang, and shuts in for ever the Luck-flower, which can alone\nopen the cave again.\n\nIn Russia, a certain herb, which has the power of opening, is known as\nthe _Rasriv-trava_. The peasants recognise it in this manner: they cut\na good deal of grass about the spot where the _Rasriv-trava_ is thought\nto grow, and throw the whole of it into the river; thereupon this magic\nplant will not only remain on the surface of the water, but it will\nfloat against the current. The herb, however, is extraordinarily rare,\nand can only be found by one who also possesses the herb _Plakun_ and\nthe Fern _Paporotnik_. The Fern, like the Hazel, discovers treasures,\nand therefore possesses the power of opening said to belong to the\n_Rasriv-trava_, but the latter is the only plant that can open the\nlocks of subterranean entrances to the infernal regions, which are\nalways guarded by demons. It also has the special property of being\nable to reduce to powder any metal whatsoever.\n\nThe Primrose is in Germany regarded as a _Schl\u00fcsselblume_, or\nKey-flower, and is supposed to provide the means of obtaining ingress\nto the many legendary treasure-caverns and subterranean passages under\nhill and mountain sides dating back from the remote times when the\nGoddess Bertha was wont to entice children to enter her enchanted halls\nby offering them pale Primroses.\n\nThe Mistletoe, in addition to its miraculous medicinal virtues,\npossesses the power of opening all locks; and a similar property is by\nsome ascribed to Artemisia, the Mandrake, and the Vervain.\n\nThe Moonwort, or Lesser Lunary (_Botrychium Lunaria_)--the _Martagon_\nof ancient wizards, the _Lunaria minor_ of the alchymists--will open\nthe locks of doors if placed in proper fashion in the keyhole. It is,\naccording to some authorities, the _Sferracavallo_ of the Italians, and\nis gifted with the power of unshoeing horses whilst at pasture.\n\nGrimm is of opinion that the _Sferracavallo_ is the _Euphorbia\nlathyris_, the mystic Spring-wort, which, like the Luck-flower,\npossesses the wondrous power of opening hidden doors, rocks, and secret\nentrances to treasure caves, but which is only to be obtained through\nthe medium of a green or black woodpecker under conditions which will\nbe found duly recorded in Part II., under the head of SPRINGWORT.\n\nThe Mouse-ear is called _Herba clavorum_ because it prevents the\nblacksmith from hurting horses when he is shoeing them.\n\n\nMagic Wands and Divining Rods.\n\nAt so remote a period as the Vedic age we find allusions to magic\nwands or rods. In the Vedas, the Hindu finds instructions for cutting\nthe mystic _Sami_ branch and the _Arani_. This operation was to be\nperformed so that the Eastern and Western sun shone through the fork\nof the rod, or it would prove of no avail. The Chinese still abide\nby these venerable instructions in the cutting of their magic wands,\nwhich are usually cut from the Peach or some other fruit tree on the\nnight preceding the new year, which always commences with the first\nnew moon after the Winter solstice. The employment of magic wands and\nstaffs was in vogue among the Chald\u00e6ans and Egyptians, who imparted the\nknowledge of this system of divination to the Hebrews dwelling among\nthem. Thus we find the prophet Hosea saying, \u201cMy people ask counsel\nat their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them.\u201d Rhabdomancy,\nor divination by means of a rod, was practised by the ancient Greeks\nand Romans, and the art was known in England at the time of Agricola,\nthough now it is almost forgotten. In China and Eastern lands, the art\nstill flourishes, and various kinds of plants and trees are employed;\nthe principal being, however, the Hazel, Osier, and Blackthorn. The\nDruids were accustomed to cut their divining-rods from the Apple-tree.\nIn competent hands, the Golden Rod is said to point to hidden springs\nof water, as well as to hidden treasures of gold and silver.\n\n  \u201cSome sorcerers do boast they have a rod,\n    Gathered with vows and sacrifice,\n  That, borne aloft, will strangely nod\n    To hidden treasure where it lies.\u201d--_Shepherd_ (1600).\n\nIn Cornwall, the divining-rod is still employed by miners to discover\nthe presence of mineral wealth; in Lancashire and Cumberland, the\nbelief in the powers of the magic wand is widely spread; and in\nWiltshire, it is used for detecting water. The _Virgula divinatoria_ is\nalso frequently in requisition both in Italy and France. Experts will\ntell you that, in order to ensure success, certain mystic rites must\nbe performed at the cutting of the rod: this must be done after sunset\nand before sunrise, and only on certain special nights, among which\nare those of Good Friday, Epiphany, Shrove-Tuesday, and St. John\u2019s\nDay, the first night of a new moon, or that preceding it. In cutting\nthe divining-rod, the operator must face the East, so that it shall\nbe one which catches the first rays of the morning sun, or it will be\nvalueless. These conditions, it will be found, are similar to those\ncontained in the Hindu Vedas, and still enforced by the Chinese. Some\nEnglish experts are of opinion that a twig of an Apple-tree may be\nused as successfully as a Hazel wand--but it must be of twelve months\u2019\ngrowth. The seventh son of a seventh son is considered to be the most\nfitting person to use the rod. In operating, the small ends, being\ncrooked, are to be held in the hands in a position flat or parallel\nto the horizon, and the upper part at an elevation having an angle\nto it of about seventy degrees. The rod must be grasped strongly and\nsteadily, and then the operator walks over the ground: when he crosses\na lode, its bending is supposed to indicate the presence thereof.\nAccording to Vallemont, the author of a treatise on the divining-rod,\npublished towards the end of the seventeenth century, its use was not\nmerely confined to indicate metal or water, but it was also employed in\ntracking criminals; and an extraordinary story is told of a Frenchman\nwho, guided by his rod, \u201cpursued a murderer, by land, for a distance\nexceeding forty-five leagues, besides thirty leagues more by water.\u201d\n\nFrom an article in the \u2018Quarterly Review,\u2019 No. 44, the statements\nin which were vouched by the Editor, it would seem that a Lady Noel\npossessed the faculty of using the divining-rod. In operating, this\nlady \u201ctook a thin forked Hazel-twig, about sixteen inches long, and\nheld it by the end, the joint pointing downwards. When she came to the\nplace where the water was under the ground, the twig immediately bent;\nand the motion was more or less rapid as she approached or withdrew\nfrom the spring. When just over it, the twig turned so quick as to\nsnap, breaking near the fingers, which, by pressing it, were indented\nand heated, and almost blistered; a degree of agitation was also\nvisible in her face. The exercise of the faculty is independent of any\nvolition.\u201d\n\nIn Germany, the divining-rod is often called the wishing-rod, and as\nit is by preference cut from the Blackthorn, that tree is known also\nas the Wishing Thorn. In Prussia, the Hazel rod must be cut in Spring\nto have its magical qualities thoroughly developed. When the first\nthunderstorm is seen to be approaching, a cross is made with the rod\nover every heap of grain, in order that the Corn so distinguished\nmay keep good for many a month. In Bohemia, the magic rod is thought\nto cure fever; it is necessary, however, when purchasing one, not to\nraise an objection to the price. In Ireland, if anyone dreams of buried\nmoney, there is a prescribed formula to be employed when digging for\nit--a portion of which is the marking upon a Hazel wand three crosses,\nand the recital of certain words, of a blasphemous character, over it.\n\nSir Thomas Browne tells us that, in his time, the divining-rod was\ncalled Moses\u2019 Rod; and he thinks, with Agricola, that this rod is of\nPagan origin:--\u201cThe ground whereof were the magical rods in poets, that\nof Pallas in Homer, that of Mercury that charmed Argus, and that of\nCirce which transformed the followers of Ulysses. Too boldly usurping\nthe name of Moses\u2019 Rod, from which notwithstanding, and that of Aaron,\nwere probably occasioned the fables of all the rest. For that of Moses\nmust needs be famous, unto the Egyptians, and that of Aaron unto many\nother nations as being preserved in the Ark until the destruction of\nthe Temple built by Solomon.\u201d The Rabbis tell us that the rod of Moses\nwas, originally, carved by Adam out of a tree which grew in the Garden\nof Eden; that Noah, who took it into the Ark with him, bequeathed it to\nShem; that it descended to Abraham; that Isaac gave it to Jacob; that,\nduring his sojourn in Egypt, he gave it to Joseph; and that finally it\nbecame the property of Moses.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nFabulous, Wondrous, and Miraculous Plants.\n\n\nWe have seen how, among the ancient races of the earth, traditions\nexisted which connected the origin of man with certain trees. In the\n_Bundehesh_, man is represented as having first appeared on earth under\nthe form of the plant _Reiva_ (_Rheum ribes_). In the Iranian account\nof man\u2019s creation, the primal couple are stated to have first grown up\nas a single tree, and at maturity to have been separated and endowed\nwith a distinct existence by Ormuzd. In the Scandinavian Edda, men\nare represented as having sprung from the Ash and Poplar. The Greeks\ntraced the origin of the human race to the maternal Ash; and the Romans\nregarded the Oak as the progenitor of all mankind. The conception of\nhuman trees was present in the mind of the Prophet Isaiah, when he\npredicted that from the stem of Jesse should come forth a rod, and from\nhis roots, a branch. The same idea is preserved in the genealogical\ntrees of modern heraldry; and the marked analogy between man and trees\nhas doubtless given rise to the custom of planting trees at the birth\nof children. The old Romans were wont to plant a tree at the birth\nof a son, and to judge of the prosperity of the child by the growth\nand thriving of the tree. It is said in the life of Virgil, that the\nPoplar planted at his birth flourished exceedingly, and far outstripped\nall its contemporaries. De Gubernatis records that, as a rule, in\nGermany, they plant Apple-trees for boys, and Pear-trees for girls. In\nPolynesia, at the birth of an infant, a Cocoa-nut tree is planted, the\nnodes of which are supposed to indicate the number of years promised to\nthe little stranger.\n\nAccording to a legend that Hamilton found current in Central India,\nthe Khatties had this strange origin. When the five sons of _P\u00e2ndu_\n(the heroes whose exploits are told in the _Mah\u00e2bh\u00e2rata_) had become\nsimple tenders of flocks, Karna, their illegitimate brother, wishing to\ndeprive them of these their last resource, prayed the gods to assist\nhim: then he struck the earth with his staff, which was fashioned\nfrom the branch of a tree. The staff instantly opened, and out of it\nsprang a man, who said that his name was Khat, a word which signifies\n\u201cbegotten of wood.\u201d Karna employed this tree-man to steal the coveted\ncattle, and the Khatties claim to be descended from this strange\nforefather.\n\nThe traditions of trees that brought forth human beings, and of\ntrees that were in themselves partly human, are current among most\nof the Aryan and Semitic races, and are also to be found among the\nSioux Indians. These traditions (which have been previously noticed\nin Chapter VII.) have probably given rise to others, which represent\ncertain trees as bearing for fruit human beings and the members of\nhuman beings.\n\nIn the fourteenth century, an Italian voyager, Odoricus du Frioul, on\narriving at Malabar, heard the natives speaking of trees which, instead\nof fruit, bore men and women: these creatures were scarcely a yard\nhigh, and their nether extremities were attached to the tree\u2019s trunk,\nlike branches. Their bodies were fresh and radiant when the wind blew,\nbut on its dropping, they became gradually withered and dried up.\n\nIn the first book of the _Mah\u00e2bh\u00e2rata_, reference is made, in the\nlegend of Garuda, to an enormous Indian Fig-tree (_Ficus religiosa_),\nfrom the branches of which are suspended certain devotees of dwarfed\nproportions, called _V\u00e2lakhilyas_.\n\nAmong the Arabs, there exists a tradition of an island in the Southern\nOcean called Wak-Wak, which is so-named because certain trees growing\nthereon produce fruit having the form of a human head, which cries\n_Wak! Wak!_\n\nAmong the Chinese, the myth of men being descended from trees is\nreversed, for we find a legend current in the Flowery Land that, in the\nbeginning, the herbs and plants sprang from the hairs of a cosmic giant.\n\nThe Chinese, however, preserve the tradition of a certain lake by\nwhose margin grew great quantities of trees, the leaves of which\nwhen developed became changed into birds. In India, similar trees\nare referred to in many of the popular tales: thus, in \u201cThe Rose of\nBakavali\u201d mention is made of a garden of Pomegranate-trees, the fruit\nof which resembled earthenware vases. When these were plucked and\nopened, out hopped birds of beautiful plumage, which immediately flew\naway.\n\nPope Pius II., in his work on Asia and Europe, published towards the\nend of the fifteenth century, states that in Scotland there grew on the\nbanks of a river a tree which produced fruits resembling ducks; these\nfruits, when matured, fell either on the river bank or into the water:\nthose which fell on the ground perished instantly; those which fell\ninto the water became turned at once into ducks, acquired plumage, and\nthen flew off. His Holiness remarks that he had been unable to obtain\nany proof of this wondrous tree existing in Scotland, but that it was\nto be found growing in the Orkney Isles.\n\nAs early as the thirteenth century, Albertus Magnus expressed his\ndisbelief in the stories of birds propagated from trees, yet there\nwere not wanting writers who professed to have been eye-witnesses of\nthe marvels they recounted respecting Bernicle or Claik Geese. Some of\nthese witnesses, however, asserted that the birds grew on living trees,\nwhile others traced them to timber rotted in the sea, or boughs of\ntrees which had fallen therein. Bo\u00ebce, who favoured the latter theory,\nwrites that \u201cbecause the rude and ignorant people saw oft-times the\nfruit that fell off the trees (which stood near the sea) converted\nwithin a short time into geese, they believed that yir-geese grew upon\nthe trees, hanging by their nebbis [bills] such like as Apples and\nother fruits hangs by their stalks, but their opinion is nought to be\nsustained. For as soon as their Apples or fruit falls off the tree into\nthe sea-flood, they grow first worm-eaten, and by short process of time\nare _altered_ into geese.\u201d Munster, in his \u2018Cosmographie,\u2019 remembers\nthat in Scotland \u201care found trees which produce fruit rolled up in\nleaves, and this, in due time, falling into water, which it overhangs,\nis converted into a living bird, and hence the tree is called the\nGoose-tree. The same tree grows in the island of Pomona. Lest you\nshould imagine that this is a fiction devised by modern writers, I\nmay mention that all cosmographists, particularly Saxo Grammaticus,\ntake notice of this tree.\u201d Prof. Rennie says that Montbeillard seems\ninclined to derive the name of Pomona from its being the orchard of\nthese goose-bearing trees. Fulgosus depicts the trees themselves\nas resembling Willows, \u201cas those who had seen them in Ireland and\nScotland\u201d had informed him. To these particulars, Bauhin adds that, if\nthe leaves of this tree fall upon the land, they become birds; but if\ninto the water, then they are transmuted into fishes.\n\nMaundevile speaks of the Barnacle-tree as a thing known and proved in\nhis time. He tells us, in his book, that he narrated to the somewhat\nsceptical inhabitants of Caldilhe how that \u201cin oure contre weren trees\nthat beren a fruyt that becomen briddes fleiynge: and thei that fallen\non the erthe dyen anon: and thei ben right gode to mannes mete.\u201d\n\nAldrovandus gives a woodcut of these trees, in which the foliage\nresembles that of Myrtles, while the strange fruit is large and\nheart-shaped.\n\n[Illustration: [TO FACE PAGE 118.\n\nThe Barnacle or Goose Tree.\n\n_From \u2018Aldrovandi Ornithologia.\u2019_]\n\nGerarde also gives a figure of what he calls the \u201cGoose-tree,\nBarnacle-tree, or the tree bearing geese,\u201d a reproduction of which\nis annexed. And although he speaks of the goose as springing from\ndecayed wood, &c., the very fact of his introducing the tree into\nthe catalogue of his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 shows that he was, at least, divided\nbetween the above-named opinions. \u201cWhat our eyes have seen,\u201d he\nsays, \u201cand what our hands have touched, we shall declare. There is a\nsmall island in Lancashire, called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are\nfound broken pieces of old ships, some whereof have been thrown thither\nby shipwracke, and also the trunks and bodies, with the branches\nof old and rotten trees cast up there likewise; whereon is found a\ncertain spume or froth, that in time breedeth unto certaine shells,\nin shape like to those of the muskle, but sharper pointed, and of a\nwhitish colour, wherein is contained a thing in forme like a lace of\nsilke finely woven, as it were, together, of a whitish colour; one end\nwhereof is fastned unto the inside of the shell, even as the fish of\noisters and muskles are; the other end is made fast unto the belly of\na rude mass, or lumpe, which, in time, commeth to the shape and forme\nof a bird. When it is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth open, and the\nfirst thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or string; next come\nthe legs of the bird hanging out, and as it groweth greater it openeth\nthe shell by degrees, till at length it is all come forth, and hangeth\nonely by the bill; in short space after it commeth to full maturitie,\nand falleth into the sea, where it gathereth feathers, and groweth to\na fowle bigger than a mallard and lesser than a goose, having blacke\nlegs and bill or beake, and feathers blacke and white, spotted in such\nmanner as is our magpie; called in some places a pie-annet, which the\npeople of Lancashire call by no other name than tree-goose; which place\naforesaid, and all those parts adjoyning, do so much abound therewith,\nthat one of the best is bought for threepence. For the truth hereof, if\nany doubt, may it please them to repaire unto me, and I shall satisfie\nthem by the testimonie of good witnesses.\n\n[Illustration: The Goose Tree. From _Gerarde\u2019s Herbal_.]\n\nMartin assures us that he had seen many of these fowls in the shells,\nsticking to the trees by the bill, but acknowledges that he had never\ndescried any of them with life upon the tree, though the natives [of\nthe Orkney Isles] had seen them move in the heat of the sun.\n\nIn the \u2018Cosmographi\u00e6 of Albioun,\u2019 Bo\u00ebce (to whom we have before\nreferred) considered the nature of the seas acting on old wood more\nrelevant to the creation of barnacle or claik geese than anything else.\n\u201cFor,\u201d he says, \u201call trees that are cassin into the seas, by process\nof time appears at first worm-eaten, and in the small holes or bores\nthereof grows small worms. First they show their head and neck, and\nlast of all they show their feet and wings. Finally, when they are come\nto the just measure and quantity of geese, they fly in the air, as\nother fowls wont, as was notably proven in the year of God one thousand\nfour hundred and eighty in the sight of many people beside the castle\nof Pitslego.\u201d He then goes on to describe how a tree having been cast\nup by the sea, and split by saws, was found full of these geese, in\ndifferent stages of their growth, some being \u201cperfect shapen fowls;\u201d\nand how the people, \u201chaving ylk day this tree in more admiration,\u201d at\nlength deposited it in the kirk of St. Andrew\u2019s, near Tyre.\u201d\n\nAmong the more uninformed of the Scotch peasantry, there still exists a\nbelief that the Soland goose, or gannet, and not the bernicle, grows by\nthe bill on the cliffs of Bass, of Ailsa, and of St. Kilda.\n\nGiraldus traces the origin of these birds to the gelatinous drops of\nturpentine which appear on the branches of Fir-trees.\n\n\u201cA tree that bears oysters is a very extraordinary thing,\u201d remarks\nBishop Fleetwood in his \u2018Curiosities of Agriculture and Gardening\u2019\n(1707), \u201cbut the Dominican Du Tertre, in his Natural History of Antego,\nassures us that he saw, at Guadaloupa, oysters growing on the branches\nof trees. These are his very words. The oysters are not larger than\nthe little English oysters, that is to say, about the size of a crown\npiece. They stick to the branches that hang in the water of a tree\ncalled _Paretuvier_. No doubt the seed of the oysters, which is shed\nin the tree when they spawn, cleaves to those branches, so that the\noysters form themselves there, and grow bigger in process of time,\nand by their weight bend down the branches into the sea, and then are\nrefreshed twice a day by the flux and reflux of it.\u201d\n\nThe Oyster-bearing Tree, however, is not the only marvel of which\nthe good Bishop has left a record: he tells us that near the island\nCimbalon there lies another, where grows a tree whose leaves, as they\nfall off, change into animals: they are no sooner on the ground, than\nthey begin to walk like a hen, upon two little legs. Pigafetta says\nthat he kept one of these leaves eight days in a porringer; that it\ntook itself to walking as soon as he touched it; and that it lived only\nupon the air. Scaliger, speaking of these very leaves, remarks,\nas though he had been an eye-witness, that they walk, and march away\nwithout further ado if anyone attempts to touch them. Bauhin, after\ndescribing these wonderful leaves as being very like Mulberry-leaves,\nbut with two short and pointed feet on each side, remarks upon the\ngreat prodigy of the leaf of a tree being changed into an animal,\nobtaining sense, and being capable of progressive motion.\n\n[Illustration: TO FACE PAGE 121.]\n\nThe Barometz, or Vegetable Lamb.\n\n_From Zahn\u2019s \u2018Specul\u00e6 Physico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6.\u2019_]\n\nKircher records that in his time a tree was said to exist in Chili,\nthe leaves of which produced worms; upon arriving at maturity, these\nworms crawled to the edge of the leaf, and thence fell to the earth,\nwhere after a time they became changed into serpents, which over-ran\nthe whole land. Kircher endeavours to explain this story of the\nserpent-bearing tree by giving, as a reason for the phenomenon, that\nthe tree attached to itself, through its roots, moisture pregnant with\nthe seed of serpents. Through the action of the sun\u2019s rays, and the\nmoisture of the tree, this serpent-spawn degenerates into worms, which\nby contact with the earth become converted into living serpents.\n\nThe same authority states that in the Molucca islands, but more\nparticularly in Ternate, not far from the castle of the same name,\nthere grew a plant which he describes as having small leaves. To this\nplant the natives gave the name of _Catopa_, because when its leaves\nfall off they at once become changed into butterflies.\n\nDoctor Darwin, in his botanical poem called \u2018The Loves of the Plants,\u2019\nthus apostrophises an extraordinary animal-bearing plant:--\n\n  \u201cCradled in snow and fanned by Arctic air,\n  Shines, gentle Barometz! thy golden hair;\n  Rooted in earth, each cloven hoof descends,\n  And round and round her flexile neck she bends;\n  Crops the gray coral-moss and hoary Thyme,\n  Or laps with rosy tongue the melting rime,\n  Eyes with mute tenderness her distant dam,\n  Or seems to bleat, a vegetable Lamb.\u201d\n\nIn the curious frontispiece to Parkinson\u2019s \u2018Paradisus,\u2019 which will\nbe found reproduced at the commencement of this work, it will\nbe noticed that the Barometz, or Vegetable Lamb, is represented\nas one of the plants growing in Eden. In Zahn\u2019s _Specul\u00e6\nPhysico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6_ (1696) is given a figure of this plant,\naccompanied by a description, of which the following is a translation:--\n\n\u201cVery wonderful is the Tartarian shrub or plant which the natives call\n_Boromez_, _i.e._, Lamb. It grows like a lamb to about the height of\nthree feet. It resembles a lamb in feet, in hoofs, in ears, and in the\nwhole head, save the horns. For horns, it possesses tufts of hair,\nresembling a horn in appearance. It is covered with the thinnest bark,\nwhich is taken off and used by the inhabitants for the protection of\ntheir heads. They say that the inner pulp resembles lobster-flesh, and\nthat blood flows from it when it is wounded. Its root projects and\nrises to the _umbilicus_. What renders the wonder more remarkable is\nthe fact that, when the _Boromez_ is surrounded by abundant herbage,\nit lives as long as a lamb, in pleasant pastures; but when they become\nexhausted, it wastes away and perishes. It is said that wolves have a\nliking for it, while other carnivorous animals have not.\u201d\n\nScaliger, in his _Exoteric\u00e6 Exercitationes_, gives a similar\ndescription, adding that it is not the fruit, the Melon, but the whole\nplant, that resembles a lamb. This does not tally with the account\ngiven by Odorico da Pordenone, an Indian traveller, who, before\nthe _Barometz_ had been heard of in Europe, appears to have been\ninformed that a plant grew on some island in the Caspian Sea which\nbore Melon-like fruit resembling a lamb; and this tree is described\nand figured by Sir John Maundevile, who, in speaking of the countries\nand isles beyond Cathay, says that when travelling towards Bacharye\n\u201cmen passen be a Kyngdom that men clepen Caldilhe; that is a fulle\nfair Contree. And there growethe a maner of fruyt as thoughe it waren\nGowrdes; and whan thei ben rype, men kutten hem a to, and men fynden\nwith inne, a lytylle Best, in flessche, in bon, and blode, as though\nit were a lytylle Lomb, with outen wolle. And men eten bothe the Frut\nand the Best; and that is a gret marveylle. Of that Frute I have eten;\nalle thoughe it were wonderfulle; but that I knowe wel that God is\nmarveyllous in his werkes.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: The Lamb Tree. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nMaundevile, who in his book has left a record of so many marvellous\nthings which he either saw or was told of during his Eastern travels,\nmentions a certain Indian island in the land of Prester John, where\ngrew wild trees which produced Apples of such potent virtue that the\nislanders lived by the mere smell of them: moreover if they went on a\njourney, the men \u201cberen the Apples with hem: for yif thei hadde lost\nthe savour of the Apples thei scholde dyen anon.\u201d In another island in\nthe same country, Sir John was told were the Trees of the Sun and of\nthe Moon that spake to King Alexander, and warned him of his death.\nMoreover, it was commonly reported that \u201cthe folk that kepen the trees,\nand eten of the frute and of the bawme that growethe there, lyven wel\n400 yere or 500 yere, be vertue of the fruit and of the bawme.\u201d In\nEgypt the old traveller heard of the Apple-tree of Adam, \u201cthat hav a\nbyte at on of the sydes;\u201d there also he saw Pharaoh\u2019s Figs, which grew\nupon trees without leaves; and there also he tells us are gardens that\nhave trees and herbs in them which bear fruit seven times in the year.\n\nOne of the most celebrated of fabulous trees is that which grew in\nthe garden of the Hesperides, and produced the golden Apples which\nHercules, with the assistance of Atlas, was able to carry off. Another\nclassic tree is that bearing the golden branch of Virgil, which is by\nsome identified with the Mistletoe. Among other celebrated mythical\ntrees may be named the prophetic Oaks of the Dodon\u00e6an grove; the\nSinging Tree of the \u2018Arabian Nights,\u2019 every leaf of which was a mouth\nand joined in concert; and the Poet\u2019s Tree referred to by Moore, in\n\u2018Lalla Rookh,\u2019 which grows over the tomb of Tan-Sein, a musician of\nincomparable skill at the court of Akbar, and of which it is said that\nwhoever chews a leaf will have extraordinary melody of voice.\n\n\nWondrous Plants.\n\nIn Bishop Fleetwood\u2019s curious work, to which reference has already been\nmade, we find many extraordinary trees and plants described, some of\nwhich are perhaps worthy of a brief notice. He tells us of a wonderful\nmetal-sapped tree known as the _Mesonsidereos_, which grows in Java,\nand even there is very scarce. Instead of pith, this tree has an iron\nwire that comes out of the root, and rises to the top of the tree. \u201cBut\nthe best of all is, that whoever carries about him a piece of this\nferruginous pith is invulnerable to any sword or iron whatever.\u201d In\n_Hirnaim de Typho_ this tree is said to produce fruit impenetrable by\niron.\n\nThere are some trees that must have fire to nourish them. Methodius\nstates that he saw on the top of the mountain Gheschidago (the Olympus\nof the ancients), near the city of Bursa, in Natolia, a lofty tree,\nwhose roots were spread amidst the fire that issues from the vents of\nthe earth; but whose leafy and luxuriant boughs spread their shade\naround, in scorn of the flames in the midst of which it grew.\n\nThis vegetable salamander finds its equal in a plant described by\nNieuhoff as growing in rocky and stony places in the kingdom of Tanju,\nin Tartary. This extraordinary plant cannot be either ignited or\nconsumed by fire; for although it becomes hot, and on account of the\nheat becomes glowing red in the fire, yet so soon as heat is removed,\nit grows cold, and regains its former appearance: in water, however,\nthis plant is wont to become quite putrid.\n\nOf a nature somewhat akin to these fire-loving plants must be the\nJapanese Palm, described by A. Montanus. This tree is said to shun\nmoisture to such an extent, that if its trunk be in the least wet,\nit at once pines away and perishes as though it had been poisoned.\nHowever, if this arid tree be taken up by the roots, throughly dried in\nthe sun, and re-planted with sand and iron filings around it, it will\nonce more flourish, and become covered with new branches and leaves,\nprovided that so soon as it has been re-planted, the old leaves are cut\noff with an iron instrument and fastened to the trunk.\n\nThe Bishop remarks that \u201cone of the most wonderful plants is that which\nso mollifies the bones, that when we have eaten of it we cannot stand\nupon our legs. An ox who has tasted of it cannot go; his bones grow so\npliant, that you may bend his legs like a twig of Ozier. The remedy is\nto make him swallow some of the bones of an animal who died from eating\nof that herb: \u2019tis certain death, and cannot be otherwise, for the\nteeth grow soft immediately, and \u2019tis impossible even to eat again.\u201d\n\u201cThere is a plant that produces a totally opposite effect. It hardens\nthe bones to a wondrous degree. A man who has chewed some of it, will\nhave his teeth so hard as to be able to reduce flints and pebbles into\nimpalpable powder.\u201d\n\nMaundevile describes some wonderful Balm-trees that in his time grew\nnear Cairo, in a field wherein were seven wells \u201cthat oure Lord Jesu\nChrist made with on of His feet, whan He wente to pleyen with other\nchildren.\u201d The balm obtained from these trees was considered so\nprecious, that no one but the appointed tenders was allowed to approach\nthem. Christians alone were permitted to till the ground in which they\ngrew, as if Saracens were employed, the trees would not yield; and\nmoreover it was necessary that men should \u201ckutten the braunches with a\nscharp flyntston or with a scharp bon, whanne men wil go to kutte hem:\nFor who so kutte hem with iren, it wolde destroye his vertue and his\nnature.\u201d\n\nThe old knight has left a record of his impressions of the country near\nthe shores of the Dead Sea, and has given a sketch of those Apple-trees\nof which Byron wrote--\n\n  \u201cLike to the Apples on the Dead Sea\u2019s shore,\n  All ashes to the taste.\u201d\n\nThese trees producing Dead Sea fruit he tells us bore \u201cfulle faire\nApples, and faire of colour to behold; but whoso brekethe hem or\ncuttethe hem in two, he schalle fynd with in hem Coles and Cyndres, in\ntokene that, be wratthe of God, the cytees and the lond weren brente\nand sonken in to Helle.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Dead Sea Fruit. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nIn Zahn\u2019s _Specul\u00e6 Physico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6_ we read of a peculiar\nMexican tree, called _Tetlatia_ or _Gao_, which causes both men and\nanimals to lose their hair if they rub themselves against its trunk\nor sleep beneath its branches. Then we are told of a tree growing in\nSofala, Africa, which yields no leaf during the whole year, but if a\nbranch be cut off and placed in water, it grows green in ten hours, and\nproduces abundance of leaves. Again, we read of the _Zeibas_, immense\ntrees \u201cin the new Kingdom of Granada,\u201d which fifteen men could scarcely\nencompass with their arms; and which, wonderful to relate, cast all\ntheir leaves every twelve hours, and soon afterwards acquire other\nleaves in their place.\n\nA certain tree is described as growing in America, which bears flowers\nlike a heart, consisting of many white leaves, which are red within,\nand give forth a wonderfully sweet fragrance: these flowers are said to\ncomfort and refresh the heart in a remarkable manner. A curious account\nis given of a plant, which Nierenbergius states grows in Bengal, which\nattracts wood so forcibly, that it apparently seizes it from the hands\nof men. A similar plant is said to exist in the island of Zeilan,\nwhich, if placed between two pieces of wood, each distant twenty paces\nfrom it, will draw them together and unite them.\n\nRespecting the _Boriza_, a plant also known as the _Lunaria_ or Lunar\nHerb, Zahn states that it is so called because it increases and\ndecreases according to the changes of the moon: for when the moon is\none day old, this plant has one leaf, and increases the number of\nleaves in proportion to the moon\u2019s age until it is fifteen days old;\nthen, as the moon decreases, its leaves one by one fall off. In the\nno-moon period, being deprived of all its leaves, it hides itself. Just\nas the _Boriza_ is influenced by the moon, so are certain shrubs under\nthe sway of the sun. These shrubs are described as growing up daily\nfrom the sand until noon, when they gradually diminish, and finally\nreturn to the earth at sunset.\n\nGerarde tells us that among the wonders of England, worthy of great\nadmiration, is a kind of wood, called Stony Wood, alterable into the\nhardness of a stone by the action of water. This strange alteration of\nNature, he adds, is to be seen in sundry parts of England and Wales;\nand then he relates how he himself \u201cbeing at Rougby (about such time\nas our fantasticke people did with great concourse and multitudes\nrepaire and run headlong unto the sacred wells of Newnam Regis, in the\nedge of Warwickshire, as unto the water of life, which could cure all\ndiseases),\u201d went from thence unto these wells, \u201cwhere I found growing\nouer the same a faire Ashe-tree, whose boughs did hang ouer the spring\nof water, whereof some that were seare and rotten, and some that of\npurpose were broken off, fell into the water and were all turned into\nstones. Of these boughes or parts of the tree I brought into London,\nwhich when I had broken in pieces, therein might be seene that the pith\nand all the rest was turned into stones, still remaining the same shape\nand fashion that they were of before they were in the water.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: The Stone Tree. From _Gerarde\u2019s Herbal_.]\n\nIn Hainam, a Chinese island, grows a certain tree known as the Fig of\nParadise. Its growth is peculiar: from the centre of a cluster of six\nor seven leaves springs a branch with no leaves, but a profusion of\nfruit resembling Figs. The leaves of this tree are so large and so far\napart, that a man could easily wrap himself up in them; hence it is\nsupposed that our first parents, after losing their innocence, clothed\nthemselves with the leaves of a tree of this species.\n\nThe island of Ferro, one of the Canaries, is said to be without rivers,\nfountains, and wells. However, it has a peculiar tree, as Metellus\nmentions, surrounded by walls like a fountain. It resembles the\nNut-tree; and from its leaves there drops water which is drinkable by\ncattle and men. A certain courtesan of the island, when it was first\nsubdued, made it known to the Spaniards. Her perfidy, however, is said\nto have been discovered and punished with death by her own people.\n\nBishop Fleetwood gives the following description, by Hermannus\nNicolaus, of what he calls the Distillatory Plant:--\u201cGreat are the\nworks of the Lord, says the wise man; we cannot consider them without\nravishment. The Distillatory Plant is one of these prodigies of nature,\nwhich we cannot behold without being struck with admiration. And what\nmost surprises me is the delicious nectar, with which it has often\nsupplied me in so great abundance to refresh me when I was thirsty to\ndeath and unsufferably weary.... But the greatest wonder of it is the\nlittle purse, or if you will, a small vessel, as long and as big as the\nlittle finger, that is at the end of each leaf. It opens and shuts with\na little lid that is fastened to the top of it. These little purses\nare full of a cool, sweet, clear cordial and very agreeable water.\nThe kindness this liquor has done me when I have been parched up with\nthirst, makes me always think of it with pleasure. One plant yields\nenough to refresh and quench the thirst of a man who is very dry. The\nplant attracts by its roots the moisture of the earth, which the sun\nby his heat rarifies and raises up through the stem and the branches\ninto the leaves, where it filtrates itself to drop into the little\nrecipients that are at the end of them. This delicious sap remains in\nthese little vessels till it be drawn out; and it must be observed\nthat they continue close shut till the liquor be well concocted and\ndigested, and open of themselves when the juice is good to drink.\n\u2019Tis of wonderful virtue to extinguish speedily the heats of burning\nfevers. Outwardly applied, it heals ring-worms, St. Anthony\u2019s Fire, and\ninflammations.\u201d\n\n\nPlants Bearing Inscriptions and Figures.\n\nGerarde has told us that in the root of the Brake Fern, the figure of\na spread-eagle may be traced; and Maundevile has asserted that the\nfruit of the Banana, cut it how you will, exhibits a representation\nof the Holy Cross. L. Sarius, in his Chronicles to the year 1559,\nrecords that, in Wales, an Ash was uprooted during a tempest, and in\nits massive trunk, rent asunder by the violence of the storm, a cross\nwas plainly depicted, about a foot long. This cross remained for many\nyears visible in the shattered trunk of the Ash, and was regarded\nwith superstitious awe by the Catholics as having been Divinely sent\nto reprove the officious zeal of Queen Elizabeth in banishing sacred\nimages from the Churches.\n\nIn Zahn\u2019s work is an account--\u201cresting on the sworn testimony of the\nworthiest men,\u201d and on the authority of an archbishop--of the holy name\nJESU found in a Beech that had been felled near Treves. The youth, who\nwas engaged in chopping up this tree, observed while doing so, a cloud\nor film surrounding the pith of the wood. Astonished at the sight, he\ncalled his uncle Hermann, who noticed at once the sacred name in a\nyellow colour, changing to black. Hermann carried the wood home to his\nwife, who had long been an invalid, and she, regarding it as a precious\nrelic, received much comfort, and finally, in answer to daily prayer,\nher strength was restored. After this, the wood was presented to the\nElector Maximilian Henry, who was so struck with the phenomenon, that\nhe had it placed in a rich silver covering, and publicly exposed as\na sacred relic in a church; and on the spot where the tree was cut,\nhe caused a chapel to be erected, to preserve the name of Jesu in\neverlasting remembrance.\n\nIn the same work, we are told that in a certain root, called\n_Ophoides_, a serpent is clearly represented; that the root of\n_Astragalus_ depicts the stars; that in the trunk of the _Quiacus_,\na dog\u2019s head was found delineated, together with the perfect figure\nof a bird; that the trunk of a tree, when cut, displayed on its inner\nsurface eight Danish words; that in a Beech cut down by a joiner, was\nfound the marvellous representation of a thief hanging on a gibbet;\nand that in another piece of wood adhering to the former was depicted\na ladder such as was used in those days by public executioners: these\nfigures were distinctly delineated in a black tint. In 1628, in the\nwood of a fruit-tree that had been cut down near Haarlem, in Holland,\nthe images of bishops, tortoises, and many other things were seen;\nand one Schefferus, a physician, has recorded that near the same\nplace, a piece of wood was found in which there was given \u201ca wonderful\nrepresentation by Nature of a most orderly star with six rays.\u201d Evelyn,\nin his \u2018Sylva,\u2019 speaks of a tree found in Holland, which, being cleft,\nexhibited the figures of a chalice, a priest\u2019s alb, his stole, and\nseveral other pontifical vestments. Of this sort, he adds, was an\nOxfordshire Elm, \u201ca block of which wood being cleft, there came out\na piece so exactly resembling a shoulder of veal, that it was worthy\nto be reckoned among the curiosities of this nature.\u201d Evelyn also\nnotices a certain dining-table made of an old Ash, whereon was figured\nin the wood fish, men, and beasts. In the root of a white Briony was\ndiscovered the perfect image of a human being: this curious root was\npreserved in the Museum at Bologna. Many examples of human figures in\nthe roots of Mandrakes have been known, and Aldrovandus tell us that he\nwas presented with a Mandrake-root, in which the image was perfect.\n\n\nVegetable Monstrosities.\n\nIt is related that, in the year 1670, there was exposed for sale,\nin the public market of Vratislavia, an extraordinary wild Bugloss,\nwhich, on account of the curiosity of the spectators and the different\nsuperstitious speculations of the crowd, was regarded not only as\nsomething monstrous but also as marvellous. This Bugloss was a little\ntortuous and 25 inches in length. Its breadth was 4 inches. It\npossessed a huge and very broad stem, the fibres of which ran parallel\nto each other in a direct line. It bore flowers in the greatest\nabundance, and had at least one root.\n\nAldrovandus, in his _Liber de Monstris_, describes Grapes with beards,\nwhich were seen in the year 1541 in Germany, in the province of\nAlbersweiler. They were sent as a present, first to Louis, Duke of\nBavaria, and then to King Ferdinand and other princes.\n\nZahn figures, in his work, a Pear of unusual size which was gathered\nfrom a tree growing in the Royal Garden at Stuttgart, towards the\nclose of June, 1644. This Pear strongly resembled a human face, with\nthe features distinctly delineated, and at the end, forming a sort of\ncrown, were eight small leaves and two young shoots with a blossom at\nthe apex of each. This curious and unique vegetable monstrosity was\npresented to his Serene Highness the Prince of Wurtemburg.\n\nIn the same book is given a description of a monstrous Rape--bearing\na striking resemblance to the figure of a man seated, and exhibiting\nperfectly body, arms, and head, on which the sprouting foliage took\nthe place of hair. This Rape grew in the garden of a nobleman in the\nprovince of Weiden, in the year 1628.\n\nMention is made of a _Daucus_ which was planted and became unusually\nlarge in size. Some pronounced it to be a Parsnip, having a yellow\nroot, and thin leaves. This Parsnip had an immense root, like a human\nhand, which, from its peculiar growth, had the appearance of grasping\nthe _Daucus_ itself.\n\nIn Zahn\u2019s book are recorded many other vegetable marvels: amongst\nthem is the case of a Reed growing in the belly of an elephant; a ear\nof Wheat in the nose of an Italian woman; Oats in the stomach of a\nsoldier; and various grains found in wounds and ulcers, in different\nparts of the human body.\n\n\nMiraculous Trees and Plants.\n\nThere are some few plants which have at different times been\nprominently brought into notice by their intimate association with\nmiracles. Such a one was the branch of the Almond-tree forming the rod\nof Aaron, which, when placed by Moses in the Tabernacle, miraculously\nbudded and blossomed in the night, as a sign that its owner should\nbe chosen for High Priest. Such, again, was the staff of Joseph of\nArimathea, which, when driven, one Christmas-day, into the ground\nat Glastonbury, took root and produced a Thorn-tree, which always\nblossomed on that day. Such, again, was the staff of St. Martin, from\nwhich sprang up a goodly Yew, in the cloister of Vreton, in Brittany;\nand such was the staff of St. Serf, which, thrown by him across the\nsea from Inchkeith to Culross, straightway took root and became an\nApple-tree.\n\nIn the same category must be included the tree miraculously secured by\nSt. Thomas, the apostle of the Indians, and from which he was enabled\nto construct a church, inasmuch as when the sawdust emitted by the\ntree when being sawn was sown, trees sprang up therefrom. The tree\n(represented as being a species of _Kalpadruma_) was hewn on the Peak\nof Adam, in Ceylon, by two servants of St. Thomas, and dragged by\nhim into the sea, where he appears to have left it with the command,\n\u201c_Vade, expecta nos in portu civitatis Mirapolis._\u201d ... When it reached\nits destination, this tree had grown to such an enormous bulk, that\nalthough the king and his army of ten thousand troops, with many\nelephants, did their utmost to secure it and drag it on shore, they\nwere unable to move it. Mortified at his failure, the king descried\nthe holy Apostle Thomas approaching, riding upon an ass. The holy\nApostle was accompanied by his two servants, and by two great lions.\n\u201cForbear,\u201d said he, addressing the king: \u201cTouch not the wood, for it is\nmine.\u201d \u201cHow can you prove it is yours?\u201d enquired the king. Then Thomas,\nloosing his girdle, threw it to the two servants, and bade them tie it\naround the tree; this they speedily did, and, with the assistance of\nthe lions, dragged the huge trunk ashore. The king was astonished and\nconvinced by the miracle, and at once offered to Thomas as much land\nwhereon to erect a church to his God as he cared to ride round on his\nass. So with the aid of the miraculous tree the Apostle Thomas set to\nwork to build his church. When his workmen were hungry he took some of\nthe sawdust of the tree, and converted it into Rice; when they demanded\npayment, he broke off a small piece of the wood, which instantly became\nchanged into money.\n\nPopular tradition has everywhere preserved the remembrance of a certain\n_Arbor secco_, which, according to Marco Polo, Frate Odorico, and\nthe Book of Sidrach, existed in the East. This _Arbor secco_ of the\nChristians is the veritable Tree of the Sun of the ancient pagans.\nMarco Polo calls the tree the Withered Tree of the Sun, and places\nit in the confines of Persia; Odorico, near Sauris. According to\nMaundevile, the tree had existed at Mamre from the beginning of the\nworld. It was an Oak, and had been held in special veneration since the\ntime of Abraham. The Saracens called it _Dirpe_, and the people of the\ncountry, the Withered Tree, because from the date of the Passion of Our\nLord, it has been withered, and will remain so until a Prince of the\nWest shall come with the Christians to conquer the Holy Land: then \u201che\nshalle do synge a masse undir that dry tree, and than the tree shalle\nwaxen grene and bere bothe fruyt and leves.\u201d Fra Mauro, in his map of\nthe world, represents the Withered Tree in the middle of Central Asia.\nIt has been surmised that this Withered Tree is no other than that\nalluded to by the Prophet Ezekiel (xvii., 24): \u201cAnd all the trees of\nthe field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree,\nhave exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Arbor Secco, or The Withered Tree. From _Maundevile\u2019s\nTravels_.]\n\nSulpicius Severus relates that an abbot, in order to test the patience\nof a novice, planted in the ground a branch of Styrax that he chanced\nto have in his hand, and commanded the Novice to water it every day\nwith water to be obtained from the Nile, which was two miles from the\nmonastery. For two years the novice obeyed his superior\u2019s injunction\nfaithfully, going every day to the banks of the river, and carrying\nback on his shoulder a supply of Nile water wherewith to water the\napparently lifeless branch. At length, however, his steadfastness was\nrewarded, for in the third year the branch miraculously shot out very\nfine leaves, and afterwards produced flowers. The historian adds that\nhe saw in the monastery some slips of the same tree, which they took\ndelight to cultivate as a memento of what the Almighty had been pleased\nto do to reward the obedience of his servant.\n\nAnother miraculous tree is alluded to in Fleetwood\u2019s \u2018Curiosities,\u2019\nwhere, on the authority of Philostratus, the author describes a certain\ntalking Elm of Ethiopia, which, during a discussion held under its\nbranches between Apollonius and Thespesio, chief of the Gymnosophists,\nreverently \u201cbowed itself down and saluted Apollonius, giving him the\ntitle of Wise, with a distinct but weak and shrill voice, like a woman.\u201d\n\nThe blind man to whom our Saviour restored his sight said, at first,\n\u201cI see men walking as if they were trees!\u201d one Anastasius of Nice,\nhowever, has recorded that, oppositely, he had seen trees walk as if\nthey were men. Bishop Fleetwood remarks that this Anastasius, being\npersuaded that by miraculous means our neighbours\u2019 trees may be brought\ninto our own field, relates that a heretic of Zizicum, of the sect of\nthe Pneumatomachians, had, by the virtue of his art, brought near to\nhis own house a great Olive-tree belonging to one of his neighbours,\nthat he and his disciples might have the benefit of the freshness of\nthe shade to protect them from the heat of the sun. By this art, also,\nit was that the plantation of Olives, belonging to Vectidius, changed\nits place.\n\nMaundevile has preserved a record of a tree of miraculous origin, that\nin his time grew in the city of Tiberias. The old knight writes:--\u201cIn\nthat cytee a man cast an brennynge [a burning] dart in wratthe after\noure Lord, and the hed smote in to the eerthe, and wex grene, and it\ngrowed to a gret tree; and yit it growethe, and the bark there of is\nalle lyke coles.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Miraculous Tree of Tiberias. From _Maundevile\u2019s\nTravels_.]\n\nAmong flowers, the Rose--the especial flower of martyrdom--has been\nthe most connected with miracles. Maundevile gives it a miraculous\norigin, alleging that at Bethlehem the faggots lighted to burn an\ninnocent maiden were, owing to her earnest prayers, extinguished and\nmiraculously changed into bushes which bore the first Roses, both\nwhite and red. According to monastic tradition, the martyr-saint\nDorothea sent a basket of Roses miraculously to the notary Theophilus,\nfrom the garden of Paradise. The Romish legend of St. Cecilia relates\nthat after Valerian, her husband, had been converted and baptised by\nSt. Urban, he returned to his home, and heard, as he entered it, the\nmost enchanting music. On reaching his wife\u2019s apartment, he beheld\nan angel standing near her, who held in his hand two crowns of Roses\ngathered in Paradise, immortal in their freshness and perfume, but\ninvisible to the eyes of unbelievers. With these the angel encircled\nthe brows of Cecilia and Valerian, and promised that the eyes of\nTiburtius, Valerian\u2019s brother, should be opened to the truth. Then he\nvanished. Soon afterwards Tiburtius entered the chamber, and perceiving\nthe fragrance of the celestial Roses, but not seeing them, and knowing\nthat it was not the season for flowers, he was astonished, yielded to\nthe fervid appeal of St. Cecilia, and became a Christian.\n\nSt. Elizabeth, of Hungary, is always represented with Roses in her\nlap or hand, in allusion to a legend which relates that this saint,\nthe type of female charity, one day, in the depth of winter, left\nher husband\u2019s castle, carrying in the skirts of her robe a supply of\nprovisions for a certain poor family; and as she was descending the\nfrozen and slippery path, her husband, returning from the chase, met\nher bending under the weight of her charitable burden. \u201cWhat dost thou\nhere, my Elizabeth?\u201d he asked: \u201clet us see what thou art carrying\naway.\u201d Then she, confused and blushing to be so discovered, pressed\nher mantle to her bosom; but he insisted, and opening her robe, he\nbeheld only red and white Roses, more beautiful and fragrant than any\nthat grow on this earth, even at summer-tide, and it was now the depth\nof winter! Turning to embrace his wife, he was so overawed by the\nsupernatural glory exhibited on her face, that he dared not touch her;\nbut, bidding her proceed on her mission, he took one of the Roses of\nParadise from her lap, and placed it reverently in his breast.\n\nTrithemius narrates that Albertus Magnus, in the depths of winter, gave\nto King William on the festival of Epiphany a most elegant banquet in\nthe little garden of his Monastery. Suddenly, although the monastery\nitself was covered with snow, the atmosphere in the garden became\nbalmy, the trees became covered with leaves, and even produced ripe\nfruit--each tree after its kind. A Vine sent forth a sweet odour and\nproduced fresh grapes in abundance, to the amazement of everyone.\nFlocks of birds of all kinds were attracted to the spot, and, rejoicing\nat the summer-like temperature, burst into song. At length, the\nwonderful entertainment came to an end, the tables were removed, and\nthe servants all retired from the grounds. Then the singing of the\nbirds ceased, the green of the trees, shrubs, and grasses speedily\nfaded and withered, the flowers drooped and perished, the masses of\nsnow which had so strangely disappeared now covered everything, and a\npiercing cold of great intensity obliged the king and his fellow-guests\nto seek shelter and warmth within the Monastery walls. Greatly\nastonished and moved at what he had seen, King William called Albertus\nto him, and promised to grant him whatever he might request. Albertus\nasked for land in the State of Utrecht, whereon to erect a Monastery of\nhis own order. His request was granted, and he also obtained from the\nKing many other favours.\n\nIt is recorded that on the same day that Alexander de\u2019 Medici, the\nDuke of Florence, was treacherously killed, in the Villa of Cosmo de\u2019\nMedici, an abundance of all kinds of flowers burst into bloom, although\nquite out of the flowering season; and on that day the Cosmian gardens\nalone appeared gay with flowers, as though Spring had come.\n\n\nFather Garnet\u2019s Straw.\n\nAt the commencement of the present chapter on extraordinary and\nmiraculous plants, allusion was made to certain trees which were\nreputed to have borne as fruit human heads. A fitting conclusion to\nthis list of wonders would appear to be an account of a wondrous ear of\nStraw, which, in the year 1606, was stated miraculously to have borne\nin effigy the head of Father Garnet, who was executed for complicity in\nthe Gunpowder Plot. It would seem that, after the execution of Garnet\nand his companion Oldcorne, tales of miracles performed in vindication\nof their innocence, and in honour of their martyrdom, were circulated\nby the Jesuits. But the miracle most insisted upon as a supernatural\nconfirmation of the Jesuit\u2019s innocence and martyrdom, was the story of\nFather Garnet\u2019s Straw. The originator of this miracle was supposed to\nbe one John Wilkinson, a young Catholic, who, at the time of Garnet\u2019s\ntrial and execution, was about to pass over into France, to commence\nhis studies at the Jesuits\u2019 college at St. Omers. Some time after\nhis arrival there, Wilkinson was attacked by a dangerous disease,\nfrom which there was no hope of recovery; and while in this state he\ngave utterance to the story, which Eud\u00e6mon-Joannes relates in his own\nwords. Having described his strong impression that he should \u201cwitness\nsome immediate testimony from God in favour of the innocence of His\nsaint,\u201d his attendance at the execution, and its details, he proceeds\nthus:--\u201cGarnet\u2019s limbs having been divided into four parts, and placed\ntogether with the head in a basket, in order that they might be\nexhibited according to law in some conspicuous place, the crowd began\nto disperse. I then again approached close to the scaffold, and stood\nbetween the cart and the place of execution; and as I lingered in that\nsituation, still burning with the desire of bearing away some relique,\nthat miraculous ear of Straw, since so highly celebrated, came, I know\nnot how, into my hand. A considerable quantity of dry Straw had\nbeen thrown with Garnet\u2019s head and quarters from the scaffold into the\nbasket; but whether this ear came into my hand from the scaffold or\nfrom the basket, I cannot venture to affirm: this only I can truly say,\nthat a Straw of this kind was thrown towards me before it had touched\nthe ground. This Straw I afterwards delivered to Mrs. N., a matron\nof singular Catholic piety, who inclosed it in a bottle, which being\nrather shorter than the Straw, it became slightly bent. A few days\nafterwards, Mrs. N. showed the Straw in the bottle to a certain noble\nperson, her intimate acquaintance, who, looking at it attentively, at\nlength said, \u2018I can see nothing in it but a man\u2019s face.\u2019 At this, Mrs.\nN. and I, being astonished at the unexpected exclamation, again and\nagain examined the ear of Straw, and distinctly perceived in it a human\ncountenance, which others, also coming in as casual spectators, or\nexpressly called by us as witnesses, also beheld at that time. This is,\nas God knoweth, the true history of Father Garnet\u2019s Straw.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: TO FACE PAGE 135.]\n\nFather Garnet\u2019s Straw.\n\n_From the \u2018Apology of Eud\u00e6mon-Joannes.\u2019_]\n\nIn process of time, the fame of the prodigy encouraged those who had\nan interest in upholding it to add considerably to the miracle as it\nwas at first promulgated. Wilkinson and the first observers of the\nmarvel merely represented that the appearance of a face was shown on\nso diminutive a scale, upon the husk or sheath of a single grain, as\nscarcely to be visible unless specifically pointed out. Fig. 1 in the\naccompanying plate accurately depicts the miracle as it was at first\ndisplayed.\n\nBut a much more imposing image was afterwards discovered. Two faces\nappeared upon the middle part of the Straw, both surrounded with rays\nof glory; the head of the principal figure, which represented Garnet,\nwas encircled with a martyr\u2019s crown, and the face of a cherub appeared\nin the midst of his beard. In this improved state of the miracle, the\nstory was circulated in England, and excited the most profound and\nuniversal attention; and thus depicted, the miraculous Straw became\ngenerally known throughout the Christian world. Fig. 2 in the sketch\nexactly represents the prodigy in its improved state: it is taken from\nthe frontispiece to the \u2018Apology of Eud\u00e6mon-Joannes.\u2019\n\nSo great was the scandal occasioned by this story of Father Garnet\u2019s\nmiraculous Straw, that Archbishop Bancroft was commissioned by the\nPrivy Council to institute an inquiry, and, if possible, to detect\nand punish the perpetration of what he considered a gross imposture;\nbut although a great many persons were examined, no distinct evidence\nof imposition could be obtained. It was proved, however, that the\nface might have been limned on the Straw by Wilkinson, or under his\ndirection, during the interval which occurred between the time of\nGarnet\u2019s death and the discovery of the miraculous head. At all events,\nthe inquiry had the desired effect of staying public curiosity in\nEngland; and upon this the Privy Council took no further proceedings\nagainst any of the parties.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nPlants Connected with Birds and Animals.\n\n\nThe association of trees and birds has been the theme of the most\nancient writers. The Skalds have sung how an Eagle sat in stately\nmajesty on the topmost branch of Yggdrasill, whilst the keen-eyed Hawk\nhovered around. The Vedas record how the Pippala of the Hindu Paradise\nwas daily visited by two beauteous birds, one of which fed from its\ncelestial food, whilst its companion poured forth delicious melody\nfrom its reed-like throat. On the summit of the mystic Soma-tree were\nperched two birds, the one engaged in expressing the immortalising\nSoma-juice, the other feeding on the Figs which hung from the branches\nof the sacred tree. A bird, bearing in its beak a twig plucked from its\nfavourite tree, admonished the patriarch Noah that the waters of the\nflood were subsiding from the deluged world.\n\nIn olden times there appears to have been a notion that in some\ncases plants could not be germinated excepting through the direct\nintervention of birds. Thus Bacon tells us of a tradition, current in\nhis day, that a bird, called a Missel-bird, fed upon a seed which,\nbeing unable to digest, she evacuated whole; and that this seed,\nfalling upon boughs of trees, put forth the Mistletoe. A similar story\nis told by Tavernier of the Nutmeg. \u201cIt is observable,\u201d he says, \u201cthat\nthe Nutmeg-tree is never planted: this has been attested to me by\nseveral persons who have resided many years in the islands of Bonda. I\nhave been assured that when the nuts are ripe, there come certain birds\nfrom the islands that lie towards the South, who swallow them down\nwhole, and evacuate them whole likewise, without ever having digested\nthem. These nuts being then covered with a viscous and glutinous\nmatter, when they fall on the ground, take root, vegetate, and produce\na tree, which would not grow from them if they were planted like other\ntrees.\u201d\n\nThe Druids, dwelling as they did in groves and forests, frequented by\nbirds and animals, were adepts at interpreting the meaning of their\nactions and sounds. A knowledge of the language of the bird and animal\nkingdoms was deemed by them a marvellous gift, which was only to be\nimparted to the priestess who should be fortunate enough to tread under\nfoot the mystic _Selago_, or Golden Herb.\n\nAt a time when men had no almanack to warn them of the changing of the\nseasons, no calendar to guide them in the planting of their fields and\ngardens, the arrival and departure of birds helped to direct them in\nthe cultivation of plants. So we find Ecclesiastes preached \u201ca bird of\nthe air shall carry the voice,\u201d and in modern times the popular saying\narose of \u201ca little bird has told me.\u201d\n\nThis notion of the birds imparting knowledge is prettily rendered\nby Hans Christian Andersen, in his story of the Fir-tree, where the\nsapling wonders what is done with the trees taken out of the wood at\nChristmas time. \u201cAh, we know--we know,\u201d twittered the Sparrows; \u201cfor we\nhave looked in at the windows in yonder town.\u201d\n\nDr. Solander tells us that the peasants of Upland remark that \u201cWhen you\nsee the Wheatear you may sow your grain,\u201d for in this country there is\nseldom any severe frost after the Wheatear appears; and the shepherds\nof Salisbury Plain say:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Dotterel do first appear,\n  It shows that frost is very near;\n  But when the Dotterel do go,\n  Then you may look for heavy snow.\u201d\n\nAristophanes makes one of his characters say that in former times the\nKite ruled the Greeks; his meaning being that in ancient days the\nKite was looked upon as the sign of Spring and of the necessity of\ncommencing active work in field and garden; and again, \u201cThe Crow points\nout the time for sowing when she flies croaking to Libya.\u201d In another\nplace he notices that the Cuckoo in like manner governed Ph\u0153nicia and\nEgypt, because when it cried _Kokku, Kokku_, it was considered time to\nreap the Wheat and Barley fields.\n\nIn our own country, this welcome harbinger of the Springtide has\nbeen associated with a number of vernal plants: we have the Cuckoo\nFlower (_Lychnis Flos cuculi_), Cuckoo\u2019s Bread or Meat, and Cuckoo\u2019s\nSorrel (_Oxalis Acetosella_), Cuckoo Grass (_Lazula campestris_),\nand Shakspeare\u2019s \u201cCuckoo Buds of yellow hue,\u201d which are thought to\nbe the buds of the Crowfoot (_Ranunculus_). The association in the\npopular rhyme of the Cuckoo with the Cherry-tree is explained by an\nold superstition that before it ceases its song, the Cuckoo must eat\nthree good meals of Cherries. In Sussex, the Whitethorn is called the\nCuckoo\u2019s Bread-and-Cheese Tree, and an old proverb runs--\n\n  \u201cWhen the Cuckoo comes to the bare Thorn,\n  Then sell your Cow and buy your Corn.\u201d\n\nMr. Parish has remarked that it is singular this name should be given\nto the Whitethorn, as among all Aryan nations the tree is associated\nwith lightning, and the Cuckoo is connected with the lightning gods\nJupiter and Thor.\n\nPliny relates that the Halcyon, or Kingfisher, at breeding-time,\nforetold calm and settled weather. The belief in the wisdom of birds\nobtained such an ascendancy over men\u2019s minds, that we find at length\nno affair of moment was entered upon without consulting them. Thus\ncame in augury, by which was meant a forewarning of future events\nderived from prophetic birds. One of these systems of divinations, for\nthe purpose of discovering some secret or future event was effected\nby means of a Cock and grains of Barley, in the following manner: the\ntwenty-four letters of the alphabet having been written in the dust,\nupon each letter was laid a grain of Barley, and a Cock, over which\nprevious incantations had been uttered, was let loose among them; those\nletters off which it pecked the Barley, being joined together, were\nthen believed to declare the word of which they were in search. The\nmagician Jamblichus, desirous to find out who should succeed Valens in\nthe imperial purple, made use of this divination, but the Cock only\npicked up four grains, viz., those which lay upon the (Greek) letters\nth. e. o. d., so that it was uncertain whether Theodosius, Theodotus,\nTheodorus, or Theodectes, was the person designed by the Fates. Valens,\nwhen informed of the matter, was so terribly enraged, that he put\nseveral persons to death simply because their names began with these\nletters. When, however, he proceeded to make search after the magicians\nthemselves, Jamblichus put an end to his majesty\u2019s life by a dose of\npoison, and he was succeeded by Theodosius in the empire of the East.\n\nThe loves of the Nightingale and the Rose have formed a favourite topic\nof Eastern poets. In a fragment by the celebrated Persian poet Attar,\nentitled _Bulbul Nameh_ (the Book of the Nightingale), all the birds\nappear before Solomon, and charge the Nightingale with disturbing\ntheir rest by the broken and plaintive strains which he warbles forth\nin a sort of frenzy and intoxication. The Nightingale is summoned,\nquestioned, and acquitted by the wise king, because the bird assures\nhim that his vehement love for the Rose drives him to distraction,\nand causes him to break forth into those languishing and touching\ncomplaints which are laid to his charge. Thus the Persians believe that\nthe Nightingale in Spring flutters around the Rose-bushes, uttering\nincessant complaints, till, overpowered by the strong scent, he drops\nstupefied to the ground. The impassioned bird makes his appearance in\nEastern climes at the season when the Rose begins to blow: hence the\nlegend that the beauteous flower bursts forth from its bud at the song\nof its ravished adorer. The Persian poet Jami says, \u201cThe Nightingales\nwarbled their enchanting notes and rent the thin veils of the Rose-bud\nand the Rose;\u201d and Moore has sung--\n\n  \u201cOh sooner shall the Rose of May\n    Mistake her own sweet Nightingale,\n  And to some meaner minstrel\u2019s lay\n    Open her bosom\u2019s glowing veil,\n  Than love shall ever doubt a tone--\n  A breath--of the beloved one!\u201d\n\nAnd in another place, the author of \u2018Lalla Rookh\u2019 asks--\n\n  \u201cThough rich the spot\n    With every flower the earth hath got,\n  What is it to the Nightingale,\n    If there his darling Rose is not?\u201d\n\nLord Byron has alluded to this pretty conceit in the \u2018Giaour,\u2019 when he\nsings--\n\n  \u201cThe Rose o\u2019er crag or vale,\n  Sultana of the Nightingale,\n      The maid for whom his melody,\n      His thousand songs are heard on high,\n  Blooms blushing to her lover\u2019s tale,\n  His queen, the garden queen, his Rose,\n  Unbent by winds, unchill\u2019d by snows.\u201d\n\nFrom the verses of the poet Jami may be learnt how the first Rose\nappeared in Gulistan at the time when the flowers, dissatisfied with\nthe reign of the torpid Lotus, who would slumber at night, demanded a\nnew sovereign from Allah. At first the Rose queen was snowy white, and\nguarded by a protecting circlet of Thorns; but the amorous Nightingale\nfell into such a transport of love over her charms, and so recklessly\npressed his ravished heart against the cruel Thorns, that his blood\ntrickling into the lovely blossom\u2019s bosom, dyed it crimson; and, in\ncorroboration of this, the poet demands, \u201cAre not the petals white at\nthe extremity where the poor little bird\u2019s blood could not reach?\u201d\nPerhaps this Eastern poetic legend may have given rise to the belief,\nwhich has long been entertained, that the Nightingale usually sleeps\non, or with its bosom against, a Thorn, under the impression that in\nsuch a painful situation it must remain awake. Young, in his \u2018Night\nThoughts,\u2019 thus refers to this curious idea--\n\n  \u201cGrief\u2019s sharpest Thorn hard-pressing on my breast,\n  I share with wakeful melody to cheer\n  The sullen gloom, sweet Philomel! like thee,\n  And call the stars to listen.\u201d\n\nAnd in Thomson\u2019s \u2018Hymn to May,\u2019 we find this allusion:--\n\n        \u201cThe lowly Nightingale,\n  A Thorn her pillow, trills her doleful tale.\u201d\n\nIn a sonnet by Sir Philip Sydney, afterwards set to music by Bateson,\nwe read--\n\n  \u201cThe Nightingale, as soon as April bringeth\n    Unto her rested sense a perfect waking,\n  When late bare earth, proud of new clothing, springeth,\n    Sings out her woes, a Thorn her song-book making,\n  And mournfully bewailing,\n        Her throat in tunes expresseth,\n        While grief her heart oppresseth,\n  For Tereus o\u2019er her chaste will prevailing.\u201d\n\nShakspeare notices the story in the following quaint lines--\n\n  \u201cEverything did banish moan,\n  Save the Nightingale alone;\n  She, poor bird, as all forlorn,\n  Leaned her breast up till a Thorn,\n  And then sung the doleful ditty,\n  That to hear it was great pity.\u201d\n\nIn Yorkshire, there is a tradition of Hops having been planted many\nyears ago, near Doncaster, and of the Nightingale making its first\nappearance there about the same time. The popular idea was, that\nbetween the bird and the plant some mysterious connecting link existed.\nBe this as it may, both the Hops and the Nightingale disappeared long\nago.\n\nIt is not alone the Nightingale that has a legendary connection with\na Thorn. Another favourite denizen of our groves may also lay claim\nto this distinction, inasmuch as, according to a tradition current in\nBrittany, its red breast was originally produced by the laceration of\nan historic Thorn. In this story it is said that, whilst our Saviour\nwas bearing His cross on the way to Calvary, a little bird, struck with\ncompassion at His sufferings, flew suddenly to Him, and plucked from\nHis bleeding brow one of the cruel thorns of His mocking crown, steeped\nin His blood. In bearing it away in its beak, drops of the Divine blood\nfell upon the little bird\u2019s breast, and dyed its plumage red; so that\never since the Red-breast has been treated as the friend of man, and is\nstudiously protected by him from harm.\n\nWhether or no this legend of the origin of our little friend\u2019s red\nbreast formerly influenced mankind in its favour, it is certain that\nthe Robin has always been regarded with tenderness. Popular tradition,\neven earlier than the date of the story of the Children in the Wood,\nhas made him our sexton with the aid of plants:--\n\n  \u201cNo burial this pretty pair\n    Of any man receives,\n  Till Robin Redbreast, painfully,\n    Did cover them with leaves.\u201d\n\nIt is noted in Gray\u2019s Shakspeare that, according to the oldest\ntraditions, if the Robin finds the dead body of a human being, he will\ncover the face at least with Moss and leaves.\n\n  \u201cCov\u2019ring with Moss the dead\u2019s unclosed eye\n  The little Redbreast teacheth charitie.\u201d--_Drayton\u2019s \u2018Owl.\u2019_\n\nThe Wren is also credited with employing plants for acts of similar\ncharity. In Reed\u2019s old plays, we read--\n\n  \u201cCall for the Robin Redbreast and the Wren,\n    Since o\u2019er shady groves they hover,\n    And with leaves and flow\u2019rs do cover\n  The friendless bodies of unburied men.\u201d\n\nA writer in one of our popular periodicals[15] gives another quaint\nquotation expressive of the tradition, from Stafford\u2019s \u2018Niobe dissolved\ninto a Nilus\u2019: \u201cOn her (the Nightingale) smiles Robin in his redde\nlivvrie; who sits as a coroner on the murthred man; and seeing his body\nnaked, plays the sorrie tailour to make him a Mossy rayment.\u201d\n\n[15] \u2018All the Year Round,\u2019 Vol. xiii.\n\nThe Missel or Missel-Thrush is sometimes called the Mistletoe-Thrush,\nbecause it feeds upon Mistletoe berries. Lord Bacon, in _Sylva\nSylvarum_, refers (as already noted) to an old belief that the seeds of\nMistletoe will not vegetate unless they have passed through the stomach\nof this bird.\n\nThe Peony is said to cure epilepsy, if certain ceremonies are duly\nobserved. A patient, however, must on no account taste the root, if a\nWoodpecker should happen to be in sight, or he will be certain to be\nstricken with blindness.\n\nAmong the many magical properties ascribed to the _Spreng-wurzel_\n(Spring-wort), or, as it is sometime called, the Blasting-root, is\nits power to reveal treasures. But this it can only do through the\ninstrumentality of a bird, which is usually a green or black Woodpecker\n(according to Pliny, also the Raven; in Switzerland, the Hoopoe; in\nthe Tyrol, the Swallow). In order to become possessed of a root of\nthis magical plant, arrangements must be made with much care and\ncircumspection, and the bird closely watched. When the old bird has\ntemporarily left its nest, access to it must be stopped up by plugging\nthe hole with wood. The bird, finding this, will fly away in search\nof the Spring-wort, and returning, will open the nest by touching the\nobstruction with the mystic root. Meanwhile a fire or a red cloth must\nbe spread out closely, which will so startle the bird, that it will let\nthe root fall from its bills, and it can thus be secured. Pliny relates\nof the Woodpecker, that the hen bird brings up her young in holes, and\nif the entrance be plugged up, no matter how securely, the old bird\nis able to force out the plug with an explosion caused by the plant.\nAubrey confounds the Moonwort with the Springwort. He says:--\u201cSir Benet\nHoskins, Baronet, told me that his keeper at his parke at Morehampton,\nin Herefordshire, did, for experiment\u2019s sake, drive an iron naile\nthwert the hole of the Woodpecker\u2019s nest, there being a tradition that\nthe damme will bring some leafe to open it. He layed at the bottome\nof the tree a cleane sheet, and before many hours passed, the naile\ncame out, and he found a leafe lying by it on the sheete. They say the\nMoonewort will doe such things.\u201d\n\nTradition tells us of a certain magical herb called _Chora_, which\nwas also known as the _Herba Meropis_, or plant of the Merops, a bird\nwhich the Germans were familiar with under the name of _B\u00f6mhechel_ or\n_Baumhacker_ (Woodpecker). This bird builds its nest in high trees, but\nshould anyone cover the young brood with something which prevents the\nparent bird from visiting the nest, it flies off in search of a herb.\nThis is brought in the Merops\u2019 beak, and held over the obstacle till it\nfalls off or gives way.\n\nIn Swabia, the Springwort is regarded as a plant embodying electricity\nor lightning; but the Hoopoe takes the place of the Woodpecker in\nemploying the herb for blasting and removing offensive obstacles. The\nSwabians, however, instead of a red cloth, place a pail of water, or\nkindle a fire, as the Hoopoe, wishing to destroy the Springwort, after\nusing it, drops it either into fire or water. It is related of the\nHoopoe, that one of these birds had a nest in an old wall in which\nthere was a crevice. The proprietor, noticing the cleft in the wall,\nhad it stopped up with plaster during the Hoopoe\u2019s absence, so that\nwhen the poor bird returned to feed her young, she found that it was\nimpossible to get to her nest. Thereupon she flew off in quest of a\nplant called _Poa_, thought to be Sainfoin or Lucerne, and, having\nfound a spray, returned and applied it to the plaster, which instantly\nfell from the crevice, and allowed the Hoopoe ingress to her nest.\nTwice again did the owner plaster up the rent in his wall, and twice\nagain did the persistent and sagacious bird apply the magic _Poa_ with\nsuccessful results.\n\nIn Piedmont there grows a little plant which, as stated in a previous\nchapter, bears the name of the Herb of the Blessed Mary. This plant is\nknown to the birds as being fatal when eaten: hence, when their young\nare stolen from them and imprisoned in cages, the parent birds, in\norder that death may release them from their life of bondage, gather\na spray of this herb and carry it in their beaks to their imprisoned\nchildren.\n\nThe connection between the Dove and the Olive has been set forth for\nall time in the Bible narrative of Noah and the Flood; but it would\nseem from Sir John Maundevile\u2019s account of the Church of St. Katherine,\nwhich existed at his time in the vicinity of Mount Sinai, that Ravens,\nChoughs, and Crows have emulated the example of the Dove, and carried\nOlive-branches to God-fearing people. This Church of St. Katherine, we\nare told, marks the spot where God revealed Himself to Moses in the\nburning bush, and in it there were many lamps kept burning: the reason\nof this Maundevile thus explains:--\u201cFor thei han of Oyle of Olyves\nynow bothe for to brenne in here lampes, and to ete also: And that\nplentee have thei be the Myracle of God. For the Ravenes and Crowes\nand the Choughes, and other Foules of the Contree assemblen hem there\nevery Yeer ones, and fleen thider as in pilgrymage: and everyche of hem\nbringethe a Braunche of the Bayes or of Olive, in here bekes, in stede\nof Offryng, and leven hem there; of the whiche the monkes maken gret\nplentee of Oyle; and this is a gret Marvaylle.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Pious Birds and Olives. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nThe ancients entertained a strong belief that birds were gifted with\nthe knowledge of herbs, and that just as the Woodpecker and Hoopoe\nsought out the Springwort, wherewith to remove obstructions, so other\nbirds made use of certain herbs which they knew possessed valuable\nmedicinal or curative properties; thus Aristotle, Pliny, Dioscorides,\nand the old herbalists and botanical writers, all concur in stating\nthat Swallows were in the habit of plucking Celandine (_Chelidonium_),\nand applying it to the eyes of their young, because, as Gerarde tells\nus, \u201cWith this herbe the dams restore sight to their young ones when\ntheir eies be put out.\u201d W. Coles, fully accepting the fact as beyond\ncavil, thus moralizes upon it:--\u201cIt is known to such as have skill of\nnature what wonderful care she takes of the smallest creatures, giving\nto them a knowledge of medicine to help themselves, if haply diseases\nannoy them. The Swallow cureth her dim eyes with Celandine; the Wesell\nknoweth well the virtue of Herb Grace; the Dove the Verven; the Dogge\ndischargeth his mawe with a kind of Grasse; ... and too long it were\nto reckon up all the medicines which the beestes are known to use by\nNature\u2019s direction only.\u201d The same writer, in his \u2018Adam and Eden,\u2019\ntells us that the _Euphrasia_, or Eyebright, derived its English name\nfrom the fact of its being used by Linnets and other birds to clear\ntheir sight. Says he: \u201cDivers authors write that Goldfinches, Linnets,\nand some other birds make use of this herb for the repairing of their\nyoung ones\u2019 sight. The purple and yellow spots and stripes which are\nupon the flowers of Eyebright very much resemble the diseases of the\neyes, or bloodshot.\u201d\n\nApuleius tells us that the Eagle, when he wishes to soar high and scan\nfar and wide, plucks a wild Lettuce, and expressing the juice, rubs\nwith it his eyes, which in consequence become wonderfully clear and\nfar-seeing. The Hawk, for a similar purpose, was thought to employ the\nHawk-bit, or Hawk-weed (_Hieracium_). Pigeons and Doves, not to be\nbehind their traditional enemy, discovered that Vervain possessed the\npower of curing dimness of vision, and were not slow to use it with\nthat object: hence the plant obtained the name of Pigeon\u2019s-grass. Geese\nwere thought to \u201chelp their diseases\u201d with _Galium aparine_, called on\nthat account Goose-grass; and they are said to sometimes feed on the\n_Potentilla anserina_, or Goose Tansy. On the other hand, they were so\naverse to the herb known to the ancients as _Chenomychon_, that they\ntook to flight the moment they spied it.\n\nThere is an old tradition of a certain life-giving herb, which was\nknown to birds, and a story is told of how one day an old man watched\ntwo birds fighting till one was overcome. In an almost exhausted state\nit went and ate of a certain herb, and then returned to the onslaught.\nWhen the old man had observed this occur several times, he went and\nplucked the herb which had proved so valuable to the little bird; and\nwhen at last it came once more in search of the life-giving plant, and\nfound it gone, it uttered a shrill cry, and fell down dead. The name of\nthe herb is not given; but the story has such a strong family likeness\nto that narrated by Forestus, in which the Goat\u2019s Rue is introduced,\nthat, probably, _Galega_ is the life-giving herb referred to. The\nstory told by Forestus is as follows:--A certain old man once taking\na walk by the bank of a river, saw a Lizard fighting with a Viper; so\nhe quietly lay down on the ground, that he might the better witness\nthe fight without being seen by the combatants. The Lizard, being the\ninferior in point of strength, was speedily wounded by a very powerful\nstroke from the Viper--so much so, that it lay on the turf as if dying.\nBut shortly recovering itself, it crept through the rather long Grass,\nwithout being noticed by the Viper, along the bank of the river, to\na certain herb (Goat\u2019s Rue), growing there nigh at hand. The Lizard,\nhaving devoured it, regained at once its former strength, and returning\nto the Viper, attacked it in the same way as before, but was wounded\nagain from receiving another deadly blow from the Viper. Once more the\nLizard secretly made for the herb, to regain its strength, and being\nrevived, it again engaged with its dangerous enemy--but in vain; for it\nexperienced the same fate as before. Looking on, the old man wondered\nat the plant not less than at the battle; and in order to try if the\nherb possessed other hidden powers, he pulled it up secretly, while the\nLizard was engaged afresh with the Viper. The Lizard having been again\nwounded, returned towards the herb, but not being able to find it in\nits accustomed place, it sank exhausted and died.\n\nNumerous plants have had the names of birds given to them, either from\ncertain peculiarities in their structure resembling birds, or because\nthey form acceptable food for the feathered race. Thus the Cock\u2019s Comb\nis so called from the shape of its calyx; the Cock\u2019s Foot, from the\nform of its spike; and the Cock\u2019s Head (the Sainfoin), from the shape\nof the legume. The Crane\u2019s Bill and the Heron\u2019s Bill both derive their\nnames from the form of their respective seed vessels. The Guinea Hen\n(_Fritillaria meleagris_) has been so called from its petals being\nspotted like this bird. The Pheasant\u2019s Eye (_Adonis autumnalis_) owes\nits name to its bright red corolla and dark centre; the Sparrow Tongue\n(the Knot-grass) to its small acute leaves; and the Lark\u2019s Spur, Heel,\nToe, or Claw (_Delphinium_) to its projecting nectary. Chickweed and\nDuckweed have been so called from being favourite food for poultry. The\nCrow has given its name to a greater number of plants than any other\nbird. The Ranunculus is the _Coronopus_ or Crow Foot of Dioscorides,\nthe _Geranium pratense_ is the Crowfoot Crane\u2019s Bill, the _Lotus\ncorniculatus_ is called Crow Toes, the Daffodil and the Blue-bell both\nbear the name of Crow Bells, the _Empetrum nigrum_ is the Crow Berry,\n_Allium vineale_ is Crow Garlick, _Scilla nutans_, Crow Leeks, and\nthe _Scandix Pecten_, Crow Needles. The Hen has a few plants named\nafter it, the greater and lesser Hen Bits (_Lamium amplexicaule_ and\n_Veronica hederifolia_); the Hen\u2019s Foot (_Caucalis daucoides_), so\ncalled from the resemblance of its leaves to a hen\u2019s claw; and Henbane\n(_Hyoscyamus niger_), which seems to have derived its name from the\nbaneful effects its seeds have upon poultry.\n\n\nPlants connected with Animals.\n\nThe Ass has named after it the Ass Parsley (_\u00c6thusa Cynapium_), and\nthe Ass\u2019s Foot, the Coltsfoot, _Tussilago Farfara_. William Coles\nsays that \u201cif the Asse be oppressed with melancholy, he eates of the\nHerbe _Asplenion_ or Miltwaste, and eases himself of the swelling of\nthe spleen.\u201d D. C. Franciscus Paullini has given, in an old work, an\naccount of three Asses he met in Westphalia, which were in the habit of\nintoxicating themselves by eating white Henbane and Nightshade. These\nfour-footed drunkards, when in their cups, strayed to a pond, where\nthey pulled themselves together with a dip and a draught of water. The\nsame author relates another story. A miller of Thuringia had brought\nmeal with his nine Asses into the next district. Having accepted the\nhospitality of some boon companions, he left his long-eared friends\nto wander around the place and to feed from the hedgerows and public\nroads. There they chanced to find a quantity of Thistles that had been\ncut, and other food mixed with Hemlock, and at once devoured the spoil\ngreedily and confidently. At dusk, the miller, rising to depart, was\neasily detained by his associates, who cried out that the road was\nshort, and that the moon, which had risen, would light him better than\nany torch. Meanwhile, the Asses, feeling the Hemlock\u2019s power in their\nbodies, fell down on the public road, being deprived of all motion and\nsensation. At length, about midnight, the miller came to his Asses, and\nthinking them to be asleep, lashed them vigorously. But they remained\nmotionless, and apparently dead. The miller, much frightened, now\nbesought assistance from the country-folks, but they were all of one\nopinion, that the Asses were dead, and that they should be skinned\nthe next day, when the cause of such a sudden death could be inquired\ninto. \u201cCome,\u201d said he, \u201cif they are dead, why should I worry myself\nabout them--let them lie. We can do no good. Come, my friends, let us\nreturn into the inn--to-morrow you will be my witnesses.\u201d Meanwhile\nthe skinners were called; and, after looking at the Asses, one of them\nsaid, \u201cDo you wish, miller, that we should take their skins off; or\nwould you be disposed, if we restored the beasts to life, to give us\na handsome reward? You see they are quite in our power. Say what you\nwish, and it shall be done, miller.\u201d \u201cHere is my hand,\u201d replied the\nmiller, \u201cand I pledge my word that I will give you what you wish, if\nyou restore them to life.\u201d The skinner, smiling, caught hold of the\nwhip, and lashing the beasts with all his might, roused all from their\nlethargic condition. The rustics were confounded. \u201cO! you foolish\nfellows,\u201d said he, \u201clook at this herb (showing them some Hemlock), how\nprofusely it grows in this neighbourhood. Do you not know that Hemlock\ncauses Asses to fall into a profound sleep?\u201d The rustics, flocking\ntogether under a Lime-tree, as rustics do, made there and then a law\nthat whosoever should discover, in field or garden, or anywhere else,\nthat noxious plant, he should pluck it quickly, in order that men and\nbeasts might be injured by it no more.\n\nThe Bear has given its name to several English plants. The _Primula\nAuricula_, on account of the shape of its leaves, is called Bear\u2019s\nEars; the _Helleborus f\u0153tidus_, for a similar reason, is known as\nBears Foot; _Meum athamanticum_ is Bear\u2019s-wort; _Allium ursinum_,\nBear\u2019s Garlic; and _Arctostaphylos uva ursi_, Bear\u2019s Berry, or Bear\u2019s\nBilberry; the three last plants being favourite food of Bears. The\nAcanthus used at one time to be called Bear\u2019s Breech, but the name has\nfor some unaccountable reason been transferred to the Cow Parsnip,\n_Heracleum Sphondylium_. In Italy the name of _Branca orsina_ is\ngiven to the Acanthus. This plant was considered by Dioscorides a\ncure for burns. Pliny says that Bear\u2019s grease had the same property.\nDe Gubernatis states that two Indian plants, the _Argyreia argentea_\nand the _Batatas paniculata_, bear Sanscrit names signifying \u201cOdour\npleasing to Bears.\u201d\n\nThe Bull has given its name to some few plants. _Tussilago Farfara_,\ngenerally called Coltsfoot, is also known as Bull\u2019s-Foot; _Centaurea\nnigra_ is Bull\u2019s-weed; _Verbascum Thapsus_ is Bullock\u2019s Lungwort,\nhaving been so denominated on account of its curative powers,\nsuggested, on the Doctrine of Signatures, by the similarity of its\nleaf to the shape of a dewlap. The purple and the pale spadices of\n_Arum maculatum_ are sometimes called Bulls and Cows. The Great Daisy\nis Ox-Eye; the _Primula elatior_, Ox-Lip; the _Helminthia echioides_,\nOx-Tongue; and the _Helleborus f\u00e6tidus_, Ox-Heel. The _Antirrhinum_ and\n_Arum maculatum_ are, from their resemblance in shape, respectively\nknown as Calf\u2019s Snout and Calf\u2019s Foot.\n\nCats have several representative plants. From its soft flower-heads,\nthe _Gnaphalium dioicum_ is called Cat\u2019s Foot; from the shape of its\nleaves, the _Hypoch\u00e6ris maculata_ is known as Cat\u2019s Ear; the Ground\nIvy, also from the shape of its leaves, is Cat\u2019s Paw; two plants are\nknown as Cat\u2019s Tail, viz., _Typha latifolia_ and _Phleum pratense_.\n_Euphorbia helioscopia_, on account of its milky juice, is Cat\u2019s Milk;\nand, lastly, _Nepeta cataria_ is denominated Cat-Mint, because, as\nGerarde informs us in his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 \u201cCats are very much delighted\nherewith: for the smell of it is so pleasant unto them, that they rub\nthemselves upon it, and wallow or tumble in it, and also feed on the\nbranches very greedily.\u201d We are also told by another old writer that\nCats are amazingly delighted with the root of the plant Valerian; so\nmuch so, that, enticed by its smell, they at once run up to it, lick\nit, kiss it, jump on it, roll themselves over it, and exhibit almost\nuncontrollable signs of joy and gladness. There is an old rhyme on the\nliking of Cats for the plant _Marum_, which runs as follows:--\n\n  \u201cIf you set it,\n  The Cats will eat it;\n  If you sow it,\n  The Cats will know it.\u201d\n\nThe Cow has given its name to a whole series of plants: its Berry is\n_Vaccinium Vitis id\u00e6a_, its Cress, _Lepidium campestre_, its Parsley or\nWeed, _Ch\u00e6rophyllum sylvestre_, its Parsnip, _Heracleum Sphondylium_,\nits Wheat, _Melampyrum_. The Quaking Grass, _Briza media_, is known\nas Cow Quake, from an idea that cattle are fond of it; and the Water\nHemlock (_Cicuta virosa_) has the opprobrious epithet of Cow Bane\napplied to it, from its supposed baneful effect upon oxen. The _Primula\nveris_ is the Cowslip.\n\nIn Norway is to be found the herb Ossifrage--a kind of Reed which is\nsaid to have the remarkable power of softening the bones of animals; so\nmuch so, that if oxen eat it, their bones become so soft that not only\nare the poor beasts rendered incapable of walking, but they can even be\nrolled into any shape. They are not said to die however. Fortunately\nthey can be cured, if the bones are exhibited to them of another animal\nkilled by the eating of this plant. It is most wonderful, however, that\nthe inhabitants make a medicine for cementing bones from this very herb.\n\nThere are several plants dedicated to man\u2019s faithful friend. Dog\u2019s Bane\n(_Apocynum_) is a very curious plant: its bell-shaped flowers entangle\nflies who visit the flower for its honey-juice, so that in August,\nwhen full blown, the corolla is full of their dead bodies. Although\nharmless to some persons, yet it is noxious to others, poisoning and\ncreating swellings and inflammations on certain people who have only\ntrod on it. Gerarde describes it as a deadly and dangerous plant,\nespecially to four-footed beasts; \u201cfor, as Dioscorides writes, the\nleaves hereof, mixed with bread, and given, kill dogs, wolves, foxes,\nand leopards.\u201d Dog\u2019s Chamomile (_Matricaria Chamomila_) is a spurious\nor wild kind of Chamomile. Dog Grass (_Triticum caninum_) is so called\nbecause Dogs take it medicinally as an aperient. Dog\u2019s Mercury (or\nDog\u2019s Cole) is a poisonous kind, so named to distinguish it from\nEnglish Mercury. Dog\u2019s Nettle is _Galeopsis Tetrahit_. Dog\u2019s Orach\n(_Chenopodium Vulvaria_), is a stinking kind. Dog\u2019s Parsley (_\u00c6thusa\nCynapium_), a deleterious weed, also called Fool\u2019s Parsley and Lesser\nHemlock. Dog Rose (_Rosa canina_) is the common wilding or Canker\nRose; the ancients supposed the root to cure the bite of a mad Dog, it\nhaving been recommended by an oracle for that purpose; hence the Romans\ncalled it _Canina_; and Pliny relates that a soldier who had been\nbitten by a mad Dog, was healed with the root of this shrub, which had\nbeen indicated to his mother in a dream. Dog\u2019s Tail Grass (_Cynosurus\ncristatus_) derives its name from its spike being fringed on one side\nonly. Dog Violet (_Viola canina_) is so-called contemptuously because\nscentless. Dog\u2019s Tongue, or Hound\u2019s Tongue (_Cynoglossum officinale_)\nderived its name from the softness of its leaf, and was reputed to have\nthe magical property of preventing the barking of Dogs if laid under a\nperson\u2019s feet. Dog Wood (_Cornus sanguinea_) is the wild Cornel; and\nDog Berries the fruit of that herb, which was also formerly called\nHound\u2019s Tree. Dr. Prior thinks that this name has been misunderstood,\nand that it is derived from the old English word _dagge_, or dagger,\nwhich was applied to the wood because it was used for skewers by\nbutchers. The ancient Greeks knew a plant (supposed to be a species of\n_Antirrhinum_) which they called _Cynocephalia_ (Dog\u2019s Head), as well\nas Osiris; and to this plant Pliny ascribes extraordinary properties.\nAs a rule, the word \u201cDog,\u201d when applied to any plant, implies contempt.\n\nAfter the Fox has been named, from its shape, the _Alopecurus\npratensis_, Fox-Tail-grass; and the _Digitalis_ has been given the name\nof Fox-Glove.\n\nThe Goat has its Weed (_\u00c6gopodium Podagraria_), and has given its name\nto the _Tragopogon pratensis_, which, on account of its long, coarse\npappus, is called Goat\u2019s Beard. _Caprifolium_, or Goat\u2019s Leaf, is a\nspecific name of the Honeysuckle, given to it by the old herbalists,\nbecause the leaf, or more properly the stem, climbs and wanders over\nhigh places where Goats are not afraid to tread.\n\nA species of Sow Thistle, the _Sonchus oleraceus_, is called the Hare\u2019s\nPalace, from a superstitious notion that the Hare derives shelter and\ncourage from it. Gerarde calls it the Hare\u2019s Lettuce, a name given\nto it by Apuleius, because, when the Hare is fainting with heat or\nfatigue, she recruits her failing strength with it. Dr. Prior gives the\nfollowing extracts from old authors respecting this curious tradition.\nAnthony Askam says, \u201cyf a Hare eate of this herbe in somer, when he is\nmad, he shal be hole.\u201d Topsell also tells us in his \u2018Natural History,\u2019\np. 209, that \u201cwhen Hares are overcome with heat, they eat of an herb\ncalled _Lactuca leporina_, that is, the Hare\u2019s-lettuce, Hare\u2019s-house,\nHare\u2019s-palace; and there is no disease in this beast, the cure whereof\nshe does not seek for in this herb.\u201d This plant is sometimes called\nHare\u2019s Thistle. _Bupleurum rotundifolium_ is termed Hare\u2019s Ear, from\nthe shape of its leaves, as is also _Erysimum orientale_. _Trifolium\narvense_ is Hare\u2019s Foot, from the soft grey down which surrounds the\nblossoms resembling the delicate fur of the Hare\u2019s foot. Both _Lagurus\noratus_, and the flowering Rush, _Eriophorum vaginatum_, are called\nHare\u2019s Tail, from the soft downy inflorescence.\n\n_Melilotus officinalis_ is Hart\u2019s Clover; _Scolopendrium vulgare_,\nHart\u2019s Tongue; _Plantago Coronopus_, Hart\u2019s Horn; _Scirpus c\u00e6spitosus_,\nDeer\u2019s or Hart\u2019s Hair; _Rhamnus catharticus_, Hart\u2019s or Buck Thorn\n(_Spina cervina_); and _Tordylium maximum_, Hart Wort, so called\nbecause, as Dioscorides tells us, the juice of the leaves was given to\nRoes in order that they might speedily be delivered of their young.\nAccording to Pliny, the Roman matrons used to employ it for the same\npurpose, having been \u201ctaught by Hindes that eate it to speade their\ndelivery, as Aristotle did declare it before.\u201d The Raspberry is still\nsometimes called by its ancient name of Hindberry; and the _Teucrium\nScorodonia_ is known as Hind-heal, from an old tradition that it cures\nDeer when bitten by venomous serpents. The Dittany is said to have the\nsame extraordinary effect on wounded Harts as upon Goats (see DITTANY,\nPart II.).\n\nNumerous indeed are the plants named after the Horse, either on account\nof the use they are put to, the shape of their foliage, &c., their\nlarge size, or the coarseness of their texture. _Inula Helenium_\nis Horse-heal, a name attached to the plant by a double blunder of\n_Inula_ for _hinnula_, a Colt, and _Helenium_, for heal or heel;\nemployed to heal Horses of sore heels, &c. _Vicia Faba_ is the Horse\nBean; _Teucrium Cham\u00e6drys_, the Germander, is called Horse Chire,\nfrom its springing up after Horse-droppings. _Melampyrum sylvaticum_\nis the Horse Flower, so called from a verbal error. The Alexandrian\nLaurel was formerly called Horse Tongue. _Tussilago Farfara_, from the\nshape of its leaf, is termed Horse Hoof. _Centaurea nigra_ is Horse\nKnob. Another name for Colt\u2019s Foot is Horse Foot; and we have Horse\nThistle, Mint, Mushroom, Parsley, Thyme, and Radish. The Dutch Rush,\n_Equisetum_, is called Horse Tail, a name descriptive of its shape;\n_Hippocrepis comosa_ is known as the Horse-shoe Vetch, from the shape\nof the legumes; and, lastly, the _\u0152nanthe Phellandrium_ is the Horse\nBane, because, in Sweden, it is supposed to give Horses the palsy.\nIn Mexico, the Rattle Grass is said to instantly kill Horses who\nunfortunately eat it. The Indians call the Oleander Horse\u2019s Death,\nand they name several plants after different parts of the Horse. In\nconnection with Horses, we must not forget to mention the Moonwort,\nwhich draws the nails out of the Horses\u2019 shoes, and of which Culpeper\nwrites: \u201cMoonwort is an herb which they say will open locks and\nunshoe such Horses as tread upon it; this some laugh to scorn, and\nthose no small fools neither; but country people that I know, call\nit Unshoe-the-Horse. Besides, I have heard commanders say that, on\nWhite Down, in Devonshire, near Tiverton, there were found thirty\nhorse-shoes, pulled off from the Earl of Essex\u2019s horses, being then\ndrawn up in a body, many of them being newly shod, and no reason known,\nwhich caused much admiration, and the herb described usually grows upon\nheaths.\u201d In Italy, the herb _Sferracavallo_ is deemed to have the power\nof unshoeing Horses out at pasture. The Mouse-ear, or _Herba clavorum_,\nis reputed to prevent blacksmiths hurting horses when being shod. The\nScythians are said to have known a plant, called _Hippice_, which, when\ngiven to a Horse, would enable him to travel for some considerable\ntime without suffering either from hunger or thirst. Perhaps this is\nthe Water Pepper, which, according to English tradition, has the same\neffect if placed under the saddle.\n\nThe humble Hedgehog has suggested the name of Hedgehog Parsley for\n_Caucalis daucoides_, on account of its prickly burs.\n\nIn a previous chapter, a full description has been given of the\n_Barometz_, that mysterious plant of Tartary, immortalised by Darwin\nas the Vegetable Lamb. From the shape of its leaf, the _Plantago\nmedia_ has gained the name of Lamb\u2019s Tongue; from its downy flowers,\nthe _Anthyllis vulneraria_ is called Lamb\u2019s Toe; either from its\nbeing a favourite food of Lambs, or because it appears at the lambing\nseason, the _Valerianella olitoria_ is known as Lamb\u2019s Lettuce; and the\n_Atriplex patula_ is called Lamb\u2019s Quarters.\n\nThe Leopard has given its name to the deadly _Doronicum Pardalianches_\n(from the Greek _Pardalis_, a Leopard, and _ancho_, to strangle); hence\nour name of Leopard\u2019s Bane, because it was reputed to cause the death\nof any animal that ate it, and it was therefore formerly mixed with\nflesh to destroy Leopards.\n\nThe Lion, according to Gerarde, claimed several plants. The _Alchemilla\nvulgaris_, from its leaf resembling his foot, was called Lion\u2019s Foot\nor Paw; a plant, called _Leontopetalon_ by the Greeks, was known in\nEngland as Lion\u2019s Turnip or Lion\u2019s Leaf; and two kinds of Cudweed,\n_Leontopodium_ and _L. parvum_, bore the name of Lion\u2019s Cudweed, from\ntheir flower-heads resembling a Lion\u2019s foot. The _Leontopodium_ has\nbeen identified with the _Gnaphalium Alpinum_, the _Filago stellata_,\nthe Edelweiss of the Germans, and the _Perli\u00e8re des Alpes_ of the\nFrench. De Gubernatis points out that, inasmuch as the Lion represents\nthe Sun, the plants bearing the Lion\u2019s name are essentially plants of\nthe Sun. This is particularly noticeable in the case of the Dandelion\n(_Dent de Lion_) or Lion\u2019s Tooth. In Geneva, Switzerland, children\nform a chain of these flowers, and holding it in their hands, dance\nin a circle; a German name for it is _Sonneswirbel_ (_Solstice_), as\nwell as _Solsequium heliotropium_. The Romans saw in the flower of the\n_Helianthus_ a resemblance to a Lion\u2019s mouth. In the _Orobanche_ or\nBroom Rape (the _Sonnenwurz_, Root of the Sun, of the Germans) some\nhave seen the resemblance to a Lion\u2019s mouth and foot; it was called the\nLion\u2019s Pulse or Lion\u2019s Herb, and was considered an antidote to poison.\n\nThe tiny Mouse, like the majestic Lion, is represented in the vegetable\nkingdom by several plants. From the shape of the leaves, _Hieracium\nPilosella_ is known as Mouse Ear, _Cerastium vulgare_, Mouse Ear\nChickweed, and _Myosotis palustris_, or Forget-Me-Not, Mouse Ear\nScorpion Grass. _Myosurus minimus_, from the shape of its slender\nseed-spike, is called Mouse Tail; and _Alopecurus agrestis_, Mouse Tail\nGrass. _Hordeum marinum_ is Mouse Barley.\n\nSwine plants are numerous. We have the Swine Bane, Sow Bane, or Pig\nWeed (_Chenopodium rubrum_), a herb which, according to Parkinson, was\n\u201cfound certain to kill Swine.\u201d The Pig Nut (_Bunium flexuosum_) is\nso called from its tubers being a favourite food of Pigs. Sow Bread\n(_Cyclamen Europ\u00e6um_) has obtained its name for a similar reason; and\nSwine\u2019s Grass (_Polygonum aviculare_) is so called because Swine are\nbelieved to be fond of it. _Hyoseris minima_ is Swine Succory, and\n_Senebiera Coronopus_, Swine\u2019s Cress. For possession of the Dandelion,\nthe Pig enters the lists with the Lion, and claims the flower as the\nSwine\u2019s Snout, on account of the form of its receptacle. According to\nDu Bartas, Swine, when affected with the spleen, seek relief by eating\nthe Spleenwort or Miltwaste (_Asplenium Ceterach_),\n\n  \u201cThe Finger-Fern, which being given to Swine,\n  It makes their milt to melt away in fine.\u201d\n\nDe Gubernatis states that the god Indra is thought to have taken the\nform of a Goat, and he gives a long list of Indian plants named after\nSheep and Goats. The Ram, He-Goat, and Lamb, called _Mesha_, also give\ntheir names, in Sanscrit, to different plants. In England, _Rumex\nAcetosella_ is Sheep\u2019s Sorrel, _Ch\u00e6rophyllum temulum_ Sheep\u2019s Parsley,\n_Jasione montana_ Sheep\u2019s-Bit-Scabious, and _Hydrocotyle vulgaris_, or\nWhite Rot, Sheep\u2019s Bane, from its character of poisoning Sheep.\n\nThe Squirrel, although a denizen of the woods, only claims one plant,\n_Hordeum maritimum_, which, from the shape of its flower-spike, has\nobtained the name of Squirrel Tail.\n\nThe Elephant has a whole series of Indian trees and plants dedicated to\nhim, which are enumerated by De Gubernatis; the _Bignonia suaveolens_\nis called the Elephant\u2019s Tree; and certain Cucumbers, Pumpkins, and\nGourds are named after him.\n\nThe Wolf, in India, gives its name to the _Colypea hernandifolia_, and\nWolf\u2019s Eye is a designation given to the _Ipom\u0153a Turpethum_. Among\nthe Germans, the Wolf becomes, under the several names of _Graswolf_,\n_Kornwolf_, _Roggenwolf_, and _Kartoffelwolf_, a demon haunting fields\nand crops. In our own country, the _Euphorbia_, from its acrid, milky\njuice, is called Wolf\u2019s Milk; the _Lycopodium clavatum_ is the Wolf\u2019s\nClaw, and the _Aconitum Lycoctonum_ is Wolf\u2019s Bane, a name it obtained\nin olden times when hunters were in the habit of poisoning with the\njuice of this plant the baits of flesh they laid for Wolves.\n\nThere are several plants bearing, in some form or other, the\nappellation of Dragon. The common Dragon (_Arum Dracunculus_) is, as\nits name implies, a species of Arum, which sends up a straight stalk\nabout three feet high, curiously spotted like the belly of a serpent.\nThe flower of the Dragon plant has such a strong scent of carrion, that\nfew persons can endure it, and it is consequently usually banished\nfrom gardens. Gerarde describes three kinds of Dragons, under the\nnames of Great Dragon, Small Dragon, and Water Dragon: these plants\nall have hom\u0153opathic qualities, inasmuch as although they are by name\nat least vegetable reptiles, yet, according to Dioscorides, all who\nhave rubbed the leaves or roots upon their hands, will not be bitten\nby Vipers. Pliny also says that Serpents will not come near anyone\nwho carries a portion of a Dragon plant with him, and that it was a\ncommon practice in his day to keep about the person a piece of the\nroot of this herb. Gerarde tells us that \u201cthe distilled water has\nvertue against the pestilence or any pestilentiall fever or poyson,\nbeing drunke bloud warme with the best treacle or mithridate.\u201d He also\nsays that the smell of the flowers is injurious to women who are about\nto become mothers. The Green Dragon (_Arum Dracontium_), a native of\nChina, Japan, and America, possesses a root which is prescribed as\na very strong emmenagogue. There is a species of Dragon which grows\nin the morasses about Magellan\u2019s Strait, whose flowers exhibit the\nappearance of an ulcer, and exhale so strong an odour of putrid flesh,\nthat flesh-flies resort to it to deposit their eggs. Another Dragon\nplant is the _Dracontium polyphyllum_, a native of Surinam and Japan,\nwhere they prepare a medicine from the acrid roots, which they call\n_Konjakf_, and esteem as a great emmenagogue: it is used there to\nprocure abortion. _Dracontium f\u0153tidum_, Fetid Dragon, or Skunk-weed,\nflourishes in the swamps of North America, and has obtained its\nnickname from its rank smell, resembling that of a Skunk or Pole-cat.\nDragon\u2019s Head (_Dracocephalum_) is a name applied to several plants.\nThe Moldavian Dragon\u2019s Head is often called Moldavian or Turk\u2019s Balm.\nThe Virginian Dragon\u2019s Head is named by the French, _La Cataleptique_,\nfrom its use in palsy and kindred diseases. The Canary Dragon\u2019s\nHead, a native of the Canary Islands, is called (improperly) Balm\nof Gilead, from its fine odour when rubbed. The old writers called\nit _Camphorosma_ and _Cedronella_, and ascribed to it, as to other\nDragon plants, the faculty of being a remedy for the bites and stings\nof venomous beasts, as well as for the bites of mad Dogs. The Tarragon\n(_Artemisia Dracunculus_), \u201cthe little Dragon,\u201d is the Dragon plant\nof Germany and the northern nations, and the _Herbe au Dragon_ of the\nFrench. The ancient herbalists affirmed that the seed of the Flax put\ninto a Radish-root or Sea Onion, and so set, would bring forth the\nherb Tarragon. The Snake Weed was called by the ancients, Dragon and\nLittle Dragon, and the Sneezewort, Dragon of the Woods. The Snap-dragon\nappears to have been so named merely from the shape of its corolla,\nbut in many places it is said to have a supernatural influence, and to\npossess the power of destroying charms.\n\nSnakes are represented by the _Fritillaria Meleagris_, which is called\nSnake\u2019s Head, on account of its petals being marked like Snakes\u2019\nscales. The Sea Grass (_Ophiurus incurvatus_) is known as Snake\u2019s Tail,\nand the Bistort (_Polygonum Bistorta_) is Snake Weed.\n\nVipers have the _Echium vulgare_ dedicated to them under the name of\nViper\u2019s Bugloss, a plant supposed to cure the bite of these reptiles;\nand the _Scorzonera edulis_, or Viper\u2019s Grass, a herb also considered\ngood for healing wounds caused by Vipers.\n\nThe Scorpion finds a vegetable representative in the _Myosotis_, or\nScorpion Grass, so named from its spike resembling a Scorpion\u2019s Tail.\n\nIt is not surprising to find that Toads and Frogs, living as they do\namong the herbage, should have several plants named after them. The\nToad, according to popular superstition, was the impersonation of the\nDevil, and therefore it was only fit that poisonous and unwholesome\nFungi should be called Toad Stools, the more so as there was a very\ngeneral belief that Toads were in the habit of sitting on them:--\n\n  \u201cThe griesly Todestol grown there mought I see,\n  And loathed paddocks lording on the same.\u201d--_Spenser._\n\nGrowing in damp places, haunted by Toads croaking and piping to one\nanother, the _Equisetum limosum_, with its straight, fistulous stalks,\nhas obtained the name of Toad Pipe. The _Linaria vulgaris_, from its\nnarrow Flax-like leaves, is known as Toad Flax, from a curious mistake\nof the old herbalists who confounded the Latin words _bubo_ and _bufo_.\n\nFrogs claim as their especial plants the Frog Bit (_Morsus ran\u00e6_),\nso called because Frogs are supposed to eat it; Frog\u2019s Lettuce\n(_Potamogeton densus_); Frog Grass (_Salicornia herbacea_); and Frog\nFoot, a name originally assigned to the Vervain (the leaf of which\nsomewhat resembles a Frog\u2019s foot); but now transferred to the Duck\nMeat, _Lemna_.\n\nBees are recognised in the _Delphinium grandiflorum_, or Bee Larkspur;\nthe _Galeopsis Tetrahit_, or Bee Nettle; the _Ophrys apifera_, or Bee\nOrchis; and the _Daucus Carota_, or Bee\u2019s Nest.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nThe Doctrine of Plant Signatures.\n\n\nWilliam Coles, in his \u2018Art of Simpling\u2019 (a work published in the\nyear 1656), abandoning for awhile practical instruction, moralises\nthus:--\u201cThough sin and Sathan have plunged mankinde into an Ocean of\nInfirmities, yet the mercy of God, which is over all His workes, maketh\nGrasse to grow upon the Mountaines, and Herbes for the use of men;\nand hath not only stamped upon them a distinct forme, but also given\nthem particular Signatures, whereby a man may read, even in legible\ncharacters, the use of them.\u201d This ancient Doctrine of Signatures was\nan ingenious system elaborated for discovering from certain marks or\nappearances on the various portion of a plant\u2019s structure, the supposed\nmedicinal virtue attached to it. A good illustration is to be found\nin the following passage, translated from P. Lauremberg\u2019s _Apparatus\nPlantarum_:--\u201cThe seed of Garlic is black; it obscures the eyes with\nblackness and darkness. This is to be understood of healthy eyes, but\nthose which are dull through vicious humidity, from these Garlic drives\nthis viciousness away. The tunic of Garlic is ruddy; it expels blood.\nIt has a hollow stalk, and it helps affections of the wind-pipe.\u201d\n\nMany curious details of the system of Plant Signatures are to be\nfound in the works of Porta, Grollius, Schr\u00f6der, and Kircher: these\nauthorities tell us that there are given, not only in animals, but\nalso in vegetables, certain sure marks, signs, and indications from\nwhich their virtues and powers can be inferred by the sagacious and\npainstaking student. Kircher is of opinion that the Egyptians derived\ntheir first knowledge of the elements of medicine from these signs,\nwhich they had patiently and closely studied; and in one of his works\nhe enunciates his views in the following passage:--\u201cSince one and all\nof the members of the human body, under the wise arrangement of Nature,\nagree or differ with the several objects in the world of creation, by a\ncertain sympathy or antipathy of nature, it follows that there has been\nimplanted by the providence of Nature, both in the several members and\nin natural objects, a reciprocal instinct, which impels them to seek\nafter those things which are similar and consequently beneficial to\nthemselves, and to avoid and shun those things which are antagonistic\nor hurtful. Hence has emanated that more recondite part of medicine\nwhich compares the Signatures or Characterisms of natural things with\nthe members of the human body, and by magnetically applying like to\nlike produces marvellous effects in the preservation of human health.\nIn this way, the occult properties of plants--first of those that\nare endowed with life, and secondly of those destitute of life--are\nindicated by resemblances; for all exhibit to man, by their Signatures\nand Characterisms, both their powers, by which they can heal, and the\ndiseases in which they are useful. Not only by their parts (as the\nroot, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed), but also by their actions\nand qualities (such as their retaining or shedding their leaves,\ntheir offspring, number, beauty or deformity, form, and colour), they\nindicate what kind of service they can render to man, and what are\nthe particular members of the human body to which they are specially\nappropriate.\u201d\n\nAs examples of the practical working of the system of Plant Signatures,\nKircher tells us that if the root of the _Chelidonium_ be placed in\nwhite wine, it is rendered yellow, resembling bilious humour, and thus\ndiscloses a sure and infallible remedy against yellow jaundice. He\nremarks that he had learned this by personal experience, having advised\nsome persons suffering from that malady to try _Chelidonium_ as a\ncure; and that as a result they were freed from the disease. Persons\nliable to apoplexy are said to have a line resembling an anchor traced\nin their hands. The plant _Acorus_ has a similar mark in its leaves,\nand is a highly-approved remedy for apoplexy. So again, a certain line\nor mark is to be found in the hands of persons suffering from colic,\nsimilar in character to an outline found traced in the foliage of the\n_Malobathrum_, a plant which will afford relief to patients suffering\nfrom the disorder. Hellebore, which emits a most disagreeable odour,\npossesses the property of absorbing offensive smells and expelling\nthem. _Dracontium_, or Great Dragon, a plant which bears a resemblance\nto a dragon, is a most effectual preservation against serpents; Pliny\naverring that serpents will not come near anyone carrying this plant.\n\nOther examples of the application of the Doctrine of Signatures are not\ndifficult to be found among the quaintly-named plants enumerated in\nEnglish herbals. The Lung-wort (_Pulmonaria_), spotted with tubercular\nscars, was a specific for consumption. The Bullock\u2019s Lung-wort\n(_Verbascum Thapsis_), so called from the resemblance of its leaf\nto a dewlap, was employed as a cure for the pneumonia of bullocks.\nThe Liver-wort (_Marchantia polymorpha_), liver-shaped in its green\nfructification, was a specific for bilious complaints. The Blood-root\n(_Tormentilla_), which derives its name from the red colour of its\nroots, was adopted as a cure for the bloody flux. The throat-like\ncorolla of the Throat-wort (_Campanula Trachelium_), better known as\nthe Canterbury Bell, caused it to be administered for bronchitis.\nTutsan (_Hypericum andros\u00e6mum_) was used to stop bleeding, because\nthe juice of its ripe capsule is of a claret colour. _Brunella_ (now\nspelt _Prunella_) was called Brown-wort, having brownish leaves and\npurple-blue flowers, and was in consequence supposed to cure a kind\nof quinsy, called in German _die braune_. This plant has a corolla,\nthe profile of which is suggestive of a bill-hook, and therefore it\nwas called Carpenter\u2019s-herb, and supposed to heal the wounds inflicted\nby edge-tools. _Pimpinella Saxifraga_, _Alchemilla arvensis_, and the\ngenus _Saxifraga_, plants which split rocks by growing in their cracks,\nhave been named \u201cBreakstones,\u201d and were administered in cases of\ncalculus. Clary was transformed into Clear-eye, Godes-eie, Seebright,\nand _Oculus Christi_, and eye-salves were consequently made of it.\nBurstwort was thought efficacious in ruptures. The Scorpion-grass, or\nForget-Me-Not (_Myosotis_), whose flower-spike is somewhat suggestive\nof a scorpion\u2019s tail, was an antidote to the sting of that or other\nvenomous creatures. The Briony, which bears in its root a mark\nsignificative of a dropsical man\u2019s feet, was adopted as a cure for\ndropsy. The Moon-daisy averted lunacy; and the Birth-wort, Fig-wort,\nKidney-vetch, Nipple-wort, and Spleen-wort were all appropriated as\ntheir names suggest, on account of fancied resemblances. The Toad-flax\n(_Linaria_), it may here be pointed out, owes its name to a curious\nmistake on the part of some believer in the Doctrine of Signatures.\nAccording to Dodoens, it was useful in the treatment of a complaint\ncalled buboes, and received its Latin name, _Bubonium_. A confusion\nbetween the words _bubo_ and _bufo_ (Latin for toad) gave rise to its\npresent name of Toad-flax; and soon arose legends of sick or wounded\ntoads seeking this plant and curing themselves with its leaves.\n\nThe general rules that guided the founders of the system of Plant\nSignatures, which were supposed to reveal the occult powers and virtues\nof vegetables, would seem to have been as under:--\n\nVegetables, as herbs and plants, or their fruit, seed, flowers, &c.,\nwhich resemble some human member in figure, colour, quality, and\nconsistence, were considered to be most adapted to that member, and to\npossess medical properties specially applicable to it.\n\nAll herbs or plants that in flowers or juice bear a resemblance to\none or other of the four humours, viz., blood, yellow bile, phlegm,\nand black bile, were deemed suitable for treating the same humour, by\nincreasing or expelling it.\n\nAll yellow-hued plants, if they were eatable, were thought to increase\nyellow bile. In this category were included Orach, Melons, Crocus,\nyellow Turnips, and all other yellow plants which have a sweet flavour.\n\nPlants or herbs of a dull blackish colour, or of a brownish or a\nspotted hue, were held to be serviceable in the treatment of black\nbile. Some of them had a tendency to increase it, while others assisted\nin carrying it off. Thus, Smilax, Mandragora, many kinds of Parsley,\nNightshade, and Poppies, having partly black, ash-coloured, and spotted\nflowers, intermixed with pale tints, by causing bad dreams, excite\ngiddiness, vertigo, and epilepsy. Napellus, also, indicates in a\nmost marked manner its poisonous and virulent nature, for its flower\nrepresents the skull of a dead man.\n\nPlants which bear white flowers and have thick juice, which often\ngrow in moist and extremely humid places, and which resemble phlegm\nor rheum, were thought to increase the very humours they represented.\nOthers of a drier temperament were thought to correct and purify the\nsame. Milky plants, as _Tithymallus_, _Polygala_, _Sonchus_, and\n_Britalzar \u00c6gyptiaca_, were supposed to increase and accumulate milk in\nnurses.\n\nSome plants of a red colour were believed to increase blood; some\nto correct and purify it; and others to benefit hemorrhoidal and\ndysenteric affections from a similarity of colour.\n\nPlants of a mixed colour, as they unite in themselves a diversity of\ntemperaments, were thought to produce a diversity of effects; whence\ntwo-coloured herbs were believed to possess and exercise a double\nvirtue. On this principle, diverse colours were said to cure diverse\nhumours in the human body; for example, _Tripolium_, _Panac\u00e6a_, and\n_Triphera_ were considered beneficial for all humours.\n\nPlants whose decoction and infusion, as well as colour and consistence,\nwere like some humour of the human body, were declared to be\nappropriate for the purpose of evacuating that humour by attraction, or\nincreasing it by incorporation.\n\nCertain plants were deemed to represent some disease or morbid\ncondition, and were judged to be helpful in its cure. Thus those were\nadministered in cases of calculus which represented stones, such as\n_Milium solis_, the root of the White Saxifrage, the shells of Nuts,\nand Nuts themselves. Spotted plants and herbs were thought to eradicate\nspots, and scaly plants to remove scales. Perforated herbs were\nselected for the cure of wounds and perforations of the body. Plants\nwhich exude gums and resins were considered available for the treatment\nof pus and matter. Swelling plants were thought good for tumours;\nthose that permit the cutting or puncturing of the stem were employed\nfor closing up wounds; and those that shed bark and skin were thought\nadapted for the cleansing of the skin.\n\nAccordingly as plants and herbs exhibited peculiarities in their\nactions, so were they supposed to operate on man. Thus, sterile plants,\nsuch as Lettuce, Fern, Willow, Savin, and many others, were believed\nto conduce to the procuring of sterility in men; whilst salacious\nand fecund plants were considered to confer fecundity. On the same\nprinciple, long-lived and evergreen plants were said to procure vigour\nfor the human body.\n\nHelvetius has left a list of classified herbs and plants which in his\ntime were considered by experts in herbcraft to exhibit peculiar marks\nand Signatures by which they could be identified with the several\nparts and members of the human body. This may be said to have formed\nthe basis of the system embraced in the Doctrine of Plant Signatures,\nand as it epitomises the results of the protracted and laborious\nresearches of the old herbalists, who may fairly be said to have laid\nthe foundations of our present system of Botany, it has been thought\nworth while to give an abbreviation of it.\n\n  The Head.        Antirrhinum, Crocus, Geranium, Walnuts, Lily\n                      of the Valley, Marjoram, Poppy, Violet, Rose,\n                      Lime-blossom, the genus Brassica, &c.\n\n  The Hair.        Asparagus, Goat\u2019s-beard, Fennel, Nigella, Flax,\n                      Tree Musk, the Vine, and Vine-roots, &c.\n\n  The Eyes.        The flowers of Acacia, Euphrasy, Daisy, Bean,\n                      Hyacinth, Geranium, Mallow, Narcissus, Hyacinth,\n                      Ranunculus, Cornflower, &c.\n\n  The Ears.        Bear\u2019s Ear (_Auricula ursi_), Mountain Bindweed,\n                      _Cyclamen Doronicum_, Gentian, rough Viper\u2019s\n                      Bugloss, Hypericum, Organy, Egyptian Beans, &c.\n\n  The Tongue.      Horse-tongue (_Hippoglossum_), Adder\u2019s-tongue\n                      (_Ophioglossum_), Hound\u2019s-tongue (_Cynoglossum_),\n                      Hart\u2019s-tongue, Frog-bit, Grass of Parnassus,\n                      Prunella, Salvia, Sempervivum, &c.\n\n  The Teeth.       The leaves of Fir and Juniper, Sunflower-seed,\n                      Toothed Moss (_Muscus denticulatus_), Toothed\n                      Violet (_Dentaria_), Dandelion (_Dens Leonis_),\n                      &c.\n\n  The Heart.       Borage, Motherwort (_Cardiaca_), Malaca Beans\n                      (_Anacardium_), Strawberries, Pomegranate-blossom,\n                      Hepatica, Violet, Peony, Rose, Iris,\n                      Egyptian Lotus, &c.\n\n  The Lungs.       Lung-wort, (_Pulmonaria_), Beet, the stalks of Anise,\n                      Garden Teasel, Cresses, Fennel, Curled Lettuce,\n                      Scabious, Rhubarb, Valerian, the Sea Moss\n                      _Muscus marinus virens latifolius_, &c.\n\n  The Liver.       Noble Liver-wort (_Hepatica trifolia_), Ground\n                      Liver-wort (_Hepatica terrestris_), Garden Endive,\n                      Portulaca, Aloe, Our Lady\u2019s Thistle (_Carduus\n                      Mari\u00e6_), Gentian, Lettuce, Alpine Sanicle, &c.\n\n  The Bladder.     Bladder-wort, Winter Cherry, Black Hellebore,\n                      Nasturtium, Persicaria, Leaves of Senna, root\n                      of True Rhubarb, broad-leaved Tithymallus,\n                      Botrys, &c.\n\n  The Spleen.      Spleenwort or Ceterach (_Asplenium_), Agrimony,\n                      Shepherd\u2019s Purse, Dandelion, Devil\u2019s Bit\n                      Scabious, Fern, Broom, Hawk-weed, Turnip,\n                      Treacle Mustard, &c.\n\n  The Stomach.     Roots of Acorus, Cyclamen, Elecampane, Iris,\n                      and Galingale, Earth-nut, Parsnip, Radish,\n                      Chives, Ginger, &c.\n\n  The Kidneys.     Kidney-wort, Agnus Castus, seeds of Broom,\n                      Bombax, Jasmine, and Lupine, Beans, Currants,\n                      Ground Ivy, root of Leopard\u2019s Bane, &c.\n\n  The Intestines,  Navel-wort, Chickweed, Briony, Dodder, Bitter-sweet\n    &c.               (Nightshade), Fenugreek, Nasturtium,\n                      Honeysuckle, Chamomile-flowers, Alpine Sanicle,\n                      roots of Polypody, &c.\n\n  The Hands,       Agnus Castus, Garlick, Briony, Shepherd\u2019s Purse, Fig,\n    Fingers, and      Geranium, Ash-bark, Cinquefoil (_Heptaphyllum_),\n    Nerves.           Tormentilla, Water Hellebore, Lupine,\n                      Melon, Ophrys, Hoary Clover, Satyrion, Plantain,\n                      Currants, Sanicle, Soap-wort, Wolf\u2019s Bane,\n                      Swallow-wort, _Vitis Id\u00e6a_, Asiatic Ranunculus,\n                      with gummy root, &c.\n\nThe Doctrine of Signatures did not exclusively apply to the medicinal\nvirtues of herbs and plants: for example, Hound\u2019s-tongue _Cynoglossum\nofficinale_, named from the shape and softness of its leaf, was (if we\nmay believe William Coles) thought to \u201ctye the tongues of hounds, so\nthat they shall not bark at you, if it be laid under the bottom of your\nfeet, as Miraldus writeth.\u201d Garlic (from the Anglo-Saxon words _g\u00e1r_,\na spear, and _le\u00e1c_, a plant) was, from its acute tapering leaves,\nmarked out as the war plant of the warriors and poets of the North. The\nheavenly blue of the flower of the Germander Speedwell won for it the\nWelsh appellation of the Eye of Christ. Even abstract virtues were to\nbe learnt by an attentive study of the Signatures of certain plants,\naccording to the dictum of that loyal and godly herbalist Robert\nTurner, who naively tells us that \u201cGod hath imprinted upon the Plants,\nHerbs, and Flowers, as it were in Hieroglyphicks, the very Signature of\ntheir Vertues; as the learned Grollius and others well observe: as the\nNutmeg, being cut, resembles the Brain; the _Papaver erraticum_, or red\nPoppy Flower, resembleth at its bottom the setling of the Blood in the\nPlurisie; and how excellent is that Flower in Diseases of the Plurisie,\nand Surfeits hath sufficiently been experienced.\u201d In the Heliotrope\nand Marigold subjects may learn their duty to their Sovereign: which\nhis Sacred Majesty King Charles the First mentions in his Princely\nMeditations, walking in a Garden in the Isle of Wight, in the following\nwords, viz.:--\n\n  \u201c\u2018The Marigold observes the Sun\n  More than my subjects me have done,\u2019 &c.\u201d\n\nThat great naturalist, John Ray, whilst expressing his disbelief of\nthe Doctrine of Plant Signatures as a whole, admitted that there were\ntangible grounds for the formation of the system. He wrote:--\u201cHowbeit,\nI will not deny but that the noxious and malignant plants do, many of\nthem, discover something of their nature by the sad and melancholick\nvisage of their leaves, flowers, or fruits. And that I may not leave\nthat head wholly untouched, one observation I shall add, relating to\nthe virtues of plants, in which I think is something of truth; that is,\nthat there are, by the wise dispensation of Providence, such species of\nplants produced in every country, as are made proper and convenient for\nthe meat and medicine of the men and animals that are bred and inhabit\ntherein. Insomuch that Solenander writes that, from the frequency of\nthe plants that spring up naturally in any region, he could easily\ngather what endemical diseases the inhabitants thereof are subject to.\nSo in Denmark, Friesland, and Holland, where the scurvy usually reigns,\nthe proper remedy thereof, Scurvy-grass, doth plentifully grow.\u201d\n\n\nThe Old Herbals and Herbalists.\n\nIt is impossible to make an attentive examination of the old Herbals\nwithout being astonished at the extraordinary number and nature of\nthe ills which their authors professed to cure by means of plants\nand simples. Every conceivable disease and ailment appears to be\nenumerated, and each has a number of specifics allotted for its\ntreatment and cure. The contents of these ancient works, indeed, are\napt to heat the imagination, and to cause one to form a conception\nthat the merrie England of our forefathers was a land swarming with\nwild beasts, so venomous in their nature, and ferocious in their\nproclivities, that the unfortunate inhabitants were constantly being\ngrievously maimed and wounded by their malicious \u201cbitings.\u201d Be this\nas it may, however, it is evident that the old herbalists deemed\nthemselves fully equal to any emergency. Leopards, Wolves, and\nvenomous beasts of all kinds, as well as Dragons, Serpents, Vipers,\nand Scorpions, could all, by means of herbs, be driven away, kept at\nbay, or killed, and the venom of their bites be quickly and effectually\ncured. Such simple things as the stings of Hornets, Wasps, and Bees,\nwere of course easily extracted by men who professed themselves able\nand willing to draw out arrow-heads from wounds, or remove broken\nbones, glue them together, and cover them when bare of flesh. They\ncould provide counterpoisons against deadly medicines, poisoned arrows,\nnoxious herbs, and the bitings and stingings of venomous creatures;\nthey could cure the bites of sea Dragons and mad Dogs, and could keep\nDogs from growing great. They could cause troublesome and dangerous\ndreams, and they could cure nightmare. They could drive away dulness\nand melancholy, and consume proud and superfluous flesh. They could\npreserve the eyesight, \u201chelpe blacke eies comming by blowes,\u201d and take\naway redness and yellowness. They could prevent the hair falling off,\nand restore it to the bald pate, and knew how to turn it yellow, red,\nor black. They could cause hens to lay plentifully, and refresh a weary\nhorse. They could cure lunatics, relieve madness, and purge melancholy;\nto say nothing of counteracting witchcraft and the malignant influence\nof the mysterious Evil Eye. They could destroy warts, remove freckles,\nand beautify young wenches\u2019 faces. In fine, the herbalist of old was one\n\n  \u201cWho knew the cause of everie maladie,\n  Were it of colde or hote, or moist or drie.\u201d\n\nA remarkable characteristic of the herbarists (as they were called of\nyore) was a habit of ascribing extraordinary and fabulous properties\nto the herbs and plants whose merits they descanted upon. Just as the\nDruids taught the people of their time to call the sacred Mistletoe the\n\u201cAll-heal,\u201d and to look upon it as a panacea for all bodily ailments,\nso did the herbalists, in the pages of their ponderous tomes, set\nforth the marvellous virtues of Betony, Agrimony, Angelica, Garlic,\nFennel, Sage, Rue, and other favourite medicinal plants. Johannes de\nMediolano, a doctor, of the Academy of Salerno, once wrote of Rue, that\nit diminishes the force of love in man, and, on the contrary, increases\nthe flame in women. When eaten raw, it both clears the sight and the\nperceptions of the mind, and when cooked it destroys fleas. The English\nherbalists called it Herb Grace and Serving-men\u2019s Joy, because of the\nmultiplicity of ailments that it was warranted to cure; Mithridates\nused the herb as a counterpoison to preserve himself against infection;\nand Gerarde records that Serpents are driven away at the smell of\nRue if it be burned, and that \u201cwhen the Weesell is to fight with the\nSerpent, shee armeth herselfe by eating Rue against the might of the\nSerpent.\u201d The virtues of Rue, however, are cast into the shade by those\nof Sage. Says witty Alphonse Karr--\u201cRue is nothing in comparison with\nSage. Sage preserves the human race; and the _whole school_ of Salerno,\nafter a long enumeration of the virtues of Sage, seriously exclaims:\n\u2018How can it happen that a man who has Sage in his garden yet ends by\ndying?\u2019\u201d Perhaps this exclamation was the foundation of the English\nproverb--\n\n  \u201cHe that eats Sage in May\n  Shall live for aye.\u201d\n\nRegarding the wondrous curative properties of Betony, Antonius Musa,\nphysician to the Emperor Augustus, wrote a volume setting forth the\nexcellencies of the herb, which he demonstrated would cure no less than\nforty-seven different disorders; and in England an old advice to the\nsufferer is, \u201cSell your coat, and buy Betony.\u201d Agrimony is another herb\nwhose praises were loudly proclaimed by the herbalists; it formed an\ningredient in most of the old-fashioned herb teas, and Drayton speaks\nof it as \u201cAll-heal, and so named of right.\u201d Of Angelica, or Holy\nGhost, Parkinson writes that it is \u201cso goode an herbe that there is no\npart thereof but is of much use.\u201d Fennel, in addition to its uses as\na medicine, was recommended by old writers, when boiled in wine, as\na counterpoison for use by such as had been bitten by those terrible\nreptiles, serpents, and scorpions that seem to have so exercised the\nancient herbalists. Treacle-Mustard, or Triacle, was also highly\nesteemed as a cure for \u201call those that were bitten or stung by venomous\nbeasts, or had drunk poison, or were infected with pestilence: it\nformed one of seventy-three ingredients in making \u201cVenice treacle\u201d--a\nfamous vermifuge and antipoison in the Middle Ages. The Vervain, or\nHoly Herb, was credited with almost supernatural healing powers.\nEnglish Mercury was called All-good; and other herbs obtained the\nnames of All-heal, Clown\u2019s All-heal, Self-heal, Poor-man\u2019s Treacle,\nPoor-man\u2019s Parmacetty, the Blessed Herb, Grace of God, Master-Wort,\nPloughman\u2019s Spikenard, &c., on account of the numerous virtues which\nthe herbalists had discovered in them. One of these old worthies (the\ncompiler of a Herbal, and a believer in astrology) has, indeed, stated\nin rhyme, his conviction that there was no disease but what would yield\nto the virtues of herbs and the skill of the herbalist. \u201cIn his book,\u201d\nhe confidently says--\n\n        \u201cHe hath a method plain devised,\n  All parts of it, so curiously comprised;\n  That vulgar men, which have but skill to read,\n  May be their own physicians at need;\n  The better sort are hereby taught, how all\n  Things springing from earth\u2019s bowels safely shall\n  By love or hatred (as the Stars dispose)\n  Each sickness cure, that in the body grows.\u201d\n\nThe poet Michael Drayton has drawn the portrait of an ancient simpler,\nand has given a list of the remedies of which he made the most frequent\nuse; the lines are to be found in his \u2018Polyolbion,\u2019 and as they contain\nexamples of herbs selected under the system of the Doctrine of Plant\nSignatures, they may be appropriately introduced at the conclusion of\nthis chapter:--\n\n                      \u201cBut, absolutely free,\n  His happy time he spends the works of God to see,\n  In those so sundry herbs which there in plenty grow,\n  Whose sundry strange effects he only seeks to know;\n  And in a little maund, being made of Osiers small,\n  Which serveth him to do full many a thing withal,\n  He very choicely sorts his simples, got abroad;\n  Here finds he on an Oak rheum-purging Polypode;\n  And in some open place that to the sun doth lie,\n  He Fumitory gets, and Eyebright for the eye;\n  The Yarrow wherewithal he stays the wound-made gore,\n  The healing Tutsan then, and Plantaine for a sore;\n  And hard by them, again, he holy Vervain finds,\n  Which he about his head that hath the megrim binds;\n  The wonder-working Dill he gets not far from these,\n  Which curious women use in many a nice disease;\n  For them that are with Newts, or Snakes, or Adders stung\n  He seeketh out a herb, that is called Adder\u2019s-tongue;\n  As Nature it ordain\u2019d its own like hurt to cure,\n  And sportive did herself to niceties inure.\n  Valerian then he crops, and purposely doth stamp\n  To apply unto the place that\u2019s haled with the cramp;\n  The Chickweed cures the heat that in the face doth rise,\n  For physic some again he inwardly applies;\n  For comforting the spleen and liver, gets for juice\n  Pale Horehound, which he holds of most especial use.\n  And for the labouring wretch that\u2019s troubled with a cough,\n  Or stopping of the breath by phlegm that\u2019s hard and tough,\n  Campana here he crops, approved wondrous good;\n  Or Comfrey unto him that\u2019s bruised, spitting blood;\n  And for the falling ill by Five-leafe doth restore,\n  And melancholy cures by sovereign Hellebore:\n  Of these most helpful herbs yet tell we but a few\n  To those unnumbered sort of simples here that grew,\n  What justly to set down even Dodon short doth fall,\n  Nor skilful Gerarde yet shall ever find them all.\u201d\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nPlants and the Planets.\n\n\nTwo centuries ago there existed a very general belief that every plant\nwas under the direct influence of a particular Planet, and therefore\nthat all the details connected with its cultivation and utilisation\nwere to be conducted with a strict regard to this supposition. Aubrey\nhas recorded his opinion, that if a plant \u201cbe not gathered according\nto the rules of astrology, it hath little or no virtue in it;\u201d and the\nJesuit Rapin, in his Latin poem on \u2018Gardens,\u2019 says, with respect to\nflowers--\n\n  \u201cThis frequent charge I give, whene\u2019er you sow\n  The flow\u2019ry kind, be studious first to know\n  The monthly tables, and with heedful eye\n  Survey the lofty volumes of the sky;\n  Observe the tokens of foreboding Stars,\n  What store of wind and rain the Moon prepares;\n  What weather Eurus or moist Auster blows,\n  What both in east and west the Sun foreshows;\n  What aid from Helice the trees obtain,\n  What from Bo\u00f6tes with his tardy wain;\n  Whether the wat\u2019ry Pleiades with show\u2019rs\n  Kindly refresh alone, or drown the flow\u2019rs;\n  For Stars neglected fatal oft we find,\n  The Gods to their dominion have assign\u2019d\n  The products of our earth and labours of mankind.\u201d\n\nMichael Drayton, in whose time the doctrine of planetary influence on\nplants was generally accepted, says, in reference to the longevity of\nantediluvian men:--\n\n  \u201cBesides, in medicine simples had the power\n  That none need then the planetary hour\n  To helpe their working, they so juiceful were.\u201d\n\nCulpeper, who was a profound believer in astrology, has given at the\ncommencement of his \u2018British Herbal and Family Physician,\u2019 a list of\nsome five hundred plants, and the names of the Planets which govern\nthem; and in his directions as to the plucking of leaves for medical\npurposes, the old herbalist and physician remarks:--\u201cSuch as are\nastrologers (and indeed none else are fit to make physicians) such\nI advise: let the planet that governs the herb be angular, and the\nstronger the better; if they can, in herbs of Saturn, let Saturn be\nin the ascendant; in the herb of Mars, let Mars be in the mid-heaven,\nfor in those houses they delight; let the Moon apply to them by good\naspect, and let her not be in the houses of her enemies; if you cannot\nwell stay till she apply to them, let her apply to a Planet of the same\ntriplicity; if you cannot meet that time neither, let her be with a\nfixed Star of their nature.\u201d\n\nThe classification of Plants under the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars,\nVenus, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon, appears to have been made\naccording to the Signatures or outward appearances of the plants\nthemselves. The stalks, stems, branches, roots, foliage, flowers,\nodour, taste, native places, death, and medical virtues, were also\nconsidered; and, according to the character of the plant thus deduced,\nit was placed under the government of the particular Planet with which\nit was considered to be most in consonance.\n\nPlants allotted to SATURN had their _Leaves_: hairy, hard, dry,\nparched, coarse, and of ill-favoured appearance. _Flowers_:\nUnprepossessing, gloomy, dull, greenish, faded or dirty white, pale\nred, invariably hirsute, prickly, and disagreeable. _Roots_: Spreading\nwidely in the earth and rambling around in discursive fashion. _Odour_:\nF\u0153tid, putrid, muddy.\n\nJUPITER.--_Leaves_: Smooth, even, slightly cut and pointed, the\nveins not prominent, and the lines not strongly marked. Colour,\ngreyish blue-green. _Flowers_: Graceful, pleasing, bright, succulent,\ntransparent, ruddy, flesh-colour, blue, yellow. _Roots_: Rather small,\nwith short hairy filaments, spread about in the ground. _Odour_: Highly\nsubtle, grateful to the brain; the kernels comforting; easily fermented.\n\nMARS.--_Leaves_: Hard, long, somewhat heavy, pointed and pendulous,\nharsh and hot to the tongue, not of good appearance. _Flowers_: Of a\ncolour between yellow, vermilion, or blue, green, purple, red, changing\nquickly, abundance of flowers and seeds. _Roots_: Highly fibrous and\ncreeping underground. _Odour_: Oppressive to the brain, potent, sharp,\nacrid.\n\nVENUS.--_Leaves_: Large, handsome, bright, rich green or roseate,\nsoft, plentiful. _Flowers_: Pleasing to the eyes, white, blue, rosy,\ncharming, fine, abundant. _Roots_: Of early growth, but not deeply\nfixed. Quickly and freely produced. _Odour_: Subtle, delightful,\npungent, refreshing to the brain.\n\nMERCURY.--_Leaves_: Different kinds, but pleasing to the eye.\n_Flowers_: Of various descriptions and colours, refreshing, agreeable,\nand pleasant. _Roots_: Abiding deep in the earth, and spreading far and\nwide. _Odour_: Highly subtle and penetrating, refreshing to the heart\nand brain.\n\nTHE SUN.--_Leaves_: Succulent, with stout stalks, deeply veined,\npleasant green or tawny, with reddish stalks. _Flowers_: Yellow and\ngold, or purple, handsome, glittering, and radiant. _Roots_: Strong,\ndeeply fixed in the earth, but not laterally. _Odour_: Agreeable,\nacceptable, and pungent, strong, restorative to brain and eyes.\n\nTHE MOON.--_Leaves_: Pale, highly succulent, pith thick, firm,\nstrongly-developed veins, bottle-green. _Flowers_: Pale yellow or\ngreenish, watery, mellifluous, but uninteresting and without beauty.\n_Roots_: Penetrating easily through water and earth, not durable,\nand easily decayed, spreading neither thickly nor deeply. _Odour_:\nDisagreeable, almost none, without pungency, redolent of the earth,\nrain, or soft savour of honey.\n\nAccording to Indian mythology, herbs are placed under the special\nprotection of Mitra, the Sun. De Gubernatis tells us that there are\nseveral Indian plants named after the great luminary. In the Grecian\nPantheon, the Solar-god, Apollo, possessed a knowledge of all the\nherbs. It was to Ph\u0153bus, the Sun-god, that poor Clytie lost her heart,\nand, when changed into a flower, held firmly by the root, she still\nturned to the Sun she loved, \u201cand, changed herself, still kept her\nlove unchanged.\u201d As to the particular Sunflower, Turnsole, Heliotrope,\nor Solsequium that is the floral embodiment of the love-sick nymph,\nreaders must be referred to the disquisition under the heading\n\u201cSUNFLOWER.\u201d De Gubernatis gives it as his opinion, that Clytie\u2019s\nflower is the _Helianthemum roseum_ of De Candolle. In a previous\nchapter, certain plants have been noticed which were supposed by\nthe ancients to have been specially under the domination of the Sun\nand Moon. According to the dictum of wizards and wise folk, plants\npossessing magical properties must as a general rule be gathered,\nif not by moonlight, yet at any rate before sunrise, for the first\nappearance of the Sun\u2019s rays immediately dispels all enchantment, and\ndrives back the spirits to their subterranean abodes.\n\nWe are told in Deuteronomy xxxiii., 14, that precious things are put\nforth by the Moon, but precious fruits by the Sun; and it is certainly\nvery remarkable that, although mankind in all ages have regarded, and\neven worshipped, the Sun as being the supreme and ruling luminary,\nfrom whose glorious life-giving rays, vegetation of all kinds drew its\nvery existence, yet that an idea should have sprung up, and taken root\nwidely and deeply, that the growth and decay of plants were associated\nintimately with the waxing and waning of the Moon. We have seen how the\nplant kingdom was parcelled out by the astrologers, and consigned to\nthe care of different Planets; but, despite this, the Moon was held to\nhave a singular and predominant influence over vegetation, and it was\nsupposed that there existed a sympathy between growing and declining\nnature and the Moon\u2019s wax and wane. Bacon seems to have considered that\neven the \u201cbraine of man waxeth moister and fuller upon the Full of the\nMoone;\u201d and, therefore, he continues, \u201cit were good for those that\nhave moist braines, and are great drinkers, to take fume of Lignum,\nAloes, Rose-Mary, Frankincense, &c., about the Full of the Moone.\u201d He\nalso tells us, in his Natural History, that \u201cthe influences of the Moon\nare four: the drawing forth of heat, the inducing of putrefaction, the\nmoisture, and the exciting of the motions of spirits.\u201d\n\nIn respect to this last influence, he goes on to say, \u201cYou must note\nthat the growth of hedges, herbs, haire, &c., is caused from the Moone,\nby exciting of the spirits as well as by increase of the moisture.\nBut for spirits in particular the great instance is lunacies.\u201d This\nlunar influence which Bacon speaks of was, as already pointed out,\nfully recognised in olden times, and a belief was even current that\nthe Moon specially watched over vegetation, and that when she was\npropitious--that is, during her growth--she produced medicinal herbs;\nwhen she was not propitious--that is to say, during her wane--she\nimbued herbs with poisons; her humidity being, perhaps, more injurious\nthan otherwise.\n\nIn old almanacks we find the supremacy of the Moon over the plant\nkingdom fully admitted, albeit in a jargon which is rather puzzling.\nThus, in the \u2018Husbandman\u2019s Practice or Prognostication for Ever,\u2019\nthe reader is advised \u201cto set, sow seeds, graft, and plant, the\nMoone being in Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorne, and all kinds of Corne\nin Cancer, to graft in March, at the Moone\u2019s increase, she being in\nTaurus or Capricorne.\u201d Again, in Mr. Wing\u2019s Almanack for 1661, occurs\nthe following passage:--\u201cIt is a common observation in astrology, and\nconfirmed by experience, that what Corn or tree soever are set or\nsown when the Sun or Moon is eclipsed, and the infortunate planets\npredominate, seldom or never come to good. And again he saith thus:--It\nis a common and certain observation also, that if any corn, seed, or\nplant be either set or sown within six hours either before or after the\nfull Moon in Summer, or before or after the new Moon in Winter, having\njoined with the cosmical rising of Arcturus and Orion, the H\u00e6di and the\nSiculi, it is subject to blasting and canker.\u201d\n\nAs an illustration of the predominance given to the Moon over the other\nplanets in matters pertaining to plant culture, it is worth noticing\nthat, although Culpeper, in his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 places the Apple under Venus,\nyet the Devonshire farmers have from time immemorial made it a rule to\ngather their Apples for storing at the wane of the Moon; the reason\nbeing that, during the Moon\u2019s increase, it is thought that the Apples\nare full, and will not therefore keep. It is said that if timber be\nfelled when the Moon is on the increase, it will decay; and that it\nshould always be cut when the Moon is on the wane. No reason can be\nassigned for this; yet the belief is common in many countries, and what\nis still more strange, professional woodcutters, whose occupation is to\nfell timber, aver, as the actual result of their observation, that the\nbelief is well founded. It was formerly interwoven in the Forest Code\nof France, and, unless expunged by recent alterations, is so still.\nThe same opinion obtains in the German forests, and is said to be held\nin those of Brazil and Yucatan. The theory given to account for this\nsupposed fact is, that as the Moon grows, the sap rises, and the wood\nis therefore less dense than when the Moon is waning, because at that\ntime the sap declines. The belief in the Moon\u2019s influence as regards\ntimber extends to vegetables, and was at one time universal in England,\nalthough, at the present day, the theory is less generally entertained\nin our country than abroad, where they act upon the maxim that root\ncrops should be planted when the Moon is decreasing, and plants such\nas Beans, Peas, and others, which bear the crops on their branches,\nbetween new and full Moon. Throughout Germany, the rule is that Rye\nshould be sown as the Moon waxes; but Barley, Wheat, and Peas, when it\nwanes.\n\nThe wax and wane of the belief in lunar influence on plant-life among\nour own countrymen may be readily traced by reference to old books on\nhusbandry and gardening.\n\nIn \u2018The Boke of Husbandry,\u2019 by Mayster Fitzherbarde, published in 1523,\nwe read with respect to the sowing of Peas, that \u201cmoste generally to\nbegyn sone after Candelmasse is good season, so that they be sowen ere\nthe begynnynge of Marche, or sone upon. And specially let them be sowen\nin the olde of the Mone. For the opinion of old husbandes is, that they\nshoulde be better codde, and sooner be rype.\u201d\n\nTusser, in his \u2018Five Hundred Points of Husbandry,\u2019 published in 1562,\nsays, in his quaint verse--\n\n  \u201cSowe Peason and Beans in the wane of the Moone,\n    Who soweth them sooner, he soweth too soone;\n  That they with the planet may rest and rise,\n    And flourish with bearing, most plentiful wise.\u201d\n\nCommenting on that \u201cPoint,\u201d the editor of an edition of Tusser\u2019s poem\nprinted in 1744, says: \u201cIt must be granted the Moon is an excellent\nclock, and if not the cause of many surprising accidents, gives a just\nindication of them, whereof this Pease and Beans may be one instance;\nfor Pease and Beans sown during the increase do run more to hawm or\nstraw, and during the declension more to cod, according to the common\nconsent of countrymen.\u201d Again, as regards grafting, old Tusser writes:--\n\n  \u201cIn March is good graffing, the skilful do know,\n    So long as the wind in the East do not blow,\n  From Moone being changed, til past be the prime,\n    For graffing and cropping is very good time.\u201d\n\nThe editor remarks: \u201cThe Prime is the first three days after the New\nMoon, in which time, or at farthest during the first quarter, our\nauthor confines his graffing, probably because the first three days\nare usually attended with rain.\u201d He confesses, however, he cannot\nexplain the following couplet:--\n\n  \u201cThe Moone in the wane gather fruit for to last,\n  But winter fruit gather when Michel is past.\u201d\n\nIn the \u2018Garden of Eden,\u2019 an old gardening book compiled and issued\nby Sir Hugh Plat, Knt., in the year 1600, constant allusions are\nmade to the necessity of studying the Moon\u2019s phases in gardening and\ngrafting operations. The worthy knight considered that the Moon would\nexercise her powers in making single flowers double if only she were\nrespectfully courted. His counsel on this point is as follows:--\u201cRemove\na plant of Stock Gilliflowers when it is a little woodded, and not too\ngreene, and water it presently. Doe this three dayes after the full,\nand remove it twice more before the change. Doe this in barren ground;\nand likewise, three dayes after the next full Moone, remove again; and\nthen remove once more before the change. Then at the third full Moon,\nviz., eight dayes after, remove againe, and set it in very rich ground,\nand this will make it to bring forth a double flower; but if your Stock\nGilliflowers once spindle, then you may not remove them. Also you\nmust make Tulippes double in this manner. Some think by cutting them\nat every full Moone before they beare to make them at length to beare\ndouble.\u201d\n\nIn \u2018The Countryman\u2019s Recreation\u2019 (1640) the author fully recognises\nthe obligation of gardeners to study the Moon in all their principal\noperations. Says he: \u201cFrom the first day of the new Moone unto the\nxiii. day thereof is good for to plant, or graffe, or sow, and for\ngreat need some doe take unto the xvii. or xviii. day thereof, and\nnot after, neither graffe nor sow, but as is afore-mentioned, a\nday or two afore the change, the best signes are Taurus, Virgo, or\nCapricorne.\u201d And as regards the treatment of fruit trees, he tells us\nthat \u201ctrees which come of Nuttes\u201d should be set in the Autumn \u201cin the\nchange or increase of the Moone;\u201d certain grafting manipulations are\nto be executed \u201cin the increase of the Moone and not lightly after;\u201d\nfruit, if it is desired of good colour and untouched by frost, ought\nto be gathered \u201cwhen the time is faire and dry, and the Moone in her\ndecreasing;\u201d whilst \u201cif ye will cut or gather Grapes, to have them\ngood, and to have good wine thereof, ye shall cut them in the full, or\nsoone after the full, of the Moone, when she is in Cancer, in Leo, in\nScorpio, and in Aquarius, the Moone being on the waine and under the\nearth.\u201d\n\nIn \u2018The Expert Gardener\u2019 (1640)--a work stated to be \u201cfaithfully\ncollected out of sundry Dutch and French authors\u201d--a chapter is\nentirely devoted to the times and seasons which should be selected \u201cto\nsow and replant all manner of seeds,\u201d with special reference to the\nphases of the Moon. As showing how very general must have been the\nbelief in the influence of the Moon on vegetation at that time, the\nfollowing extract is given:--\n\n  _A short Instruction very profitable and necessary for all those that\n  delight in Gardening, to know the Times and Seasons when it is good\n  to sow and replant all manner of Seeds._\n\n  Cabbages must be sowne in February, March, or April, at the waning of\n  the Moone, and replanted also in the decrease thereof.\n\n  Cabbage Lettuce, in February, March, or July, in an old Moone.\n\n  Onions and Leeks must be sowne in February or March, at the waning of\n  the Moone.\n\n  Beets must be sowne in February or March, in a full Moone.\n\n  Coleworts white and greene in February, or March, in an old Moone, it\n  is good to replant them.\n\n  Parsneps must be sowne in February, April, or June, also in an old\n  Moone.\n\n  Radish must be sowne in February, March, or June, in a new Moone.\n\n  Pompions must be sowne in February, March, or June, also in a new\n  Moone.\n\n  Cucumbers and Mellons must be sowne in February, March, or June, in\n  an old Moone.\n\n  Spinage must be sowne in February or March, in an old Moone.\n\n  Parsley must be sowne in February or March, in a full Moone.\n\n  Fennel and Annisseed must be sowne in February or March, in a full\n  Moone.\n\n  White Cycory must be sowne in February, March, July, or August, in a\n  full Moone.\n\n  Carduus Benedictus must be sowne in February, March, or May, when the\n  Moone is old.\n\n  Basil must be sowne in March, when the Moone is old.\n\n  Purslane must be sowne in February or March, in a new Moone.\n\n  Margeram, Violets, and Time must be sowne in February, March, or\n  April, in a new Moone.\n\n  Floure-gentle, Rosemary, and Lavender, must be sowne in February or\n  April, in a new Moone.\n\n  Rocket and Garden Cresses must be sowne in February, in a new Moone.\n\n  Savell must be sowne in February or March, in a new Moone.\n\n  Saffron must be sowne in March, when the Moone is old.\n\n  Coriander and Borage must be sowne in February or March, in a new\n  Moone.\n\n  Hartshorne and Samphire must be sowne in February, March, or April,\n  when the Moone is old.\n\n  Gilly-floures, Harts-ease, and Wall-floures, must be sowne in March\n  or April, when the Moone is old.\n\n  Cardons and Artochokes must be sowne in April or March, when the\n  Moone is old.\n\n  Chickweed must be sowne in February or March, in the full of the\n  Moone.\n\n  Burnet must be sowne in February or March, when the Moone is old.\n\n  Double Marigolds must be sowne in February or March, in a new Moone.\n\n  Isop and Savorie must be sowne in March when the Moone is old.\n\n  White Poppey must be sowne in February or March, in a new Moone.\n\n  Palma Christi must be sowne in February, in a new Moone.\n\n  Sparages and Sperage is to be sowne in February, when the Moone is\n  old.\n\n  Larks-foot must be sowne in February, when the Moone is old.\n\n  Note that at all times and seasons, Lettuce, Raddish, Spinage and\n  Parsneps may be sowne.\n\n  Note, also, from cold are to be kept Coleworts, Cabbage, Lettuce,\n  Basill, Cardons, Artochokes, and Colefloures.\n\nIn \u2018The English Gardener\u2019 (1683) and \u2018The Dutch Gardener\u2019 (1703) many\ninstructions are given as to the manner of treating plants with\nspecial regard to the phases of the Moon; and Rapin, in his poem on\nGardens, has the following lines:--\n\n      \u201cIf you with flow\u2019rs would stock the pregnant earth,\n  Mark well the Moon propitious to their birth:\n  For earth the silent midnight queen obeys,\n  And waits her course, who, clad in silver rays,\n  Th\u2019 eternal round of times and seasons guides,\n  Controls the air, and o\u2019er the winds presides.\n  Four days expir\u2019d you have your time to sow,\n  Till to the full th\u2019 increasing Moon shall grow;\n  This past, your labour you in vain bestow:\n  Nor let the gard\u2019ner dare to plant a flow\u2019r\n  While on his work the heav\u2019ns ill-boding low\u2019r;\n  When Moons forbid, forbidding Moons obey,\n  And hasten when the Stars inviting beams display.\u201d\n\nJohn Evelyn, in his \u2018Sylva, or a Discourse on Forest Trees,\u2019 first\npublished in 1662, remarks on the attention paid by woodmen to the\nMoon\u2019s influence on trees. He says: \u201cThen for the age of the Moon, it\nhas religiously been observed; and that Diana\u2019s presidency _in sylvis_\nwas not so much celebrated to credit the fictions of the poets, as for\nthe dominion of that moist planet and her influence over timber. For\nmy part, I am not so much inclined to these criticisms, that I should\naltogether govern a felling at the pleasure of this mutable lady;\nhowever, there is doubtless some regard to be had--\n\n  \u2018Nor is\u2019t in vain signs\u2019 fall and rise to note.\u2019\n\nThe old rules are these: Fell in the decrease, or four days after\nthe conjunction of the two great luminaries; sowe the last quarter\nof it; or (as Pliny) in the very article of the change, if possible;\nwhich hapning (saith he) in the last day of the Winter solstice, that\ntimber will prove immortal. At least should it be from the twentieth\nto the thirtieth day, according to Columella; Cato, four days after\nthe full, as far better for the growth; nay, Oak in the Summer: but\nall vimineous trees, _silente lun\u00e2_, such as Sallows, Birch, Poplar,\n&c. Vegetius, for ship timber, from the fifteenth to the twenty-fifth,\nthe Moon as before.\u201d In his \u2018French Gardener,\u2019 a translation from\nthe French, Evelyn makes a few allusions to the Moon\u2019s influence on\ngardening and grafting operations, and in his _Kalendarium Hortense_\nwe find him acknowledging its supremacy more than once; but he had\ndoubtless begun to lose faith in the scrupulous directions bequeathed\nby the Romans. In his introduction to the \u2018Kalendar\u2019 he says:--\u201cWe are\nyet far from imposing (by any thing we have here alledged concerning\nthese menstrual periods) those nice and hypercritical punctillos\nwhich some astrologers, and such as pursue these rules, seem to\noblige our gard\u2019ners to; as if forsooth all were lost, and our pains\nto no purpose, unless the sowing and the planting, the cutting and\nthe pruning, were performed in such and such an exact minute of\nthe Moon: _In hac autem ruris disciplina non desideratur ejusmodi\nscrupulositas._ [Columella]. There are indeed some certain seasons and\n_suspecta tempora_, which the prudent gard\u2019ner ought carefully (as much\nas in him lies) to prevent: but as to the rest, let it suffice that he\ndiligently follow the observations which (by great industry) we have\ncollected together, and here present him.\u201d\n\nThe opinion of John Evelyn, thus expressed, doubtless shook the faith\nof gardeners in the efficacy of lunar influence on plants, and, as a\nrule, we find no mention of the Moon in the instructions contained in\nthe gardening books published after his death. It is true that Charles\nEvelyn, in \u2018The Pleasure and Profit of Gardening Improved\u2019 (1717)\ndirects that Stock Gilliflower seeds should be sown at the full of the\nMoon in April, and makes several other references to the influence of\nthe Moon on these plants; but this is an exception to the general rule,\nand in \u2018The Retired Gardener,\u2019 a translation from the French of Louis\nLiger, printed in 1717, the ancient belief in the Moon\u2019s supremacy in\nthe plant kingdom received its death-blow. The work referred to was\npublished under the direction of London and Wise, Court Nurserymen to\nQueen Anne, and in the first portion of it, which is arranged in the\nform of a conversation between a gentleman and his gardener, occurs the\nfollowing passage:--\n\n  _Gent._--\u201cI have heard several old gardeners say that vigorous trees\n  ought to be prun\u2019d in the Wane, and those that are more sparing of\n  their shoots in the Increase. Their reason is, that the pruning by\n  no means promotes the fruit if it be not done in the Wane. They add\n  that the reason why some trees are so long before they bear fruit is,\n  because they were planted or grafted either in the Increase or Full\n  of the Moon.\u201d\n\n  _Gard._--\u201cMost of the old gardeners were of that opinion, and there\n  are some who continue still to be misled by the same error. But\n  \u2019tis certain that they bear no ground for such an imagination, as\n  I have observ\u2019d, having succeeded in my gardening without such a\n  superstitious observation of the Moon. However, I don\u2019t urge this\n  upon my own authority, but refer my self to M. de la Quintinie, who\n  deserves more to be believed than my self. These are his words:--\n\n  \u2018I solemnly declare [saith he] that after a diligent observation\n  of the Moon\u2019s changes for thirty years together, and an enquiry\n  whether they had any influence on gardening, the affirmation of which\n  has been so long established among us, I perceiv\u2019d that it was no\n  weightier than old wives\u2019 tales, and that it has been advanc\u2019d by\n  unexperienc\u2019d gardeners.\u2019\n\n  \u201cAnd a little after: \u2018I have therefore follow\u2019d what appear\u2019d most\n  reasonable, and rejected what was otherwise. In short, graft in what\n  time of the Moon you please, if your graft be good, and grafted in a\n  proper stock, provided you do it like an artist, you will be sure to\n  succeed.... In the same manner [continues he] sow what sorts of grain\n  you please, and plant as you please, in any Quarter of the Moon, I\u2019ll\n  answer for your success; the first and last day of the Moon being\n  equally favourable.\u2019 This is the opinion of a man who must be allow\u2019d\n  to have been the most experienc\u2019d in this age.\u201d\n\n\nPlants of the Moon.\n\nThe Germans call _Mondveilchen_ (Violet of the Moon), the _Lunaria\nannua_, the _Leucoion_, also known as the Flower of the Cow, that is\nto say, of the cow Io, one of the names of the Moon. The old classic\nlegend relates that this daughter of Inachus, because she was beloved\nby Jupiter, fell under the jealous displeasure of Juno, and was much\npersecuted by her. Jupiter therefore changed his beautiful mistress\ninto the cow Io, and at his request, Tellus (the Earth) caused a\ncertain herb (_Salutaris_, the herb of Isis) to spring up, in order to\nprovide for the metamorphosed nymph suitable nourishment. In the Vedic\nwritings, the Moon is represented as slaying monsters and serpents,\nand it is curious to note that the Moonwort (_Lunaria_), Southernwood\n(_Artemisia_), and Selenite (from _Selene_, a name of the Moon), are\nall supposed to have the power of repelling serpents. Plutarch, in his\nwork on rivers, tells us that near the river Trachea grew a herb called\nSelenite, from the foliage of which trickled a frothy liquid with which\nthe herdsmen anointed their feet in the Spring in order to render them\nimpervious to the bites of serpents. This foam, says De Gubernatis,\nreminds one of the dew which is found in the morning sprinkled over\nherbs and plants, and which the ancient Greeks regarded as a gift of\nthe nymphs who accompanied the goddess Artemis, or Diana, the lunar\ndeity.\n\nNumerous Indian plants are named after the Moon, the principal being\nthe _Cardamine_; the _Cocculus cordifolius_ (the Moon\u2019s Laughter); a\nspecies of _Solanum_ called the Flower of the Moon; the _Asclepias\nacida_, the _Somalat\u00e2_, the plant that produces Soma; Sandal-wood\n(beloved of the Moon); Camphor (named after the Moon); the _Convolvulus\nTurpethum_, called the Half-Moon; and many other plants named after\nSoma, a lunar synonym.\n\nIn a Hindu poem, the Moon is called the fructifier of vegetation and\nthe guardian of the celestial ambrosia, and it is not surprising\ntherefore to find that in India the mystic Moon-tree, the Soma, the\ntree which produces the divine and immortalising ambrosia is worshipped\nas the lunar god. Soma, the moon-god, produces the revivifying dew of\nthe early morn; _Soma_, the Moon-tree, the exhilarating ambrosia. The\nMoon is cold and humid: it is from her the plants receive their sap,\nsays Prof. De Gubernatis, \u201cand thanks to the Moon that they multiply,\nand that vegetation prospers. There is nothing very wonderful,\ntherefore, if the movements of the Moon preside in a general way over\nagricultural operations, and if it exercises a special influence on the\nhealth and _accouchements_ of women, who are said to represent Water,\nthe humid element. The Roman goddess Lucina (the Moon) presided over\n_accouchements_, and had under her care the Dittany and the Mugwort [or\nMotherwort] (_Artemisia_, from Artemis, the lunar goddess), considered,\nlike the Vedic _Soma_, to be the queen or mother of the herbs.\u201d\n\nThus Macer says of it:--\n\n  \u201c_Herbarum matrem justum puto ponere primo;\n  Pr\u00e6cipue morbis muliebribus illa medetur._\u201d\n\nThis influence of the Moon over the female portion of the human race\nhas led to a class of plants being associated either directly with\nthe luminary or with the goddesses who were formerly thought to\nimpersonate or embody it. Thus we find the _Chrysanthemum leucanthemum_\nnamed the Moon Daisy, because its shape resembles the pictures of a\nfull moon, the type of a class of plants which Dr. Prior points out,\n\u201con the Doctrine of Signatures, were exhibited in uterine complaints,\nand dedicated in pagan times to the goddess of the Moon and regulator\nof monthly periods, Artemis, whom Horsley (on Hosea ix., 10) would\nidentify with Isis, the goddess of the Egyptians, with Juno Lucina, and\nwith Eileithuia, a deity who had special charge over the functions of\nwomen--an office in Roman Catholic mythology assigned to Mary Magdalene\nand Margaret.\u201d The Costmary, or Maudeline-wort (_Balsamita vulgaris_);\nthe Maghet, or May-weed (_Pyrethrum Parthenium_); the Mather, or\nMaydweed (_Anthemis Cotula_); the Daisy, or Marguerite (_Bellis\nperennis_); the _Achillea Matricaria_, &c., are all plants which come\nunder the category of lunar herbs in their connection with feminine\ncomplaints.\n\n\nThe Man in the Moon.\n\nChaucer describes the Moon as Lady Cynthia:--\n\n  \u201cHer gite was gray and full of spottis blake,\n    And on her brest a chorle paintid ful even\n  Bearing a bush of Thornis on his bake\n    Which for his theft might climb no ner the heven.\u201d\n\nAllusion is here made to the Man in the Moon, bearing a Thorn-bush\non his shoulders--one of the most widely-diffused superstitions\nstill extant. It is curious that, in several legends respecting this\ninhabitant of the Moon, he is represented as having been engaged, when\non earth, in gardening operations. Kuhn relates a tradition in the\nHavel country. One Christmas Eve, a peasant felt a great desire to eat\na Cabbage; and, having none himself, he slipped stealthily into his\nneighbour\u2019s garden to cut some. Just as he had filled his basket, the\nChrist Child rode past on his white horse, and said: \u201cBecause thou\nhast stolen in the holy night, thou shalt immediately sit in the Moon\nwith thy basket of Cabbage.\u201d At Paderhorn, in Westphalia, the crime\ncommitted was not theft, but hindering people from attending church\non Easter-Day, by placing a Thorn-bush in the field-gate through\nwhich they had to pass. In the neighbourhood of Wittingen, the man is\nsaid to have been exiled to the Moon because he tied up his brooms\non Maunday Thursday; and at Deilinghofen, of having mown the Grass\nin his meadows on Sunday. A Swabian mother at Derendingen will tell\nher child that a man was once working in his vineyard on Sunday, and\nafter having pruned all his Vines, he made a bundle of the shoots he\nhad just cut off, laid it in his basket, and went home. According to\none version, the Vine-shoots were stolen from a neighbour\u2019s Vineyard.\nWhen taxed either with Sabbath-breaking or with the theft, the culprit\nloudly protested his innocence, and at length exclaimed: \u201cIf I have\ncommitted this crime, may I be sent to the Moon!\u201d After his death this\nfate duly befell him, and there he remains to this day. The Black\nForest peasants relate that a certain man stole a bundle of wood on\nSunday because he thought on that day he should be unmolested by the\nforesters. However, on leaving the forest, he met a stranger, who was\nno other than the Almighty himself. After reproving the thief for not\nkeeping the Sabbath-day holy, God said he must be punished, but he\nmight choose whether he would be banished to the Sun or to the Moon.\nThe man chose the latter, declaring he would rather freeze in the Moon\nthan burn in the Sun; and so the Broom-man came into the Moon with his\nfaggot on his back. At Hemer, in Westphalia, the legend runs that a man\nwas engaged in fencing his garden on Good Friday, and had just poised\na bundle of Thorns on his fork when he was at once transported to the\nMoon. Some of the Hemer peasants, however, declare that the Moon is\nnot only inhabited by a man with a Thorn-bush and pitchfork, but also\nby his wife, who is churning, and was exiled to the Moon for using\na churn on Sunday. According to other traditions, the figure in the\nMoon is that of Isaac bearing the faggot on his shoulders for his own\nsacrifice on Mount Moriah; or Cain with a bundle of Briars; or a tipsy\nman who for his audacity in threatening the Moon with a Bramble he held\nin his hand, was drawn up to this planet, and has remained there to the\npresent day.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nPlant Symbolism and Language.\n\n\nThe antiquity of floral emblems probably dates from the time when\nthe human heart first beat with the gentle emotions of affection or\nthrobbed with the wild pulsations of love. Then it was that man sought\nto express through the instrumentality of flowers his love of purity\nand beauty, or to typify through their aid the ardour of his passionate\ndesires; for the symbolism of flowers, it has been conjectured, was\nfirst conceived as a parable speaking to the eye and thence teaching\nthe heart.\n\nDriven, in his struggle for existence, to learn the properties of\nplants in order to obtain wholesome food, man found that with the\nbeauty of their form and colour they spoke lovingly to him. They could\nbe touched, tasted, handled, planted, sown, and reaped: they were\nuseful, easily converted into simple articles of clothing, or bent,\ntwisted, and cut into weapons and tools. Flowers became a language\nto man very early, and according to their poisonous, soothing, or\nnutritious qualities, or on account of some peculiarities in their\ngrowth or shape which seemed to tell upon the mysteries of life, birth,\nand death, he gave them names which thenceforth became words and\nsymbols to him of these phenomena.\n\nGlimpses of the ancient poetical plant symbolism have been found amid\nthe ruins of temples, graven on the sides of rocks, and inscribed on\nthe walls of mighty caves where the early nations of India, Assyria,\nChald\u00e6a, and Egypt knelt in adoration. The Chinese from time immemorial\nhave known a comprehensive system of floral signs and emblems, and\nthe Japanese have ever possessed a mode of communicating by symbolic\nflowers. Persian literature abounds in chaste and poetical allegories,\nwhich demonstrate the antiquity of floral symbolism in that far Eastern\nland: thus we are told that Sadi the poet, when a slave, presented to\nhis tyrant master a Rose accompanied with this pathetic appeal:--\u201cDo\ngood to thy servant whilst thou hast the power, for the season of power\nis often as transient as the duration of this beautiful flower.\u201d\nThe beauty of the symbol melted the heart of his lord, and the slave\nobtained his liberty.\n\nThe Hindu races are passionately fond of flowers, and their ancient\nSanscrit books and poems are full of allusions to their beauty and\nsymbolic character. With them, the flower of the field is venerated\nas a symbol of fecundity. In their mythology, at the beginning of all\nthings there appeared in the waters the expanded Lotus-blossom, the\nemblematic flower of life and light; the Sun, Moon, and Stars are\nflowers in the celestial garden; the Sun\u2019s ray is a full-blown Rose,\nwhich springs from the waters and feeds the sacrificial fire; the\nLightning is a garland of flowers thrown by Narada. _Pushpa_ (flower),\nor _Pushpaka_ (flowery), is the epithet applied to the luminous car\nof the god Kuvera, which was seized by R\u00e2vana, the royal monster of\nLank\u00e2, and recaptured by the demi-god R\u00e2ma, the incarnation of Vishnu.\nThe bow of K\u00e2ma, the Indian Cupid, darts forth flowers in the guise of\narrows. The Indian poetic lover gathers from the flowers a great number\nof chaste and beautiful symbols. The following description of a young\nmaiden struck down by illness is a fair example of this:--\u201cAll of a\nsudden the blighting glance of unpropitious fortune having fallen on\nthat Rose-cheeked Cypress, she laid her head on the pillow of sickness;\nand in the flower-garden of her beauty, in place of the Damask Rose,\nsprang up the branch of the Saffron. Her fresh Jasmine, from the\nviolence of the burning illness, lost its moisture, and her Hyacinth,\nfull of curls, lost all its endurance from the fever that consumed her.\u201d\n\nIt was with the classic Greeks, however, that floral symbolism reached\nits zenith: not only did the Hellenic race entertain an extraordinary\npassion for flowers, but with consummate skill they devised a code\nof floral types and emblems adapted to all phases of public and\nprivate life. As Loudon writes, when speaking of the emblematic use\nmade by the Greeks of flowers:--\u201cNot only were they then, as now, the\nornament of a beauty, and of the altars of the gods, but the youths\ncrowned themselves with them in the f\u00eates, the priests in religious\nceremonies, and the guests in convivial meetings. Garlands of flowers\nwere suspended from the gates of the city in the times of rejoicing ...\nthe philosophers wore crowns of flowers, and the warriors ornamented\ntheir foreheads with them in times of triumph.\u201d The Romans, although\nthey adopted most of the floral symbolic lore of their Hellenic\npredecessors, and in the case of emblematic garlands were particularly\nrefined, were still evidently not so passionately fond of floral\nsymbolism as were the Greeks; and with the decadence of the Empire, the\nattractive art gradually fell into oblivion.\n\nThe science of plant symbolism may, if we accept the views of Miss\nMarshall, a writer on the subject,[16] be classified into five\ndivisions. These are, firstly, plants which are symbols, pure and\nsimple, of the Great Unknown God, or Heaven Father; and embrace those,\nthe form, colour, or other peculiarities of which led the priests,\nthe early thinkers to the community, the medicine-men, magicians, and\nothers, to associate them with ideas of the far-distant, unknown,\nincomprehensible, and overwhelming--the destructive forces of Nature.\nSuch plants were used as hieroglyphics for these ideas, and became\nsymbols of the Deity or Supreme Power. To these visible symbols belong\nplants such as the Lily, Onion, flowers of heavenly blue colour\n(symbolising the blue sky), and leaves threefold or triangular,\nsymbolising God the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer.\n\n[16] \u2018Plant Symbolism,\u2019 in \u2018Natural History Notes,\u2019 Vol. II.\n\nSecondly, the plants symbolising or suggesting portions or organs\nof the human body, internal and external, which to the earliest of\nmankind, and certainly to the Egyptian embalmers, were organs of\nmystery and importance; such is the heart, the first to beat in the\nf\u0153tal, and the last to cease pulsating in the adult organism, &c. To\nthis section belong heart-shaped leaves and petals; and where, as in\nthe Shamrock, there is united the threefold emblem and the heart-shaped\nleaf, there is a doubly sacred idea united with the form. To this\nsection belong also plants and fruits such as the Fig, Pomegranate, &c.\n\nThe third section comprises plants that were consecrated or set apart\nas secret and sacred, because those who possessed the knowledge of\ntheir powers made use of them to awe the ignorant people of their race.\nThese plants were supposed to be under the control of the good or\nevil powers. They were the narcotics, the stupefying or the exciting\nvegetable drugs. The sacred incense in all temples was compounded of\nthese, and their use has been, and still is, common to all countries;\nand as some of these compounds produced extraordinary or deadly\neffects, as the very dust of the burnt incense, when mixed with water,\nand drunk, brought on a violent and agonising death, while the fumes\nmight merely produce delightful and enticing ecstacy, making men\nand women eloquent and seemingly inspired, the knowledge was wisely\nkept secret from the people, and severe penalties--sometimes even\ndeath--awaited those who illegally imitated, compounded, or used these\ndrugs. To this section belong the plants used to make the Chinese and\nJapanese joss, as well as Opium, Tobacco, Stramonium, and various\nopiates now well known.\n\nThe fourth section comprises those plants which in all countries have\nbeen observed to bear some resemblance to parts of the human body.\nSuch plants were valued and utilised as heaven-sent guides in the\ntreatment of the ills flesh is heir to; and they are the herbs whose\npopular names among the inhabitants of every land have become \u201cfamiliar\nin their mouths as household words.\u201d To such belong the Birth-wort,\nKidney-wort, Lung-wort, Liver-wort, Pile-wort, Nit-grass, Tooth-cress,\nHeart-clover, and many others known to the ancient herbalists. It was\ntheir endeavours to find out whether or no the curious forms, spots,\nand markings of such plants really indicated their curative powers,\nthat led to the properties of other herbs being discovered, and a\nsuggestive nomenclature being adopted for them, such as is found in the\nnames Eyebright, Flea-bane, Canker-weed, Hunger-grass, Stone-break, &c.\n\nLastly, in the fifth section of symbolical plants we come to those\nwhich point to a time when symbols were expressed by letters, such\nas appear on the Martagon Lily--the true poetical Hyacinth of the\nGreeks--on the petals of which are traced the woeful AI, AI,--the\nexpression of the grief of Ph\u0153bus at the death of the fair Adonis.\n\n            \u201cIn the flower he weaved\n  The sad impression of his sighs; which bears\n  _Ai_, _Ai_, displayed in funeral characters.\u201d\n\nIn this section also are included plants which exhibit in some portion\nof their structure typical markings, such as the _Astragalus_, which in\nits root depicts the stars; the Banana, whose fruit, when cut, exhibits\na representation of the Holy Cross; and the Bracken Fern, whose stem,\nwhen sliced, exhibits traces of letters which are sometimes used for\nthe purposes of love divination. In Ireland, however, the _Pteris\naquilina_ is called the Fern of God, because the people imagine that\nif the stem be cut into three sections, on the first of these sections\nwill be seen the letter G, on the second O, and on the third D--forming\nthe sacred word God.\n\nIn the science of plant symbols, not only the names, but the forms,\nperfumes, and properties of plants have to be considered, as well\nas the numerical arrangements of their parts. Thus of all sacred\nsymbolical plants, those consisting of petals or calyx-sepals, or\nleaves, divided into the number Five, were formerly held in peculiar\nreverence, because among the races of antiquity five was for ages a\nsacred number. The reason of this is thus explained by Bunsen:--\u201cIt\nis well known,\u201d he says, \u201cthat the numeral _one_, the undivided, the\neternal, is placed in antithesis to all other numerals. The figure four\nincluded the perfect ten, as 1+2+3+4=10. So four represents the All\nof the universe. Now if we put these together, 4+1 will be the sign\nof the whole God-Universe.\u201d _Three_ is a number sacred to the most\nancient as well as modern worship. Pythagoras called it the perfect\nnumber, expressive of \u201cbeginning, middle, and end,\u201d and therefore he\nmade it a symbol of deity. _Three_ therefore plays its _r\u00f4le_ in plant\nsymbology. Thus the _Emblica officinalis_, one of the sacred plants of\nIndia, was once the exclusive property of the priests, who kept its\nmedicinal virtues secret: it was held in peculiar reverence because of\nits flowers possessing a six-parted calyx; three stamens, combined;\nthree dichotomous styles; a fleshy fruit, tricoccous and six-seeded;\nthese being all the sacred or double number of _Three_. In later days,\nthe Shamrock or Trefoil, and the Pansy, or Herb Trinity, were regarded\nas symbolising the Trinity. Cruciform flowers are, at the present day,\nall regarded as of good omen, having been marked with the Sign of the\nCross, and thus symbolising Redemption.\n\nThe presence of flowers as symbols and language on the monuments of\nAssyria, Babylon, Egypt, India, and other countries of the past,\nand the graceful floral adornments sculptured on the temples of the\nGr\u00e6co-Roman period, demonstrate how great a part flower and plant\nsymbolism played in the early history of mankind. The Jews, learning\nthe art from the Egyptians, preserved it in their midst, and introduced\nplant emblems in their Tabernacle, in their Temple, and on the garments\nof the priests. Flowers with golden rays became symbols of the Sun;\nand as the Sun was the giver of life and warmth, the bringer of\nfertility, the symbolic flowers stood as symbol-words for these great\ngifts; and gradually all the mysterious phenomena connected with birth,\nreproduction, and fecundity, were represented in plant, flower, and\nfruit symbolism; for not only were flowers early used as a pictorial\nlanguage, but the priests made use of fruits, herbs, shrubs, and trees\nto symbolise light, life, warmth, and generation. Let us take a few\nexamples:--When in the Spring, church altars and fonts are piously\nadorned with white Lilies, which are, in some countries, carried about,\nworn, and presented by ladies to each other in the month of May, few\nof them, we may be sure, imagine that they are perpetuating the plant\nsymbolism of the Sun-worship of ancient Egypt. Miss Marshall tells us\nthat \u201cin Catholic countries the yellow anthers are carefully removed;\ntheir white filaments alone are left, not, as folks think, that the\nflower may remain pure white, but that the fecundating or male organs\nbeing removed, the Lilies may be true flower symbols or visible words\nfor pure virgins; for the white dawn as yet unwedded to the day--for\nthe pure cold Spring as yet yielding no blossoms and Summer fruits.\u201d\n\nOf the flowers consecrated to their deities by the symbol-worshipper of\nIndia and Egypt, the most prominent is the sacred Lotus, whose leaf was\nthe \u201cemblem and cradle of creative might.\u201d It was anciently revered in\nEgypt as it is now in Hindustan, Thibet, and Nepaul, where the people\nbelieve it was in the consecrated bosom of this plant that Brahma was\nborn, and that Osiris delights to float. From its peculiar organisation\nthe Lotus is virtually self-productive: hence it became the symbol of\nthe reproductive power of all nature, and was worshipped as a symbol of\nthe All-Creative Power. The same floral symbol occurs wherever in the\nnorthern hemisphere symbolic religion has prevailed. The sacred images\nof the Tartars, Japanese, and Indians are almost all represented as\nresting upon Lotus-leaves. The Chinese divinity, Puzza, is seated in\na Lotus, and the Japanese god is represented sitting in a Water-Lily.\nThe Onion was formerly held in the highest esteem as a religious\nsymbol in the mysterious solemnities and divinations of the Egyptians\nand Hindus. In the first place, its delicate red veins and fibres\nrendered it an object of veneration, as typifying the blood, at the\nshedding of which the Hindu shudders. Secondly, it was regarded as an\nastronomical emblem, for on cutting through it, there appeared beneath\nthe external coat a succession of orbs, one within another, in regular\norder, after the manner of revolving spheres. The Rose has been made a\nsymbolic flower in every age. In the East, it is the emblem of virtue\nand loveliness. The Egyptians made it a symbol of silence; the Romans\nregarded it as typical of festivity. In modern times it is considered\nthe appropriate symbol of beauty and love,--the half-expanded bud\nrepresenting the first dawn of the sublime passion, and the full-blown\nflower the maturity of perfect love. The Asphodel, like the Hyacinth\nof the ancients, was regarded as an emblem of grief and sorrow. The\nMyrtle, from its being dedicated to Venus, was sacred as a symbol of\nlove and beauty. White flowers were held to be typical of light and\ninnocence, and were consecrated to virgins. Sombre and dark-foliaged\nplants were held to be typical of disaster and death.\n\nThe floral symbols of the Scriptures are worthy of notice. From the\ncircumstance of Elijah having been sheltered from the persecutions of\nKing Ahab by the Juniper, that tree has become a symbol of succour\nor an asylum. The Almond was an emblem of haste and vigilance to\nthe Hebrew writers; with Eastern poets, however, it was regarded as\na symbol of hope. Throughout the East, the Aloe is regarded as a\nreligious symbol, and is greatly venerated. It is expressive of grief\nand bitterness, and is religiously planted by the Mahommedans at the\nextremity of every grave. Burckhardt says that they call it by the\nArabic name _Saber_, signifying patience--a singularly appropriate\nname; for as the plant is evergreen, it whispers to those who mourn\nfor the loved ones they have lost, _patience_ in their affliction.\nThe Clover is another sacred plant symbol. St. Patrick chose it as an\nemblem of the Trinity when engaged in converting the Irish, who have\never since, in the Shamrock, regarded it as a representative plant. The\nDruids thought very highly of the Trefoil because its leaf symbolised\nthe three departments of nature--the earth, the sea, and the heaven.\n\nBut of all plant symbols, none can equal in beauty or sanctity the\nPassion Flower, the lovely blossom of which, when first met with by the\nSpanish conquerors of the New World, suggested to their enthusiastic\nimagination the story of our Saviour\u2019s Passion. The Jesuits professed\nto find in the several parts of the Maracot the crown of thorns, the\nscourge, the pillar, the sponge, the nails, and the five wounds, and\nthey issued drawings representing the flower with its inflorescence\ndistorted to suit their statements regarding its almost miraculous\ncharacter. John Parkinson, in his _Paradisus Terrestris_ (1629), gives\na good figure of the Virginian species of the plant, as well as an\nengraving of \u201cThe Jesuites Figure of the Maracoc--_Granadillus Frutex\nIndicus Christi Passionis Imago_.\u201d But, as a good Protestant, he feels\nbound to enter his protest against the superstitious regard paid to the\nflower by the Roman Catholics, and so he writes: \u201cSome superstitious\nJesuites would fain make men believe that in the flower of this plant\nare to be seen all the markes of our Saviour\u2019s Passion: and therefore\ncall it _Flos Passionis_: and to that end have caused figures to be\ndrawn and printed, with all the parts proportioned out, as thornes,\nnailes, spear, whip, pillar, &c., in it, and as true as the sea burns,\nwhich you may well perceive by the true figure taken to the life of\nthe plant, compared with the figure set forth by the Jesuites, which\nI have placed here likewise for everyone to see: but these be their\nadvantageous lies (which with them are tolerable, or rather pious and\nmeritorious) wherewith they use to instruct their people; but I dare\nsay, God never willed His priests to instruct His people with lies: for\nthey come from the Devill, the author of them.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: The Passion-flower of the Jesuits. From _Parkinson\u2019s\nParadisus_.]\n\nIn early times, it was customary in Europe to employ particular colours\nfor the purpose of indicating ideas and feelings, and in France where\nthe symbolical meaning of colours was formed into a regular system,\nmuch importance was attached to the art of symbolising by the selection\nof particular colours for dresses, ornaments, &c. In this way, flowers\nof various hues became the apt media of conveying ideas and feelings;\nand in the ages of chivalry the enamoured knight often indicated his\npassion by wearing a single blossom or posy of many-hued flowers. In\nthe romance of _Perceforet_, a hat adorned with Roses is celebrated as\na favourite gift of love; and in _Amadis de Gaule_, the captive Oriana\nis represented as throwing to her lover a Rose wet with tears, as the\nsweetest pledge of her unalterable faith. Red was recognised as the\ncolour of love, and therefore the Rose, on account of its tint, was a\nfavourite emblem. Of the various allegorical meanings which were in the\nMiddle Ages attached to this lovely flower, a description will be found\nin the celebrated _Romaunt de la Rose_, which was commenced in the year\n1620 by Guillaume de Lorris, and finished forty years later by Jean de\nMeung.\n\nIn France, during the Middle Ages, flowers were much employed as\nemblems of love and friendship. At the banquet given in celebration of\nthe marriage of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, with the English\nPrincess, Margaret, several ingenious automata were introduced, one\nbeing a large unicorn, bearing on its back a leopard, which held\nin one claw the standard of England, and on the other a Daisy, or\n_Marguerite_. The unicorn having gone round all the tables, halted\nbefore the Duke; and one of the _ma\u00eetres d\u2019h\u00f4tel_, taking the Daisy\nfrom the leopard\u2019s claw, presented it, with a complimentary address, to\nthe royal bridegroom.\n\nIn the same country, an act of homage, unique in its kind, was paid\nto a lady in the early part of the seventeenth century. The Duke of\nMontausier, on obtaining the promise of the hand of Mademoiselle de\nRambouillet, sent to her, according to custom, every morning till\nthat fixed for the nuptials, a bouquet composed of the finest flowers\nof the season. But this was not all: on the morning of New Year\u2019s\nDay, 1634--the day appointed for the marriage--he laid upon her\ndressing-table a magnificently-bound folio volume, on the parchment\nleaves of which the most skilful artists of the day had painted\nfrom nature a series of the choicest flowers cultivated at that\ntime in Europe. The first poets of Paris contributed the poetical\nillustrations, which were written by the cleverest penmen under the\ndifferent flowers. The most celebrated of these madrigals, composed\nby Chapelain on the Crown Imperial, represented that superb flower as\nhaving sprung from the blood of Gustavus Adolphus, who fell in the\nbattle of L\u00fctzen; and thus paid, in the name of the Swedish hero, a\ndelicate compliment to the bride, who was a professed admirer of his\ncharacter. According to a statement published some years since, this\nmagnificent volume, which was called, after the name of the lady, the\nGarland of Julia, was disposed of, in 1784, at the sale of the Duke de\nla Valli\u00e8re\u2019s effects, for fifteen thousand five hundred and ten livres\n(about \u00a3650), and was brought to England.\n\nThe floral emblems of Shakspeare are evidence of the great poet\u2019s\nfondness for flowers and his delicate appreciation of their uses\nand similitudes. In \u2018A Winter\u2019s Tale,\u2019 Perdita is made to present\nappropriate flowers to her visitors, symbolical of their various ages;\nbut the most remarkable of Shakspeare\u2019s floral symbols occur where\npoor Ophelia is wearing, in her madness, \u201cfantastic garlands of wild\nflowers\u201d--denoting the bewildered state of her faculties.\n\nThe order of these flowers runs thus, with the meaning of each term\nbeneath:--\n\n   CROW FLOWERS.    NETTLES.        DAISIES.       LONG PURPLES.\n\n   Fayre Mayde.     Stung to the    Her Virgin     Under the cold\n                      Quick.          Bloom.       hand of Death.\n\n  \u201cA fair maid, stung to the quick; her virgin bloom under the cold hand\n  of death.\u201d\n\nProbably no wreath could have been selected more truly typifying the\nsorrows of this beautiful victim of disappointed love and filial sorrow.\n\nThe most noted code of floral signs, used as a language by the Turkish\nand Greek women in the Levant, and by the African females on the coast\nof Barbary, was introduced into Western Europe by Lady Mary Wortley\nMontagu and La Mortraie, the companion in exile of Charles XII., and\nobtained in France and England much popularity as the \u201cTurkish Language\nof Flowers.\u201d This language is said to be much employed in the Turkish\nharems, where the women practise it, either for the sake of mere\ndiversion in their seclusion, or for carrying on secret communication.\n\nIn France and Germany, the language of flowers has taken deep root,\nand in our own country the poetic symbolisms of Shakspeare, Chaucer,\nHerrick, Drayton, and others of the earlier bards, laid the groundwork\nfor the very complete system of floral emblemism, or language of\nflowers, which we now possess. A great many works have been published,\ncontaining floral codes, or dictionaries: most of these, however,\npossess but little merit as expositions of old symbols or traditions,\nand have been compiled principally from modern sources.\n\nAn ancient floral vocabulary, taken from Dierbach\u2019s _Flora Mythologica\nder Griechen und R\u00f6mer_, and an approved modern English \u2018Dictionary of\nFlowers,\u2019 are appended, in order to make this portion of our subject\ncomplete.\n\n\nAncient Floral Vocabulary.\n\n  Absinth                     The Bitterness and Torments of Love.\n  Acacia                      Love, pure and platonic.\n  Acanthus                    Love of Fine Arts.\n  Althea                      Exquisite Sweetness.\n  Amaranth                    Fidelity and Constancy.\n  Anemone                     Abandonment.\n  Angelica                    Gentle Melancholy.\n  Argentine                   Ingenuity.\n  Aster                       Elegance.\n  Balsam                      Impatience.\n  Basil                       Poverty.\n  Betony                      Emotion and Surprise.\n  Bindweed                    Coquetry.\n  Bluet                       Clearness and Light.\n  Box                         Firmness and Stoicism.\n  Bramble                     Injustice and Envy.\n  Burdock                     Importunity.\n  Buttercup                   Sarcasm.\n  Calendula                   Anxiety.\n  Camellia                    Constancy and Steadfastness.\n  Carrot                      Good Character.\n  Cinquefoil                  Maternal Love.\n  Colchicum                   Bad Character.\n  Cypress                     Mourning and Grief.\n  Dahlia                      Sterile Abundance.\n  Daisy (Easter)              Candour and Innocence.\n  Dandelion                   Oracle.\n  Darnel                      Vice.\n  Digitalis                   Work.\n  Dittany                     Discretion.\n  Elder                       Humility.\n  Ephemeris                   Transient Happiness.\n  Everlasting Flwr.           Constancy.\n  Fennel                      Merit.\n  Fern                        Confidence.\n  Forget-me-not               Faithful Remembrance.\n  Foxglove                    Adulation.\n  Fuchsia                     Amiability.\n  Fumitory                    Hatred.\n  Geranium                    Folly.\n  Hawthorn                    Sweet Hope.\n  Heliotrope                  Eternal Love.\n  Hellebore                   Wit.\n  Hemlock                     Perfidy.\n  Holly                       Defence.\n  Honeysuckle                 Bond of Affection.\n  Hyacinth                    Amenity.\n  Hydrangea                   Coldness.\n  Iris                        Indifference.\n  Ivy                         Attachment.\n  Jasmine                     Amiability.\n  Jonquil                     Amorous Languor.\n  Jujube-tree                 Relief.\n  Larkspur                    Open Heart.\n  Laurel                      Victory and Glory.\n  Lavender                    Silence.\n  Lilac                       First Troubles of Love.\n  Lily                        Purity and Majesty.\n  Maidenhair                  Bond of Love.\n  Marjoram                    Consolation.\n  Marvel of Peru              Flame of Love.\n  Mallow                      Maternal Tenderness.\n  Mint                        Wisdom and Virtue.\n  Milfoil                     Cure and Recovery.\n  Moonwort                    Bad Payment.\n  Myrtle                      Love.\n  Narcissus                   Self-esteem and Fatuity.\n  Nettle                      Cruelty.\n  Olive                       Peace.\n  Orange-tree                 Virginity, Generosity.\n  Peony                       Shame.\n  Periwinkle                  Unalterable Friendship.\n  Pineapple                   Perfection.\n  Pink                        Pure and Ardent Love.\n  Poppy                       Sleep.\n  Privet                      Youth.\n  Rose                        Beauty and Love.\n  Rosemary                    Power of Re-kindling extinct Energy.\n  Rue                         Fecundity of Fields.\n  Sage                        Esteem.\n  Sensitive-plant             Modesty.\n  Solanum                     Prodigality.\n  Spindle-tree                Ineffaceable Memory.\n  Strawberry                  Intoxication, Delight.\n  Thyme                       Spontaneous Emotion.\n  Trefoil                     Uncertainty.\n  Tulip                       Grandeur.\n  Valerian                    Readiness.\n  Vervain                     Pure Affection.\n  Viburnum                    Coolness.\n  Violet                      Modesty.\n\n\nA Dictionary of Flowers.\n\n  Acacia                      Friendship.\n  ---- Rose                   Elegance.\n  Acanthus                    The Arts.\n  Achillea millefolia         War.\n  Adonis, Flos                Painful Recollections.\n  Agrimony                    Thankfulness.\n  Almond-tree                 Indiscretion.\n  Aloe                        Grief.\n  Amaranth                    Immortality.\n  Amaryllis                   Pride.\n  Anemone                     Forsaken.\n  ---- Field                  Sickness.\n  Angelica                    Inspiration.\n  Angrec                      Royalty.\n  Apple-blossom               Preference.\n  Ash-tree                    Grandeur.\n  Asphodel                    My regrets follow you to the grave.\n  Aster, China                Variety.\n  ----                        After-Thought.\n  Balm of Gilead              Cure.\n  ---- Gentle                 Joking.\n  Balsam                      Impatience.\n  Barberry                    Sourness of Temper.\n  Basil                       Hate.\n  Beech                       Prosperity.\n  Bilberry                    Treachery.\n  Bladder-nut                 Frivolous Amusement.\n  Borage                      Bluntness.\n  Box-tree                    Stoicism.\n  Bramble                     Envy.\n  Broom                       Humility and Neatness.\n  Buckbean                    Calm Repose.\n  Bugloss                     Falsehood.\n  Bulrush                     Indiscretion.\n  Burdock                     Touch me not.\n  Buttercup                   Ingratitude.\n  Cactus, Virginia            Horror.\n  Canterbury Bell             Constancy.\n  Catchfly                    Snare.\n  Champignon                  Suspicion.\n  Cherry-tree                 Good Education.\n  Chesnut-tree                Do me Justice.\n  Chicory                     Frugality.\n  Cinquefoil                  Beloved Daughter.\n  Circ\u00e6a                      Spell.\n  Clematis                    Artifice.\n  Clotbur                     Rudeness.\n  Clove-tree                  Dignity.\n  Columbine                   Folly.\n  Convolvulus (night)         Night.\n  Coriander                   Hidden Merit.\n  Corn                        Riches.\n  Corn-bottle                 Delicacy.\n  Cornel Cherry               Durability.\n  Cowslip, Amer.              You are my Divinity.\n  Cress                       Resolution.\n  Crown Imperial              Power.\n  Cuscuta                     Meanness.\n  Cypress                     Mourning.\n  Daffodil                    Self Love.\n  Daisy                       Innocence.\n  ---- Garden                 I share your sentiments.\n  ---- Wild                   I will think of it.\n  Dandelion                   The Rustic Oracle.\n  Day Lily, Yellow            Coquetry.\n  Dittany                     Childbirth.\n  Dock                        Patience.\n  Dodder                      Meanness.\n  Ebony-tree                  Blackness.\n  Eglantine                   Poetry.\n  Fennel                      Strength.\n  Fig                         Longevity.\n  Fir-tree                    Elevations.\n  Flax                        I feel your kindness.\n  Flower-de-Luce              Flame.\n  Forget-Me-Not               Forget me not.\n  Fraxinella                  Fire.\n  Fuller\u2019s Teasel             Misanthropy.\n  Geranium                    Deceit.\n  ---- Oak-leaved             True Friendship.\n  ---- Silver-leaved          Recall.\n  ---- Pencilled-leaf         Ingenuity.\n  ---- Rose-scented           Preference.\n  ---- Scarlet                Stupidity.\n  ---- Sorrowful              Melancholy Mind.\n  ---- Wild                   Steadfast Piety.\n  Grass                       Utility.\n  Hawthorn                    Hope.\n  Hazel                       Peace, Reconciliation.\n  Heart\u2019s Ease                Think of me.\n  Heath                       Solitude.\n  Heliotrope, Peruvian        Devoted Attachment.\n  Hellenium                   Tears.\n  Hepatica                    Confidence.\n  Holly                       Foresight.\n  Hollyhock                   Ambition.\n  Honeysuckle                 Generous and Devoted Affection.\n  Hop                         Injustice.\n  Hornbeam                    Ornament.\n  Horse-Chesnut               Luxury.\n  Hortensia                   You are cold.\n  Hyacinth                    Game, Play.\n  Ice-plant                   Your looks freeze me.\n  Ipom\u0153a                      I attach myself to you.\n  Iris                        Message.\n  Ivy                         Friendship.\n  Jasmine                     Amiability.\n  ---- Carolina               Separation.\n  Jonquil                     Desire.\n  Juniper                     Protection.\n  Larch                       Boldness.\n  Larkspur                    Lightness.\n  Laurel                      Glory.\n  Laurustinus                 I die if neglected.\n  Lavender                    Mistrust.\n  Leaves, Dead                Sadness, Melancholy.\n  Lilac                       First Emotions of Love.\n  ---- White                  Youth.\n  Lily                        Majesty.\n  Lily of the Valley          Return of Happiness.\n  Linden-tree                 Conjugal Love.\n  Liverwort                   Confidence.\n  London Pride                Frivolity.\n  Lotus                       Eloquence.\n  Lucern                      Life.\n  Madder                      Calumny.\n  Maidenhair                  Secrecy.\n  Mallow                      Beneficence.\n  Manchineel-tree             Falsehood.\n  Maple                       Reserve.\n  Mandrake                    Rarity.\n  Marigold                    Grief.\n  ---- Prophetic              Prediction.\n  ---- and Cypress            Despair.\n  Marvel of Peru              Timidity.\n  Meadow Saffron              My best days are past.\n  Mezereon                    Coquetry. Desire to please.\n  Mignonette                  Your qualities surpass your charms.\n  Milkwort                    Hermitage.\n  Mistletoe                   I surmount all difficulties.\n  Moonwort                    Forgetfulness.\n  Moss                        Maternal Love.\n  Mulberry-tree, Black        I shall not survive you.\n  ---- White                  Wisdom.\n  Musk-plant                  Weakness.\n  Myrobalan                   Privation.\n  Myrtle                      Love.\n  Narcissus                   Self Love.\n  Nettle                      Cruelty.\n  Nightshade, Bitter-sweet    Truth.\n  ---- Enchanter\u2019s            Spell.\n  Nosegay                     Gallantry.\n  Oak                         Hospitality.\n  Olive                       Peace.\n  Ophrys, Spider              Skill.\n  Orange Flower               Chastity.\n  ---- Tree                   Generosity.\n  Orchis, Bee                 Error.\n  Palm                        Victory.\n  Parsley                     Festivity.\n  Passion Flower              Faith.\n  Peony                       Shame, Bashfulness.\n  Peppermint                  Warmth of Feeling.\n  Periwinkle                  Tender Recollections.\n  Pineapple                   You are perfect.\n  Pink                        Pure Love.\n  ---- Yellow                 Disdain.\n  Plane-tree                  Genius.\n  Plum-tree                   Keep your promises.\n  ---- Wild                   Independence.\n  Poplar, black               Courage.\n  ---- White                  Time.\n  Poppy                       Consolation.\n  ----                        Sleep.\n  ---- White                  My bane, my antidote.\n  Potato                      Beneficence.\n  Primrose                    Childhood.\n  ---- Evening                Inconstancy.\n  Privet                      Prohibition.\n  Quince                      Temptation.\n  Ranunculus                  You are radiant with charms.\n  Reeds                       Music.\n  Rose                        Love.\n  ---- 100-leaved             Grace.\n  ---- Monthly                Beauty ever new.\n  ---- Musk                   Capricious Beauty.\n  ---- Single                 Simplicity.\n  ---- White                  Silence.\n  ---- Withered               Fleeting Beauty.\n  ---- Yellow                 Infidelity.\n  Rosebud                     A Young Girl.\n  ---- White                  A Heart unacquainted with Love.\n  Rosemary                    Your presence revives me.\n  Rue, Wild                   Morals.\n  Rush                        Docility.\n  Saffron                     Beware of excess.\n  Sage                        Esteem.\n  Sainfoin, Shaking           Agitation.\n  St. John\u2019s Wort             Superstition.\n  Sardonia                    Irony.\n  Sensitive-plant             Chastity.\n  Snapdragon                  Presumption.\n  Snowdrop                    Hope.\n  Sorrel, Wood                Joy.\n  Speedwell                   Fidelity.\n  Spindle-tree                Your charms are engraven on my heart.\n  Star of Bethlehem           Purity.\n  Stock                       Lasting Beauty.\n  ---- Ten Week               Promptness.\n  Stone Crop                  Tranquillity.\n  Straw, Broken               Rupture of a Contract.\n  ---- Whole                  Union.\n  Strawberry                  Perfection.\n  Sunflower                   False Riches.\n  Sweet Sultan                Happiness.\n  Sweet William               Finesse.\n  Sycamore                    Curiosity.\n  Syringa                     Fraternal Love.\n  Tansy, Wild                 I declare war against you.\n  Tendrils of Creepers        Ties.\n  Thistle                     Surliness.\n  Thorn Apple                 Deceitful Charms.\n  Thrift                      Sympathy.\n  Thyme                       Activity.\n  Tremella Nostoc             Resistance.\n  Truffle                     Surprise.\n  Tuberose                    Dangerous Pleasures.\n  Tulip                       Declaration of Love.\n  Tussilage, Sweet-scented    Justice shall be done to you.\n  Valerian                    An Accommodating Disposition.\n  Valerian, Greek             Rupture.\n  Venus\u2019 Looking-glass        Flattery.\n  Veronica                    Fidelity.\n  Vervain                     Enchantment.\n  Vine                        Intoxication.\n  Violet                      Modesty.\n  Violet, White               Innocence, Candour.\n  Wallflower                  Fidelity in Misfortune.\n  Walnut                      Stratagem.\n  Whortleberry                Treachery.\n  Willow, Weeping             Mourning.\n  Wormwood                    Absence.\n  Yew                         Sorrow.\n\nIn the chapter on Magic Plants will be found a list of plants used by\nmaidens and their lovers for the purposes of divination; and in Part\nII., under the respective headings of the plants thus alluded to, will\nbe found described the several modes of divination. This practice of\nlove divination, it will be seen, is not altogether unconnected with\nthe symbolical meaning or language of flowers, and therefore it is here\nagain adverted to.\n\nIn many countries it is customary to pluck off the petals of the\nMarigold, or some other flower of a similar nature, while certain\nwords are repeated, for the purpose of divining the character of an\nindividual. G\u00f6the, in his tragedy of \u2018Faust,\u2019 has touched upon this\nrustic superstition, and makes Margaret pluck off the leaves of a\nflower, at the same time alternately repeating the words--\u201cHe loves\nme,\u201d--\u201cHe loves me not.\u201d On coming to the last leaf, she joyously\nexclaims--\u201cHe love me!\u201d--and Faust says: \u201cLet this flower pronounce the\ndecree of heaven!\u201d\n\n  \u201cAnd with scarlet Poppies around, like a bower,\n  The maiden found her mystic flower.\n  \u2018Now, gentle flower, I pray thee tell\n  If my lover loves me, and loves me well;\n  So may the fall of the morning dew\n  Keep the sun from fading thy tender blue.\n  Now must I number the leaves for my lot--\n  He loves me not--loves me--he loves me not--\n  He loves me--ah! yes, thou last leaf, yes--\n  I\u2019ll pluck thee not for that last sweet guess!\n  He loves me!\u2019--\u2018Yes,\u2019 a dear voice sighed,\n  And her lover stands by Margaret\u2019s side.\u201d--_Miss Landon._\n\nIn some places, the following mode of floral divination is resorted to.\nThe lover, male or female, who wishes to ascertain the character of the\nbeloved one, draws by lot one of the following flowers, the symbolical\nmeaning attached to which will give the information desired:--\n\n   1.--Ranunculus           Enterprising.\n   2.--Wild  Pink           Silly.\n   3.--Auricula             Base.\n   4.--Blue Cornflower      Loquacious.\n   5.--Wild Orach           Lazy.\n   6.--Daisy                Gentle.\n   7.--Tulip                Ostentatious.\n   8.--Jonquil              Obstinate.\n   9.--Orange-flower        Hasty.\n  10.--Rose                 Submissive.\n  11.--Amaranth             Arbitrary.\n  12.--Stock                Avaricious.\n  13.--Spanish              Passionate.\n  14.--Asphodel             Languishing.\n  15.--Tricolour            Selfish.\n  16.--Tuberose             Ambitious.\n  17.--Jasmine              Cheerful.\n  18.--Heart\u2019s Ease         Delicate.\n  19.--Lily                 Sincere.\n  20.--Fritillary           Coquettish.\n  21.--Snapdragon           Presumptuous.\n  22.--Carnation            Capricious.\n  23.--Marigold             Jealous.\n  24.--Everlasting Flower   Constant.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nFuneral Trees and Plants.\n\n\nThe association of certain trees and plants with death and its gloomy\nsurroundings dates from a period remote and shadowy in its antiquity.\nAllusions to it are found in the most ancient writings and records,\nand through one of these (the Sanscrit _Mah\u00e2bh\u00e2rata_) we learn that\nPit\u00e2 Mah\u00e2, the great Creator, after having created the world, reposed\nunder the tree _Salmal\u00ee_, the leaves of which the winds cannot stir.\nOne of the Sanscrit names applied to this tree is _Kantakadruma_,\nTree of Thorns; and on account of the great size and strength of its\nspines, it is stated to have been placed as a tree of punishment in the\ninfernal regions, and to have been known as the Tree of Yama (the Hindu\ngod of death). Yama is also spoken of as the dispenser of the ambrosia\nof immortality, which flows from the fruit of the celestial tree in\nParadise (_Ficus Indica_), and which is known in India as the tree dear\nto Yama. As king of the spirits of the departed, Yama dwells near the\ntree. Hel, the Scandinavian goddess of death, has her abode among the\nroots of Yggdrasill, by the side of one of the fountains. M\u00eemir, who,\naccording to Scandinavian mythology, gives his name to the fountain of\nlife, is also a king of the dead. The ancients entertained the belief\nthat, on the road traversed by the souls of the departed, there grew a\ncertain tree, the fruit of which was the symbol of eternal life. In the\nElysian Fields, where dwelt the spirits of the virtuous in the gloomy\nregions reigned over by Pluto, whole plains were covered with Asphodel,\nflowers which were placed by the Greeks and Romans on the graves of the\ndeparted as symbolic of the future life. In France, at the beginning of\nthe Christian era, the faithful, with some mystical idea, were wont to\nscatter on the bottom of coffins, beneath the corpses, seeds of various\nplants--probably to typify life from the dead.\n\nThe belief in a future existence doubtless led to the custom of\nplanting trees on tombs, especially the Cypress, which was regarded\nas typical both of life and death. The tree growing over the grave,\none can easily imagine, was looked upon by the ancient races as an\nemblem of the soul of the departed become immortal. Evelyn remarks, on\nthis point, that trees and perennial plants are the most natural and\ninstructive hieroglyphics of our expected resurrection and immortality,\nand that they conduce to the meditation of the living, and the removal\nof their cogitations from the sphere of vanity and worldliness. This\nobservant writer descants upon the predilection exhibited by the early\ninhabitants of the world for burial beneath trees, and points out\nthat the venerable Deborah was interred under an Oak at Bethel, and\nthat the bones of Saul and his three sons were buried under the Oak\nat Jabesh-Gilead. He tells us also that one use made by the ancients\nof sacred groves was to place in their nemorous shades the bodies of\ntheir dead: and that he had read of some nations whose people were wont\nto hang, not only malefactors, but also their departed friends, and\nthose whom they most esteemed, upon trees, as being so much nearer to\nheaven, and dedicated to God; believing it far more honourable than to\nbe buried in the earth. He adds that \u201cthe same is affirmed of other\nseptentrional people;\u201d and points out that Propertius seems to allude\nto some such custom in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cThe gods forbid my bones in the high road\n  Should lie, by every wand\u2019ring vulgar trod;\n  Thus buried lovers are to scorn expos\u2019d,\n  My tomb in some bye-arbor be inclos\u2019d.\u201d\n\nThe ancients were wont to hang their criminals either to barren trees,\nor to those dedicated to the infernal gods; and we find that in\nMaundevile\u2019s time the practice of hanging corpses on trees existed in\nthe Indies, or, at any rate, on an island which he describes as being\ncalled Caffolos. He gives a sketch of a tree, probably a Palm, with\na man suspended from it, and remarks that \u201cMen of that Contree, whan\nhere Frendes ben seke, thei hangen hem upon Trees; and seyn, that it is\nbettre that briddes, that ben Angeles of God, eten hem, than the foul\nWormes of the Erthe.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: The Tree of Death. From _Maundevile\u2019s Travels_.]\n\nWe have, in a previous chapter, seen that among the Bengalese there\nstill exists the practice of hanging sickly infants in baskets upon\ntrees, and leaving them there to die. Certain of the wild tribes of\nIndia--the Puharris, for example--when burying their infants, place\nthem in earthen pots, and strew leaves over them: these pots they\ndeposit at the foot of trees, sometimes covering them over with\nbrushwood. Similar burial is given to those who die of measles or\nsmall-pox: the corpse is placed at the foot of a tree, and left in the\nunderwood or heather, covered with leaves and branches. In about a year\nthe parents repair to the grave-tree, and there, beneath its boughs,\ntake part in a funeral feast.\n\nGrotius states that the Greeks and Romans believed that spirits and\nghosts of men delighted to wander and appear in the sombre depths of\ngroves devoted to the sepulture of the departed, and on this account\nPlato gave permission for trees to be planted over graves--as Evelyn\nstates, \u201cto obumbrate and refresh them.\u201d Since then the custom of\nplanting trees in places devoted to the burial of the dead has become\nuniversal, and the trees thus selected have in consequence come to be\nregarded as funereal.\n\nAs a general rule, the trees to which this funereal signification has\nbeen attached are those of a pendent or weeping character, and those\nwhich are distinguished by their dark and sombre foliage, black berries\nand fruits, and melancholy-looking blossoms. Others again have been\nplanted in God\u2019s acre on account of the symbolical meaning attached to\ntheir form or nature. Thus, whilst the Aloe, the Yew, and the Cypress\nare suggestive of life, from their perpetual verdure, they typify in\nfloral symbology respectively grief, sorrow, and mourning. The Bay is\nan emblem of the resurrection, inasmuch as, according to Sir Thomas\nBrowne, when to all outward appearance it is dead and withered, it will\nunexpectedly revive from the root, and its dry leaves resume their\npristine vitality. Evergreen trees and shrubs, whose growth is like\na pyramid or spire, the apex of which points heavenward, are deemed\nemblematic of eternity, and as such are fitly classed among funereal\ntrees: the Arbor Vit\u00e6 and the Cypress are examples. The weeping Birch\nand Willow and the Australian Casuarina, with their foliage mournfully\nbending to the earth, fitly find their place in churchyards as\npersonifications of woe.\n\nThe Yew-tree has been considered an emblem of mourning from a very\nearly period. The Greeks adopted the idea from the Egyptians, the\nRomans from the Greeks, and the Britons from the Romans. From long\nhabits of association, the Yew acquired a sacred character, and\ntherefore was considered as the best and most appropriate ornament of\nconsecrated ground. Hence in England it became the custom to plant Yews\nin churchyards, despite the ghastly superstition attached to these\ntrees, that they prey upon the dead who lie beneath their sombre shade.\nMoreover our forefathers were particularly careful in preserving this\nfunereal tree, whose branches it was at one time usual to carry in\nsolemn procession to the grave, and afterwards to deposit therein under\nthe bodies of departed friends. The custom of planting Yew trees singly\nin churchyards is also one of considerable antiquity. Statius, in his\nsixth Thebaid, calls it the _solitary Yew_. Leyden thus apostrophises\nthis funeral tree:--\n\n  \u201cNow more I love thee, melancholy Yew,\n  Whose still green leaves in silence wave\n  Above the peasant\u2019s rude unhonoured grave,\n  Which oft thou moistenest with the morning dew.\n  To thee the sad, to thee the weary fly;\n  They rest in peace beneath thy sacred gloom,\n  Thou sole companion of the lonely tomb;\n  No leaves but thine in pity o\u2019er them sigh:\n  Lo! now to fancy\u2019s gaze thou seem\u2019st to spread\n  Thy shadowy boughs to shroud me with the dead.\u201d\n\nThe Mountain Ash is to be found in most Welsh churchyards, where it\nhas been planted, not as a funeral tree, but as a defence against evil\nspirits. In Montgomeryshire, it is customary to rest the corpse on its\nway to the churchyard under one of these trees of good omen.\n\nWilliam Cullen Bryant, the American poet, has left us a graceful\ndescription of an English churchyard:--\n\n  \u201cErewhile on England\u2019s pleasant shores, our sires\n  Left not their churchyards unadorned with shades\n  Or blossoms; and, indulgent to the strong\n  And natural dread of man\u2019s last home--the grave!\n  Its frost and silence, they disposed around,\n  Too sadly on life\u2019s close, the forms and hues\n  Of vegetable beauty. Then the Yew,\n  Green even amid the snows of Winter, told\n  Of immortality; and gracefully\n  The Willow, a perpetual mourner, drooped;\n  And there the gadding Woodbine crept about;\n  And there the ancient Ivy.\u201d\n\nThe Walnut-tree, of which it is said that the shadow brings death, is\nin some countries considered a funeral tree. In India they call the\nTamarisk, _Yamadutika_ (Messenger of Yama, the Indian god of death),\nand the _Bombax Heptaphyllum, Yamadruma_, the tree of Yama.\n\nThe Elm and the Oak, although not strictly funeral trees, are connected\nwith the grave by reason of their wood being used in the construction\nof coffins, at the present day, just as Cypress and Cedar wood used to\nbe employed by the ancients.\n\n  \u201cAnd well the abounding Elm may grow\n    In field and hedge so rife;\n  In forest, copse, and wooded park,\n    And \u2019mid the city\u2019s strife;\n  For every hour that passes by\n    Shall end a human life.\u201d--_Hood._\n\nBrambles are used to bind down graves. Ivy, as an evergreen and a\nsymbol of friendship, is planted to run over the last resting-place of\nthose we love.\n\nIn Persia, it is the Basil-tuft that waves its fragrant blossoms over\ntombs and graves. In Tripoli, Roses, Myrtle, Orange, and Jasmine are\nplanted round tombs; and a large bouquet of flowers is usually fastened\nat the head of the coffins of females. Upon the death of a Moorish\nlady of quality every place is filled with fresh flowers and burning\nperfumes, and at the head of the body is placed a large bouquet. The\nmausoleum of the royal family is filled with immense wreaths of fresh\nflowers, and generally tombs are dressed with festoons of choice\nblossoms. The Chinese plant Roses, a species of Lycoris, and the\nAnemone on their graves. The Indians attribute a funereal character to\nthe fragrant flowers of the sacred Champak (_Michelia Champaca_).\n\nThe ancients planted the Asphodel around the tombs of the deceased,\nin the belief that the seeds of this plant, and those of the Mallow,\nafforded nourishment to the dead.\n\nThe Greeks employed the Rose to decorate the tombs of the dead, and the\nfloral decorations were frequently renewed, under the belief that this\nbush was potent to protect the remains of the departed one. Anacreon\nalludes to this practice in one of his odes:--\n\n  \u201cWhen pain afflicts and sickness grieves,\n  Its juice the drooping heart relieves;\n  And after death its odours shed\n  A pleasing fragrance o\u2019er the dead.\u201d\n\nThe Romans, also, were so partial to the Rose, that we find, by old\ninscriptions at Ravenna and Milan, that codicils in the wills of the\ndeceased directed that their tombs should be planted with the queen of\nflowers--a practice said to have been introduced by them into England.\nCamden speaks of the churchyards in his time as thickly planted with\nRose-trees; Aubrey notices a custom at Ockley, in Surrey, of planting\nRoses on the graves of lovers; and Evelyn, who lived at Wotton Place,\nnot far distant, mentions the same practice. In Wales, White Roses mark\nthe graves of the young and of unmarried females; whilst Red Roses are\nplaced over anyone distinguished for benevolence of character.\n\nAll nations at different periods seem to have delighted to deck the\ngraves of their departed relatives with garlands of flowers--emblems at\nonce of beauty and quick fading into death.\n\n                    \u201cWith fairest flowers\n  While summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele,\n  I\u2019ll sweeten thy sad grave. Thou shalt not lack\n  The flower that\u2019s like thy face, pale Primrose; nor\n  The azured Hare-bell, like thy veins; no, nor\n  The leaf of Eglantine, which, not to slander,\n  Out-sweetened not thy breath.\u201d\n\n  _Shakspeare (Cymbeline, Act IV.)._\n\nThe flowers strewed over graves by the Greeks were the Amaranth,\nMyrtle, and Polyanthus. The practice was reprobated by the primitive\nChristians; but in Prudentius\u2019s time they had adopted it, and it is\nexpressly mentioned both by St. Ambrose and St. Jerome. The flowers\nso used were deemed typical of the dead: to the young were assigned\nthe blossoms of Spring and Summer: to middle-age, aromatic herbs and\nbranches of primeval trees.\n\nAmaranthus was employed by the Thessalians to decorate the grave of\nAchilles; and Electra is represented as uttering the complaint that the\ntomb of her father Agamemnon had not been adorned with Myrtle:--\n\n  \u201cWith no libations, nor with Myrtle boughs,\n  Were my dear father\u2019s manes gratified.\u201d\n\nVirgil, when recounting the sorrow of Anchises at the loss of\nMarcellus, causes him to exclaim:--\n\n  \u201cFull canisters of fragrant Lilies bring,\n  Mix\u2019d with the purple Roses of the Spring.\n  Let me with fun\u2019ral flowers his body strew.\u201d\n\nIn Germany, and in the German Cantons of Switzerland, the custom of\ndecking graves is very common. The _Dianthus_ is a favourite flower for\nthis purpose in Upper Germany. In the beautiful little churchyard at\nSchwytz, almost every grave is entirely covered with Pinks.\n\nThe cemetery of P\u00e8re la Chaise, near Paris, exhibits proofs of the\nextent to which the custom of decking graves is preserved even by a\nmetropolitan population and among persons of some rank. Numerous shops\nin the neighbourhood of this cemetery are filled with garlands of\n_Immortelles_ or Everlasting Flowers, which are purchased on _f\u00eate_\ndays and anniversaries, and placed on the graves. The branches of Box,\nor _Bois b\u00e9ni_, which are used in the place of Palms and Palm-leaves,\nare frequently stuck over graves in France.\n\n  \u201cFair flowers in sweet succession should arise\n  Through the long, blooming year, above the grave;\n  Spring breezes will breathe gentlier o\u2019er the turf,\n  And summer glance with mildest, meekest beam,\n  To cherish piety\u2019s dear offerings. There\n  Rich sounds of Autumn ever shall be heard,--\n  Mysterious, solemn music, waked by winds\n  To hymn the closing year! And when the touch\n  Of sullen Winter blights the last, last gem,\n  That bloomed around the tomb--O! there should be\n  The polished and enduring Laurel--there\n  The green and glittering Ivy, and all plants,\n  All hues and forms, delicious, that adorn\n  The brumal reign, and often waken hopes\n  Refreshing. Let eternal verdure clothe\n  The silent fields where rest the honoured dead,\n  While mute affection comes, and lingers round\n  With slow soft step, and pensive pause, and sigh,\n  All holy.\u201d--_Carrington._\n\nIn Egypt, Basil is scattered over the tombs by the women, who repair to\nthe sepulchres of the dead twice or thrice every week, to pray and weep\nover the departed. In Italy, the Periwinkle, called by the peasantry\n_fior di morto_, or Death\u2019s flower, is used to deck their children who\ndie in infancy. In Norway, branchlets of Juniper and Fir are used at\nfunerals, and exhibited in houses in order to protect the inhabitants\nfrom the visitation of evil spirits. The Freemasons of America\nscatter sprays of Acacia (_Robinia_) on the coffins of brethren.\nIn Switzerland, a funeral wreath for a young maiden is composed of\nHawthorn, Myrtle, and Orange-blossom. In the South of France, chaplets\nof white Roses and Orange-blossom are placed in the coffins of the\nyoung.\n\nThe Greeks and Romans crowned the dead with flowers, and the mourners\nwore them at the funeral ceremonies. It should be mentioned that\nthe Romans did not generally bury their dead before the time of the\nAntonines. The bodies of the dead were burnt, and the ashes placed in\nan urn.\n\nThe funeral pyre of the ancients consisted of Cypress, Yew, Fir,\nand other trees and shrubs. The friends of the deceased stood by\nduring the cremation, throwing incense on the fire and libations of\nwine. The bones and ashes were afterwards collected, cleansed, mixed\nwith precious ointments, and enclosed in funeral urns. Agamemnon is\ndescribed by Homer in the \u2018Odyssey,\u2019 as informing Achilles how this\nceremony had been performed upon him:--\n\n  \u201cBut when the flames your body had consumed,\n  With oils and odours we your bones perfumed,\n        And wash\u2019d with unmixed wine.\u201d\n\nVirgil, in describing the self-sacrifice, by fire, of Dido, speaks thus\nof the necessary preparations:--\n\n            \u201cThe fatal pile they rear\n  Within the secret court, exposed in air.\n  The cloven Holms and Pines are heaped on high;\n  And garlands in the hollow spaces lie.\n  Sad Cypress, Vervain, Yew, compose the wreath,\n  And every baleful flower denoting death.\u201d\n\nThe repast set apart by custom for the dead consisted of Lettuces\nand Beans. It was customary among the ancients to offer Poppies as a\npropitiation to the manes of the dead. The Romans celebrated festivals\nin honour of the spirits of the departed, called Lemuria, where Beans\nwere cast into the fire on the altar. The people also threw black Beans\non the graves of the deceased, or burnt them, as the smell was supposed\nto be disagreeable to the manes. In Italy, at the present day, it is\ncustomary to eat Beans and to distribute them among the poor on the\nanniversary of a death.\n\nThe practice of embalming the bodies of their dead, which was universal\namong the ancient Egyptians, had its origin, according to Diodorus, in\nthe desire of the wealthy to be able to contemplate, in the midst of\nluxurious appointments, the features of their ancestors. Several times\na year the mummies were brought out of the splendid chambers where\nthey were kept; incense was burnt over them, and sweet-scented oil was\npoured over their heads, and carefully wiped off by a priest called in\nexpressly to officiate. Herodotus has given us a description of the\nEgyptian method of embalming:--The brains having first been extracted\nthrough the nostrils by means of a curved iron probe, the head was\nfilled with drugs. Then, with a sharp Ethiopian stone, an incision was\nmade in the side, through which the intestines were drawn out; and the\ncavity was filled with powdered Myrrh, Cassia, and other perfumes,\nFrankincense excepted. Thus prepared, the body was sewn up, kept in\nnatron (sesquicarbonate of soda) for seventy days, and then swathed in\nfine linen, smeared with gum, and finally placed in a wooden case made\nin the shape of a man. This was the best and most expensive style of\nembalming. A cheaper mode consisted in injecting oil of Cedar into the\nbody, without removing the intestines, whilst for the poorer classes\nthe body was merely cleansed; subjecting it in both cases to a natron\nbath, which completely dried the flesh. The Jews borrowed the practice\nof embalming from the Egyptians; for St. Mark records that, after the\ndeath of our Saviour, Nicodemus \u201cbrought a mixture of Myrrh and Aloes,\nabout an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and\nwound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of Jews is to\nbury.\u201d\n\n\nOld English Funeral Customs.\n\nIn England, there long prevailed an old custom of carrying garlands\nbefore the bier of youthful beauty, which were afterwards strewed over\nher grave, In \u2018Hamlet,\u2019 the Queen, scattering flowers over the grave of\nOphelia, says:--\n\n  \u201cSweets to the sweet. Farewell!\n  I hoped thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid,\n  And not have strewed thy grave.\u201d\n\nThe practice of planting and scattering flowers over graves is noticed\nby Gay, who says:--\n\n  \u201cUpon her grave the Rosemary they threw,\n  The Daisy, Butter-flower, and Endive blue.\u201d\n\nRosemary was considered as an emblem of faithful remembrance. Thus\nOphelia says: \u201cThere\u2019s Rosemary for you, that\u2019s for remembrance; pray\nyou, love, remember.\u201d Probably this was the reason that the plant was\ncarried by the followers at a funeral in former days: a custom noticed\nby the poet in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cTo show their love, the neighbours far and near\n  Follow\u2019d with wistful look the damsel\u2019s bier;\n  Sprigg\u2019d Rosemary the lads and lasses bore,\n  While dismally the parson walked before.\u201d\n\nIt is still customary in some parts of England to distribute Rosemary\namong the company at a funeral, who frequently throw sprigs of it into\nthe grave.\n\nWordsworth introduces in one of his smaller poems an allusion to a\npractice which still prevails in the North of England:--\n\n  \u201cThe basin of Box-wood, just six months before,\n  Had stood on the table at Timothy\u2019s door;\n  A coffin through Timothy\u2019s threshold had passed,\n  One child did it bear, and that child was his last.\u201d\n\nIt is stated in a note that--\u201cIn several parts of the North of England,\nwhen a funeral takes place, a basin full of sprigs of Box-wood is\nplaced at the door of the house from which the coffin is taken up; and\neach person who attends the funeral ordinarily takes a sprig of this\nBox-wood, and throws it into the grave of the deceased.\u201d Pepys mentions\na churchyard near Southampton, where, in the year 1662, the graves were\nall sown with Sage.\n\nUnfortunate lovers had garlands of Yew, Willow, and Rosemary laid on\ntheir biers; thus we read in the \u2018Maid\u2019s Tragedy\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cLay a garland on my hearse\n            Of the dismal Yew;\n  Maidens, Willow branches bear;\n            Say that I died true.\n  My love was false, but I was firm\n            From my hour of birth.\n  Upon my buried body lie\n            Lightly gentle earth.\u201d\n\nIt was an old English custom, at the funeral of a virgin, for a young\nwoman to precede the coffin in the procession, carrying on her head\na variegated garland of flowers and sweet herbs. Six young girls\nsurrounded the bier, and strewed flowers along the streets to the\nplace of burial. It was also formerly customary to carry garlands of\nsweet flowers at the funeral of dear friends and relatives, and not\nonly to strew them on the coffin, but to plant them permanently on the\ngrave. This pleasing practice, which gave the churchyard a picturesque\nappearance, owed its origin to the ancient belief that Paradise is\nplanted with fragrant and beautiful flowers--a conception which is\nalluded to in the legend of Sir Owain, where the celestial Paradise,\nwhich is reached by the blessed after their passage through purgatory,\nis thus described:--\n\n  \u201cFair were her erbers with floures;\n  Rose and Lili divers colours,\n  Primros and Parvink,\n  Mint, Feverfoy, and Eglenterre,\n  Columbin and Mother-wer,\n  Than ani man may bithenke\n  It berth erbes of other maner,\n  Than ani in erth groweth here,\n  Though that is best of priis;\n  Evermore thai grene springeth,\n  For Winter no sooner it us cloyeth,\n  And sweeter than licorice.\u201d\n\nIn South Wales, the custom of planting and ornamenting graves is\nnoticed by Brand in his \u2018Popular Antiquities,\u2019 as being very common.\nHe tells us that, in Glamorgan, many churchyards have something like\nthe splendour of a rich and various parterre. Besides this, it is usual\nto strew the graves with flowers and evergreens (within the church as\nwell as out of it) at least thrice a year, on the same principle of\ndelicate respect as the stones are whitened. No flowers or evergreens\nare permitted to be planted on graves but such as are sweet-scented:\nthe Pink and Polyanthus, Sweet Williams, Gilliflowers and Carnations,\nMignonette, Thyme, Hyssop, Camomile, and Rosemary make up the pious\ndecoration of this consecrated garden. Turnesoles, Peonies, the African\nMarigold, the Anemone, and some other flowers, though beautiful, should\nnever be planted on graves, because they are not sweet-scented.\n\nThe prejudice against old maids and old bachelors subsists among\nthe Welsh in a very marked degree, so that their graves have not\nunfrequently been planted, by some satirical neighbours, not only with\nRue, but with Thistles, Nettles, Henbane, and other noxious weeds.\n\nIn Glamorganshire, the old custom is still retained of strewing the\nbed whereon a corpse rests with fragrant flowers. In the South of\nEngland a chaplet of white Roses is borne before the corpse of a maiden\nby a young girl nearest in age and resemblance to the deceased, and\nafterwards hung up over her accustomed seat at church.\n\n\nPlants as Death Portents.\n\nThough scarcely to be characterised as \u201cfunereal,\u201d there are some\nplants which have obtained a sinister reputation as either predicting\ndeath themselves, or being associated in some manner with fatal\nportents. Mannhardt tells us of a gloomy Swiss tradition, dating\nfrom the fifteenth century, which relates that the three children of\na bootmaker of Basle having each in their garden a favourite tree,\ncarefully studied the inflorescence during Lent. As the result of their\nclose observation, the two sisters, Adelaide and Catherine, saw from\nthe characteristics of the blossoms that they were predestined to enter\na convent; whilst the boy Jean attentively watched the development of a\nred Rose, which predicted his entry into the Church and his subsequent\nmartyrdom: as a matter of fact, it is said he was martyred at Prague by\nthe Hussites.\n\nThe Greeks regarded Parsley as a funereal herb, and were fond of\nstrewing the tombs of their dead with it: hence it came in time to be\nthought a plant of evil augury, and those who were on the point of\ndeath were commonly spoken of as being in need of Parsley. Something\nof this association of Parsley with death is still to be found in\nDevonshire, where a belief exists that to transplant Parsley is an\noffence against the guardian spirit who watches over the Parsley-beds,\nsurely to be punished, either by misfortune or death, on the offender\nhimself or some member of his family within a year.\n\nIn the Siebenb\u00fcrgen of Saxony, the belief exists that at the moment\nwhen an infant dies in the house, Death passes like a shadow into the\ngarden, and there plucks a flower.\n\nIn Italy, the red Rose is considered to be an emblem of an early death,\nand it is thought to be an evil omen if its leaves are perchance\nscattered on the ground. An apt illustration of this belief is found\nin the tragic story of poor Miss Ray, who was murdered at the Piazza\nentrance of Covent Garden Theatre, by a man named Hackman, on April\n7th, 1779. Just prior to starting with her friend Mrs. Lewis for\nthe theatre, a beautiful Rose fell from her bosom to the ground.\nShe stooped to regain it, but at her touch the red leaves scattered\nthemselves on the carpet, leaving the bare stalk in her hand. The\nunfortunate girl, who had been depressed in spirits before, was\nevidently affected by the incident, and said nervously, \u201cI trust I\nam not to consider this as an evil omen!\u201d Soon rallying, however,\nshe cheerfully asked Mrs. Lewis to be sure and meet her after the\ntheatre--a request the fulfilment of which was prevented by her\nuntimely fate.\n\nShakspeare has recorded that the withering of the Bay was looked upon\nas a certain omen of death; and it is an old fancy that if a Fir-tree\nbe struck, withered, or burnt with lightning, the owner will soon after\nbe seized with a mortal illness.\n\nHerrick, in his \u2018Hesperides,\u2019 alludes to the Daffodil as being under\ncertain circumstances a death portent.\n\n  \u201cWhen a Daffodill I see\n  Hanging down her head t\u2019wards me,\n  Guess I may what I must be:\n  First, I shall decline my head;\n  Secondly, I shall be dead;\n  Lastly, safely buried.\u201d\n\nIn Northamptonshire, a belief exists that if an Apple-tree blooms after\nthe fruit is ripe, it surely portends death:--\n\n  \u201cA bloom upon the Apple-tree when the Apples are ripe,\n  Is a sure termination to somebody\u2019s life.\u201d\n\nIn Devonshire, it is considered very unlucky to plant a bed of Lilies\nof the Valley, as the person who does this will in all probability die\nbefore twelve months have expired; and in the same county, a plentiful\nseason for Hazel-nuts is believed to portend unusual mortality: hence\nthe saying--\n\n  \u201cMany Nits [Nuts],\n  Many pits [graves].\u201d\n\nSloes are also sometimes associated with this portent, as another\nversion of the rhyme runs--\n\n  \u201cMany Slones [Sloes], many groans,\n  Many Nits, many pits.\u201d\n\nIt is thought very unlucky in Sussex to use green brooms in May, and an\nold saying is current in the same county that--\n\n  \u201cIf you sweep the house with Broom in May,\n  You\u2019ll sweep the head of that house away.\u201d\n\nIn West Sussex, there exists the strange idea that if anyone eats a\nBlackberry after Old Michaelmas Day (October 10th), death or disaster\nwill alight either on the eater or his kinsfolk before the year is out.\n\nIn some parts of England a superstition exists that if in a row of\nBeans one should chance to come up white, instead of green, a death\nwill occur in the family within the year.\n\nIn certain English counties there is a superstitious dread that if a\ndrill go from one end of the field to the other without depositing any\nseed, some person on the farm will die either before the year is out or\nbefore the crop then sown is reaped.\n\nThere is a very ancient belief that if every vestige of the Christmas\ndecorations is not removed from the church before Candlemas Day\n(February 2nd), there will be a death during the year in the family\noccupying the pew where perchance a leaf or a berry has been left.\nHerrick has alluded to this superstitious notion in his \u2018Hesperides\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cDown with the Rosemary, and so\n  Down with the Baies and Mistletoe:\n  Down with the Holly, Ivy, all\n  Wherewith ye dress the Christmas hall;\n  That so the superstitious find\n  Not one least branch left thar behind\n  For look, how many leaves there be\n  Neglected there (maids, trust to me)\n  So many goblins you shall see.\u201d\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\nPart the Second.\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nENCYCLOP\u00c6DIA OF PLANTS.\n\n\n=ACACIA.=--In the deserts of Arabia the finest tree is the _Acacia\nSeyal_, which is reputed to be the Shittah tree of the Old Testament.\nThe timber of this tree was termed _Shittim_, translated by some as\n\u201cincorruptible wood.\u201d In Exodus xxv. it is recorded that the Ark of\nthe Lord was made of _Shittim_ wood, overlaid within and without with\npure gold, and having a crown of gold round about it; and in chapter\nxxvi. we read that the staves were made of the same wood, as were\nalso the boards of the Tabernacle and the woodwork of the Altar on\nwhich the offerings were presented. From this same Acacia is obtained\na fragrant and highly-prized gum which is employed as incense in\nreligious ceremonials.----Tradition affirms that this Acacia--the\n_Nabkha_ of the Arabians--was the tree from which was fabricated the\nSaviour\u2019s crown of thorns. It has many small sharp spines, and the\nleaves resemble those of the Ivy with which the Roman Emperors were\ncrowned, thus making the mockery bitterly complete.----The Buddhists\nmake use of the wood of the _Sami_ (_Acacia Suma_) to light the fire\non their altars: this is done by striking it with the _Asvattha_,\nor Peepul--the act symbolising generation. This Acacia is one of\nthe sacred trees of India, and yields an astringent or preservative\nsubstance.----The tree usually known in England by the name of Acacia\nis the _Robinia pseudo-Acacia_, or Locust-tree of America, named by\nLinn\u00e6us after the two Robins, herbalists to Henri IV., who introduced\nit into France in 1640. This tree would appear to have somewhat of\na funeral character, since we find the American Freemasons make a\npractice of dropping twigs of it on the coffins of brethren. A sprig of\nAcacia is one of the emblems specially revered by Freemasons.----\u201cIt\nis curious,\u201d says Mr. Reade, in \u2018The Veil of Isis,\u2019 \u201cthat _Houzza_,\nwhich Mahomet esteemed an idol--_Houzza_ so honoured in the Arabian\nworks of Ghatfan, Koreisch, Renan\u00e2h, and Salem--should be simply the\nAcacia. Thence was derived the word _Huzza!_ in our language, which\nwas probably at first a religious exclamation like the _Evoke!_ of the\nBacchantes.\u201d----The English newspapers lately gave an account of a\nsingular species of American Acacia, stated to be growing at Virginia,\nNevada, and exhibiting all the characteristics of a sensitive plant.\nAt the commencement of 1883 the Acacia was reported to be about eight\nfeet high, and growing rapidly. When the sun sets, its leaves fold\ntogether and the ends of the twigs coil up like a pig-tail; and if\nthe latter are handled, there is evident uneasiness throughout the\nplant. Its highest state of agitation was reached when the tree was\nremoved from the pot in which it was matured into a larger one. To\nuse the gardener\u2019s expression, it went very mad. It had scarcely been\nplanted in its new quarters before the leaves began to stand up in\nall directions, like the hair on the tail of an angry cat, and soon\nthe whole plant was in a quiver. At the same time it gave out a most\nsickening and pungent odour, resembling that of a rattlesnake when\nteased. The smell so filled the house, that it was necessary to open\nall the doors and windows, and it was a full hour before the plant\ncalmed down and folded its leaves in peace.\n\n=ACANTHUS.=--The Acanthus was a favourite plant amongst both the Greeks\nand Romans, who employed it for decorative purposes: its leaves form\nthe principal adornment of the Corinthian capital, which was invented\nby Callimachus. How the idea was suggested to the architect is told\nus by Vitruvius. A young Corinthian damsel fell ill and died. After\nher interment, her nurse gathered her trinkets and ornaments into a\nbasket, and lest they should be injured by the weather, she covered the\nbasket with a tile, and placed it near her young mistress\u2019s tomb over\nthe root of an Acanthus, the stalks and leaves of which burst forth\nin the Spring, and spreading themselves on the outside of the basket,\nwere bent back again at the top by the corner of the tile. Callimachus\nhappening to pass by, was charmed with the beauty and novelty of this\naccidental arrangement, and took from it the idea of the Corinthian\nchapter. Both Greeks and Romans made use of the _Acanthus mollis_ in\nthe form of garlands, with which they adorned their buildings, their\nfurniture, and even their clothing. Theocritus speaks of a prize cup\nas having \u201ca crust of soft Acanthus.\u201d Virgil narrates that the plant\nformed the basis of a design embroidered on the mantle of Helen of\nTroy; and tells us that the handles of Alcimedon\u2019s cup were enwreathed\nwith what he elsewhere terms \u201cSmiling Acanthus.\u201d----Old English names\nfor this plant were Brank-ursine and Bear\u2019s-breech.----Acanthus is\nstated by astrologers to be under the dominion of the Moon.\n\n=ACHYRANTHES.=--The _Apamarga_, an Indian variety of this plant,\nhas given the name to the sacrificial rite called _Ap\u00e2m\u00e2rga Homa_,\nbecause at daybreak they offer a handful of flour made from the seeds\nof the Apamarga (_Achyranthes aspera_). According to a legend quoted\nby De Gubernatis, Indra had slain Vriitra and other demons, when he\nencountered the demon Namuchi and wrestled with him. Vanquished, he\nmade peace with Namuchi on the understanding that he should never kill\nanything with a solid body, nor with a liquid body, neither by night\nnor by day. So Indra gathered a vegetable, which is neither solid nor\nliquid, and comes during the daybreak, when the night is past, but\nthe day has not yet come. Then with the vegetable he attacked the\nmonster Namuchi, who complained of this treachery. From the head of\nNamuchi sprang the plant _Ap\u00e2m\u00e2rga_. Indra afterwards destroyed all\nthe monsters by means of this plant. As may be supposed after such\na marvellous origin, the plant was soon looked upon as a powerful\ntalisman. According to the _Atharvaveda_, it should be held in the\nhand, and invoked against the malady _Kshetriya_, and against witches,\nmonsters, and nightmares. They call it the Victor, having in itself\nthe strength of a thousand, destroying the effects of maledictions,\nand especially of those inimical to generation, which produce hunger,\nthirst, and poverty. It is also called the Lord of salutary plants,\nson of Vibhindant, having received all its power from Indra himself.\nThe Hindus believe that the plant is a security against the bites of\nscorpions.\n\nACONITE.--See Monkshood.\n\n=ACORUS.=--This aromatic Reed, or Sweet Flag, is absurdly said to\nhave been called Acorus, from the Greek _kor\u00e9_, pupil, because it was\nesteemed good for diseases of the eye. The sacred oil of the Jews--the\n\u201coil of holy ointment\u201d--used to anoint the tabernacle, the ark of the\ntestimony, the altar of burnt offerings, the altar of incense, the\ncandlesticks, and all the sacred vessels, has the oil of Acorus as\none of its ingredients. It is the \u201cSweet Calamus\u201d mentioned in Exodus\nxxx.----The Acorus is a plant of the Moon.\n\n=ADDER\u2019S TONGUE.=--The Adder\u2019s Tongue, or to give it its old Latin\nname, Christ\u2019s Spear (_Ophioglossum vulgatum_), was formerly much\nprized as a remedy for wounds. Gerarde declared that boiled in olive\noil it produced \u201ca most excellent greene oyle, or rather a balsam for\ngreene wounds comparable to oyle of St. John\u2019s wort, if it doth not far\nsurpasse it.\u201d A preparation called the \u201cgreen oil of charity\u201d is still\nin request; and Adder\u2019s Spear ointment (a compound of Adder\u2019s Tongue\nFern, Plantain, and sundry herbs) is well known in country places as\na vulnerary. In olden times an Adder\u2019s Tongue was reputed to be a\nwondrous cure for tumours, if plucked at the falling of the Moon, and\napplied with the accompaniment of an incantation.----Witches highly\nesteemed Adder\u2019s Tongue as a plant to be employed in their spells.\nAstrologers class it as a herb of the Moon.\n\nAFFADYL.--See Narcissus.\n\n=AGNUS CASTUS.=--The \u201cChaste Tree\u201d (_Vitex Agnus Castus_), a species of\nWillow, derives its name from the Greek _hagnos_, and Latin _castus_,\nboth meaning chaste. The name was given to it, according to Pliny,\nfrom the custom of the Athenian matrons to strew their beds with it\nduring the festival of the Thesmophora, held in honour of Ceres, when\nthe strictest chastity was enjoined. At the same festival young girls\nadorned themselves with blossoms of the shrub and slept on its leaves\nin order to guard their innocence and purity.----Agnus Castus was\nconsecrated to \u00c6sculapius, and also, in the isle of Samos, to Juno.\nPrometheus was crowned with it. At Grecian weddings, the bride and\ngroom carried crowns of it. It was also employed as a preservative\nagainst poisoning.----The seed of this shrub in later years acquired\nthe name of _Piper Monachorum_, and in explanation it is said that,\nfollowing the example of the matrons of Athens, who had discovered\nthat the odour of branches of Agnus Castus combatted unchaste thoughts\nand desires, certain Christian monks made themselves girdles of the\nflexible boughs of the tree, by wearing which they professed to expel\nfrom their hearts all passions that love could excite.----Some of\nthe old herbalists affirm that the seeds of Agnus Castus had a very\npowerful effect in arresting generation. Gerarde says \u201cAgnus Castus\nis a singular medicine and remedy for such as would willingly live\nchaste, for it withstandeth all uncleanness or desire to the flesh,\nconsuming and drying up the seed of generation, in what sort soever it\nbee taken, whether in pouder onely, or the decoction drunke, or whether\nthe leaves be carried about the body; for which cause it was called\n_castus_, that is to say, chaste, cleane, and pure.\u201d The leaves, burnt\nor strewn about, were reputed to drive away serpents; and, according\nto Dioscorides, a branch of the shrub, carried in the hand, would keep\nwayfarers from weariness.----Agnus Castus is held to be under the\ndominion of Mars in Capricorn.\n\nALBESPYNE.--See Hawthorn.\n\n=AGRIMONY.=--The Agrimony or Egrimony (_Agrimonia Eupatoria_) was\na herb much in vogue among the old herbalists, who attributed\nextraordinary virtues to it. Dioscorides prescribes it as a cure for\nthe bitings and stingings of serpents. Gerarde says it is \u201cgood for\nthem that have naughty livers,\u201d and in fact it was at one time known\nas Liver-wort. Culpeper tells us that it will draw forth \u201cthorns and\nsplinters of wood, nails, or any other such thing gotten into the\nflesh,\u201d and recommends it further as \u201ca most admirable remedy for such\nwhose lives are annoyed either by heat or cold.\u201d Sore throat, gout,\nague, colic, ear-ache, cancers, and ulcers are among the numerous\ncomplaints the herbalists professed to cure by means of syrups and\nsalves made of Agrimony, a plant which has formed an ingredient in most\nof the herb teas which have been from time to time introduced.----The\nastrological government and virtues of Agrimony appear to the\nuninitiated somewhat complicated. If we may believe Culpeper, it is\na herb under Jupiter and the sign Cancer, and strengthens those parts\nunder the planet and sign, and removes diseases in them by sympathy;\nand those under Saturn, Mars, and Mercury by antipathy, if they happen\nin any part of the body governed by Jupiter, or under the signs Cancer,\nSagittarius, or Pisces.----Michael Drayton, in his \u2018Muse\u2019s Elysium,\u2019\nthus refers to Agrimony, among other herbs dear to simplers:--\n\n  \u201cNext these here Egrimony is,\n    That helps the serpent\u2019s biting;\n  The blessed Betony by this,\n    Whose cures deserving writing.\n\n  \u201cThis All-heal, and so named of right,\n    New wounds so quickly healing;\n  A thousand more I could recite\n    Most worthy of revealing.\u201d\n\n=ALDER.=--The origin of the Alder is to be found in the following lines\nfrom Rapin\u2019s poem on Gardens:--\n\n  \u201cOf watery race Alders and Willows spread\n  O\u2019er silver brooks their melancholy shade,\n  Which heretofore (thus tales have been believed)\n  Were two poor men, who by their fishing lived;\n  Till on a day when Pales\u2019 feast was held,\n  And all the town with pious mirth was filled,\n  This impious pair alone her rites despised,\n  Pursued their care, till she their crime chastised:\n  While from the banks they gazed upon the flood,\n  The angry goddess fixed them where they stood,\n  Transformed to sets, and just examples made\n  To such as slight devotion for their trade.\n  At length, well watered by the bounteous stream,\n  They gained a root, and spreading trees became;\n  Yet pale their leaves, as conscious how they fell,\n  Which croaking frogs with vile reproaches tell.\u201d\n\nIn Germany, Alders have often a funereal and almost diabolic character.\nIt is a popular belief that they commence to weep, to supplicate,\nand to shed drops of blood if there is any talk of cutting them\ndown.----A legend of the Tyrol narrates how a boy who had climbed a\ntree, overlooked the ghastly doings of certain witches beneath its\nboughs. They tore in pieces the corpse of a woman, and threw the\nportions in the air. The boy caught one, and kept it by him. The\nwitches, on counting the pieces afterwards found that one was missing,\nand so replaced it by a scrap of Alder-wood, when instantaneously the\ndead came to life again.----Of the wood of the Alder, Virgil tells\nus, the first boats were made:--_Tunc Alnos primum fluvii sensere\ncavatas._----The Alder, or Aller, is said to be a tree of Venus, under\nthe celestial signs of either Cancer or Pisces.\n\nALECOST.--See Costmary.\n\nALEHOOF, Ground-Ivy.--See Ivy.\n\n=ALMOND.=--According to an ancient tradition mentioned by Servius,\nthe origin of the Almond-tree is to be traced to Phyllis, a beautiful\nThracian queen, who became enamoured of Demophoon, the son of Theseus\nand Ph\u00e6dra, and was wedded to him. Demophoon, who, whilst returning\nfrom the Trojan war, had been cast by a storm on the coast of Thrace\nsoon after his marriage with the Queen, was recalled to Athens by his\nfather\u2019s death. He promised faithfully to return to his royal bride at\nthe expiration of a month, but failed to do so, and Phyllis, distracted\nat his continued absence, after several futile visits to the sea-shore,\nexpired of grief, and was transformed into an Almond-tree, which is\ncalled _Phylla_ by the Greeks. Some time after this metamorphosis the\ntruant consort returned, and upon hearing of the untimely fate of\nPhyllis, he ran and clasped the tree in remorseful embrace. Loving\neven in death, his beautiful queen seems to have acknowledged his\nrepentance, for the Almond-tree into which she had been transformed,\nalthough at that time stripped of its leaves, suddenly shot forth and\nblossomed, as if eager to show how unchangeable was poor Phyllis\u2019s\nlove.----A second account of the origin of the Almond-tree states that\nit sprang from the blood of the monster Agdistis, the offspring of\nJupiter. This fable further narrates that the daughter of the river\nSangarius fell in love with the beautiful tree, and after gathering\nits fruit, gave birth to a son named Atys.----A third account relates\nhow Io, daughter of King Midas, was forsaken by Atys, whom she loved;\nand how Agdistis, on the death of Atys, mutilated his body, from which\nsprang the bitter Almond-tree, the emblem of grief.----Virgil made the\nflowering of the Almond a presage of the crop of Wheat.\n\n  \u201cWith many a bud if flowering Almonds bloom,\n  And arch their gay festoons that breathe perfume,\n  So shall thy harvest like profusion yield,\n  And cloudless suns mature the fertile field.\u201d\n\nThe Hebrew word _Shakad_, from which the Almond derives its name,\nmeans to make haste, or to awake early, given to the tree on account\nof its hasty growth and early maturity. Aaron\u2019s rod, which budded\nand brought forth fruit in the Tabernacle during one day, was of an\nAlmond-tree: \u201cIt budded and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms,\nand yielded Almonds.\u201d (Numbers xvii., 8). Among the Hebrews, the\nAlmond-tree was regarded as the symbol of haste and vigilance, because\nof the suddenness of its blossoming, which announced the Spring. The\nMahommedans consider its flowers typical of hope, because they bloom on\nthe bare branches.----Romanists assign the blossoming Almond-tree to\nthe Madonna, as Queen of Heaven.----In Tuscany, and other countries, a\nbranch of the Almond-tree is employed to discover hidden treasures. It\nis carried to the place where the treasure is supposed to be concealed,\nand, according to popular superstition, its point will turn towards\nthe exact spot. In the nuptial ceremonies of the Czechs, Almonds are\ndistributed amongst the wedding guests.----Pliny considered Almonds\na most powerful remedy against inebriation, and Plutarch relates an\nanecdote of a notorious wine-bibber, who, by his habitual use of bitter\nAlmonds, used to escape being intoxicated.----The Almond-tree is under\nJupiter. To dream of eating Almonds portends a journey: if they taste\nsweet, it will be a prosperous one; if bitter, the contrary.\n\n=ALOE.=--The Hebrews appear to have entertained a great respect for\nthe Aloe (_Ahaloth_). In the Bible it is frequently referred to\nin commendatory terms, and its use as a perfume is of very great\nantiquity. King David, in the Psalms, says: \u201cAll thy garments smell\nof Myrrh, and Aloes, and Cassia.\u201d Solomon, in the Canticles, mentions\nAloes as one of the chief spices; and in Proverbs (vii., 17) refers\nto it as a scent. Aloes is one of the spices mentioned by St. John\nas having been brought by Nicodemus to embalm the body of our\nLord.----There are two trees which yield this fragrant wood, viz.,\n_Aloexylum Agallochum_, a native of the mountains of Hindostan, and\n_Aquilaria Malaccensis_, which grows in Malacca: the wood of these\naromatic trees forms the principal ingredient in the scented sticks\nburned by the Hindus and Chinese in their temples. The heart of the\nChinese Aloe, or Wood Aloes, is called Calambac, or Tambac-wood, which\nis reckoned in the Indies more precious than gold itself: it is used\nas a perfume; as a specific for persons affected with fainting fits\nor with the palsy; and as a setting for the most costly jewels. Both\nthe name and the plant of the aromatic Aloe are of Indian origin,\nand it must not be confounded with the common Aloes, most of which\nhave an offensive smell and a bitter taste.----In Wood\u2019s Zoography\nwe read: \u201cThe Mahommedans respect the Aloe as a plant of a superior\nnature. In Egypt, it may be said to bear some share in their religious\nceremonies, since whoever returns from a pilgrimage to Mecca hangs\nit over his street door as a proof of his having performed that holy\njourney. The superstitious Egyptians believe that this plant hinders\nevil spirits and apparitions from entering the house, and on this\naccount whoever walks the streets in Cairo will find it over the doors\nof both Christians and Jews.\u201d----The Arabic name of the Aloe, _Saber_,\nsignifies patience, and in Mecca at the end of most graves, facing the\nepitaph, is planted an Aloe, as an allusion to the patience required\nby those awaiting the arrival of the great day of resurrection.\nMost Eastern poets, however, speak of the Aloe as the symbol of\nbitterness; and the Romans seem to have been well acquainted with this\nqualification, judging from the allusion to it in Juvenal:--\u201c_Plus\nAloes quam mellis habere._\u201d \u201cAs bitter as Aloes\u201d is a proverbial saying\nof considerable antiquity, derived doubtless from the acrid taste of\nthe medicines obtained from the plant, and made principally from the\npulp of the fleshy leaf of the Succotrine Aloe, the leaves of which\nhave a remarkable efficacy in curing scalds and burns.----Not only,\nhowever, for its medicinal properties is the Aloe esteemed, for in\nsome countries, particularly Mexico, the poor derive from it almost\nevery necessary of life. The ancient manuscripts of Mexico are chiefly\ninscribed upon paper made from the fibres of the _pit\u00e9_, or pith. Of\nthe points of the leaves of the Aloe are made nails, darts, and awls,\nand with these last the Indians pierce holes in their ears when they\npropose to honour the Devil with some peculiar testimonies of their\ndevotion.\n\n=ALYSSUM.=--This plant was regarded by the Neapolitans as possessing\nmagic qualities, and was suspended in their houses as a charm against\nthe Evil Eye. Its name _Alyssum_ is derived from the Greek _a_, not,\nand _lussa_, madness. In England, the plant was called Alisson and\nMadwort, because, as Gerarde says, it is \u201ca present remedie for them\nthat are bitten of a mad dog.\u201d\n\n=AMARANTH.=--In Spenser\u2019s \u2018Fairy Queen\u2019 is to be found the following\nallusion to the mythological origin of the Amaranth:--\n\n  \u201cAnd all about grew every sort of flower,\n  To which sad lovers were transformed of yore;\n  Fresh Hyacinthus, Ph\u0153bus\u2019 paramour,\n  Foolish Narciss, that likes the watery shore:\n  Sad Amaranthus, made a flower but late,\n  Sad Amaranthus, in whose purple gore\n  Me seems I see Aminta\u2019s wretched fate,\n  To whom sweet poets\u2019 verse hath given endless date.\u201d\n\nThe Amaranth was a sacred plant among the Greeks and Romans: from the\nformer it received its name, which means \u201cnever-fading,\u201d on account\nof the lasting nature of its blossoms. Hence it is considered the\nemblem of immortality. The Amaranth was also classed among the funeral\nflowers. Homer describes the Thessalians as wearing crowns of Amaranth\nat the funeral of Achilles; and Thessalus decorated the tomb of the\nsame hero with Amaranth-blossoms. Philostratus records the custom of\nadorning tombs with flowers, and Artemidorus tells us that the Greeks\nwere accustomed to hang wreaths of Amaranth in most of the temples\nof their divinities: and they regarded the Amaranth as the symbol of\nfriendship. Milton crowns with Amaranth the angelic host assembled\nbefore the Deity:--\n\n  \u201cWith solemn adorations down they cast\n  Their crowns, inwove with Amaranth and gold--\n  Immortal Amaranth, a flower which once\n  In Paradise, fast by the tree of life,\n  Began to bloom, but soon for man\u2019s offence\n  To heaven removed, where first it grew.\u201d\n\nThe same poet, as well as Spenser, classes the Amaranth amongst\n\u201cthose flowers that sad embroidery wear.\u201d----In Sumatra, the people\nof the Batta country lead in times of peace a purely pastoral life,\nand are accustomed to play on a kind of flute crowned with garlands\nof Amaranth and other flowers.----At the Floral Games at Toulouse, a\ngolden Amaranth was awarded for the best lyric composition.----In\nmodern times, the Amaranth has given its name to an order instituted by\nQueen Christiana of Sweden, in the year 1633, at an entertainment given\nin honour of Don Antonio Pimentel, the Spanish Ambassador. On this\noccasion she appeared in a dress covered with diamonds, attended by a\nsuite nobles and ladies. At the conclusion of the ball she stripped\nher attire of the diamonds, and distributed them among the company, at\nthe same time presenting the new order of knighthood, consisting of a\nribbon and medal, with an Amaranth in enamel, encircled with the motto\n_Dolce nella memoria_.----In Roman Catholic countries, more especially\nin Portugal, the species of the flower known as the Globe Amaranth,\nPrince\u2019s Feathers, and Cock\u2019s Comb, are much cultivated for church\ndecoration at Christmas time and during the Winter. The Amaranth is\nalso selected as one of the flowers peculiarly appropriate to Ascension\nDay.----The species of Amaranth which we know as Love-lies-bleeding,\nhas, in France, the singular name of _Discipline des religieuses_, the\nNun\u2019s Scourge.----The Amaranth was formerly known as Flower Gentle,\nFlower Velure, Floramor, and Velvet Flower. It is said to be under\nSaturn, and to be an excellent qualifier of the unruly actions of Venus.\n\n=AMBROSIA.=--The Ambrosia-tree, or tree bearing immortal food, is one\nof the most popular guises of the Hindu world-trees. The Paradise of\nIndra had five trees, under the refreshing shade of which the gods\nreclined and enjoyed life-inspiring draughts of Ambrosia or _Amrita_.\nThe chief of these trees was the _P\u00e2rij\u00e2ta_ (usually identified with\nthe _Erythrina Indica_), and this was deemed the Ambrosia-tree.----The\nGreeks knew a herb which they named _Ambrosia_, the food of immortals,\nand it was so called by the ancients because they believed that a\ncontinued use of it rendered men long-lived, just as the ambrosia of\nthe gods preserved their immortality. The Moors to this day entertain a\nbelief in the existence of such a plant. The old English name given to\nthis herb was Ambrose, which was applied to the _Chenopodium Botrys_;\nbut the ancients seem to have applied the name of _Ambrosia_ to the\nField Parsley, the Wild Sage, and the _Chenopodium ambrosioides_. The\nplant known as Ambrosia at the present day belongs to the Wormwood\nfamily.\n\n=AMELLUS.=--This plant is believed to be a species of Starwort. Virgil,\nin the Fourth Book of his Georgics, states that at Rome it was employed\nto decorate the altars of the gods. Gerarde says that the Starwort\nhaving a blue or purple flower is that referred to by Virgil as the\nAmellus in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cIn meads there is a flower Amello named,\n  By him that seeks it easy to be found,\n  For that it seems by many branches framed\n  Into a little wood: like gold the ground\n  Thereof appears; but leaves that it beset\n  Shine in the colour of the Violet.\u201d\n\n=AMORPHOPHALLUS.=--The gigantic Aroid, _Amorphophallus campanulatus_,\nor Carrion Plant of Java, is regarded with repugnance as a plant of\nill-omen. Previous to the sudden bursting, about sunset, of the spathe\ncontaining the spadix, there is an accumulation of heat therein. When\nit opens, it exhales an offensive odour that is quite overpowering, and\nso much resembles that of carrion, that flies cover the club of the\nspadix with their eggs.\n\n=ANDHAS.=--The luminous plant of the Vedic _Soma_. The plant is also\ncalled in general _Arjun\u00ee_, that is to say, Shining. From Andhas it is\nsupposed the Greek word _anthos_ was derived.\n\n=ANDROMEDA.=--This shrub owes its classical appellation to Linn\u00e6us,\nwho gave it the name of Andromeda after the daughter of Cepheus and\nCassiope. Ovid, in his \u2018Metamorphoses,\u2019 has sung how, lashed to a\nrock, she was exposed to a sea monster, sent by Neptune to ravage her\nfather\u2019s country, and how she was at last rescued by Perseus, and\nbecame his bride. Linn\u00e6us thus explains why he gave the Marsh Cistus\nthe name of the classical princess:--\u201cAs I contemplated it, I could not\nhelp thinking of Andromeda, as described by the poets--a virgin of most\nexquisite beauty and unrivalled charms. The plant is always fixed in\nsome turfy hillock in the midst of the swamps, as Andromeda herself was\nchained to a rock in the sea, which bathed her feet as the fresh water\ndoes the root of the plant. As the distressed virgin cast down her\nblushing face through excessive affliction, so does the rosy-coloured\nflower hang its head, growing paler and paler till it withers away. At\nlength comes Perseus, in the shape of Summer, dries up the surrounding\nwaters, and destroys the monster.\u201d The leaves of this family of plants\nhave noxious properties, and the very honey is said to be poisonous.\n\n=ANEMONE.=--The origin of the Anemone, according to Ovid, is to be\nfound in the death of Adonis, the favourite of Venus. Desperately\nwounded by a boar to which he had given chase, the ill-fated youth lay\nexpiring on the blood-stained grass, when he was found by Venus, who,\novercome with grief, determined that her fallen lover should hereafter\nlive as a flower.\n\n  \u201cThen on the blood sweet nectar she bestows;\n  The scented blood in little bubbles rose;\n  Little as rainy drops, which flutt\u2019ring fly,\n  Borne by the winds, along a lowering sky.\n  Short time ensued till where the blood was shed\n  A flower began to rear its purple head.\n  Such as on Punic Apples is revealed,\n  Or in the filmy rind but half concealed,\n  Still here the fate of lovely forms we see,\n  So sudden fades the sweet Anemone.\n  The feeble stems to stormy blasts a prey,\n  Their sickly beauties droop and pine away.\n  The winds forbid the flowers to flourish long,\n  Which owe to winds their names in Grecian song.\u201d--_Congreve._\n\nThe Greek poet, Bion, in his epitaph on Adonis, makes the Anemone the\noffspring of the tears of the sorrowing Venus.\n\n  \u201cAlas the Paphian! fair Adonis slain!\n  Tears plenteous as his blood she pours amain,\n  But gentle flowers are born and bloom around\n  From every drop that falls upon the ground.\n  Where streams his blood, there blushing springs the Rose,\n  And where a tear has dropped, a Wind-flower blows.\u201d\n\nRapin, in his poem, gives a somewhat similar version of the origin of\nthe Anemone. He says:--\n\n  \u201cFor while what\u2019s mortal from his blood she freed,\n  And showers of tears on the pale body shed,\n  Lovely Anemones in order rose,\n  And veiled with purple palls the cause of all her woes.\u201d\n\nIn Wiffen\u2019s translation of the Spanish poet Garcilaso, we find the red\ncolour only of the Anemone attributed to the blood of Adonis:--\n\n  \u201cHis sunbeam-tinted tresses drooped unbound,\n  Sweeping the earth with negligence uncouth;\n  The white Anemones that near him blew\n  Felt his red blood, and red for ever grew.\u201d\n\nRapin recounts another story, according to which the Anemone was\noriginally a nymph beloved by Zephyr. This is, perhaps, an explanation\nof the name of the flower, which is derived from _Anemos_, the wind.\n\n      \u201cFlora, with envy stung, as tales relate,\n  Condemned a virgin to this change of fate;\n  From Grecian nymphs her beauty bore the prize,\n  Beauty the worst of crimes in jealous eyes;\n  For as with careless steps she trod the plain,\n  Courting the winds to fill her flowing train,\n  Suspicious Flora feared she soon would prove\n  Her rival in her husband Zephyr\u2019s love.\n  So the fair victim fell, whose beauty\u2019s light\n  Had been more lasting, had it been less bright:\n  She, though transformed, as charming as before,\n  The fairest maid is now the fairest flower.\u201d\n\nThe English name of Wind-flower seems to have been given to the\nAnemone because some of the species flourish in open places exposed\nto the wind, before the blasts of which they shiver and tremble in\nthe early Spring. Pliny asserts that the flower never blooms except\nwhen the winds blow.----With the Egyptians, the Anemone was the emblem\nof sickness. According to Pliny, the magicians and wise men in olden\ntimes were wont to attribute extraordinary powers to the plant, and\nordained that everyone should gather the first Anemone he or she saw\nin the year, the while repeating, with due solemnity--\u201cI gather thee\nfor a remedy against disease.\u201d The flower was then reverently wrapped\nin scarlet cloth, and kept undisturbed, unless the gatherer became\nindisposed, when it was tied either around the neck or arm of the\npatient. This superstition extended to England, as is shown by the\nfollowing lines in a ballad:--\n\n  \u201cThe first Spring-blown Anemone she in his doublet wove,\n  To keep him safe from pestilence wherever he should rove.\u201d\n\nThe Anemone was held sacred to Venus, and the flower was highly\nesteemed by the Romans, who formed it into wreaths for the head.----In\nsome countries, people have a strong prejudice against the flowers of\nthe field Anemone: they believe the air to be so tainted by them, that\nthose who inhale it often incur severe illness. Shakspeare has given\nto the Anemone the magical power of producing love. In \u2018A Midsummer\nNight\u2019s Dream\u2019 (Act 2), Oberon bids Puck place an Anemone-flower on\nthe eyes of Titania, who, on her awakening, will then fall in love\nwith the first object she sees.----A once famed Parisian florist,\nnamed Bachelier, having procured some rare Anemones from the East,\nwould not part with a root, either for love or money. For ten years he\ncontrived to keep the treasures to himself, until a wily senator paid\nhim a visit, and, walking round the garden, observed that the cherished\nAnemones were in seed. Letting his robe fall upon the plants as if by\naccident, he so swept off a number of the little feathery seeds, which\nhis servant, following close upon his heels, brushed off his master\u2019s\nrobe and secretly appropriated; and before long the niggardly florist\nhad the mortification of seeing his highly-prized \u201cstrain\u201d in the\npossession of his neighbours and rivals.----The Anemone is held to be\nunder the dominion of Mars.\n\n=ANGELICA.=--The strong and widely-diffused belief in the manifold\nvirtues of this plant is sufficient to account for its angelic name,\nalthough Fuchsius was of opinion that it was called Angelica either\nfrom the sweet scent of its root, or its value as a remedy against\npoisons and the plague. Its old German name of Root of the Holy Ghost\nis still retained in some northern countries. The Laplanders believe\nthat the use of it strengthens life, and they therefore chew it as they\nwould do Tobacco; they also employ it to crown their poets, who fancy\nthemselves inspired by its odour.----Parkinson says that \u201cit is so\ngoode an herbe that there is no part thereof but is of much use.\u201d----Du\nBartas wrote--\n\n  \u201cContagious aire ingendering pestilence\n  Infects not those that in their mouths have ta\u2019en\n  Angelica, that happy counterbane\n  Sent down from heav\u2019n by some celestial scout,\n  As well the name and nature both avowt.\u201d\n\n  _Sylvester\u2019s trans._, 1641.\n\nAngelica was popularly believed to remove the effects of intoxication;\naccording to Fuchsius, its roots, worn suspended round the neck,\nwould guard the wearer against the baneful power of witches and\nenchantments; and Gerarde tells us that a piece of the root held in\nthe mouth, or chewed, will drive away pestilential air, and that the\nplant, besides being a singular remedy against poisons, the plague,\nand pestilent diseases in general, cures the biting of mad dogs and all\nother venomous beasts. Regarding its astrological government, Culpeper\nobserves that it is a \u201cherb of the Sun in Leo. Let it be gathered when\nhe is there, the moon applying to his good aspect; let it be gathered\neither in his hour, or in the hour of Jupiter; let Sol be angular.\u201d\n\n=ANTHYLLIS.=--The English names of this plant are Kidney Vetch, Lamb\nToe, Lady\u2019s Fingers, Silver Bush, and Jupiter\u2019s Beard (from the thick\nwoolly down which covers the calyxes of a species growing in the\nSouth of Europe). It was formerly employed as a vulnerary, and was\nrecommended by Gesner as useful in staunching the effusion of blood:\nhence its old English names of Staunch and Wound-Wort. Clare says of\nit:--\n\n  \u201cThe yellow Lambtoe I have often got\n  Sweet creeping o\u2019er the banks in sunny time.\u201d\n\n=ANTIRRHINUM.=--Columella alludes to this flower as \u201cthe stern and\nfurious lion\u2019s gaping mouth.\u201d Its English names are Snap Dragon,\nLion\u2019s Snap, Toad\u2019s Mouth, Dog\u2019s Mouth, and Calf\u2019s Snout.----In many\nrural districts the Snap Dragon is believed to possess supernatural\npowers, and to be able to destroy charms. It was formerly supposed\nthat when suspended about the person, this plant was a protection\nfrom witchcraft, and that it caused a maiden so wearing it to appear\n\u201cgracious in the sight of people.\u201d\n\n=APPLE.=--Whether the Apple, the Orange, the Pomegranate, the Fig, the\nBanana, or the Grape was the actual fruit of the Tree of Knowledge,\nwhich tempted Eve in Paradise, will possibly never be settled; but it\nis certain that not only is the Apple mystical above all the fruits of\nthe earth, but it is the supreme fruit. To it has been given the Latin\nname _Pomona_, which is the generic name of fruit, just as Pomona is\nthe goddess of all the fruit trees.\n\nThe Scandinavian goddess Iduna is in a measure identified with the Tree\nof Immortality, which was an Apple-tree. Iduna religiously guarded in\na box the Apples which the gods, when they felt old age approaching,\nhad only to taste the juice of to become young again. The evil genius,\nLoki, having been instrumental in the abduction of Iduna and her\nrenovating Apples, the gods became old and infirm, and were unable\nproperly to govern the world; they, therefore, threatened Loki with\ncondign punishment unless he succeeded in bringing back Iduna and her\nmystic Apples: this he fortunately succeeded in doing.\n\nThe golden Apples which Juno presented to Jupiter on the day of their\nnuptials were placed under the watchful care of a fearful dragon, in\nthe garden of the Hesperides; and the obtaining of some of these Apples\nwas one of the twelve labours of Hercules. By stooping to pick up three\nof these golden Apples presented by Venus to Hippomenes, Atalanta lost\nher race, but gained him as a husband. The fatal Apple--inscribed DETUR\nPULCHRIORI--thrown by the malevolent Discordia into the assembly of the\ngods, and which Paris adjudged to Venus, caused the ruin of Troy and\ninfinite misfortune to the Greeks.\n\nThe Apple was sacred to Venus, who is often represented with the\nfruit in her hand. The Thebans worshipped Hercules, under the name of\nMelius, and offered Apples at his altar, the custom having, according\nto tradition, originated as follows:--The river Asopus being once so\nswollen as to prevent some youths from bringing across it a sheep\ndestined to be sacrificed to Hercules, one of them recollected that the\nApple was called by the same name--M\u00ealon. In this emergency, therefore,\nit was determined to offer an Apple, with four little sticks stuck in\nit to resemble legs, as a substitute for a sheep; and it being deemed\nthat the sacrifice was acceptable, the Apple was thenceforth devoted to\nHercules. The god Apollo was sometimes represented with an Apple in his\nhand.\n\nThe Celtic \u201cIsle of the Blest,\u201d the \u201cfair Avalon,\u201d is the \u201cIsland of\nApples,\u201d\n\n  \u201cWhere falls not hail, or rain, or any snow,\n  Nor ever wind blows loudly, but it lies\n  Deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns,\n  And bowery hollows crowned with Summer sea.\u201d\n\nIt has been attempted to localise the Island of Apples either at\nGlastonbury, in Somersetshire, or at Aiguilon, in Brittany. A Gaelic\nlegend which asserts the claims of an island in Loch Awe to be\nidentified as the Isle of the Blest, changes the mystic Apples into the\nfruit of the _Pyrus cordata_, a species of wild Pear, indigenous both\nto the Scotch island and to Aiguilon.\n\nThe Druids highly reverenced the Apple-tree, partly on account of its\nfruit, but chiefly because they believed that the Mistletoe thrived\non it and on the Oak only. In consequence of its reputed sanctity,\ntherefore, the Apple was largely cultivated by the early Britons, and\nGlastonbury was known as the \u201cApple Orchard,\u201d from the quantity of\nfruit grown there previous to the Roman invasion. The Druids were wont\nto cut their divining-rods from the Apple-tree.\n\nThe Saxons highly prized the Apple, and in many towns established\na separate market for the fruit. The following sentence from\ntheir Coronation Benediction shows with what importance it was\nregarded:--\u201cMay the Almighty bless thee with the blessing of heaven\nabove, and the mountains and the valleys, with the blessings of the\ndeep below, with the blessing of Grapes and Apples. Bless, O Lord, the\ncourage of this Prince, and prosper the work of his hands; and by Thy\nblessing may this land be filled with Apples, with the fruit and dew of\nheaven, from the top of the ancient mountains, from the Apples of the\neternal hills, from the fruits of the earth and its fulness.\u201d\n\nThe old Saxon chronicles relate that before the battle of Senlac,\nKing Harold pitched his camp beside the \u201choar Apple-tree\u201d--evidently\na well-known object, that had doubtless preserved its quondam sacred\ncharacter. Saint Serf, when on his way to Fife, threw his staff across\nthe sea, from Inch Keith to Culross, and this staff, we are told,\nstraightway took root and became the Apple-tree called Morglas.\n\nMany ancient rites and ceremonies connected with this mystic tree are\nstill practised in certain parts of the country, whilst others have of\nlate become obsolete. In remote districts, the farmers and peasantry\nin Herefordshire, Devonshire, and Cornwall still preserve the ancient\ncustoms of saluting the Apple-trees on Christmas Eve. In some places,\nthe parishioners walk in procession visiting the principal orchards in\nthe parish. In each orchard one tree is selected as the representative\nof the rest; this is saluted with a certain form of words, which\nhave in them the air of an incantation, and then the tree is either\nsprinkled with cider, or a bowl of cider is dashed against it, to\nensure its bearing plentifully the ensuing year. In other places,\nthe farmer and his servants only assemble on the occasion, and after\nimmersing cakes in cider, they hang them on the Apple-trees. They then\nsprinkle the trees with cider, and encircling the largest, they chant\nthe following toast three times:--\n\n      \u201cHere\u2019s to thee, old Apple-tree,\n  Whence thou may\u2019st bud, and whence thou may\u2019st blow;\n  And whence thou may\u2019st bear Apples enow.\n          Hats full! caps full!\n          Bushel, bushel, sacks full!\n          And my pockets full, too!\n                                Huzza! Huzza!\u201d\n\nAfter this the men dance round the tree, and retire to the farm-house\nto conclude, with copious draughts of cider, these solemn rites, which\nare undoubtedly relics of paganism.\n\nIn Sussex, the custom of \u201cworsling\u201d or wassailing Apple-trees still\nexists. Formerly it took place, according to the locality, some time\nbetween Christmas Eve and Twelfth Day. The most popular wassail rhyme\nwas similar to the above, but others were sung by the \u201chowlers.\u201d At\nChailey this verse is used:--\n\n  \u201cStand fast root, bear well top,\n  Pray that God send us a good howling crop.\n  Every twig, Apples big.\n  Every bough, Apples enow.\n  Hats full, caps full,\n  Full quarters, sacks full.\u201d\n\nIn West Sussex, during Christmas, the farmers\u2019 labourers assemble for\nthe purpose of wassailing the Apple-trees. A trumpeter sounds blasts\non a bullock\u2019s horn, and the party proceed to the orchard, where they\nencircle a tree or group of trees, and chant sonorously--\n\n  \u201cStand fast at root, bear well top,\n  Every twig, bear Apple big,\n  Every bough, bear Apple enow.\u201d\n\nA loud shout completes the ceremony, which is repeated till all the\ntrees in the orchard have been encircled; after which the men proceed\nto the homestead, and sing at the owner\u2019s door a song common for the\noccasion. They are then admitted, and partake of his hospitality.\n\nAt West Wickham, in Kent, a curious custom used to prevail in Rogation\nweek. The young men went into the orchards, and, encircling each tree,\nsaid:--\n\n  \u201cStand fast, root, bear well, top,\n  God send us a youling sop;\n  Every twig, Apple big;\n  Every bough, Apple enow.\u201d\n\nCider was formerly not the only drink concocted from the Apple; another\nfamous potation was called \u201cLambswool,\u201d or more correctly, lamasool,\nthe derivation of the word being the Celtic _l\u00e1maesabhal_--the day of\nApple fruit. This appellation was given to the first day of November,\ndedicated in olden times to the titular saint of fruit and seeds. The\nLambswool was composed of ale and roasted Apples, flavoured with sugar\nand spice; and a bowl of this beverage was drunk, with some ceremony,\non the last night of October. Roasted Apples formed an important item\nin the composition of the famed wassail-bowl. Shakspeare probably\nalludes to this beverage in \u2018A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u2019 where we find\nthe mischievous Puck saying,\n\n  \u201cSometimes I lurk in a gossip\u2019s bowl,\n  In very likeness of a roasted Crab.\u201d\n\nIn Sussex, the wassail-bowl was formerly made at Christmas time; it was\ncompounded of ale, sugar, Nutmeg, and roasted Apples, the latter being\ncalled Lambswool. On St. Clement\u2019s day, in East Sussex, the custom\nexists of going round from house to house asking for Apples and beer:\nthis is called Clemmening. A similar custom prevails on St. Catherine\u2019s\nDay, when the children sing a rhyme commencing--\n\n  \u201cCattern\u2019 and Clemen\u2019 be here, here, here,\n  Give us your Apples and give us your beer.\u201d\n\nIn Lowland Scotland, there is an old charm still practised by village\nmaidens on Hallow-e\u2019en. It is to go alone into a room, and eat an Apple\nin front of a looking-glass, when the face of the future husband will\nappear looking over the maid\u2019s shoulder.\n\nIn Scotland, on Hallow-e\u2019en, Apples are thrown into a tub of water,\nand you endeavour to catch one in your mouth as they bob around in\nprovoking fashion. When you have caught one, you peel it carefully,\nand pass the long strip of peel thrice _sunwise_ round your head, after\nwhich you throw it over your shoulder, and it falls to the ground in\nthe shape of the initial letter of your true love\u2019s name.\n\nIn some places, on this mystic night, a stick is suspended horizontally\nfrom the ceiling, with a candle at one end and an Apple at the other.\nWhile it is made to revolve rapidly, the revellers successively leap\nup, and endeavour to grasp the Apple with their teeth (the hands must\nnot be used); if they fail, the candle generally swings round in time\nto salute them disagreeably. Another amusement is to dive for Apples in\na tub of water.\n\nIn Sussex, on this eve, every person present fastens an Apple on a\nstring, and hangs and twirls it before the fire. The owner of the Apple\nthat first falls off is declared to be upon the point of marriage;\nand as they fall successively, the order in which the rest of the\nparty will attain to matrimonial honours is clearly indicated, single\nblessedness being the lot of the one whose Apple is the last to drop.\n\nThe custom of throwing the peel of an Apple over the head, marriage or\ncelibacy being foretold by its remaining whole or breaking, is well\nknown, as is also that of finding in a peel so cast the initial of the\ncoming sweetheart.\n\nMr. Dyer, in his \u2018English Folk-lore,\u2019 details a form of divination by\nmeans of an Apple-pip. \u201cIn Lancashire,\u201d he says, \u201cin order to ascertain\nthe abode of a lover, the anxious inquirer moves round in a circle, at\nthe same time squeezing an Apple-pippin between his finger and thumb.\nThis, on being subjected to pressure, flies from the rind, in the\nsupposed direction of the lover\u2019s residence. Meanwhile, the following\nrhyme is repeated:--\n\n  \u2018Pippin, pippin, paradise,\n  Tell me where my true love lies;\n  East, west, north, and south,\n  Pilling brig or Cocker mouth.\u2019\u201d\n\nIt was formerly customary for Apples to be blessed by priests on July\n25th; and in the manual of the Church of Sarum is preserved an especial\nform for this purpose. In Derbyshire, there is a saying that if the\nsun shines through the trees on Christmas Day, it ensures a good crop.\nIn Northamptonshire, if the Apple-tree should bloom after the fruit\nis ripe, it is regarded as a sure omen of death. In the Apple-growing\ndistricts, there is an old saying that if it rains on St. Swithin\u2019s\nDay, it is the Saint christening the Apples.\n\nDe Gubernatis, in his _Mythologie des Plantes_, gives several curious\ncustoms connected with the Apple, which are still extant in foreign\ncountries. In Serbia, when a maiden accepts from her lover an Apple,\nshe is engaged. In Hungary, a betrothed maiden, after having received\nfrom her lover the \u201cengaged\u201d ring, presents him with an Apple, the\nspecial symbol of all nuptial gifts. Young Greek girls never cease\nto invoke, upon marriage, the golden Apple. In Sicily, when a young\nman is in love, he presents the object of his affections with a love\nApple. At Mount San Giuliano, in Sicily, on St. John\u2019s Day, every young\ngirl throws from the window of her room an Apple into the street, and\nwatches to see who picks it up: should a woman do so, it is a sign\nthat the maiden will not be married during the year; if the Apple is\nonly looked at and not touched, it signifies that the maiden, after\nher marriage, will soon become a widow: if the first person passing\nis a priest, the young girl will die a virgin. In Montenegro, the\nmother-in-law presents an Apple to the young bride, who must try and\nthrow it on the roof of her husband\u2019s house: if the Apple falls on\nthe roof, the marriage will be blest, that is to say there will be\nchildren. At Taranto, in Southern Italy, at the wedding breakfast, when\nthe Apples are introduced, each guest takes one, and having pierced it\nwith a knife, places a piece of silver money in the incision: then all\nthe Apples are offered to the young bride, who bites each, and takes\nout the money.\n\nIn a Roumanian legend, the infant Jesus, in the arms of the blessed\nVirgin, becomes restless, will not go to sleep, and begins to cry. The\nVirgin, to calm the Holy Child, gives Him two Apples. The infant throws\none upwards, and it becomes the Moon; He then throws the second, and it\nbecomes the Sun. After this exploit, the Virgin Mary addresses Him and\nforetells that He will become the Lord of Heaven.\n\nIn old pictures of St. Dorothea, the virgin martyr is represented\nwith a basket containing Apples and Roses: this is in allusion to the\nlegend of her death, which tells that as Dorothea was being led forth\nto martyrdom, Theophilus, a lawyer, mockingly bade her send him fruits\nand flowers from Paradise. Dorothea, inclining her head, said, \u201cThy\nrequest, O Theophilus, is granted!\u201d Whereat he laughed aloud with his\ncompanions, but she went on cheerfully to death. Arrived at the place\nof execution, she knelt down and prayed; and suddenly there appeared\nat her side a beautiful boy, with hair bright as sunbeams. In his hand\nhe held a basket containing three Apples and three fresh-gathered and\nfragrant Roses. She said to him, \u201cCarry these to Theophilus, and say\nthat Dorothea hath sent them, and that I go before him to the garden\nwhence they came, and await him there.\u201d With these words she bent her\nneck, and received the death-stroke. Meantime, the angelic boy sought\nTheophilus, and placed before him the basket of celestial fruit and\nflowers, saying, \u201cDorothea sends thee these,\u201d and vanished. Struck by\nthe marvellous incident, Theophilus tasted of the heavenly fruit, and\ncommenced a new life, following in Dorothea\u2019s footsteps, and eventually\nobtaining the crown of martyrdom.\n\nMr. Dyer quotes the following from \u2018Notes and Queries\u2019:--\u201cIn South-east\nDevon and the neighbourhood, a curious legend is, we learn, current\namong the farmers respecting St. Dunstan and the Apple-trees. It is\nsaid that he bought up a quantity of Barley, and therewith made beer.\nThe Devil, knowing that the Saint would naturally desire to get a good\nsale for his beer, which he had just brewed, went to him and said,\nthat if he would sell himself to him, then he (the Devil) would go\nand blight the Apple-trees, so that there should be no cider, and,\nconsequently there would be a far greater demand for beer. St. Dunstan,\nnaturally wishing to drive a brisk trade in his beer, accepted the\noffer at once; but stipulated that the trees should be blighted in\nthree days, which days fell on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of May. In\nthe almanacs, the 19th is marked as St. Dunstan\u2019s Day, and, as about\nthis time the Apple-trees are in blossom, many anxious allusions are\ngenerally made to St. Dunstan; and should, as is sometimes the case,\na sharp frost nip the Apple-blossoms, they believe they know who has\nbeen at the bottom of the mischief. There seems to be several versions\nof this legendary superstition. According to some, on a certain night\nin June, three powerful witches pass through the air, and if they drop\ncertain charms on the blossoming orchards, the crops will be blighted.\nIn other parts of the country, this is known as \u2018Frankum\u2019s Night,\u2019\nand the story is, that long ago, on this night, one Frankum made \u2018a\nsacrifice\u2019 in his orchard, with the object of getting a specially fine\ncrop. His spells were answered by a blight; and the night is thus\nregarded as most critical.\u201d\n\nIn a Polish legend, derived doubtless from the myth of the Hesperides,\nthe hawk takes the place of the dragon. A young princess, through\nmagic, is shut up in a golden castle situated on a mountain of ice:\nbefore the castle she finds an Apple-tree bearing golden Apples. No one\nis able to come to this castle. Whenever a cavalier ascends the side\nof the ice mountain in order to release the princess, the hawk darts\ndown and blinds his horse, and both horse and rider are precipitated\ndown the abyss. At length the appointed hero arrives, slays the hawk,\ngathers the golden Apples, and delivers the princess.\n\nAccording to a Hanoverian legend, a young girl descends to the\ninfernal regions by means of a staircase, which she discovers under an\nApple-tree growing at the back of the house. She sees a garden, where\nthe sun seems to shine more brightly than on earth; the trees are\nblossoming or are loaded with fruit. The damsel fills her apron with\nApples, which become golden when she returns to earth.\n\nIn the popular tales of all countries, the Apple is represented as\nthe magical fruit _par excellence_. The Celtic priests held the\nApple sacred, and in Gaelic, Norse, German, and Italian stories it\nis constantly introduced as a mysterious and enchanted fruit. Mr.\nCampbell, in the introduction to his Tales of the West Highlands,\npoints out that when the hero wishes to pass from Islay to Ireland,\nhe pulls out sixteen Apples and throws them into the sea one after\nanother, and he steps from one to the other. When the giant\u2019s daughter\nruns away with the king\u2019s son, she cuts an Apple into a mystical number\nof small bits, and each bit talks. When she kills the giant, she puts\nan Apple under the hoof of the magic filly, and he dies, for his life\nis the Apple, and it is crushed. When the byre is cleansed, it is so\nclean, that a golden Apple would run from end to end and never raise a\nstain. There is a Gruagach who has a golden Apple, which is thrown at\nall comers, who, if they fail to catch it, die. When it is caught and\nthrown back by the hero, Gruagach an Ubhail, dies. There is a certain\ngame called cluich an ubhail--the Apple play--which seems to have been\na deadly game. When the king\u2019s daughter transports the soldier to the\ngreen island on the magic table-cloth, he finds magic Apples which\ntransform him, and others which cure him, and by which he transforms\nthe cruel princess, and recovers his magic treasures. When the two\neldest idle king\u2019s sons go out to herd the giant\u2019s cattle, they find\nan Apple-tree whose fruit moves up and down as they vainly strive to\npluck it; in fact, in all Gaelic stories, the Apple when introduced has\nsomething marvellous about it.\n\nSo, in the German, in the \u2018Man of Iron,\u2019 a princess throws a golden\nApple as a prize, which the hero catches three times, and carries off,\nand wins. In \u2018Snow White,\u2019 where the poisoned comb occurs, there is\na poisoned magic Apple also. In the \u2018Old Griffin,\u2019 the rich princess\nis cured by rosy-cheeked Apples. In the \u2018White Snake,\u2019 a servant who\nunderstands the voice of birds, helps creatures in distress, gets them\naid, and procures golden Apples from three ravens which fly over the\nsea to the end of the world, where stands the tree of life. When he\nhad got the Apple, he and the princess eat it and marry. Again, in the\n\u2018Wonderful Hares,\u2019 a golden Apple is the gift for which the finder is\nto gain a princess; and that Apple grew on a tree, the sole one of its\nkind.\n\nIn Norse it is the same: the princess on the glass mountain held three\ngolden Apples in her lap, and he who could ride up the hill and carry\noff the Apples was to win the prize; and the princess rolled them down\nto the hero, and they rolled into his shoe. The good girl plucked the\nApples from the tree which spoke to her when she went down the well to\nthe underground world; but the ill-tempered step-sister thrashed down\nthe fruit; and when the time of trial came, the Apple-tree played its\npart and protected the poor girl.\n\nIn a French tale, a singing Apple is one of the marvels which Princess\nBelle Etoile and her brothers and her cousin bring from the end of the\nworld. In an Italian story, a lady when she has lost her husband goes\noff to the Atlantic Ocean with three golden Apples; and the mermaid\nwho has swallowed the husband shows first his head, then his body to\nthe waist, and then to the knees, each time for a golden Apple. Then,\nfinally, in the \u2018Arabian Nights,\u2019 there is a long story, called the\nThree Apples, which turns upon the theft of one, which was considered\nto have been of priceless value. The Apple-blossom is considered to be\nan emblem of preference. To dream of Apples betokens long life, success\nin trade, and a lover\u2019s faithfulness.\n\n=APPLE OF SODOM.=--The _Solanum Sodomeum_ is a purple Egg-plant of\nwhich the fruit is naturally large and handsome. It is, however,\nsubject to the attacks of an insect (a species of _Cynips_), which\npunctures the rind, and converts the interior of the fruit into a\nsubstance like ashes, while the outside remains fair and beautiful.\nIt is found on the desolate shores of the Dead Sea, on the site of\nthose cities of the plain the dreadful judgment on which is recorded\nin sacred history. Hence the fruit, called the Apple of Sodom, has\nacquired a sinister reputation, and is regarded as the symbol of sin.\nIts first appearance, it is said, is always attended with a bitter\nnorth-east wind, and therefore ships for the Black Sea take care to\nsail before the harbinger of bad weather comes forth. The fruit is\nreputed to be poisonous. Josephus, the Jewish historian, speaks of them\nas having \u201ca fair colour, as if they were fit to be eaten; but if you\npluck them with your hand, they vanish into smoke and ashes.\u201d Milton,\ndescribing an Apple which added new torments to the fallen angels,\ncompares it to the Apples of Sodom:--\n\n            \u201cGreedily they pluck\u2019d\n  The fruitage fair to sight, like that which grew\n  Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed.\n  This mere delusion, not the touch but taste\n  Deceived; they fondly thinking to allay\n  Their appetite with gust, instead of fruit\n  Chewed bitter ashes.\u201d\n\nHenry Teonge, who visited the country round the Dead Sea in 1675,\ndescribes it as being \u201call over full of stones which looke just like\nburnt syndurs, and on some low shrubbs there grow small round things\nwhich are called Apples, but no witt like them. They are somewhat fayre\nto looke at, but touch them and they smoulder all to black ashes, like\nsoote both for looks and smell.\u201d--The name Apple of Sodom is also\ngiven to a kind of Gall-nut, which is found growing on various species\nof dwarf Oaks on the banks of the Jordan.--Dead Sea Apples is a term\napplied to the Bussorah Gall-nut, which is formed on the Oak _Quercus\ninfectoria_ by an insect, and being of a bright ruddy purple, but\nfilled with a gritty powder, they are suggestive of the deceptive Apple\nof Sodom.\n\n  \u201cDead Sea fruits, that tempt the eye,\n  But turn to ashes on the lips.\u201d\n\nAPPLE OF PARADISE, OR ADAM\u2019S APPLE.--See Banana.\n\nAPPLE, LOVE.--See Solanum.\n\nAPPLE, MAD.--See Solanum.\n\n=APRICOT.=--According to Columella, the Persians sent the Peach to\nEgypt to poison the inhabitants; and a species of Apricot is called by\nthe people of Barbary, _Matza Franca_, or the \u201cKiller of Christians.\u201d\nThe Persians call the Apricot of Iran, the \u201cSeed of the Sun.\u201d The\nancients appear to have regarded it as a prophetical or oracular\ntree.----It was in the solitude of a grove of Apricot-trees that\nConfucius, the venerated Chinese sage, completed his commentaries\non the _King_ or ancient books of China, and beneath this shade he\nerected an altar, and solemnly thanked Heaven for having permitted him\nto accomplish his cherished task.----The name has undergone curious\ntransformations: it is traceable to the Latin _pr\u00e6coqua_, early; the\nfruit being supposed by the Romans to be an early Peach. The Arabs\n(although living near the region of which the tree is a native) took\nthe Latin name, and twisted it into _al burquq_; the Spaniards altered\nits Moorish name into _albaricoque_; the Italians reproduced it as\n_albicoces_; the French from them got _abricot_; and we, in England,\nalthough taking the name from the French, first called it _Abricock_,\nor _Aprecock_, and finally _Apricot_.----The Apricot is under the\ndominion of Venus. To dream of this fruit denotes health, a speedy\nmarriage, and every success in life.\n\n=ARBOR VIT\u00c6.=--This tree, otherwise known as _Thuja_, is called by\nPliny, _Thya_ (from _thyon_, a sacrifice). The resin of the Eastern\nvariety is, in certain localities, frequently used instead of incense\nat sacrifices. How the tree acquired the name of _Arbor Vit\u00e6_ is not\nknown, unless from some supposed virtue of its berries. Gerarde,\nwho had only seen the Canadian variety, says of it that, of all the\ntrees from that country, the _Arbor Vit\u00e6_, or _Thya_, was \u201cthe most\nprincipall, and best agreeing unto the nature of man, as an excellent\ncordial, and of a very pleasant smell.\u201d He also tells us that it was\nsometimes called _Cedrus Lycia_, and that it is not to be confounded\nwith the Tree of Life mentioned in Genesis.\n\n=ARBUTUS.=--The Arbutus, or Strawberry-tree (_Arbutus unedo_), was held\nsacred by the Romans. It was one of the attributes of Cardea, a sister\nof Apollo, who was beloved by Janus, guardian of gates and avenues.\nWith a rod of Arbutus--_virga Janalis_--Cardea drove away witches and\nprotected little children when ill or bewitched. The Romans employed\nthe Arbutus, with other symbolic trees and flowers, at the Palilia, a\nfestival held in honour of the pastoral goddess Pales. It was a Roman\ncustom to deposit branches of the Arbutus on coffins, and Virgil tells\nus that Arbutus rods and Oak twigs formed the bier of young Pallas, the\nson of Evander. Horace, in his Odes, has celebrated the shade afforded\nby the Arbutus. Ovid speaks of the tree as \u201cthe Arbutus heavy with its\nruby fruit,\u201d and tells us that, in the Golden Age, the fruit afforded\nfood to man. This fruit is called _unedo_, and Pliny is stated to\nhave given it that name became it was so bitter that he who ate one\nwould eat no more.----The Oriental Arbutus, or Andrachne, bears fruit\nresembling a scarlet Strawberry in size and flavour. In Greece, it has\nthe reputation of so affecting serpents who feed upon it, that they\nspeedily cease to be venomous. The water distilled from the leaves and\nblossom of the Arbutus was accounted a very powerful agent against the\nplague and poisons.\n\n=ARCHANGEL.=--The name of Archangel is applied to the _Angelica\narchangelica_; the Red Archangel, _Stachys sylvatica_; the White\nArchangel, _Lamium album_; and the Yellow Archangel, _L. Galeobdolon_.\nNemnich says, the plant originally obtained its name from its having\nbeen revealed by an angel, in a dream. Parkinson considers it was so\ncalled on account of its heavenly virtues. Gerarde remarks of it, that\n\u201cthe flowers are baked with sugar, as Roses are, which is called Sugar\nRoset: as also the distilled water of them, which is used to make the\nheart merry, to make a good colour in the face, and to refresh the\nvitall spirits.\u201d\n\n=ARECA.=--The _Areca Catechu_ is one of the sacred plants of India,\nproducing the perfumed Areca Nuts, favourite masticatories of the\nIndian races. So highly is this nut esteemed by the natives, that they\nwould rather forego meat and drink than their precious Areca Nuts,\nwhich they cut into narrow pieces, and roll up with a little lime\nin the leaves of the Pepper, and chew. The Areca Palm is known in\nHindostan as _Supyari_, and in Japan as _Jambi_. The Hindus adorn their\ngods with these Nuts, and forbid respectable women to deck either their\nheads or bosoms with them. According to Indian tradition, Devadamani,\nsubduer of the gods, once appeared at the court of King Vikram\u00e2ditya,\nto play with him, clothed in a robe the colour of the sky, having in\nhis hand and in his mouth an Areca Nut enveloped in a leaf of the\nKalpa-tree. This probably explains the Indian custom of presenting an\nAreca Nut to guests, which is eaten with the leaf of the Betel. In\nChina, a similar custom prevails, but the Nut given there is the Betel\nNut.\n\n=ARISTOLOCHIA.=--The old English name of this plant was Birth-wort,\nderived from its reputed remedial powers in parturition--probably first\nsuggested by the shape of the corolla--whence also its Greek name,\nfrom _aristos_, best, and _locheia_, delivery. According to Pliny, if\nthe expectant mother desired to have a son, she employed Aristolochia,\nwith the flesh of an ox.----Certain of the species are renowned, in\nsome European countries, for having a wonderful influence over fishes\nand serpents. _A. Serpentaria_ is reputed to be so offensive to the\nserpent tribe, that they will not only shun the place where it grows,\nbut will even flee from any traveller who carries a piece of the plant\nin his hand. The snake jugglers of Egypt are believed to stupefy these\nreptiles by means of a decoction distilled from the plant, and it is\nasserted that a few drops introduced into the mouth of a serpent will\nso intoxicate it as to render it insensible and harmless.----Apuleius\nrecommends the use of Aristolochia against the Evil Eye.----The\nBirth-wort is under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=ARKA.=--This is the Indian name of the _Calotropis gigantea_, also\ncalled _Arkapatra_ and _Arkaparna_ (the lightning-leaved), the leaves\nof which present the cuneiform symbols of lightning. _Arka_, says De\nGubernatis, is also the name of the Sun, and this explains why the\nBrahmins employed the leaf of the _Calotropis_ on the occasion of\nsacrificing to the Sun. In each part of the Arka it is stated that\na portion of the human body can be distinguished. Notwithstanding\nits grand name, and its beautiful appearance, people have a dread of\napproaching it, lest it should strike them blind. The origin of this\nsuperstition is to be found in the word _Arka_, which means both the\nsun and the lightning.\n\n=ARTEMISIA.=--The genus of plants known as Artemisia was so called\nafter the goddess Artemis (who was regarded by the Romans as identical\nwith Diana, or the Moon), by reason of some of its species being\nused in bringing on precocious puberty. On this account, also, it is\none of the plants specially under the influence of the Moon.--(See\nSOUTHERNWOOD and WORMWOOD).\n\n=ARUNDHATI.=--This is the Brahminical name of a climbing plant of good\nomen, and to which, according to De Gubernatis, the _Atharvaveda_\nattributes magical properties against diseases of the skin. It gives\nmilk to sterile cows, it heals wounds, it delivers men from sickness,\nit protects those who drink its juices. It is the sister of the water\nand of the gods; the night is its mother; the mist, the horse of Yama,\nits father; Aryaman its grandfather. It descends from the mouth of the\nhorse of Yama.\n\n=ARUM.=--The Germans call the Arum _Aronswurzel_, and entertain the\nnotion that where this flourishes, the spirits of the wood rejoice. The\nmajestic Ethiopian species of the Arum (_Calla \u00c6thiopica_) is commonly\ncalled the Horn-flower, from the shape of its large white calyx. In\ntropical climates, the plant is a deadly poison. The Arum of English\nhedgerows, a flower of a very much humbler character, is known by a\nvariety of quaint names, viz., Aaron, Cuckoo-pint, Cuckoo-pintle,\nWake Robin, Friar\u2019s Cowl, Priest\u2019s-pintle, Lords-and-Ladies,\nCows-and-Calves, Ramp, Starchwort, and, in Worcestershire, Bloody\nMen\u2019s Fingers (from the red berries that surround the spadix). These\nblood-red spots have caused the plant to received in Cheshire the name\nof Gethsemane, because it is said to have been growing at the foot of\nthe Cross, and to have received some drops of our Saviour\u2019s blood.\n\n  \u201cThose deep inwrought marks,\n  The villagers will tell thee,\n  Are the flower\u2019s portion from the atoning blood\n  On Calvary shed. Beneath the Cross it grew.\u201d\n\nThis flower, the _Arum maculatum_, is the English Passion-flower: its\nberries are highly poisonous, and every part of the plant is acrid;\nyet the root contains a farinaceous substance, which, when properly\nprepared, and its acrid juice expressed, is good for food, and is\nindeed sold under the name of Portland Sago.----Starch has been made\nfrom the root, and the French use it in compounding the cosmetic known\nas Cypress powder. A drachm weight of the spotted Wake Robin, either\nfresh or dry, was formerly considered as a sure remedy for poison and\nthe plague. The juice of the herb swallowed, to the quantity of a\nspoonful, had the same effect. Beaten up with Ox-dung, the berries or\nroots were believed to ease the pains of gout.----Arum is under the\ndominion of Mars.\n\n=ASOKA.=--The _Saraca Indica_, or _Jonesia Asoka_, is one of the\nsacred plants of India, which has from remotest ages been consecrated\nto their temple decoration, probably on account of the beauty of its\norange-red blossoms and the delicacy of its perfume, which in the\nmonths of March and April is exhaled throughout the night. The tree is\nthe symbol of love, and dedicated to K\u00e2ma, the Indian god of love. Like\nthe Agnus Castus, it is reported to have a certain charm in preserving\nchastity: thus S\u00eet\u00e2, the wife of R\u00e2ma, when abducted by the monster\nR\u00e2vana, escapes from the caresses of the monster and finds refuge in\na grove of Asokas. In the legend of Buddha, when M\u00e2y\u00e2 is conscious of\nhaving conceived the Bodhisattva, under the guise of an elephant, she\nretires to a wood of Asoka trees, and then sends for her husband. The\nHindus entertain the superstition that a single touch of the foot of\na pretty woman is sufficient to cause the Asoka to flourish. The word\nasoka signifies that which is deprived of grief, and Asoka, or the tree\nwithout grief, is also one of the names of the Bodhidruma, the sacred\ntree of Buddha.\n\n=ASPEN.=--A legend referring to the tremulous motion of this tree\n(_Populus tremula_--see POPLAR) is to the following effect:--\u201cAt the\nawful hour of the Passion, when the Saviour of the world felt deserted\nin His agony, when earth, shaken with horror, rang the parting knell\nfor Deity, and universal nature groaned: then, from the loftiest tree\nto the lowliest flower, all felt a sudden thrill, and trembling bowed\ntheir heads, all save the Aspen, which said: \u2018Why should we weep and\ntremble? The trees and flowers are pure and never sinned!\u2019 Ere it\nceased to speak, an involuntary trembling seized its every leaf, and\nthe word went forth that it should never rest, but tremble on until\nthe Day of Judgment.\u201d An old saying affirmed that the leaves of the\nAspen were made from women\u2019s tongues, which never ceased wagging; and\nallusion is made to this in the following rhyme by Hannay, 1622:--\n\n  \u201cThe quaking Aspen, light and thin,\n  In the air quick passage gives;\n            Resembling still\n            The trembling ill\n  Of tempers of womankind,\n            Which never rest,\n            But still are prest\n  To wave with every wind.\u201d\n\nThe Bretons have a legend that the Saviour\u2019s cross was made of Aspen\nwood; and that the ceaseless trembling of the leaves of this tree marks\nthe shuddering of sympathetic horror. The Germans preserve an ancient\ntradition that, during their flight into Egypt, the Holy Family came\nto a dense forest, in which, but for an angelic guide, they must have\nlost their way. As they entered this wilderness, all the trees bowed\nthemselves down in reverence to the infant God; only the Aspen, in\nher exceeding pride and arrogance, refused to acknowledge Him, and\nstood upright. Then the Holy Child pronounced a curse against her, as\nHe in after life cursed the barren Fig-tree; and at the sound of His\nwords the Aspen began to tremble through all her leaves, and has not\nceased to tremble to this day. Mr. Henderson, in his \u2018Folk-lore of the\nNorthern Counties,\u2019 states that this tradition has been embodied in a\nlittle poem, which may be thus translated:--\n\n  \u201cOnce as our Saviour walked with men below,\n    His path of mercy through a forest lay;\n  And mark how all the drooping branches show,\n    What homage best a silent tree may pay!\n\n  \u201cOnly the Aspen stands erect and free,\n    Scorning to join the voiceless worship pure;\n  But see! He casts one look upon the tree,\n    Struck to the heart she trembles evermore!\u201d\n\nThe Kirghises, who have become almost Mussulmans, have nevertheless\npreserved a profound veneration for the sacred Aspen.----Astrologers\nhold that the Aspen is a lunar tree.\n\n=ASPHODEL.=--The Asphodel is the flower which flourished in the Elysian\nFields. Orpheus, in Pope\u2019s \u2018Ode on St. Cecilia\u2019s Day,\u2019 conjures the\ninfernal deities--\n\n  \u201cBy the streams that ever flow;\n  By the fragrant winds that blow\n      O\u2019er the Elysian flowers;\n  By those happy souls who dwell\n  In yellow meads of Asphodel,\n      Or Amaranthine bowers.\u201d\n\nHomer tells us that, having crossed the Styx, the shades passed over a\nlong prairie of Asphodel; and Lucian makes old Charon say:--\u201cI know why\nMercury keeps us waiting so long. Down here with us there is nothing to\nbe had but Asphodel, and libations and oblations, and that in the midst\nof mist and darkness: but up in heaven it is all bright and clear, and\nplenty of ambrosia there, and nectar without stint.\u201d The fine flowers\nof this plant of the infernal regions produced grains which were\nbelieved by the ancients to afford nourishment to the dead. Accordingly\nwe find that the Greeks planted Asphodel and Mallows round graves. The\nedible roots of the Asphodel were also wont to be laid as offerings in\nthe tombs of the departed, and, according to Hesiod, they served as\nfood for the poor. The Asphodel was held sacred to Bacchus, probably\nbecause he visited the infernal regions, and rescued his mother Semele\nfrom the kingdom of the departed. Wreaths of the Asphodel were worn\nby Bacchus, Proserpine, Diana, and Semele. Asphodels were among the\nflowers forming the couch of Jupiter and Juno, and Milton has named\nthem as put to the same use by Adam and Eve.\n\n            \u201cFlowers were the couch,\n  Pansies, and Violets, and Asphodel,\n  And Hyacinth, earth\u2019s freshest, softest lap.\u201d\n\nDr. Prior says that the Asphodel root was, under the name of _cibo\nregio_ (food for a king), highly esteemed in the middle ages, but,\nhowever improved by cultivation, it is likely to have been troublesome\nby its diuretic qualities, and has probably on that account gone out\nof fashion. Rapin, in his poem, refers to the Asphodel as forming an\narticle of food--\n\n  \u201cAnd rising Asphodel forsakes her bed,\n  On whose sweet root our rustic fathers fed.\u201d\n\n=ASTER.=--The old English name of the Aster is Star-wort. Rapin says of\nthis flower--\n\n  \u201cThe Attic star, so named in Grecian use,\n  But called Amellus by the Mantuan Muse\n  In meadows reigns near some cool streamlet\u2019s side,\n  Or marshy vales where winding currents glide.\n  Wreaths of this gilded flower the shepherds twine,\n  When grapes now ripe in clusters load the vine.\u201d\n\nThe Aster is thus identified with the Amellus, of the Greek and Latin\npoets, and, according to Virgil, the altars of the gods were often\nadorned with wreaths of these flowers. In his Fourth Georgic the poet\nprescribes the root of the Italian Star-wort (_Aster Amellus_) for\nsickly bees. (See AMELLUS). The leaves of the Attic Star-wort (when\nburnt) had the reputation of driving away serpents. In Germany, the\nStar-wort is used by lovers as an oracle, to decide whether their love\nis returned or not. The person consulting it repeats the words--\n\n  \u201c_Er liebt mich von Herzen\n  Mit Schmerzen,\n      Ja--oder Nein._\u201d\n\nAt the recurrence of the words _ja_ and _nein_ a leaf is pulled\nout, and the answer depends on which of these words is pronounced\nas the last of the leaves is plucked. G\u00f6the introduces this rustic\nsuperstition in his tragedy of \u2018Faust,\u2019 where the luckless heroine\nconsults the floral oracle as to the affection entertained for her by\nFaust. The French call the Italian Star-wort, or Amellus, _l\u2019\u0152il de\nChrist_, and the China Aster _la Reine Marguerite_----The Aster is\nconsidered to be a herb of Venus.\n\n=ASH.=--This tree (_Fraxinus excelsior_), called, on account of\nits elegance, the Venus of the forest, and from its utility, the\nhusbandman\u2019s tree, was regarded by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and\nScandinavians as a sacred tree, and as one of good omen. In the\nTeutonic mythology, the Ash is the most venerated of trees, and the\nScandinavian Edda, the sacred book of the Northmen, furnishes a\ndetailed account of the mystic Ash Yggdrasill, or mundane tree, beneath\nwhose shade was the chief or holiest seat of the gods, where they\nassembled every day in council. (See YGGDRASILL.) According to the\nold Norse tradition, it was out of the wood of the Ash that man was\nfirst formed; and the Greeks entertained a similar belief, for we find\nHesiod deriving his brazen race of men from it. The goddess Nemesis was\nsometimes represented with an Ashen wand. Cupid, before he learnt to\nuse the more potent Cypress, employed Ash for the wood of his arrows.\nAt the Nuptials of Peleus and Thetis, Chiron appeared with a branch of\nAsh, from which was made the lance of Peleus, which afterwards became\nthe spear of Achilles. Rapin writes of this tree--\n\n  \u201cBut on fair levels and a gentle soil\n  The noble Ash rewards the planter\u2019s toil.\n  Noble e\u2019er since Achilles from her side\n  Took the dire spear by which brave Hector died;\n  Whose word resembling much the hero\u2019s mind,\n  Will sooner break than bend--a stubborn kind.\u201d\n\nThere exists an old superstition, that a serpent will rather creep\ninto the fire than over a twig of the Ash-tree, founded upon the\nstatements of Pliny with respect to the magical powers of the Ash\nagainst serpents. It was said that serpents always avoided the shade of\nthe Ash; so that if a fire and a serpent were placed within a circle\nof Ash-leaves, the serpent, to avoid the Ash, would even run into the\nmidst of the fire. Cowley, enumerating various prodigies, says:--\n\n  \u201cOn the wild Ash\u2019s tops, the bats and owls,\n  With, all night, ominous and baleful fowls,\n  Sate brooding, while the screeches of these droves\n  Profaned and violated all the groves.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  But that which gave more wonder than the rest,\n  Within an Ash a serpent built her nest,\n  And laid her eggs; when once to come beneath\n  The very shadow of an Ash was death.\u201d\n\nThere exists a popular belief in Cornwall, that no kind of snake is\never found near the \u201cAshen-tree,\u201d and that a branch of the Ash will\nprevent a snake from coming near a person. There is a legend that a\nchild, who was in the habit of receiving its portion of bread and milk\nat the cottage door, was found to be in the habit of sharing its food\nwith one of the poisonous adders. The reptile came regularly every\nmorning, and the child, pleased with the beauty of his companion,\nencouraged the visits. So the babe and the adder thus became close\nfriends. Eventually this became known to the mother (who, being a\nlabourer in the fields, was compelled to leave her child all day),\nand she found it to be a matter of great difficulty to keep the snake\nfrom the child whenever it was left alone. She therefore adopted the\nprecaution of binding an Ashen-twig about its body. The adder no longer\ncame near the child; but, from that day forward, the poor little one\npined away, and eventually died, as all around said, through grief at\nhaving lost the companion by whom it had been fascinated.\n\nOn the subject of the serpent\u2019s antipathy to the Ash, we find Gerarde\nwriting as follows:--\u201cThe leaves of this tree are of so great vertue\nagainst serpents, that they dare not so much as touch the morning and\nevening shadowes of the tree, but shun them afar off, as Pliny reports\n(_lib._ 16, c. 13). He also affirmeth that the serpent being penned\nin with boughes laid round about, will sooner run into the fire, if\nany be there, than come neare the boughes of the Ash; and that the Ash\nfloureth before the serpents appeare, and doth not cast its leaves\nbefore they be gon againe. We write (saith he) upon experience, that\nif the serpent be set within a circle of fire and the branches, the\nserpent will sooner run into the fire than into the boughes. It is a\nwonderfull courtesie in nature, that the Ash should floure before the\nserpents appeare, and not cast his leaves before they be gon againe.\u201d\nOther old writers affirm that the leaves, either taken inwardly, or\napplied outwardly, are singularly good against the biting of snakes\nor venomous beasts; and that the water distilled from them, and taken\nevery morning fasting, is thought to abate corpulence. The ashes of the\nAsh and Juniper are stated to cure leprosy.\n\nThe pendent winged seeds, called spinners or keys, were believed to\nhave the same effect as the leaves: in country places there is to this\nday an opinion current, that when these keys are abundant, a severe\nWinter will follow. A bunch of Ash-keys is still thought efficacious as\na protection against witchcraft.\n\nIn marshy situations, the roots of the Ash will run a long way at a\nconsiderable depth, thus acting as sub-drains: hence the proverb, in\nsome parts of the country, \u201cMay your foot-fall be by the root of the\nAsh.\u201d In the Spring, when the Ash and Oak are coming into leaf, Kentish\nfolk exclaim:--\u201cOak, smoke; Ash, squash.\u201d If the Oak comes out first,\nthey believe the Summer will prove hot; if the Ash, it will be wet.\n\n  \u201cIf the Oak\u2019s before the Ash,\n  You will only get a splash;\n  If the Ash precedes the Oak,\n  You will surely have a soak.\u201d\n\nGilbert White tells us of a superstitious custom, still extant, which\nhe thinks was derived from the Saxons, who practised it before their\nconversion to Christianity. Ash-trees, when young and flexible, were\nsevered, and held open by wedges, while ruptured children, stripped\nnaked, were pushed through the apertures, under a persuasion that they\nwould be cured of their infirmity. The operation over, the tree was\nplastered up with loam, and carefully swathed. If the severed parts\ncoalesced in due course, the babe was sure to be cured; but if not,\nthe operation would probably be ineffectual. The same writer relates\nanother extraordinary custom among rustics: they bore a deep hole in\nan Ash-tree, and imprison a live shrew mouse therein: the tree then\nbecomes a Shrew-Ash, whose twigs or branches, gently applied to the\nlimbs of cattle, will immediately relieve the cramp, lameness, and pain\nsupposed to attack the animal wherever a shrew mouse has crept over it.\n\nLightfoot says that, in the Highlands, at the birth of an infant, the\nnurse takes a green Ash stick, one end of which she puts into the fire;\nand, while it is burning, receives in a spoon the sap that oozes from\nthe other, which she administers to the child as its first food: this\ncustom is thought to be derived from the old Aryan practice of feeding\nyoung children with the honey-like juice of the _Fraxinus Ornus_. The\nsap of the Ash, tapped on certain days, is drunk in Germany as a remedy\nfor the bites of serpents.\n\nIn Northumberland, there is a belief that if the first parings of an\ninfant\u2019s nails are buried under an Ash, the child will turn out a \u201ctop\nsinger.\u201d In Staffordshire, the common people believe that it is very\ndangerous to break a bough from the Ash. In Leicestershire, the Ash\nis employed as a charm for warts. In the month of April or May, the\nsufferer is taken to an Ash-tree: the operator (who is provided with a\npaper of new pins) takes a pin, and having first struck it through the\nbark, presses it through the wart until it produces pain; the pin is\nthen taken out and stuck into the tree, where it is left. Each wart is\nsimilarly treated, a separate pin being used for each. The warts will\ndisappear in a few weeks. It is a wide-spread custom to stroke with a\ntwig from an Ash-tree, under the roots of which a horse-shoe has been\nburied, any animal which is supposed to have been bewitched.\n\nAn Ashen herding stick is preferred by Scotch boys to any other,\nbecause in throwing it at their cattle it is sure not to strike in\na vital part, and so kill or injure the animal, a contingency which\nmay occur, it seems, with other sticks. It is worthy of note that the\n_lituus_ of the Roman Augur--a staff with a crook at one end--was\nformed of an Ash-tree bough, the crook being sometimes produced\nnaturally, but more often by artificial means.\n\nIn many parts of England, the finding of an even Ash-leaf is considered\nto be an augury of good luck; hence the old saying, so dear to tender\nmaids--\n\n  \u201cIf you find an even Ash or a four-leaved Clover,\n  Rest assured you\u2019ll see your true-love ere the day is over.\u201d\n\nIn Cornwall, this charm is frequently made use of for invoking good\nluck:--\n\n  \u201cEven Ash I thee do pluck,\n    Hoping thus to meet good luck.\n  If no good luck I get from thee,\n    I shall wish thee on the tree.\u201d\n\nIn Henderson\u2019s \u2018Northern Folk-lore,\u2019 occur the following lines\nregarding the virtues of even Ash-leaves:--\n\n  \u201cThe even Ash-leaf in my left hand,\n  The first man I meet shall be my husband.\n  The even Ash-leaf in my glove,\n  The first I meet shall be my love.\n  The even Ash-leaf for my breast,\n  The first man I meet\u2019s whom I love best.\n  The even Ash-leaf in my hand,\n  The first I meet shall be my man.\u201d\n\n  \u201cEven Ash, even Ash, I pluck thee,\n  This night my true love for to see;\n  Neither in his rick nor in his rear,\n  But in the clothes he does every day wear.\u201d\n\nIt is a tradition among the gipsies that the cross our Saviour was\ncrucified upon was made of Ash.\n\nIn Devonshire, it is customary to burn an Ashen faggot at\nChristmastide, in commemoration of the fact that the Divine Infant at\nBethlehem was first washed and dressed by a fire of Ash-wood.\n\nThe Yule-clog or -log which ancient custom prescribes to be burnt on\nChristmas Eve, used to be of Ash: thus we read in an old poem:--\n\n  \u201cThy welcome Eve, loved Christmas, now arrived,\n  The parish bells their tuneful peals resound,\n  And mirth and gladness every breast pervade.\n  The ponderous Ashen-faggot, from the yard,\n  The jolly farmer to his crowded hall\n  Conveys with speed; where, on the rising flames\n  (Already fed with store of massy brands),\n  It blazes soon; nine bandages it bears,\n  And, as they each disjoin (so custom wills),\n  A mighty jug of sparkling cider\u2019s brought\n  With brandy mixt, to elevate the guests.\u201d\n\nSpenser speaks of the Ash as being \u201cfor nothing ill,\u201d but the tree has\nalways been regarded as a special attractor of lightning, and there is\na very old couplet, which says:--\n\n  \u201cAvoid an Ash,\n  It courts the flash.\u201d\n\nIts character as an embodiment of fire is manifested in a remarkable\nSwedish legend given in Grimm\u2019s \u2018German Mythology.\u2019 Some seafaring\npeople, it is said, received an Ash-tree from a giant, with directions\nto set it upon the altar of a church he wished to destroy. Instead,\nhowever, of carrying out his instructions, they placed the Ash on the\nmound over a grave, which to their astonishment instantly burst into\nflames.\n\nThere is an old belief that to prevent pearls from being discoloured,\nit is sufficient to keep them shut up with a piece of Ash-root.\n\nAstrologers appear to be divided in their opinions as to whether the\nAsh is under the dominion of the Sun or of Jupiter.\n\n=ASVATTHA.=--The Indian Veda prescribes that for the purpose\nof kindling the sacred fire, the wood of an _Asvattha_ (_Ficus\nreligiosa_), growing upon a _Sami_ (_Mimosa Suma_), should be employed.\nThe idea of a marriage suggested by such a union of the two trees\nis also developed in the Vedas with much minuteness of detail. The\nprocess by which, in the Hindu temples, fire is obtained from wood\nresembles churning. It consists in drilling one piece of wood (the\n_Asvattha_, symbolising the male element) into another (the _Sami_,\nrepresenting the female element). This is effected by pulling a string\ntied to it, with a jerk, with one hand, while the other is slackened,\nand so alternately until the wood takes fire. The fire is received on\ncotton or flax held in the hand of an assistant Brahman. This Indian\nfire-generator is known as the \u201cchark.\u201d (See also SAMI and PEEPUL).\n\n=AURICULA.=--The old Latin name of this plant was _Auricula ursi_,\nfrom the shape of the leaves resembling a bear\u2019s ear. It is thought to\nbe the _Alisma_ of Dioscorides. Matthiolus and Pena call it _Sanicula\nAlpina_, from its potency in healing wounds. Old herbalists have also\nnamed it _Paralytica_ on account of its being esteemed a remedy for the\npalsy. Gerarde calls it Bear\u2019s-ear, or Mountain Cowslip, and tells us\nthat the root was in great request among Alpine hunters, for the effect\nit produced in strengthening the head and preventing giddiness and\nswimming of the brain overtaking them on high elevations. The plant is\nreputed to be somewhat carnivorous, and cultivators place juicy pieces\nof meat about the roots, so that they may absorb the blood.----In\nGermany, the Auricula is considered emblematical of love of home.\n\n=AVAKA.=--The _Avaka_ or _S\u00eep\u00e2la_ is an India aquatic plant, which\nplays an important part in their funeral ceremonies. It is placed in a\ncavity made, according to their custom, to the north-east of the sacred\nfire _Ahavan\u00eeya_, and it is believed that the soul of the deceased\nperson passes into this cavity, and thence ascends with the smoke to\nheaven. The _Avaka_ or _S\u00eep\u00e2la_ forms the food of the Gandharvas, who\npreside over the India waters.\n\nAVENS.--See Herb Bennett.\n\n=AZALEA.=--This handsome shrub is narcotic and poisonous in all its\nparts. Xenophon, in his narrative of the \u2018Retreat of the Ten Thousand,\u2019\nin Asia, after the death of Cyrus, tells how his soldiers became\ntemporarily stupefied and delirious, as if intoxicated, after partaking\nof the honey of Trebizond on the Black Sea. The baneful properties\nof this honey arose from the poisonous nature of the blossoms of the\n_Azalea Pontica_, from which the bees had collected it.\n\n=BACCHARIS.=--This plant is the _Inula Conyza_, and was called\nBaccharis after the god Bacchus, to whom it was dedicated. Virgil\nspeaks of Baccharis as being used for making garlands, and recommends\nit as a plant which is efficacious as a charm for repelling calumny--\n\n  \u201c_Bacchari frontem\n  Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro._\u201d\n\nIts English name is the Ploughman\u2019s Spikenard; and it was highly\nesteemed by the old herbalists on account of the sweet and aromatic\nqualities of its root, from which the ancients compounded an ointment\nwhich was also known as Baccharis.\n\nBACHELOR\u2019S BUTTONS.--See Ranunculus.\n\n=BALBAGA.=--The Indian Grass, _Eleusine Indica_, had, according to\nDe Gubernatis, the Vedic name of _Balbaja_: and, as a sacred herb,\nwas employed in Indian religious festivals for litter, in ceremonials\nconnected with the worship of the sacred Cow.\n\n=BALDMONEY.=--According to Gerarde, the Gentian was formerly called\nBaldmoyne and Baldmoney; but Dr. Prior considers that the name\nappertains to _Meum athamanticum_, and that it is a corruption of the\nLatin _valde bona_, very good. The Grete Herball, speaking of Sistra,\nhe says, gives the following explanation:--\u201cSistra is Dyll, some call\nit Mew; but that is not so. Howbeit they be very like in properties and\nvertue, and be put eche for other; but Sistra is of more vertue then\nMew, and the leaves be lyke an herbe called _Valde Bona_, and beareth\nsmaller sprigges as Spiknarde. It groweth on hye hylles\u201d (See FELDWODE).\n\n=BALIS.=--This herb was believed by the ancients to possess the\nproperty of restoring the dead to life. By its means \u00c6sculapius himself\nwas said to have been once resuscitated; and Pliny reports that,\naccording to the Greek historian Xanthus, a little dog, killed by a\nserpent, was brought back to life by this wonderful herb _Balis_.\n\n=BALSAM.=--The seed vessel of this plant contains five cells. When\nmaturity approaches, each of these divisions curls up at the slightest\ntouch, and darts out its seeds by a spontaneous movement: hence\nits generic name _Impatiens_, and its English appellation _Noli me\ntangere_--Touch me not. Gerarde calls it the Balsam Apple, or Apple of\nJerusalem, and tells us that its old Latin name was _Pomum Mirabile_,\nor Marvellous Apple. He also states that the plant was highly esteemed\nfor its property of alleviating the pains of maternity, and that it\nwas considered a valuable agent to remove sterility--the patient first\nbathing and then anointing herself with an oil compounded with the\nfruit.----The Turks represent ardent love by this flower.----Balsam is\nunder the planetary influence of Jupiter.\n\n=BALM.=--The _Melissa_, or Garden Balm, was renowned among the Arabian\nphysicians, by whom it was recommended for hypochondria and affections\nof the heart, and according to Paracelsus the _primum ens Melissa_\npromised a complete renovation of man. Drunk in wine, it was believed\nto be efficacious against the bitings of venomous beasts and mad dogs.\nA variety called Smith\u2019s or Carpenter\u2019s Balm, or Bawm, was noted as a\nvulnerary, and Pliny describes it of such magical virtue, that Gerarde\nremarks, \u201cthough it be but tied to his sword that hath given the wound,\nit stancheth the blood.\u201d On account of its being a favourite plant of\nthe bees, it was one of the herbs directed by the ancients to be placed\nin the hive, to render it agreeable to the swarm: hence it was called\n_Apiastrum_.----The astrologers claimed the herb both for Jupiter\nand the Sun.----In connection with the Garden Balm, Aubrey relates\na legend of the Wandering Jew, the scene of which he places in the\nStaffordshire moors. When on the weary way to Golgotha, Jesus Christ,\nfainting and sinking beneath the burden of the cross, asked the Jew\nAhasuerus for a cup of water to cool his parched throat, he spurned the\nsupplication, and bade him speed on faster. \u201cI go,\u201d said the Saviour,\n\u201cbut thou shalt thirst and tarry till I come.\u201d And ever since that\nhour, by day and night, through the long centuries, he has been doomed\nto wander about the earth, ever craving for water, and ever expecting\nthe Day of Judgment, which alone shall end his frightful pilgrimage.\nOne Whitsun evening, overcome with thirst, he knocked at the door of\na Staffordshire cottager, and craved of him a cup of small beer. The\ncottager, who was wasted with a lingering consumption, asked him in and\ngave him the desired refreshment. After finishing the beer, Ahasuerus\nasked his host the nature of the disease he was suffering from, and\nbeing told that the doctors had given him up, said, \u201cFriend, I will\ntell thee what thou shalt do; and by the help and power of Almighty God\nabove, thou shalt be well. To-morrow, when thou risest up, go into thy\ngarden, and gather there three Balm-leaves, and put them into a cup of\nthy small beer. Drink as often as you need, and when the cup is empty,\nfill it again, and put in fresh Balm-leaves every fourth day, and thou\nshalt see, through our Lord\u2019s great goodness and mercy, that before\ntwelve days shall be past, thy disease shall be cured and thy body\naltered.\u201d So saying, and declining to eat, he departed and was never\nseen again. But the cottager gathered his Balm-leaves, followed the\nprescription of the Wandering Jew, and before twelve days were passed\nwas a new man.\n\n=BALM OF GILEAD.=--The mountains of Gilead, in the east of the Holy\nLand, were covered with fragrant shrubs, the most plentiful being the\n_Amyris_, which yielded the celebrated Balm of Gilead, a precious gum\nwhich, at a very early period, the Ishmaelites or Arabian carriers\ntrafficked in. It was to a party of these merchants that Joseph was\nsold by his brethren as they came from Gilead, with their camels,\nbearing spicery, and Balm, and Myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt\n(Gen. xxxvii., 25). There were three productions from this tree, all\nhighly esteemed by the ancients, viz.: _Xylobalsamum_, a decoction\nof the new twigs; the _Carpobalsamum_, an expression of the native\nfruit; and the _Opobalsum_, or juice, the finest kind, composed of\nthe greenish liquor found in the kernel of the fruit. The principal\nquantity of Balm has, however, always been produced by excision. The\njuice is received in a small earthen bottle, and every day\u2019s produce\nis poured into a larger, which is kept closely corked. So marvellous\nwere the properties of this Balm considered, that in order to test its\nquality, the operator dipped his finger in the juice, and then set fire\nto it, expecting fully to remain scathless if the Balm was of average\nstrength. The Balm of Gilead has always had a wonderful reputation as\na cosmetic among ladies. The manner of applying it in the East is thus\ngiven by a traveller in Abyssinia:--\u201cYou first go into the tepid bath,\ntill the pores are sufficiently opened; you then anoint yourself with\na small quantity, and as much as the vessels will absorb: never-fading\nyouth and beauty are said to be the consequences.\u201d By the Arabs, it\nis employed as a stomachic and antiseptic, and is believed by them to\nprevent any infection of the plague.----Tradition relates that there is\nan aspic that guards the Balm-tree, and will allow no one to approach.\nFortunately, however, it has a weakness--it cannot endure the sound of\na musical instrument. As soon as it hears the approaching torment, it\nthrusts its tail into one of its ears, and rubs the other against the\nground, till it is filled with mud. While it is lying in this helpless\ncondition, the Balm-gatherers go round to the other side of the tree,\nand hurry away with their spoil.----Maundevile says that the true\nBalm-trees only grew in Egypt (near Cairo), and in India. The Egyptian\ntrees were tended solely by Christians, as they refused to bear if\nthe husbandmen were Saracens. It was necessary, also, to cut the\nbranches with a sharp flint-stone or bone, for if touched with iron,\nthe Balm lost its incomparable virtue. The Indian Balm-trees grew \u201cin\nthat desert where the trees of the Sun and of the Moon spake to King\nAlexander,\u201d and warned him of his death. The fruit of these Balm-trees\npossessed such marvellous properties, that the people of the country,\nwho were in the habit of partaking of it, lived four or five hundred\nyears in consequence.\n\n=BAMBOO.=--The _Bambusa Arundinace\u00e6_ is one of the sacred plants of\nIndia: it is the tree of shelter, audience, and friendship. As jungle\nfires were thought to be caused by the stems of Bamboos rubbing\ntogether, the tree derived from that fact a mystic and holy character,\nas an emblem of the sacred fire.----Indian anchorites carry a long\nBamboo staff with seven nodes, as a mark of their calling. At Indian\nweddings, the bride and bridegroom, as part of the nuptial ceremony,\nget into two Bamboo baskets, placed side by side, and remain standing\ntherein for some specified time. The savage Indian tribe called Garrows\npossess neither temples nor altars, but they set up a pillar of Bamboo\nbefore their huts, and decorate it with flowers and tufts of cotton,\nand sacrifice before it to their deity. In various parts of India\nthere is a superstitious belief that the flowering and seeding of\nvarious species of Bamboo is a sure prognostication of an approaching\nfamine.----Europeans have noticed, as an invariable rule, in Canara,\nthat when the Bamboos flower and seed, fever prevails. At the foot of\nthe Ghauts, and round Yellap\u00fbr, it has been observed that when the\nBamboos flowered and seeded, fever made its appearance, few persons\nescaping it. During blossom, the fever closely resembles hay fever at\nhome, but the type becomes more severe as the seeds fall.----The poor,\nhomeless fishermen of China, to supply themselves with vegetables,\nhave invented a system of culture which may move with them, and they\nthus transport their gardens wherever they may go. This they do by\nconstructing rafts of Bamboo, which are well woven with weeds and\nstrong grass, and then launched on the water and covered with earth.\nThese floating gardens are made fast to the stern of their junks and\nboats, and towed after them.\n\n=BANANA.=--The Banana (_Musa sapientum_) and the Plantain (_M.\nparadisiaca_) are so closely related, as to be generally spoken of\ntogether. The Banana has been well designated the king of all fruit,\nand the greatest boon bestowed by Providence on the inhabitants of hot\ncountries. According to Gerarde, who calls it in his Herbal, Adam\u2019s\nApple Tree, it was supposed in his time by the Grecians and Christians\ninhabiting Syria, as well as by the Jews, to be that tree of whose\nfruit Adam partook at Eve\u2019s solicitation--the Tree of the Knowledge of\nGood and Evil, planted by the Lord Himself in the midst of the Garden\nof Eden. It has also been supposed that the Grapes brought by the\nIsraelites\u2019 spies to Moses out of the Holy Land, were in reality the\nfruit of the Banana-tree.----In the Canary Islands, the Banana is never\ncut across with a knife because it then exhibits a representation of\nthe Crucifixion. Gerarde refers to this mark, remarking that the fruit\n\u201cpleaseth and entiseth a man to eate liberally thereof, by a certaine\nentising sweetnesse it yields; in which fruit, if it be cut according\nto the length, oblique, transverse, or any other way, whatsoever, may\nbe seene the shape and forme of a crosse, with a man fastened thereto.\nMy selfe have seene the fruit, and cut it in pieces, which was brought\nme from Aleppo, in pickle: the crosse, I might perceive, as the form\nof a spred-Egle in the root of Ferne; but the man I leave to be sought\nfor by those which have better eies and judgement than my selfe.\u201d----A\ncertain sect of Brahmans, called Yogis, place all their food in the\nleaves of the Plantain, or Apple of Paradise, and other large leaves;\nthese they use dry, never green, for they say that the green leaves\nhave a soul in them; and so it would be sinful.\n\n=BANYAN TREE.=--The Indian Fig-tree (_Ficus Indica_), of which one of\nthe Sanscrit names is _Bahup\u00e2da_, or the Tree of Many Feet, is one of\nthe sacred trees of India, and is remarkable for its vast size and\nthe singularity of its growth: it throws out from its lateral branches\nshoots which, as soon as they reach the earth, take root, till, in\ncourse of time, a single tree extends itself to a considerable grove.\nPliny described the Banyan with great accuracy, and Milton has rendered\nhis description almost literally:\n\n  \u201cBranching so broad along, that in the ground\n  The bending twigs take root, and daughters grow\n  About the mother tree; a pillared shade,\n  High over-arched, with echoing walks between.\n  There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat,\n  Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds\n  At loop-holes cut through thickest shade.\u201d\n\nThe Banyan rarely vegetates on the ground, but usually in the crown\nof Palms, where the seed has been deposited by birds. Roots are sent\ndown to the ground, which embrace, and eventually kill, the Nurse-Palm.\nHence, the Hindus have given the Banyan the name of _Vaib\u00e2dha_ (the\nbreaker), and invoke it in order that it may at the same time break\nthe heads of enemies.----In the Indian mythology, the Banyan is\noften confounded with the Bo-tree, and hence it is given a place in\nheaven, where an enormous tree is said to grow on the summit of the\nmountain Sup\u00e2rsva, to the south of the celestial mountain Meru, where\nit occupies a vast space. Beneath the pillared shade of the Banyan,\nthe god Vishnu was born. His mother had sought its shelter, but she\nwas sad and fearful lest the terrible Kansa should put to death her\nseventh babe, Vishnu, as he had already done her first six. Yasod\u00e2, to\nconsole the weeping mother, gave up her own infant daughter, who was\nat once killed by Kansa\u2019s servants; but Vishnu was saved. It is, says\nDe Gubernatis, at the foot of a gigantic Banyan, a _Bh\u00e2nd\u00eera_, near\nMount Govardhana, that the Buddhist Vishnu plays with his companions,\nand, by his presence, illuminates everything around him. The Banyan of\nthe Vedas is represented as being peopled with Indian parroquets, who\neat its fruit, which, however, does not exceed a Hazel-nut in size.\nThe Chinese Buddhists represent that Buddha sits under a Banyan-tree,\nturned towards the East, to receive the homage of the god Brahma. Like\nthe sacred Bo-tree, the Banyan is regarded not only as the Tree of\nKnowledge, but also as the tree of Indian seers and ascetic devotees.\nWherever a Bo-tree or a Banyan has stood, the place where it formerly\nflourished is always held sacred.----There is in India a Banyan-tree\nthat is the object of particular veneration. It grows on the banks\nof the Nerbudda, not far from Surat, and is the largest and oldest\nBanyan in the country. According to tradition, it was planted by the\nSeer Kabira, and is supposed to be three thousand years old. It is\nsaid to be the identical tree visited by Nearchus, one of the officers\nof Alexander the Great. The Hindus never cut it or touch it with\nsteel, for fear of offending the god concealed in its sacred foliage.\nDe Gubernatis quotes the following description of this sacred tree\ngiven by Pietro Della Valle at the commencement of the seventeenth\ncentury:--\u201cOn one side of the town, on a large open space, one sees\ntowering a magnificent tree, similar to those which I had noticed near\nHormuz, and which were called _Lul_, but here were known as _Ber_.\nThe peasants of this country have a profound veneration for this\ntree, both on account of its grandeur and its antiquity: they make\npilgrimages to it, and honour it with their superstitious ceremonies,\nbelieving that the goddess P\u00e2rvat\u00ee, the wife of Mah\u00e2deva, to whom it\nis dedicated, has it under her protection. In the trunk of this tree,\nat a little distance from the ground, they have roughly carved what\nis supposed to be the head of an idol, but which no one can recognise\nas bearing any semblance to a human being; however, like the Romans,\nthey paint the face of the idol red, and adorn it with flowers, and\nwith leaves of a tree which they call here _Pan_, but in other parts\nof India _Betel_. These flowers and leaves ought to be always fresh,\nand so they are often changed. The pilgrims who come to visit the\ntree receive as a pious souvenir the dried leaves which have been\nreplaced by fresh ones. The idol has eyes of gold and silver, and is\ndecorated with jewellery offered by pious persons who have attributed\nto it the miraculous cure of ophthalmic complaints they have suffered\nfrom.... They take the greatest care of the tree, of every branch, nay,\nof every leaf, and will not permit either man or beast to damage or\nprofane it. Other Banyan or Pagod trees have obtained great eminence.\nOne near Mangee, near Patna, spread over a diameter of three hundred\nand seventy feet, and it required nine hundred and twenty feet to\nsurround the fifty or sixty stems by which the tree was supported.\nAnother covered an area of one thousand seven hundred square yards;\nand many of almost equal dimensions are found in different parts of\nIndia and Cochin-China.\u201d----In the _Atharvaveda_ mention is made\nof an all-powerful amulet, which is a reduction, on a small scale,\nof a Banyan-tree, possessing a thousand stems, to each of which is\nattributed a special magical property.\n\n=BAOBAB.=--The leviathan Baobab (_Adansonia_) is an object of\nreverential worship to the negroes of Senegal, where it is asserted\nthat some of these trees exist which are five thousand years old. It\nis reputed to be the largest tree in the world, and may readily be\ntaken at a distance for a grove: its trunk is often one hundred feet\nin circumference; but its height is not so wonderful as its enormous\nlateral bulk. The central branch rises perpendicularly, the others\nspread out in all directions, and attain a length of sixty feet,\ntouching the ground at their extremities, and equalling in bulk the\nnoblest trees. The wood is spongy and soon decays, leaving the trunks\nhollow. In these hollow trunks the negroes suspend the dead bodies of\nthose who are refused the honour of burial; and in this position the\nbodies are preserved without any process of embalming. The magnificent\nsnowy blossoms are regarded with peculiar reverence at the instant they\nopen into bloom. The leaves are used medicinally, and as a condiment;\ndried and powdered, they constitute Lalo, a favourite article with\nthe Africans, who mix it daily with their food, to prevent undue\nperspiration; a fibre is obtained from the bark that is so strong as\nto have given rise in Bengal to the saying, \u201cAs secure as an elephant\nbound with a Baobab rope.\u201d The gourd-like fruit, called Monkey-bread\nand Ethiopian Sour Gourd, is also eaten, and is prized for its\nfebrifugal qualities.\n\n=BARBERRY.=--The Barberry (_Berberis vulgaris_) was formerly called\nthe Pipperidge-bush, and was regarded with superstitious dislike by\nfarmers, who believed that it injured Wheat crops, even if growing a\nhundred yards off, by imparting to the Corn the fungus which causes\nrust.----In Italy, the Barberry is looked upon as the Holy Thorn,\nor the plant which furnished the crown of Thorns used at our Lord\u2019s\ncrucifixion: it seems to be so regarded because its Thorns grow\ntogether in sets of three at each joint of the branch.----The Barberry\nis under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=BARLEY.=--Barley is a symbol of riches and abundance. The God Indra\nis called \u201cHe who ripens Barley,\u201d and in many of their religious\nceremonies the Indians introduce this cereal, viz., at the birth of an\ninfant, at weddings, at funerals, and at certain of their sacrificial\nrites.----Barley is claimed by astrologers as a notable plant of Saturn.\n\n=BAROMETZ.=--The Barometz, or Scythian Lamb (_Polypodium Barometz_),\nis a name given to a Fern growing in Tartary, the root of which, says\nProf. Martyn, from the variety of its form, is easily made by art to\ntake the form of a lamb (called by the Tartars _Borametz_), \u201cor rather\nthat of a rufous dog, which the common names in China and Cochin-China\nimply, namely, _Cau-tich_ and _Kew-tsie_.\u201d The description given of\nthis strange Fern represents the root as rising above the ground in an\noblong form, covered all over with hairs: towards one end it frequently\nbecomes narrower and then thicker, so as to give somewhat of the\nshape of a head and neck, and it has sometimes two pendulous hairy\nexcrescences resembling ears; at the other end a short shoot extends\nout into a tail. Four fronds are chosen in a suitable position, and are\ncut off to a proper length, to represent the legs: and thus a vegetable\nlamb is produced. Loureiro affirms that the root, when fresh cut,\nyields a juice closely resembling the blood of animals.----Kircher has\ngiven a figure of the Tartarian Lamb, in which the lamb is represented\nas the fruit of some plant on the top of a stalk.----Parkinson, in\nthe frontispiece to his _Paradisus Terrestris_, has depicted this\nLamb-plant as growing in the Garden of Eden, where it appears to be\nbrowsing on the surrounding herbage.----Scaliger has given a detailed\naccount of the Barometz, which he calls \u201ca wondrous plant indeed among\nthe Tartars.\u201d After remarking that Zavolha is the most considerable of\nthe Tartar hordes, he proceeds:--\u201cIn that province they sow a seed not\nunlike the seed of a Melon, except that it is not so long. There comes\nfrom it a plant which they call Borametz, that is to say, a lamb; and,\nindeed, the fruit of that plant has exactly the shape of a lamb. We\nsee distinctly all the exterior parts--the body, the feet, the hoofs,\nthe head, and the ears; there wants, indeed, nothing but the horns,\ninstead of which it has a sort of wool that imitates them not amiss.\nThe Tartars fleece it, and make themselves caps of the skin. The pulp\nthat is within the fruit is very much like the flesh of crabs. Cut it,\nand the blood gushes out, as from a wounded animal. This lamb feeds\nitself upon all the grass that grows around it, and when it has eaten\nit all up, it dries and dies away. But what perfects the similitude\nbetween the Borametz and a lamb is that the wolves are very greedy of\nthis fruit, which no other animals ever care for.\u201d----The elder Darwin,\nin his poem on \u2018The Loves of the Plants,\u2019 makes the following allusion\nto the Barometz:--\n\n  \u201cCradled in snow and fanned by Arctic air,\n  Shines, gentle Barometz! thy golden hair;\n  Rooted in earth, each cloven hoof descends,\n  And round and round her flexile neck she bends;\n  Crops the gray coral Moss and hoary Thyme,\n  Or laps with rosy tongue the melting rime,\n  Eyes with mute tenderness her distant dam,\n  Or seems to bleat, a _vegetable Lamb_.\u201d\n\n=BASIL.=--The English name of the _Ocymum basilicum_ is derived from\nthe Greek _basilikon_, royal, probably from its having been used in\nsome royal unguent, bath, or medicine.----Holy Basil, or _Tulas\u00ee_\n(_Ocymum sanctum_), is by the Hindus regarded as a most sacred herb,\nand they have given one of its names to a sacred grove of their\nParnassus, on the banks of the Yamuna. This holy herb is grown in\npots near every temple and dwelling of devout Hindus. It is sacred\nto Vishnu, Kushna, and Lakshmi, but all the gods are interested in\nit. Narada, the celestial sage, has sung the praises of the immortal\nplant, which is perfection itself, and which, whilst protecting from\nevery misfortune those who cultivate it, sanctifies and guides them\nto heaven. For this double sanctity it is reared in every Hindu\nhouse, where it is daily watered and worshipped by all the members\nof the household. Perhaps, also, it was on account of its virtues\nin disinfecting and vivifying malarious air that it first became\ninseparable from Hindu houses in India as the protecting spirit or\nLar of the family. The pious Hindus invoke the divine herb for the\nprotection of every part of the body, for life and for death, and\nin every action of life; but above all in its capacity of ensuring\nchildren to those who desire to have them. Among the appellations\ngiven to the _Tulas\u00ee_ are--\u201cpropitious,\u201d \u201cperfumed,\u201d \u201cmulti-leaved,\u201d\n\u201cdevil-destroying,\u201d &c. The root is made into beads, which are worn\nround the neck and arms of the votaries of Vishnu, who carry also\na rosary made of the seeds of the Holy Basil or the Sacred Lotus.\nDe Gubernatis has given some interesting details of the _Tulas\u00ee_\ncultus:--\u201cUnder the mystery of this herb,\u201d he says, \u201ccreated with\nambrosia, is shrouded without doubt the god-creator himself. The\nworship of the herb _Tulas\u00ee_ is strongly recommended in the last part\nof the _Padmapur\u00e2na_, consecrated to Vishnu; but it is, perhaps, no\nless adored by the votaries of Siva; Krishna, the popular incarnation\nof the god Vishnu, has also adopted this herb for his worship; from\nthence its names of _Krishna_ and _Krishnatulas\u00ee_. S\u00eet\u00e2, the epic\npersonification of the goddess Lakshm\u00ee, was transformed, according to\nthe _R\u00e2m\u00e2yana_, into the _Tulas\u00ee_, from whence the name of _Sit\u00e2hvay\u00e2_\ngiven to the herb.\u201d Because of the belief that the Tulas\u00ee opens the\ngates of heaven to the pious worshipper, Prof. De Gubernatis tells us\nthat \u201cwhen an Indian dies, they place on his breast a leaf of _Tulas\u00ee_;\nwhen he is dead, they wash the head of the corpse with water, in which\nhave been dropped, during the prayer of the priest, some Flax seeds\nand _Tulas\u00ee_ leaves. According to the _Kriy\u00e2yogas\u00e2ras_ (xxiii.), in\nreligiously planting and cultivating the _Tulas\u00ee_, the Hindu obtains\nthe privilege of ascending to the Palace of Vishnu, surrounded by ten\nmillions of parents. It is a good omen for a house if it has been\nbuilt on a spot where the _Tulas\u00ee_ grows well. Vishnu renders unhappy\nfor life and for eternity infidels who wilfully, or the imprudent who\ninadvertently, uproot the herb _Tulas\u00ee_: no happiness, no health, no\nchildren for such! This sacred plant cannot be gathered excepting with\na good and pious intention, and above all, for the worship of Vishnu\nor of Krishna, at the same time offering up this prayer:--\u2018Mother\n_Tulas\u00ee_, be thou propitious. If I gather you with care, be merciful\nunto me, O _Tulas\u00ee_, mother of the world, I beseech you.\u2019\u201d----Like the\nLotus, the Basil is not only venerated as a plant sacred to the gods,\nbut it is also worshipped as a deity itself. Hence we find the herb\nspecially invoked, as the goddess Tulas\u00ee, for the protection of every\npart of the human frame, from the head to the feet. It is also supposed\nthat the heart of Vishnu, the husband of the Tulas\u00ee, is profoundly\nagitated and tormented whenever the least sprig is broken of a plant\nof Tulas\u00ee, his wife.----In Malabar, sweet Basil is cultivated as a\nsacred plant, under the name of Collo, and kept in a little shrine\nplaced before the house.----In the Deccan villages, the fair Brahminee\nmother may be seen early every morning, after having first ground the\ncorn for the day\u2019s bread and performed her simple toilet, walking with\nglad steps and waving hands round and round the pot of Holy Basil,\nplanted on the four-horned altar built up before each house, invoking\nthe blessings of heaven on her husband and his children. The herb is\nplanted largely on the river banks, where the natives bathe, as well as\nat the entrance to their temples. They believe that the deities love\nthis herb, and that the god Ganavedi abides in it continually. When\ntravelling, if they cannot obtain the herb, they draw the form of the\nplant on the ground with its root.----It is difficult to understand\nwhy so sacred and so fragrant a herb as Sweet Basil should have become\nthe symbol of Hatred, unless it be because the ancients sometimes\nrepresented Poverty by the figure of a female clothed in rags, and\nseated by a plant of Basil. The ancient Greeks thought that when Basil\nwas sown, the act should be accompanied by abuse, without which it\nwould not flourish. Pliny also records that it throve best when sown\nwith cursing and railing. This explains the French saying, \u201c_Semer\nle Basilic_,\u201d equivalent to slandering.----The plant has a decided\nfunereal symbolism. In Persia, where it is called _Rayhan_,\n\n    \u201cthe Basil-tuft, that waves\n  Its fragrant blossom over graves,\u201d\n\nis usually found in cemeteries. In Egypt, the same plant is scattered\nover the tombs by the women who go twice or oftener a week to pray and\nweep at the sepulchres of the dead. In Crete, the Basil is considered\na symbol of the Evil One, although it is to be found on every\nwindow-ledge. It is unfortunate to dream of Basil, for it is supposed\nto betoken grief and misfortune. It was probably these sinister and\nfunereal associations of the plant that induced Boccaccio to make the\nunhappy Isabella conceal her murdered lover\u2019s head by planting Basil\nin the pot that contained it; although it is surmised that the author\nof the \u2018Decameron\u2019 obtained the idea from Grecian sources.----It is,\nhowever, satisfactory to find that in Italy the Basil is utilised for\nother than funereal purposes. De Gubernatis tells us that in some\ndistricts pieces of Basil are worn by maidens in their bosoms or at\ntheir waists, and by married women in their hair: they believe also\nthat the perfume of Basil engenders sympathy, from which comes its\nfamiliar name, _Bacia-nicola_--Kiss me, Nicholas! Rarely does the young\npeasant girl pay a visit to her sweetheart without affixing behind her\near a sprig of Basil, which she takes special care not to part with, as\nthat would be a token of scorn. In Turkey, they call Basil, _Amorino_.\nIn Moldavia, the Basil is regarded as an enchanted flower, whose spells\ncan stop the wandering youth upon his way, and make him love the maiden\nfrom whose hand he shall accept a sprig.----In the East, Basil seeds\nare employed to counteract the poison of serpents: in India the leaves\nare used for the same purpose, as well as for the cure of several\ndiseases. Gerarde says that \u201cthey of Africke do also affirme that they\nwho are stung of the scorpion, and have eaten of it, shall feele no\npaine at all.\u201d Orisabius likewise asserts that the plant is an antidote\nto the sting of those insects; but, on the other hand, Hollerius\ndeclares that it propagates scorpions, and that to his knowledge an\nacquaintance of his, through only smelling it, had a scorpion bred\nin his brain.----Lord Bacon, in his Natural History, states that if\nBasil is exposed too much to the sun, it changes into Wild Thyme,\nalthough the two herbs seem to have small affinity. Culpeper quaintly\nremarks: \u201cSomething is the matter; this herb and Rue will never grow\ntogether--no, nor near one another; and we know the Rue is as great an\nenemy to poison as any that grows.\u201d Gerarde, however, tells us that\nthe smell of Basil is good for the heart and for the head.----The\nplant is a paradox:--sacred and revered, yet dedicated to the Evil\nOne; of happy augury, yet funereal; dear to women and lovers, yet\nemblem of hatred; propagator of scorpions, yet the antidote to their\nstings.----Astrologers rule that Basil is a herb of Mars, and under the\nScorpion, and therefore called Basilicon.\n\n=BAUHINIA.=--The leaves of the Bauhinia or Ebony-tree are two-lobed,\nor twin--a character, which suggested to Plumier the happy idea of\nnaming the genus after the two famous brothers, John and Caspar Bauhin,\nbotanists of the sixteenth century.\n\n=BEANS.=--Among the ancients, there appears to have been a\nsuperstitious aversion to Beans as an article of food, arising from the\nresemblance of the fruit to a portion of the human body. The Egyptians,\namong whom the Sacred Bean was an object of actual worship, would\nnot partake of it as food, probably on that account; because by so\ndoing they would be fearful of eating what they considered was human,\nand of consuming a soul. By some nations the seed was consecrated to\nthe gods.----The eating of Beans was interdicted to the Jewish High\nPriest on the Day of Atonement from its decided tendency to bring on\nsleep.----The goddess Ceres, when bestowing her gifts upon mankind,\nexpressly excluded Beans. The unhappy Orpheus refused to eat them;\nAmphiaraus, the diviner, in order to preserve a clear vision, always\nabstained from them; the Flamines, Roman priests, instituted by Numa,\nwould neither touch nor mention them; and the Grecian philosopher\nPythagoras, who lived only on the purest and most innocuous food,\ninvariably declined to partake of Beans of any description, giving as\nhis reason that, in the Bean, he recognised blood, and consequently\nan animal, which, as a vegetarian, he could not consume. According to\ntradition, the great philosopher, being pursued by his enemies, was\novertaken and killed, solely because, having in his flight reached a\nfield of Beans, he would not cross it for fear of trampling upon living\nbeings, the souls of the dead, who had entered temporarily, into the\nvegetable existence. Cicero considered that the antipathy to Beans as\nan article of food arose from their being considered impure, inasmuch\nas they corrupted the blood, distended the stomach, and excited the\npassions. Hippocrates considered them unwholesome and injurious to the\neyesight. They were also believed to cause bad dreams, and, moreover,\nif seen in dreams, were deemed to portend evil.----One of the Greek\nwords for Bean is _Puanos_, and at the festival of Puanepsia, held in\nthe month of October, at Athens, in honour of Apollo, Beans and Pulse,\nwe are told, were sodden. The Romans offered Beans to their goddess\nCarna on the occasion of her festival in the month of June.----The\nLemures, or evil spirits of those who had lived bad lives, according\nto a Roman superstition, were in the habit, during the night-time,\nof approaching houses, and then throwing Beans against them. The\nRomans celebrated festivals in their honour in the month of May,\nwhen the people were accustomed to throw black Beans on the graves\nof the deceased, or to burn them, as the smell was supposed to be\ndisagreeable to the manes. This association of Beans with the dead is\nstill preserved in some parts of Italy, where, on the anniversary of a\ndeath, it is customary to eat Beans and to distribute them to the poor.\nBlack Beans were considered to be male, and white female, the latter\nbeing the inferior.----De Gubernatis relates several curious customs\nconnected with Beans. In Tuscany, the fire of St. John is lighted in\na Bean-field, so that it shall burn quickly. In Sicily, on Midsummer\nEve, Beans are eaten with some little ceremony, and the good St. John\nis thanked for having obtained the blessings of a bountiful harvest\nfrom God. At Modica, in Sicily, on October 1st, a maiden in love will\nsow two Beans in the same pot. The one represents herself, the other\nthe youth she loves. If both Beans shoot forth before the feast of\nSt. Raphael, then marriage will come to pass; but if only one of the\nBeans sprouts, there will be betrayal on the part of the other. In\nSicily and Tuscany, girls who desire a husband learn their fate by\nmeans of Beans, in this fashion:--They put into a bag three Beans--one\nwhole, another without the eye, a third without the rind. Then, after\nshaking them up, they draw one from the bag. The whole Bean signifies\na rich husband; the Bean without an eye signifies a sickly husband;\nand the Bean without rind a husband without a penny.----The French\nhave a legend, of one Pipette, who, like our Jack, reaches the sky by\nmeans of a Bean-stalk. In France, some parts of Italy, and Russia, on\nTwelfth Night, children eat a cake in which has been baked a white Bean\nand a black Bean. The children to whose lot fall the portions of cake\ncontaining the Beans become the King and Queen of the evening.----An\nold English charm to cure warts is to take the shell of a broad Bean,\nand rub the affected part with the inside thereof; the shell is then\nto be buried, and no one is to be told about the matter; then, as the\nshell withers away, so will the wart gradually disappear. It is a\npopular tradition that during the flowering of the Bean more cases of\nlunacy occur than at any other season. In Leap Year, it is a common\nnotion that broad Beans grow the wrong way, _i.e._, the seed is set in\nthe pods in quite the contrary way to what it is in other years. The\nreason given is that, because it is the ladies\u2019 year, the Beans always\nlie the wrong way--in reference to the privilege possessed by the fair\nsex of courting in Leap Year. There is a saying in Leicestershire, that\nif you wish for awful dreams or desire to go crazy, you have only to\nsleep in a Bean-field all night.----Beans are under the dominion of\nVenus. To dream of them under any circumstances means trouble of some\nkind.\n\n=BEDSTRAW.=--Our Lady\u2019s Bedstraw (_Galium verum_) filled the manger\non which the infant Jesus was laid. In a painting of the Nativity\nby N. Poussin, this straw is introduced. From its soft puffy stems\nand golden flowers, this grass was in bygone times used for bedding,\neven by ladies of rank,--whence the expression of their being \u201cin\nthe straw.\u201d----_Galium_ was formerly employed to curdle the milk in\ncheese-making, and was also used before the introduction of Annatto,\nto give a rich colour to Cheshire cheese. The old herbalists affirmed\nthat the root stirred up amorous desires, if drunk in wine, and that\nthe flowers would produce the same effect if smelt long enough. Robert\nTurner says: \u201cIt challenges the preheminence above Maywort, for\npreventing the sore weariness of travellers: the decoction of the herb\nand flowers, used warm, is excellent good to bath the surbated feet of\nfootmen and lackies in hot weather, and also to lissome and mollifie\nthe stiffness and weariness of their joynts and sinews.\u201d----In France,\n_Galium_ is considered to be a remedy in cases of epilepsy.----Lady\u2019s\nBedstraw is under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=BEECH.=--Vieing with the Ash in stateliness and grandeur of outline,\nthe Beech (_Fagus_) is worthily given by Rapin the second place among\ntrees.\n\n  \u201cMixt with huge Oaks, as next in rank and state,\n  Their kindred Beech and Cerris claim a seat.\u201d\n\nAccording to Lucian, the oracles of Jupiter at Dodona were delivered\nnot only through the medium of the sacred Oaks in the prophetic grove\nsurrounding the temple, but also by Beeches which grew there. A large\npart, if not the whole, of the Greek ship _Argo_ was built of _Fagus_,\nor Beech timber, and as certain beams in the vessel gave oracles to\nthe Argonauts, and warned them against the approach of calamities, it\nis probable that some, at least, of these prophetic beams were hewn\nfrom the Dodon\u00e6an Beeches. It was from the top of two Beech-trees that\nMinerva and Apollo, in the form of vultures, selected to watch the\nfight between the Greeks and the Trojans.----The connection of the tree\nwith the god Bacchus appears to have been confined to its employment in\nthe manufacture of bowls for wine in the happy time when \u201cNo wars did\nmen molest, and only Beechen bowls were in request.\u201d Cowley alludes to\nthis in the words--\n\n  \u201cHe sings the Bacchus, patron of the Vine,\n  The Beechen bowl foams with a flood of wine.\u201d\n\nVirgil notices the use of its smooth and green bark for receiving\ninscriptions from the \u201csylvan pen of lovers;\u201d and Ovid, in his epistle\nfrom \u0152none to Paris, refers to the same custom, gracefully noting that\nthe name of the fair one would grow and spread with the growth of the\ntree:--\n\n  \u201cThe Beeches, faithful guardians of your flame,\n  Bear on their wounded trunks \u0152none\u2019s name,\n  And as their trunks, so still the letters grow;\n  Spread on, and fair aloft my titles show.\u201d\n\nAccording to a French tradition, a blacksmith, who was one day beating\na bar of red-hot iron on his anvil, raised such a shower of sparks,\nthat some of them reached the eyes of God himself, who forthwith, in\nHis wrath, condemned the man to become a bear, with the condition that\nhe might climb at his pleasure all the trees excepting the Beech.\nChanged into a bear, the man was for ever afterwards cogitating how\nto uproot the tree. In this legend, the Beech, which is generally\nconsidered a tree of good augury, becomes a specially favoured or\nprivileged tree. Pliny wrote that it should not be cut for fuel.\nGerarde says of it: \u201cThe wood is hard and firme, which being brought\ninto the house there follows hard travail of child and miserable\ndeaths, as it is reported; and therefore it is to be forborne, and not\nused as fire wood.\u201d The Beech-tree is believed to be exempt from the\naction of lightning, and it is well known that Indians will seek its\nshelter during a thunderstorm. It is the Danish symbol.--Astrologers\nrule the Beech to be under the dominion of Saturn.\n\n=BELINUNCIA.=--Under the appellation of K\u00ead, or Ceridwen, the Druids\nworshipped the Moon, who was believed to exercise a peculiar influence\non storms, diseases, and certain plants. They consecrated a herb to\nher, called _Belinuncia_, in the poisonous sap of which they dipped\ntheir arrows, to render them as deadly as those malignant rays of the\nMoon which were deemed to shed both death and madness upon men.\n\n=BEL-TREE.=--The _\u00c6gle Marmelos_, _Bilva_ (Sanscrit), or Bel-tree,\nis held sacred in India. Belonging to the same natural order as the\nOrange, its leaves, which are divided into three separate leaflets,\nare dedicated to the Hindu Trinity, and Indians are accustomed to\ncarry one of them folded in the turban or sash, in order to propitiate\nSiva, and ensure safety from accidents. The wood is used to form the\nsacrificial pillars.----The Hindu women of the Punjab throw flowers\ninto a sacred river, by means of which they can foretell whether or not\nthey are to survive their husbands: but a much more ingenious rite is\npractised by the Newars of Nepaul. To obviate the terrible hardships to\na young Hindu girl of becoming a widow, she is, in the first instance,\nmarried to a Bel-fruit, which is then cast into a sacred river. Should\nher future husband prove distasteful to her, this rite enables her to\nobtain a divorce; and should the husband die, she can still claim the\ntitle of wife to the sacred Bel-fruit, which is immortal; so that she\nis always a wife and never a widow.\n\nBELL-FLOWER.--See Blue-bell, and Campanula.\n\n=BETEL.=--According to Indian traditions, the Betel was brought from\nheaven by Arjuna, who, during his journey to Paradise, stole a little\nbough of the sacred tree, which, upon his return to earth, he carefully\nplanted. In remembrance of this celestial origin of the tree, and\nof the manner of its introduction to earth, Indians who desire to\nplant the Betel invariably steal a few young shoots.----The Betel, or\nPepper-tree (_Piper betle_), is most highly esteemed by the Indian\nraces, who attribute to its leaves no less than thirty properties or\nvirtues, the possession of which, even by a plant of heavenly origin,\ncan scarcely be credited. It is the leaf of the Betel which serves to\nenclose a few slices of the Areca Nut (sometimes erroneously called the\nBetel Nut); and these, together with a little Chunam or shell-lime, are\nwhat the natives universally chew to sweeten the breath and strengthen\nthe stomach. The poor, indeed, employ it to keep off the pangs of\nhunger. In certain parts of the East, it is not considered polite to\nspeak to a superior without some of the Betel and Areca compound in\nthe mouth. At Indian marriage ceremonies, the bride and bridegroom\nexchange between themselves the same Areca Nut, with its accompanying\nBetel-leaf.----In Borneo, a favoured lover may enter the house of the\nloved one\u2019s parents, at night, and awaken her, to sit and eat Betel Nut\nand the finest of Sirih-leaves from his garden.\n\n=BETONY.=--The \u2018Medicinal Betony,\u2019 as Clare calls it, is _Betonica\nofficinalis_, and of all the simples praised by old herbalists, both\nEnglish and foreign, none (the Vervain excepted) was awarded a higher\nplace than Wood Betony. Turner, in his \u2018Brittish Physician\u2019 (1687),\nwrites:--\u201cIt would seem a miracle to tell what experience I have had\nof it. This herb is hot and dry, almost to the second degree, a plant\nof Jupiter in Aries, and is appropriated to the head and eyes, for the\ninfirmities whereof it is excellent, as also for the breast and lungs;\nbeing boiled in milk, and drunk, it takes away pains in the head and\neyes. _Probatum._ Some write it will cure those that are possessed\nwith devils, or frantic, being stamped and applied to the forehead.\u201d\nHe gives a list of between twenty or thirty complaints which Betony\nwill cure, and then says, \u201cI shall conclude with the words I found\nin an old manuscript under the virtues of it: \u2018More than all this\nhave been proved of Betony.\u2019\u201d Gerarde gives a similar list, and adds,\nthat Betony is \u201ca remedy against the bitings of mad dogs and venomous\nserpents, being drunk, and also applied to the hurts, and is most\nsingular against poyson.\u201d There is an old saying that, when a person is\nill, he should sell his coat, and buy Betony.----The Romans were well\nacquainted with the medicinal properties of this herb. Pliny wrote of\nthe marvellous results obtained from its use, and also affirmed that\nserpents would kill one another if surrounded by a ring composed of\n_Betonica_. Antonius Musa, physician to Augustus, wrote a treatise\non the excellencies of _Betonica_, which he affirmed would cure\nforty-seven different ailments. Franzius went so far as to assert that\nthe wild beasts of the forest, aware of its surpassing virtues, availed\nthemselves of its efficacy when they were wounded.----At a time when a\nbelief in witchcraft was rife in England, it was generally understood\nthat the house where _Herba Betonica_ was sown, was free from all\nmischief. In Yorkshire, the Water Betony was formerly called Bishop\u2019s\nLeaves. In Italy, at the present day, there are several proverbs\nrelating to the virtues of Betony, one of which is, \u201cMay you have more\nvirtues than Betony;\u201d and another, \u201cKnown as well as Betony.\u201d\n\n=BIGNONIA.=--One of the native names of the _Bignonia Indica_, or\nIndian Trumpet-flower, is _K\u00e2mad\u00fbti_, or the Messenger of Love.\nUnder the name of _Patala_, the _Bignonia suaveolens_ is specially\nconsecrated by the Indians to the god Brahma. The name of _Patala_,\nhowever, is given in the Sanscrit to Durg\u00e2, the wife of Siva, probably\non account of the colour of her idols, which assimilate to the colour\nof the flowers of the Bignonia.\n\n=BILBERRY.=--The origin of the Bilberry or Whortleberry (_Vaccinium\nMyrtillus_), according to the mythology of the ancients, is as\nfollows:--\u0152noma\u00fcs, father of the lovely Hippodamia, chose for his\nattendant the young Myrtillus, son of Mercury. Proud of his skill,\nhe stipulated that all his daughter\u2019s suitors should compete for the\nprize in a chariot race with him. Pelops, who was eager to obtain the\nbeautiful Hippodamia, promised Myrtillus a large reward if he would\ntake out the linch-pin of his master\u2019s chariot. Myrtillus was not\nproof againt the offer: in consequence, the chariot was overturned,\nand \u0152noma\u00fcs mortally injured; but as he expired, he implored Pelops to\navenge him, which he did by throwing the treacherous attendant into\nthe sea. The waters having borne back his body to the shore, Mercury\nchanged it to the shrub called after his name, _Myrtillus_, a name\nformerly given to the plant producing the Myrtle-berry, a fruit largely\nimported in the middle ages, and used in medicine and cookery--of the\nsame genus as the English Bilberry, which is often found growing on the\nsea-shore. The Scotch name of this shrub is Blaeberry, the praises of\nwhich are often sung in Northern ballads.\n\n  \u201cWill ye go, lassie, go to the braes of Balquhidder,\n  Whare the Blaeberries grow \u2019mong the bonny blooming Heather?\u201d\n\nBilberries are held by the astrologers to be under Jupiter. (See also\nWHORTLEBERRY.)\n\n=BIRCH.=--According to Scandinavian mythology, the Birch (_Betula\nalba_) was consecrated to the god Thor, and symbolised the return of\nSpring. The Greeks and Romans had not much knowledge of the tree,\nbut the latter seem to have regarded it with a feeling of dread in\nconsequence of the _fasces_ of the magistracy being composed of it, as\nnow, says Evelyn, \u201care the gentler rods of our tyrannical pedagogues\nfor lighter faults.\u201d According to Pliny, the celebrated books which\nNuma Pompilius composed seven hundred years before Christ, and which\nwere buried with him, were written on the bark of the Birch-tree.----It\nis in the northern countries of Europe that the Birch flourishes, and\nit is there the tree is held in the highest esteem. The Russians have\na proverb that the Birch excels in four qualities:--It gives light\nto the world (with Birch-boughs torches are made); it stifles cries\n(from Birch they extract a lubricant which they apply to the wheels of\ncarriages); it cleanses (in Russian baths, to promote perspiration,\nthey scourge the body with branches of Birch); it cures diseases (by\nincision they obtain a liquor stated to have all the virtues of the\nspirit of salt, and from which a wine is distilled, excellent as a\ncordial and useful in cases of consumption). Moreover, in Russia,\nthe oil of the Birch is used as a vermifuge and a balsam in the cure\nof wounds. In fact, to the peasants of the North, the Birch is as\nbeneficent as is the Palm to the Indians. No wonder, then, that the\nRussians are very fond of the Birch, and surround their dwellings\nwith it; believing, as they do, that this tree is never struck by\nlightning.----On the Day of Pentecost, it is a custom among young\nRussian maidens to suspend garlands on the trees they love best, and\nthey are careful to tie round the stems of the Birch-trees a little\nred ribbon as a charm to cause them to flourish and to protect them\nfrom the Evil Eye. De Gubernatis quotes from a Russian author named\nAfanassief, who tells us of a Birch that showed its appreciation\nof the kindly attentions of a young girl in decking its stem, by\nprotecting her from the persecutions of a witch, who had become her\nstep-mother; and the same author makes mention of a certain white\nBirch, which grew in the island of Buian, on the topmost of whose\nbranches it was currently believed the Mother of God might be seen\nsitting.----Grohmann, a German writer, recounts the legend of a young\nshepherdess, who was spinning in the midst of a forest of Birch-trees,\nwhen suddenly the Wild Woman of the forest accosted her. The Wild Woman\nwas dressed in white, and had a garland of flowers upon her head:\nshe persuaded the shepherdess to dance with her, and for three days\nkept up the dance until sunset, but so lightly that the grass under\nher feet was neither trampled upon nor bent. At the conclusion of the\ndance, all the yarn was spun, and the Wild Woman was so satisfied, that\nshe filled the pocket of the little shepherdess with Birch-leaves,\nwhich soon turned into golden money.----Professor Mannhardt, says De\nGubernatis, divulges to us the means employed by the Russian peasants\nto evoke the Lieschi, or Geni of the forest. They cut down some very\nyoung Birch-trees, and arrange them in a circle in such a manner\nthat the points shall be turned towards the middle: they enter this\ncircle, and then they call up the spirit, who forthwith makes his\nappearance. They place him on the stump of one of the felled trees,\nwith his face turned towards the East. They kiss his hand, and, whilst\nlooking between his legs, they utter these words:--\u201cUncle Lieschi,\nshow yourself to us, not as a grey wolf, not as a fierce fire, but as\nI myself appear.\u201d Then the leaves of the Aspen quiver and tremble,\nand the Lieschi shows himself in human form, and is quite disposed to\nrender no matter what service to him who has conjured him--provided\nonly that he will promise him his soul.----De Gubernatis relates one\nother anecdote respecting the Birch, which he says to the Esthonian\nis the living personification of his country. It is related that an\nEsthonian peasant noticed a stranger asleep beneath a tree at the\nmoment when it was struck by lightning. He awoke him. The stranger,\nthanking him for his good offices, said: \u201cWhen, far from your native\ncountry, and feeling sorrowful and home-sick, you shall see a crooked\nBirch, strike and ask of it: \u2018Is the crooked one at home?\u2019\u201d One day the\npeasant, who had become a soldier, and was serving in Finland, felt\ndispirited and unhappy, for he could not help thinking of his home and\nthe little ones he had left behind. Suddenly he sees the crooked Birch!\nHe strikes it, and asks: \u201cIs the crooked one at home?\u201d Forthwith the\nmysterious stranger appears, and, calling to one of his spirits, bids\nhim instantly transport the soldier to his native country, with his\nknapsack full of silver.----The Swedes have a superstition that our\nSaviour was scourged with a rod of the dwarf Birch, which was formerly\na well-grown tree, but has ever since that day been doomed to hide\nits miserable and stunted head. It is called _L\u00e1ng Fredags Ris_, or\nGood Friday rod.----In France, it was in medi\u00e6val times the custom\nto preserve a bough of the Birch as a sacred object. In the country\ndistricts around Valenciennes, it is an old custom for lovers to hang\na bough of Birch or Hornbeam over the doorway of his lady-love. In\nHaute Bretagne, as a charm to strengthen a weakly infant, they place\nin its cot Birch-leaves, which have been previously dried in an oven.\nThere is an old English proverb, \u201cBirchen twigs break no bones,\u201d which\nhas reference to the exceedingly slender branches of the tree.----In\nformer days, churches were decked with boughs of the Birch, and\nGerarde tell us that \u201cit serveth well to the decking up of houses\nand banqueting-rooms, for places of pleasure, and for beautifying of\nstreets in the crosse and gang [procession] weeke, and such like.\u201d\nAccording to Herrick, it was customary to use Birch and fresh flowers\nfor decorative purposes at Whitsuntide:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Yew is out, then Birch comes in,\n    And many flowers besides;\n  Both of a fresh and fragrant kinne,\n    To honour Whitsontide.\u201d\n\nThe Scotch Highlanders think very highly of the Birch, and turn it to\nall sorts of uses. With Burns, the budding Birch was a prime favourite\nin the Spring-time. The Scotch proverb, which says of a very poor man\nthat he is \u201cBare as a Birk at Yule e\u2019en,\u201d probably refers to an old\ncustom of stripping the bark of the tree prior to converting it into\nthe yule log. The tree known in the Highlands as the Drooping Birk is\noften grown in churchyards, where, as Scott says, \u201cWeeps the Birch of\nsilver bark with long dishevell\u2019d hair.\u201d In Scottish ballads, the Birch\nis associated with the dead, and more especially with the wraiths or\nspirits of those who appear to be living after death. The following is\na good example:--\n\n  \u201cI dreamed a dreary dream last nicht;\n    God keep us a\u2019 frae sorrow!\n  I dreamed I pu\u2019d the Birk sae green\n    Wi\u2019 my true love on Yarrow.\n\n  \u201cI\u2019ll redde your dream, my sister dear,\n    I\u2019ll tell you a\u2019 your sorrow;\n  You pu\u2019d the Birk wi\u2019 your true love;\n    He\u2019s killed, he\u2019s killed on Yarrow.\u201d\n\nThe Birch-tree is held to be under the dominion of Venus.\n\nBITTER-SWEET.--See Solanum.\n\n=BITTER VETCH.=--The Orobus, or Bitter Vetch, is supposed to represent\nthe herb mentioned in a passage in Pulci, which relates how an\nenchanter preserves two knights from starvation, during a long journey,\nby giving them a herb which, being held in the mouth, answers all the\npurposes of food.----The Scotch Highlanders have a great esteem for the\ntubercles of the Orobus root (which they call Corr or Cormeille); they\nuse them as masticatories, to flavour their liquor. They also affirm\nthat by the use of them they are enabled to repel hunger and thirst\nfor a considerable time. In times of scarcity, the roots have served\nas a substitute for bread, and many think that the Bitter Vetch is the\n_Chara_, mentioned by C\u00e6sar, as affording food to his famished soldiers\nat the siege of Dyrrhachium. The seeds, ground and tempered with wine,\nwere applied to heal the bitings of dogs and venomous beasts.\n\nBLACK-THORN.--See Thorn.\n\nBLAEBERRY.--See Bilberry and Whortleberry.\n\n=BLUE-BELL.=--The Blue-bells of Scotland have long since become\nhousehold words. The flower (_Campanula latifolia_) is the finest and\nmost stately of the species, and although common enough on its native\nhills, is scarce in England. It is associated with the feast of St.\nGeorge. (See CAMPANULA.)\n\nBLUE-BOTTLE and BLUET.--See Centaury.\n\nBO-TREE.--See Peepul.\n\n=BORAGE.=--In former days, Borage (_Borago officinalis_) was noted as\none of the four \u201ccordial flowers\u201d most deserving of esteem for cheering\nthe spirits--the other three being the Rose, Violet, and Alkanet. Pliny\ncalled Borage _Euphrosynum_, because it made men merry and joyful: and\nto the same purport is the old Latin rhyme, \u201c_Ego Borago gaudia semper\nago_.\u201d All the old herbalists praise the plant for its exhilarating\neffects, and agree with Pliny that when put into wine the leaves and\nflowers of Borage make men and women glad and merry, driving away all\nsadness, dulness, and melancholy. The \u201ccool tankard\u201d of our forefathers\nwas a beverage composed of the young shoots and blossoms of Borage\nmingled with wine, water, lemon, and sugar. Lord Bacon was of opinion\nthat \u201cif in the must of wine or wort of beer, while it worketh, before\nit be tunned, the Burrage stay a short time, and be changed with fresh,\nit will make a sovereign drink for melancholy passion.\u201d----Borage,\nastrologers tell us, is one of Jupiter\u2019s cordials.\n\n=BOX.=--The evergreen Box (_Buxus semperviva_) was specially\nconsecrated by the Greeks to Pluto, the protector of all evergreen\ntrees, as being symbolical of the life which continues through the\nwinter in the infernal regions, and in the other world.----A curious\nsuperstition existed among the ancients in regard to the Box: although\nit very much resembles the Myrtle, which was held sacred to Venus,\nyet they carefully refrained from dedicating the Box to that goddess,\nbecause they were afraid that through such an offering they would lose\ntheir virility. They also, according to Bacon, entertained the belief\nthat the Box produced honey, and that in Trebizonde the honey issuing\nfrom this tree was so noxious, that it drove men mad. Corsican honey\nwas supposed to owe its ill repute to the fact that the bees fed upon\nBox. The Box is referred to by the Prophet Isaiah in his description of\nthe glory of the latter days of the Church: \u201cThe glory of Lebanon shall\ncome unto thee, the Fir-tree, the Pine-tree, and the Box-tree together,\nto beautify the place of my sanctuary.\u201d It is thought, also, to be the\nAshur-wood of the Scriptures, and to be referred to by Ezekiel when,\nin describing the splendour of Tyre, he alludes to the benches of the\nrowers as made of Ashur wood, inlaid with ivory. That the ancients were\naccustomed to inlay Box-wood with ivory we know from Virgil and other\nwriters, who allude to this practice.----The Jews employ branches of\nBox in erecting their tents at the Feast of Tabernacles.----Boughs of\nBox were used formerly for decorative purposes, instead of the Willow,\non Palm Sundays. According to Herrick, it was once a time-honoured\ncustom on Candlemas Day to replace the Christmas evergreens with sprigs\nof Box, which were kept up till Easter Eve, when they gave place to Yew.\n\n  \u201cDown with the Rosemary and Bays,\n  Down with the Mistletoe;\n  Instead of Holly now upraise\n  The greener Box for show.\u201d\n\nBox-boughs were also in olden times regularly gathered at Whitsuntide\nfor decking the large open fire-places then in vogue.----In several\nparts of the North of England, when a funeral takes place, a basin\nfull of sprigs of Box is placed at the door of the house from which\nthe coffin is taken up, and each mourner is expected to take a sprig,\nand afterwards cast it on the grave of the deceased.----In Turkey, it\nis a practice with widows, who go weekly to pray at their husbands\u2019\ntomb, to plant a sprig of Box at the head of the grave. The monastery\nof St. Christine, in the Pyrenees, assumes the arms of the Knights of\nSt. Christine, viz., a white pigeon with a cross in its beak, to which\nis attached the following legend:--The workmen who were employed to\nbuild the monastery had the greatest difficulty in finding a suitable\nfoundation. After several ineffectual attempts, they one morning\nperceived a white pigeon flying with a cross in its beak. They pursued\nthe bird, which perched on a Box-tree, but though it flew away on their\nnear approach, they found in the branches the cross which it had left:\nthis they took as a good omen, and proceeded successfully to lay the\nfoundation on the spot where the Box-tree had stood, and completed the\nedifice.----To dream of Box denotes long life and prosperity, also a\nhappy marriage.\n\n=BRACKEN FERN.=--There was formerly a proverb respecting the _Pteris\naquilina_, or common Brake Fern, popular in the country:--\n\n  \u201cWhen the Fern is as high as a spoon,\n  You may sleep an hour at noon;\n  When the Fern is as high as a ladle,\n  You may sleep as long as you\u2019re able;\n  When the Fern begins to look red,\n  Then milk is good with brown bread.\u201d\n\nIn Ireland, the Bracken Fern is called the Fern of God, from an old\nbelief that if the stem be cut into three pieces, there will be seen on\nthe first slice the letter G, on the second O, and on the third D,--the\nwhole forming the sacred word God. There is still a superstition in\nEngland, probably derived from some holy father, that in the cut\nstem of the Bracken Fern may be traced the sacred letters I.H.S. In\nKent, and some other counties, these letters are deciphered as J.C.\nIn other parts of the country, the marks are supposed to delineate\nan Oak, and to have first grown there in memory of the tree in which\nKing Charles sought shelter during his flight.----An old legend is yet\ntold, that James, the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, after the battle\nof Sedgemoor, was able to lie concealed for some days beneath the\ndense Bracken Ferns; but one day, emerging from his retreat, he sat\ndown and began cutting some of the Fern-stems which had sheltered him.\nWhilst doing this, he was seen by some peasants, who noticed the flash\nof a diamond ring on one of his fingers. When, therefore, a reward\nwas offered soon afterwards for the Duke\u2019s capture, they recalled the\ncircumstance, and sought for him where he lay concealed among the\nBrakes.----Connected with this figure of an Oak in the Bracken-stem,\nthere is a saying, that if you cut the Bracken slantwise, you\u2019ll see\na picture of an Oak-tree; the more perfect, the luckier your chance\nwill be. In Germany, the figure portrayed in the stem is popularly\nrecognised as the Russian Double Eagle. Of still more ancient origin,\nhowever, is the opinion that the figure in the Brake Fern-stem is\nthat of an eagle, from whence it derived its name of Eagle Fern. In\nHenderson\u2019s \u2018Folk Lore of the Northern Counties,\u2019 we read that witches\ndetest the Bracken Fern because it bears on its root the letter C,\nthe initial of the holy name of Christ, which may be plainly seen\non cutting the root horizontally. It has, however, been suggested\nthat the letter intended is not the English C, but the Greek \u03a7,\nthe initial letter of the word Christos, which resembles closely the\nmarks on the root of the Bracken. These marks, however, have been also\nstated to represent Adam and Eve standing on either side of the Tree of\nKnowledge, and King Charles in the Oak. In some parts, lads and lasses\ntry to discover in the Bracken-stem the initials of their future wife\nor husband.----Astrologers state that the Bracken Fern is under the\ndominion of Mercury.\n\n=BRAMBLE, or BLACKBERRY.=--The Bramble or Blackberry-bush (_Rubus\nfruticosus_) is said to be the burning bush, in the midst of which\nJehovah appeared to Moses. It is the subject of the oldest apologue\nextant. We read in Judges ix., 8-15, how Jotham, when bitterly\nreproaching the men of Shechem for their ingratitude to his father\u2019s\nhouse, narrated to them, after the Oriental fashion, the parable of\nthe trees choosing a king, in which their choice eventually fell upon\nthe Bramble. According to some accounts, it was the Bramble that\nsupplied the Thorns which were plaited into a crown, and worn by our\nSaviour just prior to the Crucifixion.----On St. Simon and St. Jude\u2019s\nDay (October 28th) tradition avers that Satan sets his foot on the\nBramble, after which day not a single edible Blackberry can be found.\nIn Sussex, they say that, after Old Michaelmas Day (10th October), the\nDevil goes round the county and spits on the Blackberries. In Scotland,\nit is thought that, late in the Autumn, the Devil throws his cloak\nover the Blackberries, and renders them unwholesome. In Ireland, there\nis an old saying, that \u201cat Michaelmas the Devil put his foot on the\nBlackberries;\u201d and in some parts of that country the peasants will tell\ntheir children, after Michaelmas Day, not to eat the _Grian-mhuine_\n(Blackberries); and they attribute the decay in them, which about that\ntime commences, to the operation of the Phooka, a mischievous goblin,\nsometimes assuming the form of a bat or bird, at other times appearing\nas a horse or goat.----The ancients deemed both the fruit and flowers\nof the Bramble efficacious against the bites of serpents; and it was\nat one time believed that so astringent were the qualities of this\nbush, that even its young shoots, when eaten as a salad, would fasten\nteeth that were loose. Gerarde, however, for that purpose recommends\na decoction of the leaves, mixed with honey, alum, and a little\nwine, and adds that the leaves \u201cheale the eies that hang out.\u201d----In\nCornwall, Bramble-leaves, wetted with spring water, are employed as a\ncharm for a scald or burn. The moistened leaves are applied to the burn\nwhilst the patient repeats the following formula:--\n\n  \u201cThere came three angels out of the East,\n  One brought fire, and two brought frost;\n  Out fire and in frost;\n  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.\n\n  Amen.\u201d\n\nA similar incantation to the above is used as a charm for inflammatory\ndisease. The formula is repeated three times to each one of nine\nBramble-leaves immersed in spring water, passes being meanwhile made\nwith the leaves _from_ the diseased part. A cure for rheumatism is to\ncrawl under a Bramble, which has formed a second root in the ground;\nand to charm away boils, the sufferer should pass nine times, against\nthe Sun, under a Bramble-bush growing at both ends. In Devonshire,\na curious charm for the cure of blackhead or pinsoles consisted\nin creeping under an arched Bramble. The person affected by this\ntroublesome malady has to creep on hands and knees under or through\na Bramble three times, with the Sun--that is, from east to west. The\nBramble must be of peculiar growth, forming an arch rooting at both\nends, and if possible reaching into two proprietors\u2019 lands; so that\na Bramble is by preference selected, of which the original root is\nin the hedge of one owner, and the end of the branch forming the\narch is rooted in the meadow of another.----The Bramble has funereal\nassociations, and its young shoots have long been used to bind down the\nsods on newly-made graves in village churchyards. Jeremy Taylor, when\ncommenting on mortality, says, referring to this custom: \u201cThe Summer\ngives green turf and Brambles to bind upon our graves.\u201d----The Moat\nof Moybolgue, in the County of Cavan, is a sacred place in Ireland,\nwhere St. Patrick ministered. According to a legend, Honor Garrigan,\none Sunday during the saint\u2019s lifetime, rode up the hill to church;\nbut espying a bunch of ripe Blackberries, she dismounted in order to\ngather them. Her servant lad remonstrated upon the wickedness of her\nbreaking her fast before receiving the Holy Communion, but in vain;\nhis mistress ate the Blackberries, and then her hunger increased to\nfamine pitch, and she ate the boy and then the horse. St. Patrick,\nalarmed by the cries of his congregation, who were afraid the wicked\nwoman would devour them also, shot her with his bow and arrow--her body\nseparating into four sections, which were buried in a field outside the\nchurchyard; St. Patrick prophesying to the terrified crowd that she\nwould lie quiet till nine times nine of the name of Garrigan should\ncross the stream which separated the roads from the churchyard. When\nthat took place, she would rise again, and devour all before her; and\nthat would be the way she would be destroyed. The water of the stream\nhas ever since been held sacred, and effects miraculous cures.----The\nBramble is said to be a plant of Mars. To dream of passing through\nplaces covered with Brambles, portends troubles; if they prick you,\nsecret enemies will do you an injury with your friends; if they draw\nblood, expect heavy losses in trade. To dream of passing through\nBrambles unhurt, denotes a triumph over enemies.\n\nBREAKSTONE.--See Saxifrage.\n\n=BROOM.=--The English royal line of Plantagenet undoubtedly derived\nits name from the Broom (_Planta genista_), the _Gen_ of the Celts,\nthe _Gen\u00eat_ of the French, and from time immemorial the badge of\nBrittany. According to Skinner, the house of Anjou derived the name\nof Plantagenet from Fulke, the first earl of that name, who, it is\nsaid, having killed his brother in order that he might enjoy his\nprincipality, afterwards, touched by remorse, undertook a pilgrimage\nto Jerusalem as a work of atonement; and being there soundly scourged\nwith Broom-twigs, which grew plentifully on the spot, he ever after\ntook the surname of Plantagenet, and bore the _Gen\u00eat_ as his personal\ncognisance, which was retained by his noble posterity. Another legend,\nhowever, relates that this badge was first adopted by Gefroi, Earl\nof Anjou, the father of Henry II., and husband of Matilda, Empress\nof Germany. Passing on his way to the battle-field through a rocky\npathway, on either side of which bushes of yellow Broom clung firmly\nto the boulders, or upheld the crumbling earth, Gefroi broke off a\nbranch and fixed it as a plume in his cap, saying, \u201cThus shall this\ngolden plant ever be my cognisance--rooted firmly among rocks, and yet\nupholding that which is ready to fall.\u201d He afterwards took the name\nof Plantagenet (_Planta genista_) and transmitted it to his princely\nposterity. His son Henry was called the Royal Sprig of Genista, and\nthe Broom continued to be the family device down to the last of the\nPlantagenets, Richard III. It may be seen on the great seal of Richard\nI., its first official heraldic appearance.----In 1234, St. Louis\nof France established a new order of Knighthood, called _l\u2019Ordre du\nGenest_, on the occasion of his marriage with Queen Marguerite. The\nKnights of the Genest wore a chain composed of blossoms of the _Gen\u00eat_\n(Broom) in gold alternately with white enamelled Fleurs de Lis, from\nwhich was suspended, a gold cross with the motto \u201c_Deus exaltat\nhumiles_.\u201d One hundred Knights of the Order of the Genest acted as a\nbody-guard to the King. The order was long held in high esteem, and one\nof its recipients was Richard II.----The Broom may well be symbolic\nof humility, for, according to a Sicilian legend, it was accursed for\nhaving made such a noise in the garden of Gethsemane during the time\nthat Jesus Christ was praying there, that His persecutors were thus\nenabled to surprise Him. Hemmed in by His enemies, Jesus, turning\ntowards the traitorous shrub, pronounced on it this malediction:\n\u201cMay you always make as much noise when you are being burnt.\u201d----In\nEngland, the Broom has always been held as one of the plants beloved by\nwitches. In Germany, the Broom is the plant selected for decorations\non Whit-Sunday: it is also used as a charm. When a limb has been\namputated, the charmer takes a twig from a Broom, and after pressing\nthe wound together with it, wraps it in the bloody linen, and lays it\nin a dry place, saying:\n\n  \u201cThe wounds of our Lord Christ\n  They are not bound;\n  But these wounds they are bound\n          In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.\u201d\n\nIn Tuscany, on the day of the _F\u00eate-Dieu_, it is often employed. In\nEngland, it is considered that if the Broom has plenty of blossoms, it\nis the sign of a plentiful grain harvest. In Suffolk and Sussex, there\nis a saying that--\n\n  \u201cIf you sweep the house with blossomed Broom in May,\n  You are sure to sweep the head of the house away.\u201d\n\nBy the old herbalists the Broom was considered a panacea for a\nmultiplicity of disorders, and Gerarde tells us that no less a\npersonage than \u201cthat worthy Prince of famous memory, Henry VIII., of\nEngland, was wont to drink the distilled water of Broome-floures,\nagainst surfets and diseases thereof arising.\u201d----Broom is under the\nplanetary influence of Mars.\n\n=BRIONY.=--The poisonous fruit or berries of the Black Briony (_Tamus_)\nare supposed to remove sunburns, freckles, bruises, black eyes, and\nother blemishes of the skin. Another name of this wild Vine is Our\nLady\u2019s Seal. The root of the White Briony may be made to grow in any\nshape by placing it when young in an earthenware mould. In olden times,\ndesigning people by this means obtained roots of frightful forms, which\nthey exhibited as curiosities, or sold as charms. The anodyne necklace,\nwhich was a profitable affair for one Doctor Turner in the early part\nof the present century, consisted of beads made of white Briony-root:\nit was believed to assist in cutting the teeth of infants, around whose\nneck it was hung.----Briony is under the dominion of Mars.\n\n=BUCKTHORN.=--Of one variety of Buckthorn (_Rhamnus palinurus_) it is\nsaid that Christ\u2019s Crown of Thorns was composed. Of another variety\n(_R. Frangula_) the Mongols make their idols, selecting the wood on\naccount of its rich hue.----The Buckthorn is under the dominion of\nSaturn.\n\n=BUGLOSS.=--The Bugloss (_Anchusa_) has been made the emblem of\nFalsehood, because the roots of one of its species (_A. tinctoria_) are\nused in making rouge for the face. In the wilds of America, the Indians\npaint their bodies red with the root of a Bugloss (_Anchusa Virginica_)\nindigenous to their country. Galen notices the use of the Bugloss as\na cosmetic in his time, and the rouge made from the roots of this\nplant is said to be the most ancient of all the paints prepared for\nthe face.----Pliny says that the _Anchusa_ was used by the Romans for\ncolouring and dyeing; and adds, that if a person who has chewed this\nplant should spit in the mouth of a venomous creature, he would kill\nit.----The Viper\u2019s Bugloss (_Echium vulgare_) derives its name from its\nseed being like the head of a viper, and, according to Matthiolus, was\ncelebrated for curing its bites. Nicander also speaks of the Viper\u2019s\nBugloss as one of those plants which cure the biting of serpents, and\nespecially of the viper, and that drive serpents away. Dioscorides, as\nquoted by Gerarde, writes, \u201cThe root drunk with wine is good for those\nthat be bitten with serpents, and it keepeth such from being stung as\nhave drunk of it before: the leaves and seeds do the same.\u201d----Bugloss\nis reputed to be under the dominion of Jupiter.\n\n=BULRUSH.=--King Midas, having preferred the singing of Marsyas, the\nsatyr, to that of Apollo, the god clapped upon him a pair of ass\u2019s\nears. The king\u2019s barber saw them, and, unable to keep the secret,\nburied it at the foot of a cluster of Bulrushes. These Reeds, shaken by\nthe wind, continually murmured, \u201cKing Midas has ass\u2019s ears.\u201d Both the\n_Scirpus lacustris_ and _Typha latifolia_ (the Reed Mace) are popularly\nknown as the Bulrush (a corruption of Pole Rush or Pool Rush). The\n_Typha_ is depicted by Rubens, and the earlier Italian painters, as\nthe Reed put into the hands of Jesus Christ upon His crucifixion.\nThe same Reed is, on certain days, put into the hands of the Roman\nCatholic statues of our Saviour. Gerarde calls this Reed Cat\u2019s-tail,\nand points out that Aristophanes makes mention of it in his \u2018Comedy\nof Frogs,\u2019 \u201cwhere he bringeth them forth, one talking with another,\nbeing very glad that they had spent the whole day in skipping and\nleaping among Galingale and Cat\u2019s-tail.\u201d----The Bulrushes, among which\nthe infant Moses was placed on the banks of the Nile, were Reeds not\nunlike the _Typha_. The ark in which he was laid was probably a small\ncanoe constructed with the same Reed--the _Papyrus Nilotica_, which,\naccording to Egyptian belief, was a protection from crocodiles. Gerarde\nsays: \u201cIt is thought by men of great learning and understanding in\nthe Scriptures, and set downe by them for truth, that this plant is\nthe same Reed mentioned in the second chapter of Exodus, whereof was\nmade that basket or cradle, which was daubed within and without with\nslime of that country, called _Bitumen Judaicum_, wherein Moses was\nput, being committed to the water, when Pharaoh gave commandment that\nall the male children of the Hebrews should be drowned.\u201d----Boats and\ncanoes formed of the Papyrus are common in Abyssinia. In South America,\na similar kind of Bulrush is used for a like purpose.----The Bulrush is\nunder the dominion of Saturn.\n\n=BURDOCK.=--Everyone is acquainted with the prickly burs of the\n_Arctium Lappa_, or Burdock, which, by means of their hooks, are\napt to cling so tenaciously to the passer-by. There exists an old\nbelief among country lads, that they can catch bats by throwing these\nburs at them. The plant is also known by the names of Great-bur,\nHur-bur, and Clot-bur, and has an ancient reputation for curing\nrheumatism.----It was under the great leaf of a Burdock that the\noriginal Hop-o\u2019-my-Thumb, of nursery-rhyme celebrity, sought refuge\nfrom a storm, and was, unfortunately, swallowed, enclosed in the leaf,\nby a passing hungry cow.----In Albania, there is a superstitious belief\nthat, if a man has been influenced by the demons of the forest, the\nevil spirit must be exorcised by the priest; a portion of the ceremony\nconsisting of the steeping of bread in wine, and spreading it on the\nbroad leaves of a Burdock.----Venus is the planet under whose rule\nastrologers place Burdock.\n\n=BURITI.=--The Buriti Palm (_Mauritia vinifera_) attains, in Brazil,\ngigantic proportions, and its rich red and yellow fruit, \u201clike quilted\ncannon balls,\u201d hang in bunches five feet long. From it flour, wine, and\nbutter are made, whilst the fibre of the leaves supplies thread for\nweaving, &c. Another species, _M. flexuosa_, flourishes in the valleys\nand swamps of South America, where the native Indians regard it with\ngreat reverence, living almost entirely on its products; and, what is\nvery remarkable, building their houses high up amongst its leaves,\nwhere they live during the floods.\n\n=BURNET.=--The Burnet Saxifrage (_Pimpinella Saxifraga_) appears to be\nconsidered a magical plant in Hungary, where it is called _Ch\u00e2bairje_,\nor Chaba\u2019s Salve, from an old tradition that King Chaba discovered\nit, and cured the wounds of fifteen thousand of his soldiers after\na sanguinary battle fought against his brother.----In a work on\nastrology, purported to be written by King Solomon, and translated\nfrom the Hebrew by Iro\u00e9 Grego, it is stated that the magician\u2019s\nsword ought to be steeped in the blood of a mole and in the juice of\nPimpinella.----In Piedmont, the Pimpinella is thought to possess the\nproperty of increasing the beauty of women.----Burnet is a herb of the\nSun.\n\n=BUTCHER\u2019S BROOM.=--A species of Butcher\u2019s Broom, _Ruscus hypoglossum_,\nwas the Alexandrian Laurel of the Romans, who formed of this shrub the\nso-called Laurel crowns worn by distinguished personages. It is the\nLaurel generally depicted on busts, coins, &c.----The name of Butcher\u2019s\nBroom was given to this plant because in olden times butchers were in\nthe habit of sweeping their blocks with hand brooms made of its green\nshoots. In Italy, branches of the plant, tied together, are commonly\nemployed as besoms for sweeping houses; and hucksters place boughs of\nit round bacon and cheese to defend them from the mice. The _Ruscus\naculeatus_, besides its ordinary name of Butcher\u2019s Broom, is called\nKnee-holme, Knee-pulver, Knee-holly, Pettigree, and sometimes Jews\u2019\nMyrtle, because it is sold to the Jews for use during the Feast of the\nTabernacles. In combination with Horse-radish, the plant, boiled for a\ndecoction, is said to be serviceable in cases of dropsy; and its boughs\nare often used in this country for flogging chilblains.----Butcher\u2019s\nBroom has been used and claimed by the Earls of Sutherland as the\ndistinguishing badge of their followers and clan. The present Duke\nretains it, and every Sutherland volunteer still wears a sprig of\nButcher\u2019s Broom in his bonnet on field days.----Butcher\u2019s Broom is\nunder the dominion of Mars.\n\nBUTTERCUPS.--See Ranunculus.\n\n=CABBAGE.=--A Grecian legend recounts that the Cabbage (_Brassica_)\nsprang from the tears of Lycurgus, Prince of Thrace, whom Dionysus had\nbound to a Vine-stock as a punishment for the destruction of Vines\nof which the Prince had been guilty. Perhaps this ancient legend may\naccount for the belief that the Cabbage, like the Laurel, is inimical\nto the Vine; and it may also have given rise to the employment by the\nEgyptians and the Greeks of this vegetable as a most powerful remedy\nfor the intoxication produced by the fruit of the Vine. Bacon, in his\n_Sylva Sylvarum_, says: \u201cSo the Colewort (Cabbage) is not an enemy\n(though that were anciently received) to the Vine onely; but it is an\nenemy to any other plant, because it draweth strongly the fattest juyce\nof the earth.\u201d He also tells us that \u201cit is reported that the shrub\ncalled Our Ladie\u2019s Seal (which is a kinde of Briony) and Coleworts, set\nneare together, one or both will die.\u201d Gerarde says that the Greeks\ncalled the Cabbage _Amethustos_, \u201cnot onely because it driveth away\ndrunkennesse, but also for that it is like in colour to the pretious\nstone called the Amethyst.\u201d----The ancient Ionians, in their oaths,\ninvoked the Cabbage. Nicander calls the Cabbage a sacred plant.----In\nScotland, young women determine the figure and size of their future\nhusbands by drawing Cabbages, blindfolded, on Hallowe\u2019en.----In some\ncountry places, the housewife considers it a lucky omen if her Cabbages\ngrow \u201cdouble,\u201d _i.e._, with two shoots from one root; or \u201clucker,\u201d that\nis, with the leaves spreading open.----A Cabbage stalk or stump is a\nfavourite steed upon which the \u201cgood people,\u201d or fairies, are wont\nto travel in the air. Mr. Croker, in his \u2018Fairy Legends of Ireland,\u2019\nrelates that at Dundaniel, a village near Cork, in a pleasant outlet\ncalled Blackrock, there lived not many years ago a gardener named\nCrowley, who was considered by his neighbours as under fairy control,\nand suffered from what they termed \u201cthe falling sickness\u201d resulting\nfrom the fatigue attendant on the journeys which he was compelled to\ntake; being forced to travel night after night with the good people\non one of his own Cabbage-stumps.----The Italian expressions, \u201cGo\namong the Cabbages,\u201d and \u201cGo hide among the Cabbages,\u201d mean to die. In\nthe North, however, children are told that \u201cBaby was fetched out of\nthe Cabbage-bed.\u201d----In Jersey, the Palm Cabbage is much cultivated,\nand reaches a considerable height. In La Vend\u00e9e, the C\u00e6sarean Cow\nCabbage grows sixteen feet high. Possibly these gigantic Cabbages\nmay have given rise to the nursery tales of some of the continental\nstates, in which the young hero emulates the exploits of the English\nJack and his Bean-stalk, by means of a little Cabbage, which grows\nlarger and larger, and finally, becoming colossal, reaches the\nskies.----In England, there is a nursery legend which relates how the\nthree daughters of a widow were one day sent into the kitchen garden\nto protect the Cabbages from the ravages of a grey horse which was\ncontinually stealing them. Watching their opportunity, they caught him\nby the mane and would not be shaken off; so the grey horse trotted away\nto a neighbouring hill, dragging the three girls after him. Arrived\nat the hill, he commanded it to open, and the widows\u2019 daughters found\nthemselves in an enchanted palace.----A tradition in the Havel country,\nNorth Germany, relates that one Christmas Eve a peasant felt a great\ndesire to eat Cabbage, and having none himself, he slipped into a\nneighbour\u2019s garden to cut some. Just as he had filled his basket, the\nChrist Child rode past on his white horse, and said: \u201cBecause thou hast\nstolen on the holy night, thou shalt immediately sit in the moon with\nthy basket of Cabbage.\u201d The culprit was immediately wafted up to the\nmoon, and there, as the man in the moon, he is still undergoing his\npenalty for stealing Cabbages on Christmas Eve.----To dream of cutting\nCabbages denotes jealousy on the part of wife, husband, or lover, as\nthe case may be. To dream of anyone else cutting them portends an\nattempt by some person to create jealousy in the loved one\u2019s mind. To\ndream of eating Cabbage implies sickness to loved ones and loss of\nmoney.----Cabbages are plants of the Moon.\n\n=CACTUS.=--The Cacti are for the most part natives of South America,\nwhere their weird and grotesque columns or stems, devoid of leaves,\ndot with green the arid plains of New Barcelona or the dark hillsides\nof Mexico and California. They often attain the height of fifty feet,\nand live to such an age as to have gained the name of \u201cimperishable\nstatues.\u201d Standing for centuries, they have been selected to mark\nnational boundaries, as for instance, between the English and French\npossessions in the Island of St. Christopher, West Indies, and they\nare also employed as hedges to lanes and roadways. In the arid plains\nof Mexico and Brazil, the Cacti serve as reservoirs of moisture, and\nnot only the natives, by probing the fleshy stems with their long\nforest knives, supply themselves with a cool and refreshing juice, but\neven the parched cattle contrive to break through the skin with their\nhoofs, and then to suck the liquid they contain. The splendid colours\nof the Cactus flowers are in vivid contrast with the ugly and ungainly\nstems.----There are sundry local legends and superstitions about these\nplants of the desert. A certain one poisons every white spot on a\nhorse, but not one of any other colour. Another, eaten by horses, makes\nthem lazy and imbecile.----The number of known genera is eighteen, and\nthere are six hundred species, two of which are specially cultivated,\nviz., _Opuntia Cochinellifera_ (Nopal plant), largely grown in Mexico,\nas the food plant of the Cochineal insect (_Coccus Cacti_), which\nproduces a beautiful crimson dye; and _C. vulgaris_, or Prickly Pear,\nwhich is cultivated for its grateful Gooseberry-like fruits in barren\nrocky parts of North Africa and Southern Europe.----Peruvian sorcerers\nmake rag dolls, and stick the thorns of Cactus in them, or hide these\nthorns in holes under or about houses, or in the wool of beds and\ncushions, that those they wish to harm may be crippled, maddened, or\nsuffocated.\n\nCALF\u2019S-SNOUT.--See Antirrhinum.\n\n=CAMELLIA.=--The flower of the beauteous Rose of Japan (_Camellia\nJaponica_) has been well described as--\n\n  \u201cThe chaste Camellia\u2019s pure and spotless bloom,\n  That boasts no fragrance and conceals no Thorn.\u201d\n\nThe tree was introduced into Europe in 1639, and is named after G. J.\nKamel, or Camellus, a Moravian Jesuit, and traveller in Asia, who,\nreturning to Spain from the Isle of Luzon, sought an audience of\nQueen Maria Theresa, and presented her with a mother-o\u2019-pearl vase,\nin which grew a small shrub with glossy green leaves, bearing two\nflowers of dazzling whiteness. Plucking the fair bloom, she ran to the\nking\u2019s chamber, which he was pacing in one of his periodical fits of\nmelancholy. \u201cBehold the new flower of the Philippines,\u201d she cried, as\nher husband welcomed her with a fond embrace; \u201cI have kept the best\nfor you; the other you shall present to-night to Rosalez, who plays\nso well in Cinna, at the Theatre del Principe.\u201d Ferdinand pronounced\nthe flower of which his wife was so enraptured to be \u201cbeautiful but\nscentless,\u201d but spite of the latter defect, the plant was assiduously\ncultivated in the hothouses of El Buen Retiro, and called after the\ngiver, the Camellia.----In Japan, the Camellia is a large and lofty\ntree, greatly esteemed by the natives for the beauty of its flowers and\nevergreen foliage, and grown everywhere in their groves and gardens: it\nis also a native of China, and figures frequently in Chinese paintings.\nThe _Camellia Sasanqua_, the _Cha-Hwa_ of the Chinese, has fragrant\nflowers, and its dried leaves are prized for the scent obtained from\nthem; a decoction is used by the ladies of China and Japan as a\nhair-wash.----This shrub so resembles the Tea-plant, both in leaf and\nblossom, that they are not readily distinguished: the leaves are mixed\nwith Tea to render its odour more grateful.\n\n=CAMPANULA.=--One of the chief favourites in the family of\nCampanulace\u00e6, or Bell-flowers, is _Campanula Speculum_, or Venus\u2019s\nLooking-glass. The English name was given to this little plant\nprobably because its brilliant corollas appear to reflect the sun\u2019s\nrays, although some authorities state that it is so called from the\nglossiness of the seeds. Still another derivation is the resemblance\nof the flower\u2019s round-shaped bloom to the form of the mirror of the\nancients, which was always circular; and the plant being graceful\nand extremely pretty, it was appropriated to the Goddess of Beauty.\nThe classics, however, ignore all these derivations, and give us the\nfollowing account of the origin of the\n\n            \u201cFloral bough that swingeth\n  And tolls its perfume on the passing air.\u201d\n\nIn one of her rambles on earth, Venus accidentally dropped a certain\nmirror which she was carrying, and which possessed the quality of\nbeautifying whatever it reflected. A shepherd picked it up; but no\nsooner had he gazed upon its wondrous reflecting surface, than he\nforgot forthwith his favourite nymph, and it is to be presumed himself\nas well; for, like another Narcissus, he became enamoured of his own\nvisage, and could do nothing but admire his own charms. Cupid, who had\ndiscovered his mother\u2019s loss, and found out how matters stood with\nthe foolish shepherd, became fearful of the consequences of such a\nsilly error; he, therefore, broke the magic mirror, and transformed\nthe glittering fragments into those bright little flowers, which have\never since been called Venus\u2019s Looking-glass.----Miller mentions\nseventy-eight kinds of Campanula, the best known of which are the\nCanterbury-bells, Coventry-bells, the Heath-bell, and the Giant\nThroat-wort, a flower mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in his poem of\n\u2018Rokeby\u2019:--\n\n        \u201cHe laid him down,\n  Where purple Heath profusely strown,\n  And Throat-wort, with its azure bell,\n  And Moss, and Thyme, his cushion swell.\u201d\n\n(See also CANTERBURY BELLS).\n\n=CAMPHOR.=--The Camphire or Camphor-tree (_Laurus Camphora_) is\nprincipally found in China and Japan. Camphor is obtained by boiling\nthe wood of this tree, in which the gum exists, ready formed. The\nArabians at a very early period were acquainted with the virtues of the\nCamphor-trees of Sumatra and Borneo, the produce of which is known as\nNative Camphor.\n\nCAMPION.--See Lychnis, and Ragged Robin.\n\n=CANDY-TUFT.=--The Iberis, or, as we call it in English, Candy-tuft\n(from Candia, whence we first received the plant), is singularly devoid\nof any poetical or traditional lore. Old Gerarde tells us that Lord\nEdward Zouche sent him some seeds which he sowed in his garden, and\nreared in due course. He calls it Candie Mustard, _Thlaspi Candi\u00e6_,\nthe latter being one of the names by which the plant was known in\nFrance. In that country, more importance seems to have been attached\nto the flower, or, at any rate, more notice was taken of it by poets\nand literati, for we find that one of the species was distinguished\nas being the emblem of architecture, from the fact that its flowers\nare disposed in stories from the base to the summit of the stalk,\nresembling in some little degree the open columns of one of the most\ndelicate orders of architecture. Rapin, the French Jesuit poet, alludes\nto this flower in his poem on Gardens, and briefly gives the mythology\nof _Thlaspis_ in the following lines:--\n\n        \u201cNow, on high stems will Matricaria rear\n  Her silver blooms, and with her will appear\n  Thlaspis, a Cretan youth, who won the fair:\n  Happy if more auspicious Hymen\u2019s rites\n  Had with pure flames adorned their nuptial lights.\u201d\n\n=CANNA.=--The Burmese esteem as sacred the _Bohdda Tharanat_ (_Canna\nIndica_, or Indian Shot), so named from its seeds, which are used for\nthe beads of the rosary. The flowers are red, or sometimes white. The\nBurman believes that it sprang from Buddha\u2019s blood; and the legend\nrelates that his evil-minded brother-in-law and cousin Dewadat, enraged\nthat he was not allowed to have a separate assembly of his own, went to\nthe top of a hill, and rolled down a huge stone, intending to destroy\nthe most excellent payah. But the boulder burst into a thousand pieces,\nand only one little piece bruised Buddha\u2019s toe, and drew a few drops\nof blood, whence sprang the sacred flower, the _Bohdda Tharanat_. The\nrenowned physician Zaywaku healed the great teacher\u2019s wound in a single\nday. The earth soon afterwards opened and swallowed up the sacrilegious\nDewadat.\n\n=CANTERBURY BELLS.=--The Nettle-leaved Bell-flower, _Campanula\nTrachelium_, was so called by Gerarde from growing plentifully in the\nlow woods about Canterbury, and possibly in allusion to its resemblance\nto the hand-bells which were placed on poles, and rung by pilgrims when\nproceeding to the shrine of Thomas \u00e0 Becket--St. Thomas, of England.\nThere is, however, a tradition extant that the name of Canterbury Bells\nwas given to the _Campanula_ in memory of St. Augustine.\n\n=CARDAMINE.=--The faint sweet Cuckoo-flower, common in meadows and\nby brook sides, is the _Cardamine pratensis_. It was so called, says\nGerarde, because it flowers in April and May, \u201cwhen the cuckoo doth\nbegin to sing her pleasant notes without stammering.\u201d The flower is\nalso called Lady\u2019s Smock, and Our Lady\u2019s Smock, from the resemblance\nof its pale flowers to little smocks hung out to dry, as they used to\nbe once a year, at that season especially. Shakspeare alludes to it in\nthese lines:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Daisies pied and Violets blue,\n    And Lady-smocks all silver white,\n  And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue,\n    Do paint the meadows with delight.\n  When shepherd\u2019s pipe on oaten straws,\n    And maidens bleach their Summer smocks,\u201d &c.\n\nThe Cuckoo-buds here alluded to are supposed to be a species of\nRanunculus; and, perhaps, as the _Cardamine pratensis_ is rather a pale\nblue than a silver-white flower, Shakspeare alluded in these lines\nto _C. amara_, whose brilliantly-white blossoms might well be taken\nfor linen laid out to bleach. The plant derives its name _Cardamine_\nfrom its taste of Cardamoms. It is also called Meadow Cress. For some\nreason, if this flower was found introduced into a May-day garland,\nit was torn to pieces immediately on discovery. Our Lady\u2019s Smock is\nassociated by the Catholics with the Day of the Annunciation.----The\nCardamine is a herb of the Moon.\n\n=CARDINAL-FLOWER.=--Of the extensive _Lobelia_ family the _L.\nCardinalis_, or Cardinal\u2019s Flower, is, perhaps, the most beautiful.\nIts blossoms are of so brilliant a scarlet, as to have reminded the\noriginator of its name of the scarlet cloth of Rome, while its shape is\nnot altogether dissimilar to the hat of the Romish dignitary. Alphonse\nKarr, remarking on the vivid hue of the Cardinal\u2019s Flower, says that\neven the Verbena will pale before it.\n\n=CARLINE THISTLE.=--The white and red Carline Thistles (_Carlina\nvulgaris_) derive their name from Charlemagne, regarding whom the\nlegend relates that once--\u201ca horrible pestilence broke out in his army,\nand carried off many thousand men, which greatly troubled the pious\nEmperor. Wherefore, he prayed earnestly to God; and in his sleep there\nappeared to him an angel, who shot an arrow from the cross-bow, telling\nhim to mark the plant upon which it fell, for that with that plant he\nmight cure his army of the pestilence. And so it really happened.\u201d The\nplant upon which the arrow alighted was the Carline Thistle, and, as\nGerarde tells us, Charlemagne\u2019s army was, through the benefit of the\nroot delivered and preserved from the plague.--The Carline Thistle is\nunder the dominion of Mars.\n\n=CARNATION.=--The Carnation (_Dianthus caryophyllus_) is generally\nsupposed to have obtained its name from the flesh-colour of its\nflowers; but it was more correctly spelt by old writers, Coronation, as\nrepresenting the _Vetonica coronaria_ of the early herbalists, and so\ncalled from its flowers being used in the classic _coron\u00e6_ or chaplets.\nThus Spenser, in his \u2018Shepherd\u2019s Calendar\u2019 says: \u201cBring Coronations and\nSops-in-wine, worn of paramours.\u201d From Chaucer we learn that the flower\nwas formerly called the Clove Gilliflower, and that it was cultivated\nin English gardens in Edward the Third\u2019s reign. In those days, it was\nused to give a spicy flavour to wine and ale, and from hence obtained\nits name of Sop-in-wine:--\n\n  \u201cHer springen herbes, grete and smale,\n  The Licoris and the Setewales,\n  And many a Clove Gilofre,\n  --------to put in ale,\n  Whether it be moist or stale.\u201d\n\nThe name Gilliflower (formerly spelt Gyllofer and Gilofre)\nis a corruption of the Latin _Caryophyllum_, a Clove (Greek,\n_Karuophullon_); and has reference to the spicy odour of the flower,\nwhich was used as a substitute for the costly Indian Cloves in\nflavouring dainty dishes as well as liquors. The Gilliflower was also\nthought to possess medicinal properties. Gerarde assures us, that \u201cThe\nconserve made of the flowers of the Clove Gilloflower and sugar is\nexceeding cordiall, and woonderfully above measure doth comfort the\nheart, being eaten now and then.\u201d It was, also, thought good against\npestilential fevers.----A red Carnation distinguishes several of the\nItalian painters. Benvenuto Tisio was called \u201cIl Garofalo,\u201d from his\nhaving painted a Gilliflower in the corner of his pictures.----The\nCarnation is under the dominion of Jupiter. (See also GILLIFLOWER).\n\n=CAROB.=--The Carob-tree, or St. John\u2019s Bread (_Ceratonia Siliqua_)\nflourishes in the East, and in Palestine (to quote from Gerarde) there\nis \u201csuch plenty of it, that it is left unto swine and other wilde\nbeasts to feed upon, as our Acorns and Beech-mast.\u201d Hence it has long\nbeen supposed by many that the shells of the Carob-pod were the husks\nwhich the Prodigal Son was fain to feed upon, although they were what\n\u201cthe swine did eat; and no man gave unto him\u2019 (Luke xv., 16).----In\nGermany, as in England, the Carob obtained the name of St. John\u2019s\nBread, from the popular belief that the Baptist fed upon it whilst in\nthe wilderness. Gerarde says: \u201cThis is of some called Saint John\u2019s\nBread, and thought to be that which is translated Locusts, whereon\nSaint John did feed when he was in the wildernesse, besides the wilde\nhoney whereof he did also eat; but there is small certainty of this;\nbut it is most certain that the people of that country doe feed on\nthese pods.\u201d By others it has been supposed that the Locusts on which\nJohn the Baptist fed were the tender shoots of plants, and that the\nwild honey was the pulp in the pod of the Carob, whence it derived\nthe name of St. John\u2019s Bread.----According to a Sicilian tradition,\nthe Carob is a tree of ill-repute, because it was on one of this\nspecies that the traitor Judas Iscariot hung himself.----In Syria and\nAsia Minor, the Carob, venerated alike by Christian and Mussulman, is\ndedicated to St. George, whose shrines are always erected beneath the\nshadow of its boughs.\n\n=CARROT.=--The wild Carrot (_Daucus Carota_) is also called Bird\u2019s-nest\nor Bee\u2019s-nest, because, in its seeding state, the umbel resembles\na nest.----In the reign of James the First, ladies adorned their\nhead-dresses with Carrot-leaves, the light feathery verdure of which\nwas considered a pleasing substitute for the plumage of birds.----The\nancient Greeks called the Carrot _Phileon_, because of its connection\nwith amatory affairs. We read in Gerarde in what this consisted. He\nremarks that the Carrot \u201cserveth for love matters; and Orpheus, as\nPliny writeth, said that the use hereof winneth love; which things\nbe written of wilde Carrot, the root whereof is more effectual\nthan that of the garden.\u201d According to Galen, the root of the wild\nCarrot possessed the power of exciting the passions. The seed was\nadministered to women under the belief that it induced and helped\nconception.----To dream of Carrots signifies profit and strength to\nthem that are at law for an inheritance, for we pluck them out of the\nground with our hand, branches, strings, and veins.----Carrots are held\nto be under Mercury.\n\n=CASHEW.=--The nuts of the Cashew (_Anacardium occidentale_) are\nsupposed by the Indians to excite the passions. The negroes of the West\nIndies say a branch of the Cashew-tree supplied the crown of Thorns\nused at our Saviour\u2019s crucifixion, and that, in consequence, one of the\nbright golden petals of the flower became black and blood-stained.\n\n=CASSAVA.=--The South American Cassava (_Jatropha Manihot_) is also\nknown as the edible-rooted physic-nut, and in Brazil it bears the name\nof Mandioc. There are two kinds of Cassavas--the bitter and the sweet.\nFrom the roots of both bread is made, the tubers being first peeled and\nthen ground into farina, and a poisonous juice expressed. Should this\njuice be drunk by cattle or poultry, they will become speedily much\nswollen, and die in convulsions; but if the same liquid is boiled with\nmeat, and seasoned, it forms a favourite soup, called by the Brazilians\n_Casserepo_. The juice is used by the Indians for the poisoning of\narrows: it is sometimes fermented, and converted into an intoxicating\nliquor in great favour with the Indians and negroes. Tapioca is a kind\nof starch prepared from the farina of Cassava roots.\n\n=CASSIA.=--The Cassia mentioned by Moses in Exodus xxx., 24 (called in\nHebrew _Kidda_, the bark), was a sweet spice commanded to be used in\nthe composition of the holy oil employed in the consecration of the\nsacred vessels of the Tabernacle. It is supposed to have been the bark\nof an aromatic tree, known by the ancients as _Costus_, preparations of\nthe bark and root of which were sometimes burnt on the pagan altars.\nThere were three sorts of Costus--the Arabian, the Indian, and the\nSyrian; the root of the first of these was most esteemed for its\naromatic properties: it had a fragrant smell similar to the perfume of\nOrris or Violets, and was called _Costus dulcis_ or _odoratus_.\n\n=CASSIA-TREE.=--The Cassia, or Senna-tree, belongs to a genus numerous\nin species, which are generally diffused in warm countries: among them\nis the Moon-tree of the Chinese, and this Cassia is considered by them\nto be the first of all medicaments. They have a saying, \u201cThe Cassia\ncan be eaten, therefore it is cut down,\u201d which probably explains their\nbelief that in the middle of the Moon there grows a Cassia-tree, at\nthe foot of which is a man who is endeavouring continually to fell it.\nThis man is one Kang Wou, a native of Si-ho. Whilst under the tuition\nof a Geni, he committed a grave fault, for which he was condemned from\nhenceforth to cut down the Cassia-tree. They call the Moon, therefore,\nthe _Kue\u00eflan_, or the disk of the Cassia. The Chinese give other\nreasons for associating the Cassia with the Moon. They say that it is\nthe only tree producing flowers with four petals which are yellow--the\ncolour of a metal, an element appertaining to the West, the region\nwhere the Moon appears to rise. Then the Cassia-flower opens in Autumn,\na period when sacrifices are offered to the Moon; and it has, like the\nMoon, four phases of existence. During the seventh Moon (August) it\nblossoms. At the fourth Moon (May) its inflorescence ceases. During\nthe fifth and sixth Moon (June and July) its buds are put forth, and\nafter these have opened into leaf, the tree again bears flowers.\nAnglo-Indians call the _Cassia Fistula_, or Umultuss-tree, the Indian\nLaburnum: its long cylindrical pods are imported into England, and a\nsugary substance extracted from the pulp between the seeds is commonly\nused as a laxative. Gerarde says this pulp of _Cassia Fistula_, when\nextracted with Violet water, is a most sweet and pleasant medicine,\nand may be given without danger to all weak people of what age and sex\nsoever. Lord Bacon writes in his Natural History:--\u201cIt is reported by\none of the ancients, that Cassia, when it is gathered, is put into\nthe skins of beasts, newly flayed, and that the skins corrupting, and\nbreeding wormes, the wormes doe devoure the pith and marrow it, and so\nmake of it hollow; but meddle not with the barke, because to them it is\nbitter.\u201d\n\n=CATCH-FLY.=--The _Silene_, or Catch-fly, received its English name\nfrom its glutinous stalk, from which flies, happening to light upon it,\ncannot disengage themselves. Gerarde gives the plant the additional\nname of Limewort, and adds, that in his time they were grown in London\ngardens, \u201crather for toies of pleasure than any virtues they are\npossessed with.\u201d\n\n=CAT MINT.=--Gerarde, probably copying from Dodoens, says of Cat Mint\nor Cat Nep, that \u201ccats are very much delighted herewith, for the smell\nof it is so pleasant unto them, that they rub themselves upon it, and\nswallow or tumble in it, and also feed on the branches very greedily.\u201d\nThere is an old proverb respecting this herb--\n\n  \u201cIf you set it, the cats will eat it;\n  If you sow it, the cats won\u2019t know it.\u201d\n\nAccording to Hoffman, the root of the Cat Mint, if chewed, will make\nthe most gentle person fierce and quarrelsome; and there is a legend\nof a certain hangman who could never find courage to execute his task\nuntil he had chewed this aromatic root. Nep or Cat Mint is considered a\nherb of Venus.\n\n=CEDAR.=--Numerous are the allusions made in the Bible to the Cedars\nof Lebanon (_Cedrus Libani_), the tree which Josephus says was first\nplanted in Judea by Solomon, who greatly admired this noble tree, and\nbuilt himself a palace of Cedar on Lebanon itself. The celebrated\nTemple of Solomon was built of hewn stone, lined with Cedar, which\nwas \u201ccarved with knops and open flowers; all was Cedar, there was no\nstone seen.\u201d Since King Solomon\u2019s time, the Cedar forest of Lebanon has\nbecome terribly reduced, but Dr. Hooker, in 1860, counted some four\nhundred trees, and Mr. Tristram, a more recent traveller in the Holy\nLand, discovered a new locality in the mountains of Lebanon, where\nthe Cedar was more abundant. Twelve of the oldest of these Cedars\nof Lebanon bear the title of \u201cFriends of Solomon,\u201d or the \u201cTwelve\nApostles.\u201d The Arabs call all the older trees, saints, and believe an\nevil fate will overtake anyone who injures them. Every year, at the\nfeast of the Transfiguration, the Maronites, Greeks, and Armenians\ngo up to the Cedars, and celebrate mass on a rough stone altar at\ntheir feet.----The Cedar is made the emblem of the righteous in the\n92nd Psalm, and is likened to the countenance of the Son of God in\nthe inspired Canticles of Solomon. Ezekiel (xxxi., 3-9) compares the\nmighty King of Assyria to a Cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches, and\nsays, as a proof of his greatness and power, that \u201cthe Cedars in the\ngarden of God could not hide him.\u201d In the Romish Church, the Cedar\nof Lebanon, because of its height, its incorruptible substance, and\nthe healing virtues attributed to it in the East, is a symbol of the\nVirgin, expressing her greatness, her beauty, and her goodness.----The\nJews evidently regarded the Cedar as a sacred tree: hence it was used\nin the making of idols. According to a very old tradition, the Cedar\nwas the tree from which Adam obtained the forbidden fruit in the Garden\nof Eden. The ancient legend relating how the Cross of Christ was formed\nof a tree combining in itself the wood of the Cypress, Cedar, and Pine,\nwill be found under the heading CYPRESS. Another tradition states\nthat of the three woods of which the Cross was composed, and which\nsymbolised the three persons of the Holy Trinity, the Cedar symbolised\nGod the Father.----Pythagoras recommended the Cedar, the Laurel, the\nCypress, the Oak, and the Myrtle, as the woods most befitting to honour\nthe Divinity.----The Shittim wood of the Scriptures is considered\nby some to have been a species of Cedar, of which the most precious\nutensils were made: hence the expression _Cedro digna_ signified\n\u201cworthy of eternity.\u201d----The Cedar is the emblem of immortality.----The\nancients called the Cedar \u201clife from the dead,\u201d because the perfume of\nits wood drove away the insects and never-dying worms of the tombs.\nAccording to Evelyn, in the temple of Apollo at Utica, there was found\nCedar-wood nearly two thousand years old; \u201cand in Sagunti, of Spain, a\nbeam, in a certain oratory consecrated to Diana, which had been brought\nfrom Zant two hundred years before the destruction of Troy. The statue\nof that goddess in the famous Ephesian Temple was of this material\nalso, as was most of the timber-work in all their sacred edifices.\u201d In\na temple at Rome there was a statue of Apollo Sosianus in Cedar-wood\noriginally brought from Seleucia. Virgil states that Cedar-wood was\nconsidered to be so durable, that it was employed for making images\nof the gods, and that the effigies of the ancestors of Latinus were\ncarved out of an old Cedar. He also informs us that Cedar-wood was\nused for fragrant torches.----Sesostris, King of Egypt, is reported to\nhave built a ship of Cedar timber, which, according to Evelyn, was \u201cof\n280 cubits, all gilded without and within.\u201d----Gerarde says that the\nEgyptians used Cedar for the coffins of their dead, and Cedar-pitch in\nthe process of embalming the bodies.----The books of Numa, recovered in\nRome after a lapse of 535 years, are stated to have been perfumed with\nCedar.----The Chinese have a legend which tells how a husband and wife\nwere transformed into two Cedars, in order that their mutual love might\nbe perpetuated. A certain King Kang, in the time of the Soungs, had\nas secretary one Hanpang, whose young and beautiful wife Ho the King\nunfortunately coveted. Both husband and wife were tenderly attached to\none another, so the King threw Hanpang into prison, where he shortly\ndied of grief. His wife, to escape the odious attentions of the King,\nthrew herself from the summit of a high terrace. After her death, a\nletter was discovered in her bosom, addressed to the King, in which\nshe asked, as a last favour, to be buried beside her dear husband.\nThe King, however, terribly angered, would not accede to poor Ho\u2019s\nrequest, but ordered her to be interred separately. The will of heaven\nwas not long being revealed. That same night two Cedars sprang from the\ntwo graves, and in ten days had become so tall and vigorous in their\ngrowth, that they were able to interlace their branches and roots,\nalthough separated from one another. The people henceforth called\nthese Cedars \u201cThe trees of faithful love.\u201d----Tchihatcheff, a Russian\ntraveller, speaks of vast Cedar forests on Mount Taurus in Asia Minor:\nthe tree was not introduced into England till about Evelyn\u2019s time, nor\ninto France till 1737, when Bernard de Jussieu brought over from the\nHoly Land a little seedling of the plant from the forests of Mount\nLebanon. A romantic account is given of the difficulty this naturalist\nexperienced in conveying it to France, owing to the tempestuous weather\nand contrary winds he experienced, which drove his vessel out of its\ncourse, and so prolonged the voyage, that the water began to fail. All\non board were consequently put on short allowance; the crew having to\nwork, being allowed one glass of water a day, the passenger only half\nthat quantity. Jussieu, from his attachment to botany, was reduced\nto abridge even this small daily allowance, by sharing it with his\ncherished plant, and by this act of self-sacrifice succeeded in keeping\nit alive till they reached Marseilles. Here, however, all his pains\nseemed likely to be thrown away, for as he had been driven, by want of\na flower-pot, to plant his seedling in his hat, he excited on landing\nthe suspicions of the Custom-house officers, who at first insisted on\nemptying the strange pot, to see whether any contraband goods were\nconcealed therein. With much difficulty he prevailed upon them to spare\nhis treasure, and succeeded in carrying it in triumph to Paris, where\nit flourished in the Jardin des Plantes, and grew until it reached one\nhundred years of age, and eighty feet in height. In 1837 it was cut\ndown, to make room for a railway.----According to the ancient Chaldean\nmagicians, the Cedar is a tree of good omen--protecting the good and\noverthrowing the machinations of evil spirits.----M. Lenormant has\npublished an Egyptian legend concerning the Cedar, which De Gubernatis\nhas quoted. This legend recites that Batou having consented to\nincorporate his heart with the Cedar, if the tree were cut the life\nof Batou would at the same time be jeopardised; but if he died his\nbrother would seek his heart for seven years, and when he had found\nit, he would place it in a vase filled with divine essence, which was\nto impart to it animation, and so restore Batou to life.... Anpou, in\na fit of rage, one day enters Batou\u2019s house, and slays the shameless\nwoman who had separated him from his brother. Meanwhile Batou proceeds\nto the valley of Cedars, and places, as he had announced, his heart\nin the fruit of the tree at the foot of which he fixes his abode. The\ngods, not desiring to leave him solitary, create a woman, endowed with\nextraordinary beauty, but carrying evil with her. Falling madly in love\nwith her, Batou reveals to the woman the secret of his life being bound\nup with that of the Cedar. Meantime the river becomes enamoured of\nBatou\u2019s wife; the tree, to pacify it, gives it a lock of the beauty\u2019s\nhair. The river continues its course, carrying on the surface of its\nwaters the tress, which diffuses a delicious odour. It reaches at\nlast the king\u2019s laundress, who carries it to his majesty. At the mere\nsight and perfume of the tress, the king falls in love with the woman\nto whom it belongs. He sends men to the vale of Cedars to carry her\noff; but Batou kills them all. Then the king despatches an army, who\nat last bring him the woman whom the gods themselves had fashioned.\nBut while Batou lives she cannot become the wife of the king; so she\nreveals to him the secret of her husband\u2019s twofold life. Immediately\nworkmen are despatched, who cut down the Cedar. Batou expires directly.\nSoon Anpou, who had come to visit his brother, finds him stretched\nout dead beside the felled Cedar. Instantly he sets out to search for\nBatou\u2019s heart; but for four years his search is fruitless. At the end\nof that period the soul of Batou yearns to be resuscitated: the time\nhas arrived when, in its transmigrations, it should rejoin his body.\nAnpou discovers the heart of his brother in one of the cones of the\ntree. Taking the vase which contains the sacred fluid, he places the\nheart in it; and, during the day, it remains unaffected, but so soon as\nnight arrives, the heart becomes imbued with the elixir. Batou regains\nall his members; but he is without vigour. Then Anpou gives to him the\nsacred fluid in which he had steeped the heart of his young brother,\nand bids him drink. The heart returns to its place, and Batou becomes\nhimself again. The two brothers set out to punish the unfaithful one.\nBatou takes the form of a sacred bull. Arrived at the Court, Batou,\nmetamorphosed into the bull, is welcomed and f\u00eated. Egypt has found\na new god. During one of the festivals he takes the opportunity of\nwhispering into the ear of her who had formerly been his wife: \u201cBehold,\nI am again alive--I am Batou! You plotted and persuaded the king to\nfell the Cedar, so that he might occupy my place at your side when I\nwas dead. Behold, I am again alive--I have taken the form of a bull!\u201d\nThe queen faints away at hearing these words; but speedily recovering\nherself, she seeks the king and asks him to grant her a favour--that\nof eating the bull\u2019s liver. After some hesitation, the king consents,\nand orders that a sacrifice shall be offered to the bull, and that\nthen he shall be killed; but at the moment the bull\u2019s throat is cut,\ntwo drops of blood spirt out: one falls to the ground, and forthwith\ntwo grand Perseas (the Egyptians\u2019 tree of life) shoot forth. The king,\naccompanied by his wife, hastens to inspect the new prodigy, and one\nof the trees whispers in the queen\u2019s ear that he is Batou, once more\ntransformed. The queen, relying on the doting affection which the king\nentertains for her, asks him to have this tree cut down for the sake of\nthe excellent timber it will afford. The king consents, and she hastens\nto superintend the execution of his orders. A chip struck from the tree\nwhilst being felled, falls into the mouth of the queen. Shortly she\nperceives that she has become _enceinte_. In due course she gives birth\nto a male infant. It is Batou, once more entering the world by a novel\nincarnation!\u201d\n\n=CELANDINE.=--The Great or Major Celandine (_Chelidonium major_)\nis also called Swallow-wort and Tetter-wort, and is thought to be\nefficacious in the cure of warts and cutaneous disorders. It derives\nits name from the Greek _Chelidon_, a swallow--not, says Gerarde,\n\u201cbecause it first springeth at the coming in of the swallowes, or dieth\nwhen they go away, for as we have saide, it may be founde all the\nyeare, but because some holde opinion that with this herbe the dams\nrestore sight to their young ones, when their eies be put out.\u201d This\nmagical property of the Celandine was first propounded by Aristotle,\nand afterwards repeated by Pliny, Dodoens, Albert le Grand, Macer, and\nmost of the old botanical writers. Coles fully believed the wonderful\nfact, and remarks: \u201cIt is known to such as have skill of nature, what\nwonderful care she hath of the smallest creatures, giving to them a\nknowledge of medicine to help themselves, if haply diseases annoy them.\nThe swallow cureth her dim eyes with Celandine; the wesell knoweth well\nthe virtue of Herb Grace; the dove the Verven; the dogge dischargeth\nhis mawe with a kinde of grasse,\u201d &c. Lyte also, in his \u2018Herbal,\u2019\nfully supported the ancient rustic belief that the old swallows used\nCelandine to restore sight to their young. He says the plant was called\nSwallow-herb, because \u201cit was the first found out by swallowes, and\nhath healed the eyes and restored sight to their young ones that have\nhad harme in their eyes or have been blinde.\u201d Celandine has long\nbeen popular among village simplers as a remedy when diluted with\nmilk against thick spots in the eye.----It is said that the lack of\nmedical knowledge among the ancients induced the belief in the magical\nproperties of Celandine. They saw in the _Chelidonium a C\u0153li donum_,\nand hence were anxious to endow it with celestial properties.----The\nred and violet Celandines, or Horned Poppies, are mentioned by Ben\nJonson among the plants used by witches in their incantations.\n\nThe Lesser Celandine (_Ranunculus Ficaria_) is perhaps better known as\nthe Pile-wort, a name given to it in allusion to the small tubers on\nthe roots, which, on the doctrine of plant signatures, indicated that\nthe plant was a remedial agent in this complaint.----Astrologers assign\nCelandine to the Sun, and the Pile-wort to Mars.\n\n=CENTAURY.=--This flower, the well known Blue-bottle of the cornfields,\nis fabled to have derived its name from Chiron, a centaur, who is\nstated to have taught mankind the use of plants and medicinal herbs.\nAccording to Pliny, Chiron cured himself with this plant from a wound\nhe had accidentally received from an arrow poisoned with the blood of\nthe hydra. M. Barthelemy writes how, when Anacharsis visited the cave\nof Chiron, the centaur, on Mount Pelion, he was shown a plant which\ngrew near it, of which he was informed that the leaves were good for\nthe eyes, but that the secret of preparing them was in the hands of\nonly one family, to whom it had been lineally transmitted from Chiron\nhimself.----Mythology has another origin for the _Centaurea Cyanus_.\nAccording to this account, the flower was called Cyanus, after a youth\nso named, who was so enamoured of Corn-flowers, that his favourite\noccupation was that of making garlands of them; and he would scarcely\never leave the fields, whilst his favourite blue flowers continued to\nbloom. So devoted was his admiration, that he always dressed himself in\nclothes of the same brilliant hue as the flower he loved best. Flora\nwas his goddess, and of all the varied gifts, her Corn-flower was the\none he most appreciated. At length he was one day found lying dead in\na cornfield, surrounded with the blue Corn-flowers he had gathered:\nand soon after the catastrophe, the goddess Flora, out of gratitude\nfor the veneration he had for her divinity, transformed his body into\nthe _Centaurea Cyanus_, the Blue-bottle of English cornfields.----In\nLucan\u2019s \u2018Pharsalia,\u2019 the Centaury is one of the plants named as being\nburned with the object of driving away serpents.\n\n  \u201cBeyond the farthest tents rich fires they build,\n  That healthy medicinal odours yield:\n  There foreign Galbanum dissolving fries,\n  And crackling flames from humble Wallwort rise;\n  There Tamarisk, which no green leaf adorns,\n  And there the spicy Syrian Costos burns:\n  There Centaury supplies the wholesome flame,\n  That from Thessalian Chiron takes its name;\n  The gummy Larch-tree, and the Thapsos there,\n  Woundwort and Maidenweed perfume the air:\n  There the long branches of the long-lived Hart,\n  With Southernwood their odours strong impart,\n  The monsters of the land, the serpents fell,\n  Fly far away, and shun the hostile swell.\u201d\n\nThe Corn-flower is called in Russia _Basilek_ (the flower of Basil),\nand attached to it is a legend that a handsome young man of this name\nwas enticed away by a nymph named Russalka, allured into the fields,\nand transformed into the Corn-flower.----Plants have always been a\nfavourite means of testing the faith of lovers; and the Centaury or\nBluet of the cornfields was the flower selected by Margaret as the\nfloral oracle from which to learn the truth respecting Faust.\n\n  \u201cThere is a flower, a purple flower,\n  Sown by the wind, nursed by the shower,\n  O\u2019er which love breathed a powerful spell,\n  The truth of whispering hope to tell.\n  Now, gentle flower, I pray thee tell,\n  If my lover loves me, and loves me well:\n  So may the fall of the morning dew\n  Keep the sun from fading thy tender blue.\u201d\n\nThe Centaury is known as the Hurt-sickle, because it turns the edges\nof the reapers\u2019 sickles: its other familiar names are Blue-bottle,\nBlue-blow, Bluet, and Corn-flower.----It is held by astrologers to be\nunder Saturn.\n\n=CEREUS.=--The crimson-flowered _Cereus_ (_Cereus speciosissimus_),\nbelonging to the natural order _Cactace\u00e6_, is generally known in\nEngland as the Torch Thistle, and is fabled to have been the torch\nborne by Ceres in the daytime. _Cereus flagelliformis_ is the\npink-flowered creeping Cereus, the long round stems of which hang\ndown like cords. _Cereus grandiflorus_ is the night-blowing Cereus,\nwhich begins to open its sweet-scented flowers about eight o\u2019clock in\nthe evening; they are fully blown by eleven, and by four o\u2019clock next\nmorning they are faded and droop quite decayed. The Old Man\u2019s Head, or\nMonkey Cactus, _Cereus senilis_, is another member of this family.\n\n=CHAMEL\u00c6A.=--The Spurge-Olive or Chamel\u00e6a (_Cneorum tricoccum_) is a\nhumble shrub, whose three-leaved pale-yellow flowers were consecrated\nto the god Janus. The month of January, placed under the protection\nof Janus, was represented in the guise of an old man, who held in his\nhand a flower of the Chamel\u00e6a. After flowering, the shrub produces\nthree-cornered berries, which are at first green, then red, and finally\nbrown. The plant in England was formerly called the Widow-wail, for\nwhat reason we know not, but Gerarde says, \u201c_quia facit viduas_.\u201d\n\n=CHAMOMILE.=--According to Galen, the Egyptians held the Chamomile\n(_Anthemis nobilis_) in such reverence, that they consecrated it\nto their deities: they had great faith in the plant as a remedy\nfor agues. Gerarde tells us that Chamomile is a special help\nagainst wearisomeness, and that it derives its name from the Greek\n_Chamaimelon_, Earth-Apple, because the flowers have the smell of an\nApple.----In Germany, Chamomile-flowers are called _Heerm\u00e4nnchen_, and\nthey are traditionally supposed to have once been soldiers, who for\ntheir sins died accursed.----The Romans supposed the _Anthemis_ to be\npossessed of properties to cure the bites of serpents.----Chamomile is\nconsidered to be a herb of the Sun.\n\n=CHAMPAK.=--The Champa or Champak (_Michelia Champaca_) is one of the\nsacred plants of India. The blue Champak-flower is of the greatest\nrarity, and is regarded as being the principal ornament of Brahma\u2019s\nheaven. It is, in fact,\n\n  \u201cThat blue flower which Brahmins say\n  Blooms nowhere but in Paradise,\u201d\n\nfor the earthly sort has yellow blossoms with which the Hindu maidens\nare fond of ornamenting their raven hair. The tree is sacred to Vishnu,\nand is, therefore, an object of reverential regard on the part of the\nHindus, who cultivate it for the fragrance of its flowers, which is so\nstrong that the bees, fearful of being overcome, will scarcely ever\nalight upon them. The Hindus apply to the Champak-flowers the most\nflattering appellations, which celebrate its wondrous delicacy and\nform, its glittering golden hue, and its voluptuous perfume.\n\n=CHERRY.=--About the year 70 B.C., Lucullus, after his victory over\nMithridates, brought from Cerasus, in Pontus, the Cherry-tree, and\nintroduced it into Italy. It was planted in Britain a century later,\nbut the cultivated sorts disappeared during the Saxon period. \u201cCherries\non the ryse,\u201d or on the twigs, was, however, one of the street cries\nof London in the fifteenth century. These Cherries were, perhaps,\nthe fruit of the native wild Cherry, or Gean-tree, as the cultivated\nCherry was not re-introduced till the reign of Henry VIII., whose\nfruiterer brought it from Flanders, and planted a Cherry orchard at\nTeynham.----An ancient legend records that, before the birth of our\nSaviour, the Virgin Mary longed extremely to taste of some tempting\nCherries which hung upon a tree high above her head; so she requested\nJoseph to pluck them. Joseph, however, not caring to take the trouble,\nrefused to gather the Cherries, saying sullenly, \u201cLet the father of\nthy child present thee with the Cherries if he will!\u201d No sooner had\nthese words escaped his lips, than, as if in reproof, the branch of the\nCherry-tree bowed spontaneously to the Virgin\u2019s hand, and she gathered\nits fruit and ate it. Hence the Cherry is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.\nThere is a tradition that our Saviour gave a Cherry to St. Peter,\ncautioning him at the same time not to despise little things.----The\nancient Lithuanians believed that the demon Kirnis was the guardian\nof the Cherry. In Germany and Denmark there is a tradition that evil\nspirits often hide themselves in old Cherry-trees, and delight in\ndoing harm to anyone who approaches them. The Albanians burn branches\nof the Cherry-tree on the nights of the 23rd and 24th of December,\nand the nights of the 1st and 6th of January--that is to say on the\nthree nights consecrated to the new sun; and they preserve the ashes\nof these branches to fertilise their Vines. They say that in so doing\nthey burn the evil spirits hidden in the trees, who are destructive\nto vegetation.----At Hamburg, there is an annual festival called the\nFeast of the Cherries, when children parade the streets, carrying\nboughs laden with the fruit. This observance dates from the year 1432,\nwhen the Hussites threatened the immediate destruction of Hamburg.\nThe inhabitants, in despair, dressed all the children in black, and\ndespatched them to the Hussite leader, P. Rasus, to plead with him.\nThe warrior, touched at the sight of so many little helpless ones,\npromised that he would spare the city, and after feasting the children\nwith Cherries, sent them back rejoicing and waving in their hands the\nCherry-boughs.----There is an old proverb current in Germany, France,\nand Italy, that you should never eat Cherries with the rich, because\nthey always choose the ripest, or, even worse, eat the luscious fruit,\nand throw the stones and stalks to their companions.----The gum which\nexudes from the Cherry-tree is considered equal in value to gum-arabic.\nHasselquist relates that during a siege upwards of one hundred men were\nkept alive for nearly two months, without any other nutriment than that\nobtained by sucking this gum.----The Cherry is held by astrologers\nto be under the dominion of Venus.----To dream of Cherries denotes\ninconstancy and disappointment in life.\n\n=CHESNUT.=--The Chesnut (_Fagus Castanea_) was classed by Pliny among\nthe fruit trees, on account of the value of the nut as an article of\nfood. He states that the tree was introduced from Sardis in Pontus, and\nhence was called the Sardian Acorn. The Chesnuts of Asia Minor supplied\nXenophon\u2019s whole army with food in their retreat along the borders of\nthe Euxine. Once planted in Europe, the Chesnut soon spread all over\nthe warm parts. It flourished in the mountains of Calabria, and is the\ntree with which Salvator Rosa delighted to adorn his bold and rugged\nlandscapes.----The _Castagno dei cento cavalli_ (Chesnut of the hundred\nhorses) upon Mount Etna is probably the largest tree in Europe, being\nmore than 200 feet in circumference.----Chesnuts are included in the\nlist of funereal trees. In Tuscany, the fruit is eaten with solemnity\non St. Simon\u2019s Day. In Piedmont, they constitute the appointed food\non the eve of All Souls\u2019 Day, and in some houses they are left on the\ntable under the belief that the dead poor will come during the night\nand feast on them. In Venice, it is customary to eat Chesnuts on St.\nMartin\u2019s Day, and the poor women assemble beneath the windows and sing\na long ballad, or, after expressing their good wishes towards the\ninmates of the house, ask for Chesnuts to appease their hunger. (See\nalso HORSE-CHESNUT.)\n\n=CHOHOBBA.=--The Mexicans regard with peculiar sanctity and reverence\na herb which grows in their country, and which they call Chohobba.\nIf they wish an abundant crop of Yucca or Maize, if they wish to\nknow whether a sick chief will recover or die, if they desire to\nlearn whether a war is likely to occur, or, in fact, if they desire\nany important information, one of their chiefs enters the building\nconsecrated to their idols, where he prepares a liquid obtained from\nthe herb Chohobba, which can be absorbed through the nose: this\nfluid has an intoxicating effect, and he soon loses all control over\nhimself. After awhile, he partly recovers, and sits himself on the\nground, with head abased, and hands beneath his knees, and so remains\nfor some little time. Then he raises his eyes, as if awaking from a\nlong sleep, and gazes upwards at the sky, at the same time muttering\nbetween his teeth some unintelligible words. No one but his relatives\napproaches the chief, for the people are not allowed to assist at the\nrite. When the relatives perceive that the chief is beginning to regain\nconsciousness, they return thanks to the god for his recovery, and ask\nthat he may be permitted to tell them what he has seen whilst in his\ntrance. Then the half-dazed chief relates what the god has told him\nregarding the particular matters he had wished to enquire about.\n\n=CHOKE PEAR.=--The fruit of the Wild Pear, _Pyrus communis_, is so hard\nand austere as to choke: hence the tree has been called the Choke Pear.\nIt is supposed to have been a Pear of this description that caused the\ndeath of Drusus, a son of the Emperor Claudius. He caught in his mouth,\nand swallowed, a Pear thrown into the air, but owing to its extreme\nhardness, it stuck in his throat and choked him.\n\nCHRISTMAS ROSE.--See Hellebore.\n\n=CHRIST\u2019S HERB.=--The Black Hellebore is called Christ\u2019s Herb or\nChristmas Herb (_Christwurz_), says Gerarde, \u201cbecause it floureth about\nthe birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d (See HELLEBORE.)\n\n=CHRIST\u2019S LADDER.=--In the fourteenth century, the _Erythr\u00e6a\nCentaurium_ was called Christ\u2019s Ladder (_Christi scala_), from the name\nhaving been mistaken for Christ\u2019s Cup (_Christi schale_), in allusion\nto the bitter draught offered to our Lord upon the Cross.\n\n=CHRIST\u2019S PALM.=--The _Ricinus communis_ is commonly known as _Palma\nChristi_, or Christ\u2019s Palm. The same plant is also reputed to have been\nJonah\u2019s Gourd.\n\n=CHRIST\u2019S THORN.=--Gerarde, in his Herbal, calls the _Paliurus_,\nChrist\u2019s Thorn or Ram of Libya; and he writes: \u201cPetrus Bellonius,\nwho travelled over the Holy Land, saith, that this shrubby Thorne\n_Paliurus_, was the Thorne wherewith they crowned our Saviour Christ,\nhis reason for the proofe hereof is this, That in Judea, there was\nnot any Thorne so common, so pliant, or so fit for to make a crown\nor garland of, nor any so full of cruell sharpe prickles. It groweth\nthroughout the whole countrey in such abundance, that it is there\ncommon fuell to burn; yea, so common with them there as our Gorse,\nBrakes, and Broome is here with us. Josephus (_lib._ 1, _cap._ 2 of his\n_Antiquities_) saith, That this Thorne hath the most sharp prickles of\nany other; wherefore that Christ might bee the more tormented, the Jews\nrather tooke this than any other.\u201d The shrub still abounds in Judea,\nand has pliable branches armed with sharp spines. (See THORN.)\n\n=CHRYSANTHEMUM.=--The leaf and flower of the _Chrysanthemum Indicum_\nwere long ago adopted as, and are still, the special emblem and blazon\nof Mikados of Japan. One of the most popular of the Japanese festivals\nis that held in honour of the golden Chrysanthemum, or _Kiku_. The\nJapanese florists display their Chrysanthemums built up into the forms\nof their gods or heroes; thus, in their exhibitions, are to be seen\neffigies of Benkei, the Hercules of Japan, gorgeously apparelled in\nwhite, purple, and yellow Pompons; the Sun Goddess, decked in golden\nblooms; Jimmu Tenno, a popular hero, and endless groups of gods and\ngoddesses, and mythological heroes and heroines.----The Chrysanthemum\nwas first introduced into England in 1764 by Miller, who received\na _Kok fa_, or _Chrysanthemum Indicum_ from N\u00eempu, and cultivated\nit at the botanical garden at Chelsea. In the seventeenth century\na Chrysanthemum was grown in Dantsic.----Three Chrysanthemums (the\nCorn Marigold, the Ox-eyed Daisy, and the Fever-few) are natives of\nEngland, but as they bloom in summer when flowers are plentiful, and\nnot in November, as our garden varieties do, it has not been so well\nworth while to bestow care in raising and improving them. The Autumn\nChrysanthemums are descended from either the Chinese or the Indian\nvarieties, the former of which have white flowers and the latter\nyellow. The Pompon varieties are derived from the Chusan Daisy,\nintroduced into England from China by Mr. Fortune in 1846. In their\nwild state they are all, indeed, even the Japanese forms of the Chinese\nflowers, much like Daisies, with a yellow disc surrounded by rays of\nflorets, but by cultivation the disc-florets are assimilated to those\nof the ray, and the flower assumes a homogeneous appearance only\nfaintly suffused with yellow towards the centre.\n\n=CINCHONA.=--The Cinchona, or Jesuit\u2019s Bark-tree (_Cinchona\nofficinalis_), is a native of Peru. The famous bark was introduced\ninto Europe through the medium of Ana de Osorio, Countess Cinchon, and\nVice-Queen of Peru, after whom the powdered bark was called \u201cCountess\u2019s\nPowder.\u201d The use of the bark was first learned from the following\ncircumstances:--Some Cinchona-trees being thrown by the winds into a\npool, lay there until the water became so bitter that everyone refused\nto drink it, till one of the inhabitants of the district being seized\nwith violent fever, and finding no water wherewith to quench his\nthirst, was forced to drink of this, by which means he became perfectly\ncured; and afterwards, relating his cure to others, they made use of\nthe same remedy.\n\n=CINNAMON.=--Bacon, in his \u2018Natural History,\u2019 speaks thus of the\nCinnamon (_Laurus Cinnamomum_):--\u201cThe ancient Cinnamon was of all\nother plants, while it grew, the dryest; and those things which are\nknowne to comfort other plants did make that more sterill: for, in\nshowers, it prospered worst: it grew also amongst bushes of other\nkindes, where commonly plants doe not thrive; neither did it love\nthe Sunne.\u201d Solomon, in his Canticles, mentions Cinnamon among the\nprecious spices; and Moses was commanded to use \u201csweet Cinnamon\u201d in\nthe preparation of the holy oil used to anoint the Tabernacle and the\nsacred vessels, and to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the priesthood.\nThe Emperor Vespasian was the first to take chaplets of Cinnamon to\nRome, wherewith to decorate the temples of the Capitol and of Peace. It\nis related, that Alexander the Great, whilst at sea, perceived he was\nnear the coast of Arabia, from the scent of Cinnamon wafted from the\nstill distant shore.----The Mahometans of India used to have a curious\nbelief that the Cinnamon-tree is the bark, the Clove the flower, and\nthe Nutmeg the fruit, of one and the same tree; and most of the writers\nof the Middle Ages thought that Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, and Nutmegs\nwere the produce of one tree.----Gerarde tells us, that there was\nformerly much controversy concerning the true Cinnamon and Cassia of\nthe ancients, but he considered the tree whose bark is Cassia to be a\nbastard kind of Cinnamon. The Cinnamon, he says, has pleasant leaves\nand fair white flowers, which turn into round black berries, the size\nof an Olive, \u201cout of which is pressed an oile that hath no smell at all\nuntill it be rubbed and chafed between the hands: the trunk or body,\nwith the greater arms or boughs of the tree, are covered with a double\nor twofold barke, like that of the Corke-tree, the innermost whereof\nis the true and pleasant Cinnamon, which is taken from this tree and\ncast upon the ground in the heate of the sun, through whose heate it\nturneth and foldeth itselfe round together.\u201d The tree thus peeled,\nrecovered itself in three years, and was then ready to be disbarked\nagain.----Tradition states that the ancient Arabian priests alone\npossessed the right of collecting the Cinnamon. The most patriarchal\nof them would then divide the precious bark, reserving the first\nbundle for the Sun. After the division had taken place, the priests\nleft to the Sun itself the task of lighting the sacred fire on the\naltar where the high priest was to offer a sacrifice.----Theophrastus\nnarrates that the Cinnamon flourished in the valleys frequented by\nvenomous serpents; and that those who repaired thither to collect it\nwere compelled to wear bandages on their hands and feet. After the\nCinnamon was collected, it was divided into three portions, of which\none was reserved for the Sun, which, with glowing rays, quickly came\nand carried it off.----Herodotus says, that Cinnamon was gathered from\nthe nest of the Ph\u0153nix.----An old writer affirms that the distilled\nwater of the flowers of the Cinnamon-tree excelled far in sweetness all\nthe waters whatsoever. The leaves yield oil of Cloves; the fruit also\nyields an oil, which was formerly, in Ceylon, made into candles, for\nthe sole use of the king; the root exudes an abundance of Camphor; and\nthe bark of the root affords oil of Camphor, as well as a particularly\npure species of Camphor.\n\n=CINQUEFOIL.=--In former days, Cinquefoil (_Potentilla_) much prevailed\nas an heraldic device; the number of the leaves answering to the\nfive senses of man. The right to bear Cinquefoil was considered an\nhonourable distinction to him who had worthily conquered his affections\nand mastered his senses. In wet weather the leaves of the Cinquefoil\ncontract and bend over the flower, forming, as it were, a little tent\nto cover it--an apt emblem of an affectionate mother protecting her\nchild. Cinquefoil was formerly believed to be a cure for agues; four\nbranches being prescribed for a quartan, three for a tertian, and one\nfor a quotidian.----Cinquefoil is deemed a herb of Jupiter.\n\n=CISTUS.=--The Cistus, according to Cassianus Bassus, derives its\nname from a Grecian youth named Kistos. Under this title is embraced\na most extensive genus of plants celebrated all over the world for\ntheir beauty and fragility. Gerarde and Parkinson call them Holly\nRoses, a name which has become changed into Rock Roses.----From the\n_Cistus Creticus_ (frequently called the _Ladaniferous Cistus_) is\nobtained the balsam called Ladanum, a kind of resin, prized for its\ntonic and stomachic properties, but more highly valued as a perfume,\nand extensively used in oriental countries in fumigations. This resin,\nwhich is secreted from the leaves and other parts of the shrub, is\ncollected by means of a kind of rake, to which numerous leather\nthongs are appended instead of teeth. In olden times this resin was\nbelieved to have been gathered from the shrubs by goats who rubbed\ntheir beards against the leaves, and so collected the liquid gum; but\nGerarde affirms this to have been a monkish tradition--a fable of the\n\u201cCalohieros, that is to say, Greekish monkes, who, of very mockery,\nhave foisted that fable among others extant in their workes.\u201d Be this\nas it may, Bacon records the fact in his \u2018Natural History,\u2019 remarking:\n\u201cThere are some teares of trees, which are kembed from the beards\nof goats; for when the goats bite and crop them, especially in the\nmorning, the dew being on, the teare cometh forth, and hangeth upon\ntheir beards: of this sort is some kinde of Ladanum.\u201d\n\n=CITRON.=--A native of all the warm regions of Asia, the Citron was\nintroduced into Europe from Media, and hence obtained the name of\n_Malus Medica_. During the feast of the Tabernacles, the Jews in their\nsynagogues carry a Citron in their left hand; and a conserve made of\na particular variety of the fruit is in great demand by the Jews, who\nuse it during the same feast. According to Athen\u00e6us, certain notorious\ncriminals, who had been condemned to be destroyed by serpents, were\nmiraculously preserved, and kept in health and safety by eating\nCitrons. Theophrastus says that Citrons were considered an antidote to\npoisons, for which purpose Virgil recommended them in his Georgics.\nGerarde thus translates the passage:--\n\n  \u201cThe countrey Media beareth juices sad,\n  And dulling tastes of happy Citron fruit,\n  Than which no helpe more present can be had,\n  If any time stepmothers, worse than brute,\n  Have poyson\u2019d pots, and mingled herbs of sute\n  With hurtful charmes: this Citron fruit doth chase\n  Black venome from the body in every place.\n  The tree itselfe in growth is large and big,\n  And very like in show to th\u2019 Laurell-tree;\n  And would be thought a Laurell leafe and twig,\n  But that the smell it casts doth disagree:\n  The floure it holds as fast as floure may be:\n  Therewith the Medes a remedie do finde\n  For stinking breaths and mouthes, a cure most kinde,\n  And helpe old men which hardly fetch their winde.\u201d\n\nDella Valle, an Italian traveller of the seventeenth century, relates\nhow, at Ikkeri, he saw an Indian widow, on her way to the funeral\npyre, riding on horseback through the town, holding in one hand a\nmirror, in the other a Citron, and whilst gazing into the mirror she\nuttered loud lamentations. De Gubernatis thinks that perhaps the\nCitron was the symbol of the life become bitter since the death of her\nhusband.----Rapin recommends the Citron for heart affections:--\n\n  \u201cInto an oval form the Citrons rolled\n  Beneath thick coats their juicy pulp unfold:\n  From some the palate feels a poignant smart,\n  Which though they wound the tongue, yet heal the heart.\u201d\n\n=CLAPPEDEPOUCH.=--The _Capsella Bursa pastoris_, or Shepherd\u2019s\nPurse, was so called from the resemblance of its numerous flat\nseed-pouches to a common leather purse. Dr. Prior says that the Irish\nname of Clappedepouch was applied to the plant in allusion to the\nlicensed begging of lepers, who stood at the crossways with a bell\nand a clapper. Hoffmann von Fallersleben, in his _Niederl\u00e4ndische\nVolkslieder_, says of them: \u201cSeparated from all the world, without\nhouse or home, the lepers were obliged to dwell in a solitary, wretched\nhut by the roadside; their clothing so scanty that they often had\nnothing to wear but a hat and a cloak, and a begging wallet. They would\ncall the attention of the passers-by with a bell or a clapper, and\nreceived their alms in a cup or a bason at the end of a long pole. The\nbell was usually of brass. The clapper is described as an instrument\nmade of two or three boards, by rattling which they excited people to\nrelieve them.\u201d The lepers, Dr. Prior thinks, would get the name of\nRattle-pouches, and this be extended to the plant, in allusion to the\nlittle purses which it hangs out by the wayside. The plant was also\nknown by the names of Poor Man\u2019s Parmacetie, and St. James\u2019s Weed--the\nformer in allusion to its medicinal virtues. (See SHEPHERD\u2019S PURSE). It\nis considered a herb of Saturn.\n\n=CLEMATIS.=--The _Clematis vitalba_, Gerarde informs us, was called\nTravellers\u2019 Joy, \u201cas decking and adorning waies and hedges when\npeople travell.\u201d It was also termed \u201cOld Man\u2019s Beard,\u201d from the hoary\nappearance of its seeds; and Virgin\u2019s Bower, out of compliment to Queen\nElizabeth, and in allusion to its climbing habits. It became the emblem\nof Artifice because beggars, in order to excite compassion, were in\nthe habit of making false ulcers in their flesh by means of its twigs,\nthe result often being a real sore.----The _Clematis flammula_, or\nupright Virgin\u2019s Bower, is an acrid plant, that inflames the skin.\nMiller says of it that if one leaf be cropped in a hot day in the\nsummer season, and bruised, and presently put to the nostrils, it will\ncause a smell and pain like a flame.----_Clematis integrifolia_, or\nHungarian Climber, is known in Little Russia as _Tziganka_ (the Gipsy\nPlant). Prof. De Gubernatis has given in his _Mythologie des Plantes_\nthe following legend connected with this plant:--The Cossacks were once\nat war with the Tartars. The latter having obtained the advantage, the\nCossacks commenced to retreat. The Cossack hetman, indignant at the\nsight, struck his forehead with the handle of his lance. Instantly\nthere arose a tempest, which whirled away the Cossack traitors and\nfugitives into the air, pounded them into a thousand fragments, and\nmingled their dust with the earth of the Tartars. From that earth\nsprings the plant _Tziganka_. But the souls of the Cossacks, tormented\nby the thought of their bones being mixed with the accursed earth of\nthe stranger, prayed to God that he would vouchsafe to disseminate\nit in the Ukraine, where the maidens were wont to pluck _Clematis\nintegrifolia_ to weave into garlands. God hearkened to their Christian\nprayers, and granted their patriotic desires. It is an old belief in\nLittle Russia that if everybody would suspend Briony from his waistbelt\nbehind, these unfortunate Cossacks would come to life again.\n\n=CLOVE.=--The aromatic Clove-tree (_Caryophyllatus aromaticus_)\nis a native of the Moluccas, where its cultivation is carefully\nguarded by the Dutch. The islanders wear its white flowers as a mark\nof distinction. These flowers grow in bunches at the end of the\nbranches, and are succeeded by oval berries, which are crowned with\nthe calyx. It is these berries, beaten from the trees before they are\nhalf grown, and allowed to dry in the sun, which are the Cloves of\ncommerce. The Clove is considered to be one of the hottest and most\nacrid of aromatics; its pungent oil (which is specifically heavier\nthan water) has been administered in paralytic cases. Gerarde says,\nthat the Portuguese women, resident in the East Indies, distilled from\nthe Cloves, when still green, a certain liquor \u201cof a most fragrant\nsmell, which comforteth the heart, and is of all cordials the most\neffectual.\u201d----There is an old superstition, still extant, that\nchildren can be preserved from evil influences and infantile disorders,\nby having a necklace of Cloves suspended as an amulet round the neck.\n\n=CLOVER.=--The old English names for Clover were Trefoil and\nHoney-suckles.----The word Clover is derived from the Anglo-Saxon\n_Cl\u0153fre_. The club of Hercules was called by the Latins _clava\ntrinodis_; and the \u201cclub\u201d of our playing cards is so named from\nits resemblance to a Clover-leaf--a leaf with three leaflets\n(_tria folia_). Hence the herb\u2019s generic name of _Trifolium_, or\nTrefoil.----Hope was depicted by the ancients as a little child\nstanding on tiptoe, and holding a Clover-flower in his hand. Summer\nis also represented with the Trefoil.----In the Christian Church,\nthe Trefoil is held to be the symbol of the Trinity; hence Clover is\nused for decorations on Trinity Sunday. It is often employed as an\narchitectural emblem: the limbs of crosses are sometimes made to end in\nTrefoils, and church windows are frequently in the same form.----Clover\npossesses the power of vegetating after having existed in a dormant\nstate for many years. If lime is powdered and thrown upon the soil,\na crop of white Clover will sometimes arise where it had never been\nknown to exist; this spontaneous coming-up of the flower is deemed\nan infallible indication of good soil.----Clover-grass is reputed\nalways to feel rough to the touch when stormy weather is at hand;\nand its leaves are said to start and rise up, as if it were afraid\nof an assault.----The Druids held the Clover, or Trefoil, in great\nrepute, and it is believed that they considered it a charm against\nevil spirits. Formerly the Clover was thought to be not only good for\ncattle, but noisome to witches, and so \u201cthe holy Trefoil\u2019s charm,\u201d was\nvery generally prized as a protective.----A sprig of Clover with only\ntwo leaves on it is employed by the lads and lasses of Cambridgeshire,\nNorfolk, and Suffolk, as a charm to enable them to ascertain the names\nof their future wives and husbands:--\n\n  \u201cA Clover, a Clover of two,\n  Put it on your right shoe;\n  The first young man [or woman] you meet,\n  In field street, or lane,\n  You\u2019ll have him [or her] or one of his [or her] name.\u201d\n\nGerarde says that the meadow Trefoil (especially that with the black\nhalf-moon upon the leaf), pounded with a little honey, \u201ctakes away the\npin and web in the eies, ceasing the pain and inflammation thereof\nif it be strained and dropped therein.\u201d The finding of a four-leaved\nClover is considered especially fortunate, not only in England, but\nin France, Switzerland, and Italy. It is believed to almost ensure\nhappiness, and in the case of young girls a husband very speedily.\nThere is old couplet which records that--\n\n  \u201cIf you find an even Ash-leaf or a four-leaved Clover,\n  You\u2019ll be bound to see your true love ere the day be over.\u201d\n\nIn Scotland, the possessor of a piece of four-bladed Clover is reputed\nto have a prescience when witchcraft is attempted to be practised upon\nhim; and in the North of England this lucky leaf is placed in dairies\nand stables, to preserve them from the spells of witches.----There is a\nCornish fairy tale which is intimately associated with the four-leaved\nClover:--One evening a maiden set out to milk the cows later than\nusual: indeed, the stars had begun to shine before she completed her\ntask. \u201cDaisy\u201d (an enchanted cow), was the last to be milked, and the\npail was so full that the milk-maid could hardly lift it to her head.\nSo to relieve herself, she gathered some handfuls of Grass and Clover,\nand spread it on her head in order to carry the milk-pail more easily.\nBut no sooner had the Clover touched her head, than suddenly hundreds\nof little people appeared surrounding Daisy, dipping their tiny hands\ninto the milk, and gathering it with Clover-flowers, which they sucked\nwith gusto. Daisy was standing in the long Grass and Clover, so some of\nthese little creatures climbed up the stalks and held out Buttercups,\nConvolvuluses, and Foxgloves, to catch the milk which dropped from\nthe cow\u2019s udder. When the astonished milk-maid, upon reaching home,\nrecounted her wonderful experiences to her mistress, the goodwife at\nonce cried out: \u201cAh! you put a four-leaved Clover on your head.\u201d----To\ndream of seeing a field of Clover is of happy augury, indicating\nhealth, prosperity, and much happiness. To the lover it foretells\nsuccess, and that his intended wife will have great wealth.----Clover\nis under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=CLUB-MOSS.=--The Stag\u2019s-horn, Fox\u2019s-tail, or Club-Moss (_Lycopodium\nclavatum_), is used in the North of England, Sweden, and Germany, in\nwreaths worn on festive occasions. The powder or dust which issues\nfrom its spore cases, is highly inflammable, and is collected for\nfireworks and for producing stage lightning. It is the _Blitz-mehl_, or\nlightning-meal of the Germans. The Fir Club-Moss (_L. Selago_) is made\nby the Highlanders into an eye ointment. In Cornwall, the Club-Moss is\nconsidered good against all diseases of the eyes, provided only it is\ngathered in the following manner:--On the third day of the moon, when\nit is seen for the first time, show it the knife with which the Moss is\nto be cut, repeating the while--\n\n  \u201cAs Christ healed the issue of blood,\n  Do thou cut what thou cuttest for good.\u201d\n\nThen, at sundown, the Club-Moss may be cut by the operator kneeling,\nand with carefully washed hands. The Moss is to be tenderly wrapped\nin a fair white cloth, and afterwards boiled in water procured from\nthe spring nearest the spot where it grew. The liquor is to be applied\nas a fomentation. The Club-Moss may also be made into an ointment,\nwith butter made from the milk of a new cow. These superstitious\ncustoms have probably a Druidic origin, and tend to identify the\nSelago or Golden Herb of the Druids with the Club-Moss, as the Selago\nwas held sacred by them, and gathered with many mystic observances.\n(See SELAGO.)----In many parts of Germany, certain Fairy-folk, called\nMoss-women, are popularly believed to frequent the forests. In\nThuringia, these little women of the wood are called _Holzfrala_, and\nin one of the legends of the Fichtelgebirge (a mountain-chain near\nthe junction of Saxony, Bavaria, and Bohemia), we find it stated that\nthere was a poor child whose mother lay sick of a fever. Going into the\nforest to gather Strawberries, the child saw a little woman entirely\nclothed with golden Moss--presumably Selago. The Moss-woman asked\nthe child for some of the fruit, and her request having been readily\nacceded to, the Moss-woman ate her Strawberries and tripped away. When\nthe child reached home, she found the fruit which she had carried in\na jug was transformed to gold. The Moss dress of the little woman is\ndescribed as being of a golden colour, which shone, when seen at a\ndistance, like pure gold, but on close inspection lost all its lustre.\nIt is thought that many of the stories about hidden treasure which are\nrife on the Fichtelgebirge are to be attributed to the presence there\nof this curious species of vegetation.\n\n=COCOA-NUT PALM.=--The _Cocos Nucifera_ (Sanscrit _N\u00e2rikera_), or\nCocoa-Nut Palm is the most extensively-cultivated tree in the world,\nand its importance to myriads of the human race is almost beyond\nconception. George Herbert wrote truly of this Palm:--\n\n                \u201cThe Indian Nut alone\n  Is clothing, meat and trencher, drink and can,\n  Boat, cable, sail, mast, needle, all in one.\u201d\n\nA vigorous tree will grow one hundred feet high, and produce annually\none hundred Nuts.----The Chinese call the Cocoa-Nut _Y\u00fce-wang-t\u2019ou_\n(head of Prince of Y\u00fce) from a tradition that a certain Prince Lin-yi,\nwho was at enmity with the Prince of Y\u00fce, sent an assassin to cut\noff the head of his enemy. The deed was executed, and the severed\nhead being caught in the branches of a Palm, it remained suspended\nthere, and was transformed into a Cocoa-Nut, with two eyes in its\nshell.----The Portuguese are said to have given the name of Coco to\nthe Nut because at one end of the Nut are three holes, resembling the\nhead of a cat when mewing (_Coca_).----The Indians, when unable to\nrecover the corpse of one of their people who has been slain, but whom\nthey wish to honour, form an effigy of Reeds, and surmount it with a\nCocoa-Nut, which is supposed to represent the head of the deceased.\nThis sham corpse they cover with Dhak wood, after which they offer up\nprayers, and then burn it. The Cocoa-Nut is regarded by the natives of\nIndia as an oracle in cases of sickness. Thus, if an Indian has fallen\nill, they spin a Cocoa-Nut on its end; if the Nut falls towards the\nwest, he will die; if to the east, he will recover. The Deccan Indians\nnever commence any building without first offering Cocoa-Nuts to their\ngods.----When a Fijian child is sick, and its friends want to know\nif it will live or die, they shake a bunch of dry Cocoa-Nuts: if all\nfall off, the little one will recover; if one remains, it will die.\nThe Fijians also spin Cocoa-Nuts, and then prophecy of future events\naccording to the direction in which the eye of the Nut lies when it\nrests still.\n\n=COCKLE.=--The Corn Cockle, or Gith (_Agrostemma Githago_) is a\ntroublesome weed, of which Gerarde says: \u201cWhat hurt it doth among\nCorne, the spoile of bread, as well as in colour, taste, and\nunwholesomenesse, is better knowne than desired.\u201d In the Book of Job,\nthe Cockle coming up instead of the Barley is spoken of as a great\nmisfortune; but it could not have been the Corn Cockle, which is\nunknown in Palestine and Arabia.----The plant is alluded to in an old\nEnglish nursery rhyme, in which a garden allowed to run wild is said to\nbe\n\n  \u201cFull of weeds and Cockle seeds.\u201d\n\n=COFFEE.=--The Coffee-plant (_Coffea Arabica_) derives its name from\nthe Kingdom of Caffa, in Africa, where it grows abundantly. The bloom\nof this tree is similar to the Jasmine in figure and fragrance, while\nits fruit has the appearance of a Cherry; the liquor prepared from\nthe fruit or berry is said to have been drunk, in Ethiopia, from\ntime immemorial. The Galla, a wandering nation of Africa, in their\nincursions in Abyssinia, being obliged to traverse immense deserts,\nand to travel swiftly, were accustomed to carry nothing with them to\neat but Coffee roasted till it could be pulverised, and then mixed\nwith butter into balls, and put into a leather bag. One of these, the\nsize of a billiard ball, was said to keep them in strength and spirits\nduring a whole day\u2019s fatigue, better than bread or meat.----To dream of\ndrinking coffee is a favourable omen, betokening riches and honour. To\nthe lover it foretells a happy marriage.\n\n_COLCHICUM._--The Meadow Saffron, or Colchicum, derives its name from\nColchis, a country on the eastern shore of the Euxine, where it once\ngrew in such abundance as to have led Horace thus to allude to it:--\n\n  \u201cOr tempered every baleful juice\n  Which poisonous Colchian glebes produce.\u201d\n\nColchicum was one of the herbs highly prized and made use of by the\nenchantress Medea. It is poisonous, and, according to Dioscorides,\nkills by choking, as do poisonous Mushrooms. Gerarde recommends anyone\nwho has eaten Colchicum, to \u201cdrinke the milke of a cow, or else death\npresently ensueth.\u201d----Colchicum is a herb of the Sun.\n\n=COLTSFOOT.=--The shape of its leaves has given the _Tussilago Farfara_\nits English name of Colt\u2019s-foot, although, as Gerarde points out, it\nmight more appropriately be termed Cough-wort. The plant has its Latin\nname from _tussis_, a cough, and for many centuries has been used in\npulmonary complaints. It formed the basis of Coltsfoot lozenges, long\ncelebrated as a cure for coughs.----The Bavarian peasants make garlands\nof the sweet-scented Colt\u2019s-foot on Easter Day, and cast them into the\nfire.----Colt\u2019s-foot, or Foal\u2019s-foot, is a herb of Venus.\n\n=COLUMBINE.=--The English name of the _Aquilegia_ is derived from\nthe Latin _columba_, a pigeon, from the resemblance of its nectaries\nto the heads of pigeons in a ring round a dish, a favourite device\nof ancient artists. The generic name comes from _aquila_, an eagle,\nfrom the fancied resemblance of the same parts of the flower to the\nclaw of the king of birds.----The plant was formerly sometimes called\n_Herba leonis_, from a belief that it was the favourite herb of the\nlion.----The Columbine is held to be under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=CONJUGALIS HERBA.=--This herb, De Gubernatis considers to be, in all\nprobability, the same as is known in Piedmont as _Concordia_ (according\nto Gerarde, a kind of wild Tansy), concerning which M. Bernadotti had\nsent him the following particulars:--\u201cIn the valleys of Lanzo, when\ntwo lovers wish to assure themselves that their marriage will take\nplace, they proceed to search for the plant called _Concordia_. They\nsay that this plant is exceedingly scarce, and hence very difficult to\nfind. Its root is divided into two parts, each representing a hand with\nfive fingers. On finding this plant, it is necessary to uproot it in\norder to see if the two hands are united--a certain sign that the union\nwill take place. If, on the contrary, the two hands are separated, the\nmarriage will be broken off.\u201d (See CONCORDIA.)\n\n=CORIANDER.=--From a passage in the Book of Numbers, where Manna is\nlikened to Coriander-seed, it would seem that \u201cCoriander\u2019s spicy seed\u201d\nwas commonly used by the Israelites. The bitter Coriander is one of\nthe five plants mentioned by the Mishna as one of the \u201cbitter herbs\u201d\nordained by God to be eaten by the Jews at the Feast of the Passover.\nIt was esteemed as a spice by the Arabs, Egyptians, and Hindus. The\nplant\u2019s foliage has a strong and offensive odour, but its little round\nfruit is pleasantly aromatic, and its seeds, when covered with sugar,\nform the well-known Coriander comfits. Robert Turner, in the \u2018Brittish\nPhysician,\u2019 says that the powder of the seeds taken in wine, stimulate\nthe passions; and Gerarde affirms that the juice of the green leaves,\n\u201ctaken in the quantity of four dragmes, killeth and poisoneth the\nbody.\u201d----Coriander is held to be under the planetary influence of\nSaturn.\n\n=CORN.=--The generic name of Corn, which is applied to all kinds\nof grain, is one of several words, which being common to the\nwidely-separated branches of the Indo-European race, prove the practice\nof tillage among our ancestors before they left their first home in\nCentral Asia.----The Greeks worshipped Demeter, and the Romans Ceres,\nas the goddess of Corn, and she is supposed to have been the same\ndeity as Rhea and Tellus, and the Cybele, Bona Dea, Berecynthia of\nthe Phrygians, the Isis of the Egyptians, Atergates of the Syrians,\nand the Hera of the Arcadians. Ceres was generally represented as\na beautiful woman, with a garland of ears of Corn on her head, a\nwheatsheaf by her side, and the cornucopia, or horn of plenty, in\nher hand. To commemorate the abduction of her daughter Proserpine\nby Pluto, a festival was held about the beginning of harvest, and\nanother festival, lasting six days, was held in remembrance of the\ngoddess\u2019s search for her daughter, at the time that Corn is sown in the\nearth. During the quest for Proserpine, the earth was left untilled\nand became barren; but upon the return of Ceres, she instructed\nTriptolemus of Eleusis in all the arts appertaining to agriculture\nand the cultivation of Corn, and gave him her chariot, drawn by two\ndragons, wherein he might travel over the whole earth and distribute\nCorn to all its inhabitants. On his return to Eleusis, Triptolemus\nrestored the chariot to Ceres, and established the famed Eleusinian\nfestivals and mysteries in her honour. This festival, observed every\nfourth year, and dedicated to Demeter (Ceres) and Proserpine, was the\nmost solemn of all the sacred feasts of Greece, and was so religiously\nobserved, that anyone revealing its secret mysteries, or improperly\ntaking part in the ceremonials, was put to an ignominious death. During\nthe festival, the votaries walked in a solemn procession, in which\nthe holy basket of Ceres was carried about in a consecrated cart, the\npeople on all sides shouting Hail, Demeter!----In their sacrifices,\nthe ancients usually offered Ceres a pregnant sow, as that animal\noften destroys the Corn and other crops. While the Corn was yet in\ngrass they offered her a ram, after the victim had been thrice led\nround the fields.----Among the Romans, twelve priests named Arvales,\nsupposed to have been descended from the nurse of Romulus, celebrated\nin April and July the festivals called Ambarvalia. These priests, who\nwore crowns composed of ears of Corn, conducted processions round\nthe ploughed fields in honour of Ceres, and offered as sacrifices at\nher shrine a sow, a sheep, and a bull. The rites of the Arvales were\nfounded specially on the worship of Corn.----It is believed that among\nthe Greeks, the story of Proserpine brought back from the infernal\nregions by her mother Ceres, and finally adjudged to pass six months\non earth, and six months in Hades, symbolises Corn as the seed of\nWheat, and its condition during Winter and Summer.----De Gubernatis\nconsiders that the story of Proserpine has its Indian equivalent in\nthe myth of the birth of S\u00eet\u00e2, daughter of King Janaka, the Fecundator.\nS\u00eet\u00e2 was not born of a woman, but issued either from a furrow in the\nearth, or from the middle of an altar.----The _Vishnupur\u00e2na_ mentions\nseveral species of grain which have been specially created by the\ngods; amongst them being Rice, Barley, Millet, and Sesamum. In the\nsacrifices of the Hindoos, they offer several sorts of Corn to ensure\nabundant harvests. Indra is the great husbandman of the heavens, which\nhe renders fertile: he is also the divinity of the fields, and, like\nthe Scandinavian god Thor, the presiding deity of Corn. It is he who\nfertilises the earth in his capacity of god of tempests and rain. The\nemployment of Corn in sacrificial rites, was common in India of the\nVedic period, in Greece, and in Rome; and in the same countries we\nfind Corn used during nuptial ceremonies. Thus in Vedic India, it was\ncustomary to scatter two handfuls of Corn over the clasped hands of\nthe bride and bridegroom, and a similar proceeding still takes place\namongst the Parsees. An analogous custom existed amongst the Romans. At\nan Indian wedding, after the first night, the mother of the husband,\nwith all the female relatives, come to the young bride, and place on\nher head a measure of Corn--emblem of fertility. The husband then\ncomes forward and takes from his bride\u2019s head some handfuls of the\ngrain, which he scatters over himself. Similar usages exist at the\npresent day in many parts of Italy, relics of the old Roman custom of\noffering Corn to the bride. In Gwalior, at one part of the marriage\nceremony, the priests shout vociferously, only stopping now and then to\ncast over the bride and bridegroom showers of Corn, Millet, and Rice.\nIn some parts of Central India, at the end of the rainy season, the\npeople congregate on the banks of the lakes, and launch on the water,\nas an offering, pots of earth, containing sprouting Wheat.----On the\nbanks of the Indus, there is believed to grow some miraculous Corn on\nthe spot where formerly were burnt the remains of the Buddhist King\nSivika, who sacrificed his life for a pigeon. The Chinese Buddhists\nmade pilgrimages, during the middle ages, to the place where Sivika\nhad lived and died; and here it was that the miraculous Wheat grew,\nwhich the sun had no power to scorch. A single grain of this Wheat\nkept its happy possessor from all ills proceeding from cold as well\nas from fever.----The Chinese, regarding Corn as a gift from heaven,\ncelebrate with sacrifices, prayers, and religious rites, both seedtime\nand harvest. They also think that in the heavens there is a special\nconstellation for Corn, composed of eight black stars, each of which\nhas under its special protection one of the eight varieties of Corn,\nviz., Rice, Millet, Barley, Wheat, Beans, Peas, Maize, and Hemp. When\nthis cereal constellation is clear, it is a sign that the eight kinds\nof Corn will ripen; but when, on the contrary, it is dim and obscured,\na bad harvest is looked for. The Emperor Ven-ti, who reigned 179 years\nbefore Christ, is said to have incited his subjects to the more\nzealous cultivation of Corn, by ploughing with his own hands the land\nsurrounding his palace.----The Chaldeans recognised a god of grain,\ncalled S\u00e9rakh; the Assyrians, a god of harvests, named Nirba; the\nRomans, a goddess, Segetia or Segesta, who was invoked by husbandmen,\nthat their harvests might be plentiful. Among the Romans, indeed, the\ngrowth of Corn was under the special protection of different deities;\nhence the worship they paid to Seia, who protected Corn before it\nsprang up above the earth; to Occator, the god of harrowing; to\nSarritor, the god of weeding; to Nodotus, the god who watched over the\nblade when it became knotty; and to Robigus, the god who protected the\nCorn from blights.----In the sepulchres of the Egyptian kings, which\nhave of late years been opened, was discovered, carefully preserved in\nclosed vessels, Corn, the grains of which retained both their pristine\nform and colour; when tested, this Corn was found, after several\nthousand years, still to retain its vitality. The matchless wealth of\nancient Egypt was probably in great measure due to its Corn. The Bible\nhistory of Joseph, and the narrative of the ten plagues, set forth how\nfamed the land of Egypt was in those days for its Wheat. The mode of\nculture in that country now is exceedingly simple: when the inundations\nof the Nile have subsided, the grain is thrown upon the mud; and if by\nchance it should be considered too hard, the seed is lightly ploughed\nin. No further care is bestowed until the ripening of the produce in\nthe following April.----Corn was unknown among the Mexicans when their\ncountry was first visited by Europeans; the foundation of the vast\nWheat harvests of Mexico is said to have been three or four grains,\nwhich a slave of Cortez discovered in 1530, accidentally mixed with\nsome Rice.----Peru was indebted for the introduction of Corn to a\nSpanish lady, Maria de Escobar, who conveyed a few grains to Lima,\ncultivated them, and distributed the seed among the farmers. The\nfirst grains of Corn which reached Quito, were conveyed thither by\nFather Josse Rixi, a Fleming, who sowed them near the Monastery of St.\nFrancis, where the monks still preserve and show, as a precious relic,\nthe rude earthen vessel wherein the seeds first reached them.----Among\nthe Arabs there is a tradition that when Adam was driven out of\nParadise he took with him three plants,--an ear of Corn, chief of all\nkinds of food; a bunch of Dates, chief of fruits; and a slip of Myrtle,\nchief of sweet-scented flowers.----There is a curious custom which\nstill survives in a few districts of Brittany, by which the good faith\nof lovers is sought to be proved. On St. John\u2019s Eve, the men, wearing\nbranches of green Wheat-ears, the women with Flax-blossoms, come to one\nof the pillar stones, or dolmens, still standing, dance around it, and\nthen place their wreath upon it: if the wreath remain fresh for some\ntime after, the lover is to be trusted; but should it shrivel up within\na day or two, so will the love wither and fade away.----In some parts\nof Italy, there is a belief that on the night of the third of May the\nblessing of Heaven descends on the Corn in the form of a minute red\ninsect, which remains on the Wheat only for two or three days.----In\nPiedmont, it is a custom in certain districts, on the last day of\nFebruary, for the children to roam the meadows, crying, \u201cMarch, March,\narrive! and for every grain of Wheat let us receive a hundred.\u201d----At\nVenice, on Midsummer Eve, young girls sow some Corn in a pot, which\nthey then place in a position where the sun cannot enter; after eight\ndays they remove the pot: the Corn has then sprouted; and if it is\ngreen and healthy, it is a token to the girl that she will have a rich\nand handsome husband; but if the sprout is yellow or white, it is a\nsign that the husband will be anything but a good one.----In Corsica,\nafter a wedding, just before the feast, the men and children retire,\nand the women seat the bride on a measure full of Corn, from which\nthey have each previously taken a handful. The women then commence\nsaying an invocation, and during this each one scatters the handful of\nCorn over the bride\u2019s head.----In English harvest-fields the prettiest\ngirl present is chosen to cut the last handful of Corn.----In Sweden,\nif a grain of Corn be found under the table when sweeping on a New\nYear\u2019s morn, it is believed to be a portent of an abundant crop that\nyear.----A tuft of Corn or Grass was given by Eug\u00e8ne and Marlborough\nas a cockade to the German, Dutch, and English soldiers comprising\nthe army. The faction of the Fronde opposed to Cardinal Mazarin wore\nstalks of Corn to distinguish them.----Corn and Grapes typify the\nBlessed Eucharist. An ear of Corn is a prominent emblem in Freemasonry,\nproving that the order did not originally confine their intellects or\ntheir labours to building operations, but also devoted themselves to\nagriculture.----Astrologers appear to be divided in their opinions\nas to whether Corn is under the dominion of Venus or the Sun.----In\ndreams, to pluck Corn-ears portends secret enemies; otherwise, dreams\nof Corn betoken good fortune, prosperity, and happiness.\n\nCORN-FLOWER. See Centaury.\n\nCORN-MARIGOLD. See Chrysanthemum.\n\n=CORNEL.=--After Romulus had marked out the bounds of his rising city,\nhe threw his javelin on the Mount Palatine. The weapon, made of the\nwood of the Cornel (_Cornus mascula_), stuck fast in the ground, took\nroot, grew, threw out leaves and branches, and became a flourishing\ntree. This prodigy was considered as the happy presage of the power\nand duration of the infant empire.----According to some accounts, the\nCornel, or Cornelian Cherry, is the tree which sprang from the grave\nof Prince Polydorus, who was assassinated by Polymnestor. The boughs\nof this tree dropped blood when \u00c6neas, journeying to Italy, attempted\nto tear them from the tree.----The Greeks consecrated the Cornel to\nApollo; and when, in order to construct the famed wooden horse during\nthe siege of Troy, they felled, on Mount Ida, several Cornelian-trees\nin a grove, called Carnea, dedicated to the god, they provoked his\nanger and indignation: to expiate this sacrilege, the Greeks instituted\nthe festival called Carnea.----The Cornel is under Venus.\n\nCORONATION-FLOWER.--See Carnation.\n\n=COSTMARY.=--This plant, the _Balsamita vulgaris_, owes its name of\nCostmary to the Greek Kostos, an unknown aromatic plant, and to the\nfact of its being dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. A variety of the\nplant is also called, after her, Maudlein, either in allusion to her\nbox of scented ointment or to its use in the uterine affections over\nwhich, as the special patroness of unchaste women, she presided. In old\ntimes, the plant was known as _Herba Sanct\u00e6_ or _Div\u00e6 Mari\u00e6_.----The\nCostmary is held to be under Jupiter.\n\n=COSTUS.=--The _Costus speciosus_, an Indian swamp tree, celebrated for\nits sweet fruit, is a sacred tree, and in the Hindu mythology figures\nas Kushtha, one of the trees of heaven. It is a magical tree, curing\nfevers, and is looked upon as the first of medicinal plants. It is\nrepresented as the friend and companion of Soma, the god of Ambrosia.\nIt is called the Revealer of Ambrosia, inasmuch as its fruit grew on\nthe summit of Mount Himavant at the moment when the golden boat of the\ngods touched its summit, and by its illuminating powers enabled them to\nfind the Ambrosia.\n\n=COTTON-PLANT.=--The Cotton-plant (_Gossypium_) was first cultivated\nin the East, whence were procured the finest muslins (so named from\nMosul, in Mesopotamia, where it was first made), calico (from Calicut,\nin India), and Nankeen (from Nankin, in China, where the yellow\nCotton-plants grow). Now the Cotton-plant gives employment to millions\nof people, sends thousands of ships across the sea, and binds together\nthe two great Anglo-Saxon nations. Although so useful, the Cotton is\nnot one of the sacred plants of India: in an Indian poem, however,\nthe plant is noticed favourably:--\u201cWe love the fruits of the Cotton\nbecause, although tasteless, they have the property of concealing\nthat which ought to be concealed\u201d (in allusion to the use of cotton\nas clothing). The Khonds, whenever founding a new settlement, always\nplant first a Cotton-plant, which they hold sacred and religiously\npreserve.----M. Agassiz, in his work on Brazil, recounts a strange\nlegend respecting the _Gossypium Brazilianum_. Caro Sacaibu, the first\nof men, was a demi-god. His son, Rairu, an inferior being, obeyed the\ninstructions of his father, who, however, did not love him. To get rid\nof him, Sacaibu constructed an armadillo, and buried it in the earth,\nleaving visible only the tail, rubbed with Mistletoe. Then he ordered\nhis son to bring him the armadillo. Rairu obeyed, but scarcely had\nhe touched the tail, when, aided by Sacaibu, it dragged Rairu to the\nbottom of the earth. But thanks to his wit, Rairu contrived to make his\nway to the surface again, and told Sacaibu that in the subterranean\nregions lived a race of men and women, who, if transported to earth,\nwould cultivate it. Sacaibu allowed himself to be convinced of this,\nand accordingly descended in his turn to the bottom of the earth by the\naid of a rope composed of Cotton, which he had sown for the first time\non the occasion. The first men brought to earth by means of Sacaibu\u2019s\nrope were small and ugly, but the more rope he pulled up, the handsomer\nbecame the men, until just as he was about to pull out the handsomest\nthe Cotton rope broke, and the brightest specimens of humanity were\ndoomed for ever to remain in the bowels of mother earth. That is the\nreason why, in this earth of ours, beauty is so scarce.\n\nCOVENTRY BELLS.--See Campanula.\n\n=COWSLIP.=--The familiar name, Cowslip, is presumed to be derived\nfrom the Anglo-Saxon _C\u00fa-slyppe_: Skeat thinks because the plant was\nsupposed to spring up where a patch of cow-dung had fallen. The flowers\nof the common Cowslip, Petty Mullein, or Paigle (_Primula veris_), are,\nin some parts of Kent, called Fairy Cups. The odour of Cowslips is said\nto calm the heart. A pleasant and wholesome wine is made from them,\nresembling Muscadel. It is said to induce sleep. Says Pope:--\n\n                  \u201cFor want of rest,\n  Lettuce and Cowslip wine--_probatum est_.\u201d\n\nCowslip-balls are made in the following manner:--The umbels or heads\nare picked off as close as possible to the top of the main stalks. From\nfifty to sixty of these are hung across a string stretched between the\nbacks of two chairs. The flowers are then pressed carefully together,\nand the string tied tightly, so as to collect them into a ball. Care\nshould be taken to have all the flowers open, so as to make the surface\nof the ball even.----Culpeper, the astrological herbalist, says that\nthe Greeks gave the name of Paralysis to the Cowslip because the\nflowers strengthened the brain and nerves, and were a remedy for palsy.\nHe adds, that Venus lays claims to this herb, and it is under the sign\nAries.\n\n=COWSLIP OF JERUSALEM.=--The Virginian Cowslip or Lungwort (_Pulmonaria\nofficinalis_), is called Cowslip of Jerusalem, Sage of Jerusalem, Sage\nof Bethlehem, Wild Comfrey and Lung-wort, being supposed, from its\nspotted leaves, to be a remedy for diseased lungs. Linn\u00e6us christened\nthe plant _Dodecatheon_, or Twelve Divinities, because, in April, it\nis crowned with twelve pink flowers reversed.----The Lung-wort is\nconsidered to be a herb of Jupiter.\n\n=COW-TREE.=--The ancient inhabitants of Venezuela regarded as sacred\nthe _Chichiuhalquehuill_, Tree of Milk, or Celestial Tree, that\ndistilled milk from the extremity of its branches, and around which\nwere seated infants who had expired a few days after their birth. A\nMexican drawing of this Celestial Tree is preserved in the Vatican,\nand is noticed by Humboldt, who first heard of the _Palo de Vaca_,\nor Cow-tree, in the year 1800, and supposed it to be peculiar to\nthe Cordillera of the coast. It was also found by Mr. Bridemeyer, a\nbotanist, at a distance of three days\u2019 journey to the east of Caraccas,\nin the valley of Caucagua, where it is known by the name of _Arbol\nde Leche_, or the Milk-tree; and where the inhabitants profess to\nrecognise, from the thickness and colour of the foliage, the trunks\nthat yield the most juice,--as the herdsman distinguishes, from\nexternal signs, a good milch cow. At Barbula, this vegetable fountain\nis more aptly termed the _Palo de Vaca_, or Cow-tree. It rises, as\nHumboldt informs us, like the broad-leaved Star-apple (_Chrysophyllum\nCainito_), to a height of from thirty to forty feet, and is furnished\nwith round branches, which, while young, are angular, and clothed\nwith a fine heavy down. The trunk, on being wounded, yields its\nagreeable and nutritious fluid in the greatest profusion. Humboldt\nremarks that \u201ca few drops of vegetable juice recall to our minds all\nthe powerfulness and the fecundity of nature. On the barren flank of\na rock grows a tree with coriaceous and dry leaves. Its large woody\nroots can scarcely penetrate into the stone. For several months of the\nyear, not a single shower moistens its foliage. Its branches appear\ndead and dried; but when the trunk is pierced, there flows from it a\nsweet and nourishing milk. It is at the rising of the sun that this\nvegetable fountain is most abundant. The blacks and natives are then\nseen hastening from all quarters, furnished with large bowls to receive\nthe milk, which grows yellow, and thickens at its surface. Some empty\ntheir bowls under the tree itself, others carry the juice home to their\nchildren. We seem to see the family of a shepherd who distributes the\nmilk of his flock.\u201d\n\n=CRANE\u2019S BILL.=--The Crane\u2019s Bill, or English Geranium, derived its\nname from a fancied resemblance of the fruit to the beak of that bird.\nAnother name for the plant is Dove\u2019s Foot.----Astrologers say that it\nis under the dominion of Mars.\n\n=CRANBERRY.=--The Cranberry (_Vaccinium Oxycoccus_) was formerly known\nas the Marsh-wort or Fen-berry. The Druids called the plant _Samolus_,\nand used great ceremonies in gathering it; these consisted in a\nprevious fast, in not looking back during the time of their plucking\nit, and lastly in using their left hand only. This plant was considered\nto be particularly efficacious in curing the diseases incident to swine\nand cattle.\n\n=CRESS.=--Chaucer calls the Cress by its old Saxon name of _Kers_,\nwhich may possibly have been the origin of the vulgar saying of not\ncaring a \u201ccurse\u201d for anything--meaning a Cress. Gerarde tells us that\nthe Spartans were in the habit of eating Cresses with their bread; this\nthey did no doubt on account of an opinion held very generally among\nthe ancients that those who ate Cress became firm and decided, for\nwhich reason the plant was in great request. Water-Cresses, according\nto astrologers, are herbs of the Moon.\n\nCROSS-FLOWER.--See Milkwort.\n\n=CROCUS.=--Legendary lore derives the name of this flower from a\nbeautiful youth named Crocus, who was consumed by the ardency of his\nlove for the shepherdess Smilax, and was afterwards metamorphosed\ninto the flower which still preserves his name; Smilax being also\ntransformed, some accounts say into a flower, others into a Yew.\n\n  \u201cCrocus and Smilax may be turned to flowers,\n  And the Curetes spring from bounteous showers.\u201d--_Ovid._\n\nRapin says:--\n\n  \u201cCrocus and Smilax, once a loving pair,\n  But now transformed, delightful blossoms bear.\u201d\n\nAccording to a Grecian legend, the Crocus sprang from the blood of\nthe infant Crocus, who was accidentally struck by a metal disc thrown\nby Mercury whilst playing a game.----One of the Sanscrit names of the\nCrocus, or Saffron, is _asrig_, which signifies \u201cblood.\u201d The dawn\nis sometimes called by the classic poets, on account of its colour,\n_crocea_.----The ancients often used to adorn the nuptial couch with\nCrocus-flowers, perhaps because it is one of the flowers of which,\naccording to Homer, the couch of Jove and Juno was composed.\n\n  \u201cAnd sudden Hyacinths the turf bestrow,\n  And flowery Crocus made the mountains glow.\u201d\n\nThe Egyptians, at their banquets, encircled their wine cups with\ngarlands of Crocus and Saffron, and in their religious processions\nthese flowers were carried with other blooms and aromatics.----The Jews\nmade use of the Saffron Crocus (_Crocus sativus_) as an aromatic, and\nin the Song of Solomon it is referred to as highly appreciated:--\u201cThy\nplants are an orchard of Pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; Camphire,\nwith Spikenard; Spikenard and Saffron,\u201d &c.----The Greeks employed the\nCrocus in the composition of their perfumes. Thus Hipponax says:--\n\n  \u201cI then my nose with baccaris anointed\n  Redolent of Crocus.\u201d\n\nThe Romans were so fond of the Crocus, that they not only had their\napartments and banqueting halls strewed with this plant, but they\nalso composed with it unguents and essences which were highly prized.\nSome of the latter were often made to flow in small streams at their\nentertainments, or to descend in dewy showers over the audience. Lucan,\nin his \u2018Pharsalia,\u2019 describing how the blood runs out of the veins\nof a person bitten by a serpent, says that it spouts out in the same\nmanner as the sweet-smelling essence of Saffron issues from the limbs\nof a statue. In both Greece and Rome, as in later years in this land,\nCrocus was a favourite addition to dishes of luxury, and Shakspeare\nspeaks of Saffron to colour the warden pies.----In olden times, Crocus\nwas held to be a great cordial and strengthener of the heart and lungs;\nit was also considered useful in the plague and similar pestilences;\nand was said to excite amatory passions.----Robert Turner states that\nthe plant was sometimes called _Filias ante Patrem_, because it puts\nforth flowers before the leaves. This old herbalist, who lived in the\nreign of Charles II., would seem to have been a thorough Royalist,\nfor after remarking that large crops of Saffron-flowers were grown at\nSaffron-Walden, he adds that the crop \u201cmust be gathered as soon as it\nis blown, or else it is lost; so that Jack Presbyter for covetousness\nof the profit can reach his Sabbatarian conscience to gather it on\nSunday; and so he can do anything else that redounds to his profit,\ntho\u2019 it destroy his brother.\u201d----The Crocus or Saffron is a herb of the\nSun, and under the Lion.\n\n=CUCKOO FLOWERS.=--Various flowers are called after the \u201charbinger\nof Spring.\u201d In old works, the name \u201cCuckoo Flower\u201d was given to the\n_Lychnis flos cuculi_, but is now generally applied to the Lady\u2019s Smock\n(_Cardamine pratensis_). Cuckoo Gilliflower was a name also given to\nthe _Lychnis flos cuculi_, on account of its blooming at the time the\nCuckoo\u2019s song was heard. \u201cCuckoo\u2019s Bread,\u201d or \u201cCuckoo\u2019s Meat\u201d is the\nWood Sorrel, _Oxalis Acetosella_. Shakspeare\u2019s \u201cCuckoo Buds of yellow\nhue\u201d are probably the buds of the Crowfoot. \u201cCuckoo Grass\u201d is the\n_Luzula Campestris_, a grass-like Rush, flowering at the time of the\nCuckoo. \u201cCuckoo Pint,\u201d or \u201cPintle\u201d is the _Arum maculatum_.\n\n=CUCUMBER.=--In the East, the Cucumber (_Cucumis sativa_) has been\ncultivated from the earliest periods. When the Israelites complained\nto Moses in the wilderness, comparing their old Egyptian luxuries with\nthe Manna of the wilderness, they exclaimed: \u201cWe remember the fish\nwhich we did eat in Egypt freely, the Cucumbers, and the Melons.\u201d\nIsaiah, depicting the desolation of Judah, said: \u201cThe daughter of\nZion is left as a cottage in a vineyard--as a lodge in a garden of\nCucumbers\u201d--in allusion to the practise of cultivating Cucumbers in\nopen fields.----Although, says De Gubernatis, the Buddhists derive\nthe name of _Ikshv\u00e2ku_ from _Ikshi_ (Sugar-cane), we must not forget\nthat the wife of Sagara, to whom was promised sixty thousand children,\nfirst gave birth to an Ikshv\u00e2ku, that is to say, to a Cucumber. Just\nas the Cucumber and the Pumpkin or Gourd are gifted with fecundity and\nthe desire to climb, so Trisanku, one of the descendants of Ikshv\u00e2ku,\nhad the ambition to ascend to heaven, and he obtained that favour\nby the assistance of the sage Visvamitra.----There was formerly a\nsuperstitious belief in England that Cucumbers had the power of killing\nby their natural coldness. Gerarde says \u201cthey yield to the body a\ncold and moist nourishment, and that very little, and the same not\ngood.\u201d----To dream of Cucumbers denotes recovery to the sick, and that\nyou will speedily fall in love; or if you are in love, that you will\nmarry the object of your affection. It also denotes moderate success\nin trade; to a sailor a pleasant voyage.----Cucumbers are under the\ninfluence of the Moon.\n\n=CUMIN.=--According to Theophrastus, the ancients were accustomed to\nsow the seed of Cumin (_Cuminum Cyminum_), with an accompaniment of\noaths and maledictions, just as they were wont to do in the case of\nBasil: this singular custom was probably some form of incantation,\nto preserve this highly-reverenced plant from the dreaded effects of\nthe Evil Eye, and to cause it to flourish well. Among the Greeks,\nCumin symbolised meanness and cupidity: the people nicknamed Marcus\nAntoninus, _Cumin_, on account of his avarice; and misers were jokingly\nspoken of as persons who had eaten Cumin.----The plant appears to have\nbeen regarded as specially possessing the power of retention. Thus in\nGermany, in order to prevent newly-made bread from being stolen by\nWood-demons, the loaves had Cumin put in them. In Italy, a similar\ncustom prevails; and in some places it is supposed that the Cumin\npossesses the power of keeping the thief in the house along with the\nbread which he wished to steal. In some parts of Italy they give Cumin\nto pigeons in order to make them tame and fond of their home; and Cumin\nmixed with flour and water is given to fowls with the same object.\nCountry lasses also endeavour to make their lovers swallow it, in order\nto ensure their continued attachment and fidelity. Or, if the lover is\ngoing to serve as a soldier, or has obtained work in a distant part of\nthe country, his sweetheart gives him a newly-made loaf seasoned with\nCumin, or, perhaps, a cup of wine in which Cumin has been previously\npowdered and mixed.----The ancients were acquainted with the power\nof Cumin to cause the human countenance to become pallid, and Pliny\nmentions two cases in which the herb was so employed.\n\n=CURRANT.=--According to the Iranian legend of the Creation, the first\nhuman couple, Maschia and Maschi\u00e4na, issued from a Currant-bush. At\nfirst there was only one Currant-bush, but in process of time the one\nbush became separated into two. To these two plants Ormuzd, the Iranian\nsupreme deity, imparted a soul, and thus from the Currant-bushes issued\nthe first two human beings.----To dream of Currants denotes happiness\nin life, success in your undertakings, constancy in your sweetheart,\nand to the farmer and tradesman riches.----The Currant-tree is under\nthe influence of Venus.\n\n=CYCLAMEN.=--The Greeks had several names for the Cyclamen, and the\nRomans also distinguished it by a variety of titles, as _Tuber terr\u00e6_\nand _Terr\u00e6 rapum_, from its Turnip-like root, _Panis Porcinus_,\n_Orbicularis_, _Arthanita_, and _Cyclamen_, on account of the roundness\nof its root. It was called Sow-bread and Swine-bread because, in\ncountries where it is abundant, it forms the chief food of herds of\nswine.----This plant was formerly regarded as a most potent assistant\nby midwives, and it was recommended to them by the surgeons of the\nday. The peculiar shape of its root was in itself suggestive of its\nemployment by these good women, and the virtues of the plant were\nregarded with superstitious reverence. Thus we find Gerarde stating,\nthat the mere wearing of the root, \u201changed about women,\u201d had a\nsalutary effect; and that he himself had instructed his wife to employ\nits leaves when tending divers women in their confinement. The old\nherbalist also tells us that he had Cyclamens growing in his garden,\nbut that for fear any matrons should, accidentally, step over them, and\nby this means bring on miscarriage, he fenced them in with sticks, and\nlaid others crossways over them, \u201clest any woman should, by lamentable\nexperiment, find my words to be true, by their stepping over the same.\u201d\nHe further warns those who are about to become mothers not to touch or\ntake this herb, or to come near unto it, on account of \u201cthe naturale\nattractive vertue therein contained.\u201d According to Theophrastus,\nCyclamen was employed by the ancients to excite love and voluptuous\ndesires.----Placed in a dormitory, this plant was supposed to protect\nthe inmate:--\n\n  \u201cSt. John\u2019s Wort and fresh Cyclamen she in his chamber kept,\n  From the power of evil angels to guard him while he slept.\u201d\n\nThe old English names of Cyclamen were Sow-bread and Swine-bread.----It\nwas considered under the dominion of Mars.\n\n=CYPRESS.=--Ovid tells us of the \u201ctaper Cypress,\u201d that it is sacred to\nApollo, and was once a fair youth, Cyparissus by name, who was a great\nfavourite of the god. Cyparissus became much attached to a \u201cmighty\nstag,\u201d which grazed on the fertile fields of C\u00e6a and was held sacred\nto Carth\u00e6an nymphs. His constant companion, this gentle stag was one\nday unwittingly pierced to the heart by a dart thrown by the luckless\nyouth. Overcome with remorse, Cyparissus would fain have killed himself\nbut for the intervention of Apollo, who bade him not mourn more than\nthe loss of the animal required. Unable, however, to conquer his grief,\nCyparissus at length prayed the superior powers, that as an expiation,\nhe should be doomed to mourn to all succeeding time: the gods therefore\nturned him into a Cypress-tree. Ovid thus relates the tale:--\n\n  \u201cAnd now of blood exhausted he appears,\n  Drained by a torrent of continual tears;\n  The fleshy colour in his body fades,\n  And a green tincture all his limbs invades;\n  From his fair head, where curling locks late hung,\n  A horrid bush with bristled branches sprung,\n  Which, stiff\u2019ning by degrees, its stem extends,\n  Till to the starry skies the spire ascends.\n  Apollo sad looked on, and sighing cried,\n  Then be for ever what thy prayer implied;\n  Bemoaned by me, in others grief excite,\n  And still preside at every funeral rite.\u201d--_Congreve._\n\nAccording to another account, Silvanus, god of the woods (who is\nsometimes represented holding a branch of Cypress in his hand), became\nenamoured of a handsome youth named Cyparissus, who was changed into\nthe tree bearing his name. Rapin gives the following version of the\nstory:--\n\n  \u201cA lovely fawn there was--Sylvanus\u2019 joy,\n  Nor less the fav\u2019rite of the sportive boy,\n  Which on soft grass was in a secret shade,\n  Beneath a tree\u2019s thick branches cooly laid;\n  A luckless dart rash Cyparissus threw,\n  And undesignedly the darling slew.\n  But soon he to his grief the error found,\n  Lamenting, when too late, the fatal wound:\n  Nor yet Sylvanus spared the guiltless child,\n  But the mischance with bitter words reviled,\n  This struck so deep in his relenting breast,\n  With grief and shame, and indignation prest,\n  That tired of life he melted down in tears,\n  From whence th\u2019 impregnate earth a Cypress rears;\n  Ensigns of sorrow these at first were born,\n  Now their fair race the rural scenes adorn.\u201d\n\nIn a legend current among the Greeks, the Cypress owes its origin\nto the daughters of Eteocles, King of Thebes. Carried away by the\ngoddesses in a whirlwind, which kept revolving them in endless\ncircles, they were at length precipitated into a pond, upon which\nG\u00e6a took compassion on the young girls, and changed them into\nCypress-trees.----Perhaps owing to its funereal and sorrowful\ncharacter, the Cypress has been named as the tree which furnished\nthe wood of the Saviour\u2019s Cross.----An ancient legend referred to in\nthe \u2018Gospel of Nicodemus,\u2019 Curzon\u2019s \u2018Monasteries of the Levant,\u2019 and\nother works, carries the history of the Cross back as far as the time\nof Adam. In substance it is as follows:--Adam, one day, fell sick,\nand sent his son Seth to the Garden of Eden to ask the guardian angel\nfor some drops of the oil of mercy, distilled from the Tree of Life.\nThe angel replied that none could have that till five thousand years\nhad passed, but gave him a slip of the tree, which was afterwards\nplanted on Adam\u2019s grave, and grew into a goodly tree with three\nbranches. Another version states that the Angel in Paradise gave Seth\nthree seeds, which he placed under Adam\u2019s tongue before burial, from\nwhich they grew into the Cypress, the Cedar, and the Pine. These were\nsubsequently carried away by Moses, who cut his rod from them, and King\nDavid transplanted them near a fountain at Jerusalem, where the three\nsaplings combined and grew into one grand tree. Under its umbrageous\nshade he composed his Psalms and lamented his sins. His son Solomon\nafterwards cut it down for a pillar in his Temple, but no one was able\nto fix it there. Some say it was preserved in the Temple, while others\naver that it formed a bridge across a marsh, which the Queen of Sheba\nrefused to pass, being deterred by a vision of its future burden. It\nwas afterwards buried in the Pool of Bethesda, thereby accounting for\nthe healing properties possessed by its waters. At the Passion, it\nfloated and was taken for the Cross, or, as some say, for the upright\nbeam. Henry Maundrell speaks of a Greek convent, about half an hour\u2019s\ndistance from Jerusalem, where they showed him a hole in the ground\nunder the high altar, where the stump of the tree stood. Sir John\nMaundevile also says that the spot where the tree grew at Jerusalem was\npointed out to him; the wood, he states, formed a bridge over the brook\nCedron.----Some versions of the legend of the wood of the Cross state\nit was made of Cypress, Cedar, Pine, and Box: one names Cypress for\nthe body, Palm for the hands, Cedar for the support of the feet, and\nOlive for the superscription.----Another version states that the cross\nbeam was of Cypress; the upright beam of \u201cimmortal Cedar;\u201d the title of\nOlive; and the foot-rest of Palm: hence the line--\n\n  \u201c_Ligna crucis Palma, Cedrus, Cupressus, Oliva._\u201d\n\nIn all countries, and from the earliest times, the Cypress has been\ndeemed the emblem of woe. Gerarde tells us, that it had the reputation\nof being deadly, and that its shadow was unfortunate. Horace, Virgil,\nand Ovid all refer to it as a tree both gloomy and funereal. By the\nGreeks and Romans alike, the \u201csad\u201d tree was consecrated to Pluto\nand Proserpine, as well as to the Fates and the Furies. The Greeks\ncrowned with Cypress their tragic Muse Melpomene, and it became an\naccompaniment of Venus in the annual processions in which she was\nsupposed to lament over Adonis.----The ancients planted the Cypress\naround graves, and in the event of a death, placed it either before\nthe house or in the vestibule, so that no one about to perform a\nsacred rite might enter a place polluted with a dead body. The Cypress\nwas probably selected for this purpose because of the belief that,\nwhen once cut down, it never springs up again.----But, in connection\nwith its funereal associations, the Cypress has always been highly\nesteemed as an undying tree, ever verdant, flourishing (_Cupressus\nsempervirens_) and odorous, and a tree of which the wood, like the\nCedar, is incorruptible. Theophrastus attributes great honour to the\ntree, and points out how the roofs of old temples became famous by\nreason of its wood, and that the timber of which the rafters were made\nwas deemed everlasting, because it was unhurt by rotting, moth, worm,\nor corruption. Martial describes the Cypress as deathless. Gerarde\nidentifies it with the _Thya_ of Pliny and Homer: \u201cHe showeth that\nthis is burned among the sweet smells which Circe was much delighted\nwithall.... The verse is extant in the fifth booke of Odysses,\nwhere he mentioneth that Mercurie, by Jupiter\u2019s commandment, went\nto Calypsus\u2019 den, and that he did smell the burnt trees, _Thya_ and\n_Cedrus_, a great way off.\u201d Theocritus and Virgil both allude to\nthe fragrance of the Cypress, and on account of the balsamic scent\nof its timber, chips of it were sometimes employed to flavour wine\nwith. The Athenians buried their heroes in coffins of this wood, and\nthe Egyptians made of it those apparently indestructible chests that\ncontain the mummies of a bygone age.----Pausanias tells us, that the\nGreeks guarded scrupulously the Cypresses which grew over the Tomb of\nAlcm\u00e6on, and that these trees attained such a height, that they cast\ntheir shadows on the neighbouring mountain. The same writer mentions\nseveral groves of Cypress which were looked upon as sacred by the\nGreeks; for instance, those which surrounded the Temples of Bellerophon\nand \u00c6sculapius, one of the shrines of Venus, the Tomb of Lais, near\nCorinth, and a dense wood of Cypress, where were to be seen statues of\nApollo, Mercury, and Rhea. Diodorus Siculus, Plato, and Solinus speak\nof groves of Cypress which were held sacred in Crete, near the ruins\nof the reputed dwelling of Rhea, and in the vicinity of the Cavern of\nZeus. Solinus also remarks on the peculiarity of the Cretan Cypresses\nin sprouting afresh after being cut down.----P. della Valla, a great\ntraveller of Evelyn\u2019s time, tells of a wonderful Cypress, then extant,\nnear the tomb of Cyrus, to which pilgrimages were made. This tree was\nhollowed within, and fitted for an oratory, and was noted for a gummy\ntransudation which it yielded, reputed by the Turks to turn, every\nFriday, into drops of blood.----Plato desired to have the laws engraved\non tablets of Cypress, because he thought the wood more durable even\nthan brass: the antique idol of Vejovis (or Vedius), in Cypress-wood,\nat the Capitol, corroborates this notion. Semiramis selected the\ntimber of the Cypress for his bridge across the Euphrates; the valves,\nor doors, of the Ephesian temple were of this material, as were also\nthe original gates of St. Peter\u2019s, Rome. It has been thought that the\n_Gopher_, mentioned in Genesis (vi., 14), of which the Ark was built,\nwas really _Kupros_, _Cupar_, or _Cuper_, the Cypress. Epiphanius\nrelates that some relics of the Ark (_circa campos Sennaar_) lasted\neven to his days, and was judged to have been of Cypress. Certain it\nis that the Cretans employed it in ship-building, and that so frequent\nwas the Cypress in those parts of Assyria where the Ark was supposed\nto have been built, that the vast armadas which Alexander the Great\nsent forth from Babylon were constructed of it. Of Cypress-wood were\nformed Cupid\u2019s darts, Jove\u2019s sceptre, and the club of Hercules used\nin recovering the cows stolen by the robber Cacus. Either of Fig- or\nCypress-wood were fashioned the obscene statues of Priapus set up by\nthe Romans in their gardens and orchards, which were presided over by\nthis lascivious god, who exercised a peculiar faculty of detecting\nand punishing thieves. The thunderbolts of Indra possessed the like\ndistinctive power. In Northern mythology, the club of Hercules and\nthe thunderbolts of Indra are replaced by the mallet of Thor, which\nit is not difficult to recognise in the mallet of Cypress-wood that,\nin Germany, was formerly believed to impart the power of discovering\nthieves.----From its qualities, the Cypress acquired throughout the\nEast a sacred character. This was more particularly the case in Persia.\nIn the Zend-Avesta, it is accounted divine--consecrated to the pure\nlight of Ormuzd, whose word was first carved on this noble tree. Parsi\ntraditions tell of a Cypress planted by Zoroaster himself, which grew\nto wondrous dimensions, and beneath the branches of which he built\nhimself a summer-house, forty yards high and forty yards broad. This\ntree is celebrated in the songs of Firdusi as having had its origin in\nParadise. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Cypress, a tree of\nParadise, rising in a pyramidal form, with its taper summit pointing\nto the skies, like the generating flame, should be planted at the\ngates of the most sacred fire-temples, and, bearing the law inscribed\nby Zoroaster, should stand in the forecourt of the royal palace and\nin the middle of pleasure gardens, as a reminiscence of the lost\nParadise. This is the reason why sculptured images of the Cypress are\nfound in the temples and palaces of Persepolis; for the Persian kings\nwere servants of Ormuzd. Sacred Cypresses were also found in the very\nancient temple of Armavir, in Atropatene, the home of Zoroaster and\nhis light-worship. The Cypress, indeed, reverenced all over Persia,\nwas transmitted as a sacred tree down from the ancient Magi to the\nMussulmans of modern times.----From Asia, the Cypress passed to the\nisland of Cyprus (which derived its name from the tree), and here the\nprimitive inhabitants worshipped, under the Ph\u0153nician name Beroth, a\ngoddess personified by the Cypress-tree.----According to Claudian, the\nCypress was employed by the goddess Ceres as a torch, which she cast\ninto the crater of Etna, in order to stay the eruption of the volcano,\nand to imprison there Vulcan himself.----An Italian tradition affirms\nthat the Devil comes at midnight to carry off three Cypresses confided\nto the care of three brothers--a superstitious notion evidently\nderived from the fact that the tree was by the ancients consecrated to\nPluto.----Like all the trees connected with the Phallica, the Cypress\nis at once a symbol of generation, of death, and of the immortal\nsoul.----In Eastern legends, the Cypress often represents a young\nlover, and the Rose, his beloved. In a wedding song of the Isle of\nCrete, the bridegroom is compared to the Cypress, the bride to the\nscented Narcissus. In Miller\u2019s _Chrestomathie_ is a popular Russian\nsong, in which a young girl tells her master that she has dreamed of\na Cypress and of a Sugar-tree. The master tells her that the Cypress\ntypifies a husband, and the Sugar-tree a wife; and that the branches\nare the children, who will gather around them.----At Rome, according to\nPliny, they used to plant a Cypress at the birth of a girl, and called\nit the _dotem_ of the daughter.----The oldest tree on record is the\nCypress of Somma, in Lombardy. An ancient chronicle at Milan proves it\nwas a tree in Julius C\u00e6sar\u2019s time, B.C. 42. It is 121 feet high, and\n23 feet in circumference at one foot from the ground. Napoleon, when\nlaying down the plan for his great road over the Simplon, diverged\nfrom a straight line to avoid injuring this tree.----To dream of a\nCypress-tree denotes affliction and obstruction in business.\n\nDAFFODIL, DAFFODILLY, or DAFFADOWNDILLY.--See Narcissus.\n\n=DAHLIA.=--The Dahlia (_Dahlia variabilis_) is first mentioned in\na History of Mexico, by Hernandez (1651): it was next noticed by\nMenonville, who was employed by the French Minister to steal the\ncochineal insect from the Spaniards in 1790. The Abb\u00e9 Cavanilles first\ndescribed the flower scientifically from a specimen which had bloomed\nin the Royal Garden of Madrid the previous year, and he named the plant\nafter his friend Andrew Dahl, the Swedish botanist.----The Dahlia was\nintroduced into England in 1789 by Lady Bute from Madrid, but this\nsingle plant speedily perished. Cavanilles sent specimens of the three\nvarieties then known to the Jardin des Plantes in 1802, and the flower\nwas very successfully cultivated in France, so that in 1814, on the\nreturn of peace, the improved varieties of the Dahlia created quite a\nsensation among English visitors to Paris. Meanwhile, Lady Holland had\nin July, 1804, sent Dahlia-seeds to England from Madrid, and ten years\nafter we find her husband thus writing to her:--\n\n  \u201cThe Dahlia you brought to our isle\n    Your praises for ever shall speak;\n  Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,\n    And in colour as bright as your cheek.\u201d\n\nIt is singular that this favourite flower should have been twice\nintroduced to England through the ladies of two of her most noted\nstatesmen, and that the first introduction should mark the year when\nFrance became revolutionized, and the second that which saw Napoleon\nmade Emperor of the French nation: it is from these incidents that\nthe Dahlia in floral language has been selected as the symbol of\n\u201cinstability.\u201d----In Germany and Russia, the flower is called Georgina,\nafter a St. Petersburg professor.\n\n=DAISY.=--The legend connected with the Daisy, or _Bellis_, runs that\nthis favourite little flower owes its origin to one of the Belides, who\nwere grand-daughters of Danaus, and belonged to the race of Nymphs,\ncalled Dryads, presiding over woodlands, pastures, and meadows: she is\nsaid to have encouraged the suit of the rural divinity, Ephigeus, but\nwhilst dancing on the sward with him, chanced to attract the admiration\nof Vertumnus, the guardian deity of orchards, and to enable her to\nescape from his amorous embrace, she was transformed into the humble\nflower named _Bellis_. Thus Rapin says:--\n\n  \u201cWhen the bright ram, bedecked with stars and gold,\n  Displays his fleece, the Daisy will unfold\n  To nymphs a chaplet, and to beds a grace,\n  Who once herself had borne a virgin\u2019s face.\u201d\n\nChaucer, however, who appears to have been passionately fond of the\nDaisy, and never tired of singing its praises, tells us that the Queen\nAlceste was changed into the flower, and that she had as many virtues\nas there were florets in it.\n\n  \u201cHast thou not a book in thy cheste,\n  The great goodnesse of the Queene Alceste\n  That turned was into a Daisie?\n  She that for her husband chose to die,\n  And eke to gone to hell rather than lie.\n  And Hercules rescued her, parde,\n  And brought her out of hell again to bliss?\n  And I answered againe, and said \u2018Yes,\u2019\n  Now I knowe her, and this is good Alceste,\n  The Daisie, and mine own hertes rest?\u201d\n\nOssian gives another origin. Malvina, weeping beside the tomb of\nFingal, for Oscar and his infant son, is comforted by the maids of\nMorven, who narrate how they have seen the innocent infant borne on a\nlight mist, pouring upon the fields a fresh harvest of flowers, amongst\nwhich rises one with golden disc, encircled with rays of silver, tipped\nwith a delicate tint of crimson. \u201cDry thy tears, O Malvina,\u201d cried the\nmaidens; \u201cthe flower of thy bosom has given a new flower to the hills\nof Cromla.\u201d----The ancient English name of the flower was Day\u2019s Eye,\nin which way it was written by Ben Jonson; and Chaucer calls it the\n\u201cee of the daie.\u201d Probably it received this designation from its habit\nof closing its petals at night and during rainy weather.----There is a\npopular superstition, that if you omit to put your foot on the first\nDaisy you see in Spring, Daisies will grow over you or someone dear to\nyou ere the year be out; and in some English counties an old saying is\ncurrent that Spring has not arrived until you can plant your foot upon\ntwelve Daisies.----Alphonse Karr, speaking of the Paquerette, or Easter\nDaisy, says, \u201cThere is a plant that no insect, no animal attacks--that\nornament of the field, with golden disc and rays of silver, spread in\nsuch profusion at our feet: nothing is so humble, nothing is so much\nrespected.\u201d (See Marguerite).----Daisy-roots worn about the person were\nformerly deemed to prove efficacious in the cure of certain maladies;\nand Bacon, in his _Sylva Sylvarum_, tells us \u201cThere is also a received\ntale, that boiling of Daisy-roots in milk (which it is certain are\ngreat driers) will make dogs little.\u201d----An old writer (1696) says\nthat they who wish to have pleasant dreams of the loved and absent\nshould put Daisy-roots under their pillow.----It is considered lucky to\ndream of Daisies in Spring or Summer, but bad in the Autumn or Winter.\nDaisies are herbs of Venus, under Cancer.\n\n=DAMES\u2019 VIOLET.=--The species of Rocket called _Hesperis matronalis_,\nthe Night-smelling Rocket, is much cultivated for the evening\nfragrance of its flowers: hence the ladies of Germany keep it in pots\nin their apartments, from which circumstance the flower is said to\nhave obtained the name of Dames\u2019 Violet. It is also called Damask\nViolet, a name derived from the Latin _Viola Damascena_, the Damascus\nViolet. In French this is _Violette de Damas_, which has probably\nbeen misunderstood as _Violette des Dames_, and has hence become, in\nEnglish, Dames\u2019 Violet. (See ROCKET.)\n\n=DANDELION.=--The Dandelion (_Taraxacum officinale_) derives its name\nfrom the French _Dent de lion_, lion\u2019s tooth. (Latin, _Dens leonis_).\nIn nearly every European language the flower bears a similar name,\ngiven to it presumably either from the whiteness of its root, the\nauriferous hue of its flower, which recalls the golden teeth of the\nheraldic lion, or its jagged leaf, which was supposed to resemble a\nlion\u2019s tooth. De Gubernatis connects the name with the Sun (_Helios_),\nand states that a lion was the animal-symbol of the Sun, and that all\nplants named after him are essentially plants of the Sun. Certainly the\nappearance of the Dandelion-flower is very suggestive of the ancient\nrepresentations of the Sun.----In German Switzerland, the children form\nchains of the stalks of Dandelions, and holding the garland in their\nhands, they dance round and round in a circle.----The Dandelion is\ncalled the rustic oracle: its flowers always open about five a.m. and\nshut at eight p.m., serving the shepherd for a clock--\n\n                  \u201cLeontodons unfold\n  On the swart turf their ray-encircled gold,\n  With Sol\u2019s expanding beam the flowers unclose,\n  And rising Hesper lights them to repose.\u201d--_Darwin._\n\nAs the flower is the shepherd\u2019s clock, so are the feathery seed-tufts\nhis barometer, predicting calm or storm. These downy seed-balls,\nwhich children blow off to find out the hour of the day, serve for\nother oracular purposes. Are you separated from the object of your\nlove?--carefully pluck one of the feathery heads, charge each of the\nlittle feathers composing it with a tender thought; turn towards the\nspot where the loved one dwells; blow, and the seed-ball will convey\nyour message faithfully. Do you wish to know if that dear one is\nthinking of you, blow again; and if there be left upon the stalk a\nsingle aigrette, it is a proof you are not forgotten. Similarly the\nDandelion is consulted as to whether the lover lives east, west, north,\nor south, and whether he is coming or not.\n\n  \u201cWill he come? I pluck the flower leaves off,\n    And at each, cry, yes--no--yes;\n  I blow the down from the dry Hawkweed,\n    Once, twice--hah! it flies amiss!\u201d--_Scott._\n\nOld herbalists had great faith in the Dandelion as a wonderful help to\nconsumptive people. More recently, in the county of Donegal, an old\nwoman skilled in simples has treated her patients for \u201cheart fever,\u201d\nor dyspepsia, as follows:--She measures the sufferer three times round\nthe waist with a ribbon, to the outer edge of which is fastened a green\nthread. If the patient be mistaken in supposing himself affected with\nheart fever, this green thread will remain in its place, but should\nhe really have the disorder, it is found that the green thread has\nleft the edge of the ribbon and lies curled up in the centre. At the\nthird measuring, the simpler prays for a blessing. She next hands the\npatient nine leaves of \u201cheart fever grass,\u201d or Dandelion, gathered\nby herself, directing him to cut three leaves on three successive\nmornings.----Hurdis, in his poem of \u2018The Village Curate,\u2019 fantastically\ncompares the sparkling undergraduate and the staid divine to the\nDandelion in the two stages of its existence:--\n\n              \u201cDandelion this,\n  A college youth, that flashes for a day\n  All gold: anon he doffs his gaudy suit,\n  Touched by the magic hand of some grave bishop,\n  And all at once becomes a reverend divine--how sleek.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  But let me tell you, in the pompous globe\n  Which rounds the Dandelion\u2019s head, is couched\n  Divinity most rare.\u201d\n\nTo dream of Dandelions betokens misfortune, enemies, and deceit on\nthe part of loved ones. Astrologers claim the Dandelion as a plant of\nJupiter.\n\n=DANEWORT.=--The Dwarf Elder (_Sambucus Ebulus_) is said only to grow\nwhere blood has been shed, either in battle or in murder. A patch of\nit thrives on ground in Worcestershire, where the first blood was\ndrawn in the civil war between the Royalists and the Parliament. The\nWelsh call it _Llysan gwaed gwyr_, or \u201cPlant of the blood of men.\u201d\nA name of similar import is its English one of Death-wort. It is\nchiefly in connection with the history of the Danes in England, that\nthe superstition holds; wherever the Danes fought and bled, there did\nthe Dwarf Elder, or Dane\u2019s Wood, spring up and flourish. According\nto Aubrey, the plant obtained the name of Danewort, Daneweed, or\nDane\u2019s blood, because it grew plentifully in the neighbourhood of\nSlaughterford, Wilts, where there was once a stout battle fought with\nthe Danes. Parkinson, however, thinks the plant obtained the name of\nDanewort because it would cause a flux called the Danes.\n\n=DAPHNE.=--The generic name of Daphne has been given to a race of\nbeautiful low shrubs, after the Nymph Daphne, who was changed by the\ngods into a Laurel, in order that she might escape the solicitations\nof Apollo (see LAUREL); because many of the species have Laurel-like\nleaves. The sweet-scented Daphne Mezereon is very generally known\nas the Lady Laurel, and is also called Spurge Olive, Spurge Flax,\nFlowering Spurge, and Dwarf Bay. The name of Mezereon is probably\nderived from its Persian name, _Madzaryoun_, which signifies \u201cdestroyer\nof life,\u201d in allusion to the poisonous nature of its bright red\nberries. Gerarde says, \u201cIf a drunkard doe eat one graine or berrie of\nit, he cannot be allowed to drinke at that time; such will be the heate\nof his mouth, and choking in the throte.\u201d A decoction of this plant,\nmixed with other ingredients, is the Lisbon diet-drink, a well-known\nalterative.----The Russian ladies are reputed to rub their cheeks\nwith the fruit of the Mezereon, in order, by the slight irritation,\nto heighten their colour.----The Spurge Laurel (_Daphne Laureola_)\npossess similar properties to the Mezereon. It is called _Ty-ved_ in\nDenmark, and is sacred to Tyr, the Scandinavian god of war. It is the\nbadge of the Highland Grahams.----The Flax-leaved Daphne, called by\nGerarde the Mountain Widow-Wayle, is supposed to be the herb Casia,\nmentioned by Virgil and other Roman writers; the _Cneoron_ of the\nGreeks.\n\n=DATE.=--The Date Palm (_Ph\u0153nix dactylifera_) is the Palm of the Oases,\nand supplies not only food for man and beast, but a variety of useful\ncommodities. This Palm has plume-like leaves, and grows from sixty to\neighty feet high, living to a great age, and providing yearly a large\ncrop of fruit. The male and female flowers are borne on separate trees,\nand it is remarkable that there is a difference in the fructification\nof the wild Date and the cultivated, though both are the same species.\nThe wild Dates impregnate themselves, but the cultivated trees do\nnot, without the assistance of art. Pontanus, an Italian poet of the\nfifteenth century, gives a glowing description of a female Date-tree\nwhich had stood lonely and barren, near Otranto, until at length a\nfavouring wind wafted towards it the pollen of a male that grew at a\ndistance of fifteen leagues. Father Labat has told of a Date-tree that\ngrew in the island of Martinico, and produced fruit which was much\nesteemed; but when an increase of the number of Date-trees was wanted,\nnot one could be reared from the seed, and they had to send to Africa\nfor Dates, the stones of which grew readily and produced abundantly.\nThe Date Palm is so abundant in the country between the States of\nBarbary and the desert (which produces no other kind of tree), that\nthis region is designated as the Land of Dates (_Biledulgerid_).----The\nPalm of Palestine is the Date Palm. When the sacred writers wished to\ndescribe the majesty and beauty of rectitude, they appealed to the\nPalm as the fittest emblem which they could select. \u201cHe shall grow up\nand flourish like the Palm-tree\u201d is the promise of David to the just.\nMahomet, like the Psalmist of Israel, was wont to compare the virtuous\nand generous man to the Date-tree:--\u201cHe stands erect before his Lord;\nin every action he follows the impulse received from above; and his\nwhole life is devoted to the welfare of his fellow-creatures.\u201d----The\ninhabitants of Medina, who possess the most extensive plantations of\nDate-trees, say that their prophet caused a tree at once to spring\nfrom the kernel at his command, and to stand before his admiring\nfollowers in mature fruitfulness and beauty.----The Tamanaquas of South\nAmerica have a tradition that the human race sprang again from the\nfruits of the Date Palm after the Mexican age of water.----The Arabs\nsay that when Adam was driven out of Paradise, the Date, the chief of\nall fruits, was one of the three things which he took with him; the\nother two being the Myrtle and an ear of Wheat.----A popular legend\nconcerning the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, narrates how a\nDate Palm, at the command of the child Jesus, bowed down its branches\nto shade and refresh His mother. Sozomenos relates that, when the Holy\nFamily reached the end of their journey, and approached the city of\nHeliopolis, in Egypt, a tree which grew before the gates of the city,\nand was regarded with great veneration as the seat of a god, bowed\ndown its branches at the approach of the infant Christ.----Jud\u00e6a was\ntypified by the Date Palm upon the coins of Vespasian and Titus. With\nthe Jews, the Date Palm has always been the symbol of triumph, and they\ncarry branches of it in their right hands, in their synagogues, at the\nFeast of the Tabernacles, in commemoration of their forefathers having\ngained possession of the Promised Land. In the Christian Church, the\nremembrance of the Saviour\u2019s ride into Jerusalem amid the hosannas of\nthe people, is associated with the waving of the branches of the Date\nPalm by the joyous multitude.----An ardent spirit, distilled from Dates\nand water, is much used by Mahommedans, as it does not come within\nthe prohibition of the Koran against wine. Palm wine is also made\nfrom the Date; it is the sap or juice of the tree, and can only be\nobtained by its destruction.----A curious folk-lore tale of the Chinese\nrecords how Wang Chih, a patriarch of the Taouist sect, when one day\ngathering fire-wood in the mountains of Ku Chow, entered a grotto where\nsome old men were playing at chess. One of the old men handed him a\nDate-stone, telling him to put it into his mouth. This done, he ceased\nto feel hunger or thirst. By-and-bye, one of the players said: \u201cIt is\nlong since you came here--return at once.\u201d Wang Chih went to take up\nhis axe, and found the handle had mouldered into dust. He went home,\nbut found that centuries had elapsed since the day he set out to cut\nwood: thereupon he retired to a mountain cell, and devoting himself to\nreligious exercises, finally attained immortality.\n\n=DEAD TONGUE.=--The Water Hemlock (_\u0152nanthe crocata_) has received the\nname of Dead Tongue from its paralysing effects on the organs of voice.\nThrelkeld tells of eight lads who had eaten it, and of whom \u201cfive died\nbefore morning, not one of them having spoken a word.\u201d Gerarde relates,\nthat this plant having by mistake been eaten in a salad, \u201cit did well\nnigh poyson those that ate of it, making them giddie in their heads,\nwaxing very pale, staggering, and reeling like drunken men.\u201d----The\nplant is described as \u201cone of Saturn\u2019s nosegays.\u201d\n\nDEADLY NIGHTSHADE, or DEATH\u2019S HERB.--See Nightshade.\n\n=DEODAR.=--The sacred Indian Cedar (_Cedrus Deodara_) forms vast\nforests in the mountains of Northern India, where it grows to a height\nvarying from fifty to a hundred feet and upwards. It is the _Devad\u00e2ru_,\nor tree-god of the _Shastras_, which, in many of the ancient hymns\nof the Hindus, is the symbol of power and majesty. The tree is often\nmentioned by the Indian poets. It was introduced into this country in\n1822.\n\n=DHAK.=--The Dhak, or Bastard Teak (_Butea frondosa_), is one of the\nsacred trees of India, and one of the most striking of the Indian\narboreous _Leguminos\u00e6_. Both its wood and leaves are highly reverenced,\nand used in religious ceremonies. The natives, also, are fond of\noffering the beautiful scarlet flowers in their temples, and the\nfemales intertwine the blossoms in their hair.----The flowers yield a\nsuperb dye.\n\n=DILL.=--The aromatic plant Dill (_Anethum graveolens_) is by some\nsupposed to have derived its name from the old Norse word _dilla_,\ndull; the seeds being used as a carminative to cause infants to\nsleep. Boiled in wine, and drunk, the plant was reputed to excite\nthe passions. Dill was formerly highly appreciated as a plant that\ncounteracted the powers of witches and sorcerers:--\n\n    \u201cThe Vervain and the Dill,\n  That hindereth witches of their will.\u201d\n\nAstrologers assign Dill to the domination of Mercury.\n\n=DITTANY.=--The ancients consecrated the Dittany of Crete (_Origanum\nDictamnus_) to the goddess Lucina, who presided over the birth of\nchildren; and she was often represented wearing a crown of this\nDittany. The root was particularly recommended by the oracle of\nPhthas. The Grecian and Roman women attributed to this plant the most\nextraordinary properties during childbirth, which, it was believed\ngreatly to facilitate. It is reported, says Gerarde, \u201cthat the wilde\ngoats or deere in Candy, when they be wounded with arrowes, do shake\nthem out by eating of this plant, and heal their wounds.\u201d According to\nVirgil, Venus healed the wounded \u00c6neas with Dittany. Plutarch says that\nthe women of Crete, seeing how the goats, by eating Dittany, cause the\narrows to fall from their wounds, learnt to make use of the plant to\naid them in childbirth. Gerarde recounts that the plant is most useful\nin drawing forth splinters of wood, bones, &c., and in the healing of\nwounds, \u201cespecially those made with invenomed weapons, arrowes shot out\nof guns, or such like.\u201d The juice, he says, is so powerful, that by its\nmere smell it \u201cdrives away venomous beasts, and doth astonish them.\u201d\nWhen mixed with wine, the juice was also considered a remedy for the\nbites of serpents. According to Apuleius, however, the plant possessed\nthe property of killing serpents.\n\nThe Dittany of Crete, it should be noted, is not to be confounded\nwith the Dittany, Dittander, or Pepper-wort of the English Herbals.\nThis plant, the _Lepidium latifolium_, from its being used by thrifty\nhousewives to season dishes with, obtained the name of Poor Man\u2019s\nPepper. It was held to be under Mars.\n\n=DOCK.=--In Cornwall, as a charm, the leaves of the common Dock, wetted\nwith spring water, are applied to burns, and three angels are invoked\nto come out of the East. It is a common practice, in many parts of\nEngland, for anyone suffering from the stings of a Nettle to apply a\ncold Dock-leaf to the inflamed spot, the following well-known rhyme\nbeing thrice repeated:--\n\n  \u201cOut Nettle, in Dock:\n  Dock shall have a new smock.\u201d\n\nDocks are said by astrologers to be under the dominion of Jupiter.\n\n=DRAC\u00c6NA.=--The Drac\u00e6na, or Dragon-tree (_Drac\u00e6na Draco_), derives its\nname from the Greek _Drakaina_, a female dragon. This tree is found in\nthe East India Islands, the Canaries, Cape Verde, and Sierra Leone.\nGerarde thus describes it:--\u201cThis strange and admirable tree groweth\nvery great, resembling the Pine-tree.\u201d Among its leaves \u201ccome forth\nlittle mossie floures, of small moment, and turn into berries of the\nbignesse of Cherries, of a yellowish colour, round, light, and bitter,\ncovered with a threefold skin, or film, wherein is to be seen, as\nMonardus and divers others report, the form of a dragon, having a long\nneck and gaping mouth, the ridge, or back, armed with sharp prickles\nlike the porcupine, with a long taile and foure feet, very easie to be\ndiscerned.... The trunk, or body of the tree, is covered with a tough\nbark, very thin and easie to be opened or wounded with any small toole\nor instrument; which being so wounded in the dog days, bruised or\nbored, yields forth drops of a thick red liquor of the name of the tree\ncalled Dragon\u2019s Tears, or _Sanguis Draconis_, Dragon\u2019s Bloud.\u201d----This\nDragon\u2019s Blood, or Gum Dragon, is well known in medicine as an\nastringent.----The tooth-brushes called Dragon\u2019s-root, are made from\nthe root of the Dragon-tree, cut into pieces about four inches long,\neach of which is beaten at one end with a wooden mallet to split it\ninto fibres.----The venerable Dragon-tree of Orotava was for many\ncenturies worshipped as a most sacred tree by the Guanches, or original\ninhabitants of the Canary Islands. It was considered the twin wonder of\nthe Island of Teneriffe, dividing its interest with the mighty Peak.\nHumboldt saw it in 1799, when it was considered the oldest and largest\nof living trees (the giant trees of California being then unknown).\nThe great traveller writes concerning it:--\u201cIts trunk is divided into\na great number of branches, which rise in the form of candelabra, and\nare terminated by tufts of leaves like the Yucca: it still bears every\nyear both leaves and fruit: its aspect feelingly recalls to mind that\n\u2018eternal youth of Nature,\u2019 which is an inexhaustible source of motion\nand of life.\u201d Since then this sacred tree has been entirely shattered\nand destroyed by successive storms.\n\nDREAM PLANT.--See Pulsatilla.\n\n=DRYAS.=--The pretty evergreen, Dryas, which blooms on the mountain\nsummits, was so named by Linn\u00e6us after the Dryades, or nymphs of the\nOaks,--the leaves bearing some resemblance to those of the Oak.\n\n=DURIAN.=--The Durian (_Durio Zibethinus_) is a native of the East\nIndies. The fruit of this tree, which is about the size of a man\u2019s\nhead, is regarded by the Malays as the king of fruit, and is reputed\nto be the most delicious of all the fruits of India. The custard-like\npulp in which the large seeds are imbedded, is the part eaten fresh,\nand resembles cream; yet it is accompanied by such an intolerable\nstench that, according to Rumphius and Valentyn, it is by law forbidden\nto throw them out near any public path in Amboyna. The smell is said\nto resemble certain putrid animal substances, yet all agree that if\nthe first repugnance is once overcome, the fruit is most enjoyable.\nThis fruit is employed as a bait to catch the civet cat; the outer\ncovering is boiled down, and used as a wash for the skin. The seeds are\nconverted into flour, and also used as vegetable ivory.\n\n=DURVA.=--According to Wilson, Durva is the Sanscrit name of the\n_Agrostis linearis_, but Carey applies the name to _Panicum Dactylon_.\nThis species of Millet, like the sacred Kusa grass, is held in much\nreverence by the Hindus. In De Gubernatis\u2019 _Mythologie des Plantes_,\nthe author states that in the _Atharvaveda_, they implore the Durva,\nwhich grows in the water (_i.e._, in marshy places), and which has a\nhundred roots and a hundred stems, to give absolution for a hundred\nfaults, and to prolong for a hundred years the life of him who invokes\nit. The fact that this herb is the tenderest, the freshest, and the\nmost substantial food for cattle, added to its beauty, has gained\nit respect; but the Indians think, besides, that a nymph is hidden\nin the plant. When they celebrate, in India, the festival of the\ngod Indra, on the 14th day of the lunar month Bhadra, they sing and\ndance, and offer fourteen different kinds of fruit to the god. In that\nceremony, the devotees wear, attached to the right arm, leaves of the\nDurva. At Indian weddings, the women bind together the right arm of\nthe husband and the left arm of his bride with the leaves of Durva.\nIn the Vedic age (and the custom still exists in certain parts of\nIndia), before building a house, it was customary to place on the four\ncorner foundation stones some Durva. This plant figures, also, among\nthe eight ingredients which compose the _Arghya_, that is to say, the\nsymbolic offering of Indian hospitality. According to a stanza of the\n_Panchatantra_, the Durva sprang from the hair of the cow, as the blue\nLotus arose from the cow\u2019s evacuations. The leaf of the Durva is so\nhighly esteemed, that it has passed into a proverb or familiar saying.\nThis leaf is especially attractive to gazelles. The preceding stanza\nproclaims how happy are those gazelles who eat the herb Durva, for they\nwill never gaze on the face of a man whom riches have made false.\n\n=EBONY.=--The _Diospyros Ebenaster_ is generally considered to be the\ntrue Ebony-tree. This Date-Plum is a native of Ceylon, Cochin China,\nand the East Indies. Bishop Heber describes the Ebony-tree of Ceylon as\na magnificent forest tree, with a tall, black, slender stem, spotted\nwith white. Some judges, however, consider that the real Ebony-tree\nis the _Diospyrus Ebenus_, a native of Jamaica.----In ancient times it\nwas much more in use and esteem. Pluto, the sovereign of the infernal\nregions, is represented as seated on a throne of Ebony; the statues of\nthe Egyptian gods were wrought in Ebony. According to Pausanias, the\nstatue of the Pythian Apollo was formed of this wood; and that writer\nrecounts that a Cyprian, well versed in plant lore, had told him that\nthe true and veritable Ebony was a plant that produced neither leaf,\nflower, nor fruit; and, moreover, that it grew entirely underground in\ncertain places known to the \u00c6thiopians, who periodically visited those\nspots, and took away the wood.----Pulverised Ebony, mixed with the\ncharcoal of a burnt snail, is recommended by Sidrach as an application\nto lessen the white of the eye.----There is an old saying, that a bad\nman\u2019s heart is as black as Ebony. This, probably, originated from the\nfact, that while the alburnum of the Ebony-tree is white, its foliage\nsoft and silvery, and its flowers brilliant, the heart alone is really\nblack.----Among the many wonders described by Sir John Maundevile, as\nhaving been seen by him when on his Eastern travels, in the fourteenth\ncentury, was a certain table of Ebony, or black wood, \u201cthat once used\nto turn into flesh on certain occasions, but whence now drips only oil,\nwhich, if kept above a year, becomes good flesh and bone.\u201d\n\n=EDELWEISS.=--The Edelweiss, or Alpine Cudweed (_Leontopodium Alpinum_\nor _Gnaphalium_), grows on the Swiss mountains on the line of perpetual\nsnow, and from thence is brought down by travellers as a proof that\nthey reached this altitude. As in many cantons it only grows in nearly\ninaccessible places, it is considered an act of daring to gather it,\nand the flower is therefore much valued by the Swiss maidens as a proof\nof the devotion of their lovers. Although hardy, this plant is delicate\nand fragile, enveloping itself in soft down, and only blooming on\nrocks exposed in full midday. Its bloom is surrounded by white velvety\nleaves; even the stem has a down upon it.----With the exception of\nthe _Alpenrose_, no other mountain flower is so characteristic of the\nAlpine districts, so dear to the native heart, so celebrated by Alpine\npoets, or so popular among Swiss tourists. Indeed, its very popularity\nhas threatened to lead to its extinction in the districts most\nfrequented by visitors; and to prevent this, the German and Tyrolese\nAlpine Clubs have imposed fines for plucking the Edelweiss, and the\nAustrian Alpine Club has forbidden its members to continue the custom\nof wearing a sprig of Edelweiss in their hats.----The worst persecutors\nof the plant are the picturesque Bergano herdsmen and herdboys, who\ncome up from the Italian side of the Alps at the beginning of the\nseason, and remain on the mountains with their flocks until the snow\nbegins to fall. They pluck up the Edelweiss mercilessly by the roots,\nwhich they endeavour to dispose of to passing travellers. The Communes\nof the Upper Engadine have taken the plant under their protection,\nand sellers of the plant in its living condition are subject to a\nfine. The Edelweiss, however, is plentiful still in tracts a little\nout of the orthodox tourists\u2019 routes, and at Pontresina grows in such\nprofusion as to be used as food for cattle. The Edelweiss is also known\nby the name of the _Cotonnier_, and is sometimes called Lion\u2019s-foot,\nbecause of the resemblance of its woolly hairy flower to the foot of a\nlion.\n\n=EGG PLANT.=--The _Solanum Melongena_ has derived the name of Egg\nPlant from the shape of its fruit, which is formed like a hen\u2019s egg,\nand varies in colour from white to pale yellow, pale red, and purple.\nIn the East Indies, they broil this fruit, and eat it with pepper and\nsalt, and the fruit is also relished in Batavia, Greece, Barbary, and\nTurkey. The inhabitants of the British isles in the West Indies call it\nBrown-John or Brown-jolly. Miller calls the plant the larger-fruited\nNightshade, and says that in his time it was cultivated in the\ngardens of Spain by the title of _Barenkeena_. The Italians call it\n_Melanzana_, a corruption of the plant\u2019s ancient Latin name of _Mala\ninsana_, from whence also came its old English name of Raging Apple or\nMad Apple. There does not appear to be any reason for these strange\nnames, although Gerarde cautiously remarks that \u201cdoubtless these\nApples have a mischievous qualitie, the use whereof is utterly to bee\nforsaken.\u201d\n\n=EGLANTINE.=--The Sweet Briar (_Rosa rubiginosa_) is generally\nunderstood to be the Eglantine of old English poets, although the name\nhas given rise to much discussion, both as to its meaning, and as to\nthe shrub to which it applies. Chaucer and more ancient poets spelt the\nword \u201cEglatere.\u201d\n\n  \u201cThe hegge also, that yede in compas,\n  And closed in all the greene herbere,\n  With Sicamour was set and Eglatere.\u201d\n\nBut it seems doubtful whether by Eglatere was meant the Yellow Rose\n(_Eglanteria_), the Sweetbriar, the Dog Rose, or some other species.\nAccording to Gerarde, it was a shrub with a white flower. Shakspeare,\nSpenser, Shenstone, Sir W. Scott, Keats, and other poets identify\nEglantine with Sweetbriar; but Milton mistook it for the Honeysuckle or\nWoodbine, for he speaks of\n\n  \u201cSweetbriar or the Vine,\n  Or the twisted Eglantine.\u201d\n\nAccording to a superstition current in Schleswig, when Satan fell\nfrom heaven, he endeavoured, in order to reascend to the celestial\nregions, to make himself a ladder with the thorns of the Eglantine.\nGod, however, would not permit the Eglantine to grow upwards, but only\nto extend itself as a bush. Then, out of spite, Satan turned its thorns\ndownwards, pointing towards the earth.----Another legend records that\nJudas Iscariot hung himself on the Eglantine, and that since then it\nhas been an accursed tree: hence to this day its berries are called\n_Judas beeren_ (Judas berries).----The five graceful fringed leaflets,\nwhich form the special beauty of the Eglantine flower and bud, have\ngiven rise to the following rhymed riddle:--\n\n  \u201cOf us five brothers at the same time born,\n  Two from our birthday ever beards have worn;\n  On other two none ever have appeared,\n  While the fifth brother wears but half a beard.\u201d\n\n=ELDER.=--The Elder or Ellan-tree (_Sambucus_), in Scandinavian\nmythology, was consecrated to Hulda, the goddess of love, and to\nThor, the god of Thunder, and is connected with many ancient Northern\nsuperstitions.\n\nThe Danes believe that in the Elder there dwells a being known as\nthe Hylde-moer (Elder-mother) or Hylde-qvinde (Elder-woman), by whom\nall injuries done to the Elder are avenged. In a small court in the\nNybonder, a district of Copenhagen, there stands a weird tree, which at\ndusk is reputed to move up and down the passage, and sometimes to peep\nthrough the windows at the children. It is not deemed advisable to have\nfurniture made of Elder-wood. Tradition says that a child having been\nlaid in a cradle made of Elder-wood, the Hylde-moer came and pulled it\nby the legs, nor would she let it have any rest until it was taken out\nof the cradle. A peasant once heard his children crying in the night,\nand on inquiring the cause, was told that some one had been there and\nsucked them; and their breasts were found to be swollen. This annoyance\nwas believed to have arisen, from the fact that the room was boarded\nwith Elder. The Elder branches may not be cut until permission has\nbeen asked in the words, \u201cHylde-moer, Hylde-moer, allow me to cut thy\nbranches.\u201d Then, if no objection be made by the spirit of the tree, the\nhewer proceeds, taking care first to spit three times, as a precaution\nagainst molestation. In Denmark, it is believed that he who stands\nunder an Elder-bush at twelve o\u2019clock on Midsummer Eve, will see Toly,\nthe king of the elves, go by with all his train. Perhaps on account\nof the supernatural halo surrounding it, the Elder was regarded as a\ncure for various diseases. A Danish formula prescribes the taking of an\nElder-twig by a person afflicted with toothache, who must first put it\nin his mouth, and then stick it in the wall, saying, \u201cDepart thou evil\nspirit.\u201d Ague may be cured by taking a twig of Elder, and sticking it\nin the ground, without speaking a word; the disease will then pass into\nthe twig, and attach itself to the first person who approaches the spot.\n\nIn Russia, there is a belief that Elder-trees drive away bad and\nmalignant spirits, out of compassion to humanity, and that they promote\nlong life.\n\nIn Sweden, women about to become mothers kiss the Elder; and it is\nthought that no one can damage the tree with impunity.\n\nIn Germany, the Elder is regarded with great respect. From its leaves\na febrifuge is made: from its berries a sort of sour preserve, and a\nwonder-working electuary; the moon-shaped clusters of flowers are\nnarcotic, and are used in baking small cakes. The smell of the leaves\nand blossoms has the reputation of causing giddiness, whence arises the\nsaying that \u201che who goes to sleep under an Elder-tree will never wake.\u201d\nThe cross which is affixed to the rod on which the Easter Palms are\nfastened is made of Elder-wood, as well as the cross which is carried\nbefore the coffin in the funeral procession. Although essentially a\ntree of shade and of death, yet it and the funeral cross just mentioned\nare known by the name of \u201cLivelong.\u201d It is a favourite hiding-place for\nchildren when playing at \u201chide-and-seek.\u201d The pith of the branches,\nwhen cut in round flat shapes, is dipped in oil, lighted, and then put\nto float in a glass of water; its light on Christmas Eve is thought to\nreveal to the owner all the witches and sorcerers in the neighbourhood.\nSince this tree drives away spirits, it is often planted by the side\nof manure sheds, keeping them damp by its shade, and also protecting\nfrom evil influences the cattle in the adjoining shed. It is commonly\nbelieved that he who injures an Elder-tree will suffer from its\nvengeance. \u201cHolderstock\u201d (Elderstock) is a name of endearment given by\na lover to his beloved, and is derived from Hulda, the old goddess of\nlove.\n\nIn Lower Saxony, it was customary to ask permission of the Elder-tree\nbefore cutting it, in the words, \u201cLady Elder, give me some of thy wood;\nthen will I also give thee some of mine when it grows in the forest.\u201d\nThis was repeated three times, with folded hands and bended knees.\nPusch Kait, the ancient Prussian god of the earth, was supposed to live\nunder the Elder-tree.\n\nIn the Tyrol, an Elder-bush, trimmed into the form of a cross, is often\nplanted on the new-made grave; and if it blooms, it is a sign that\nthe soul of the dead person is in Paradise. The Tyroleans have such a\nregard for the tree, that, in passing it, they always raise their hat.\n\nIn Bohemia, three spoonfuls of the water which has been used to bathe\nan invalid are poured under an Elder, with \u201cElder, God sends me to\nthee, that thou may\u2019st take my fever upon thee.\u201d This must be repeated\non three successive days, and if the patient has not meanwhile passed\nover water, he will recover.----The Serbs introduce a stick of Elder,\nto ensure good luck, during their wedding festivities.\n\nIn Savoy, branches of Elder are carried about on May-day. In Sicily, it\nis thought a bough of Elder will kill serpents, and drive away robbers\nbetter than any other stick. In Labrugui\u00e8re, France, if an animal is\nill, or has a wound infested by vermin, they lead it to the foot of an\nElder-tree, and twirling a bough in their hands, they bow to the tree,\nand address it as follows:--\u201cGood-day, Mons. Y\u00e8ble; if you do not drive\naway the vermin, I shall be compelled to cut both your limbs and your\ntrunk.\u201d This ceremony performed, a certain cure is confidently looked\nfor. In the country districts round Valenciennes, if an Elder-bough is\nhung outside the door, it is indicative of a coquette inhabiting the\nhouse.\n\nIn England, the Elder has been regarded with superstition from very\nearly times, and is looked upon as a tree of bad omen. Branches of\nElder were formerly considered to be typical of disgrace and woe. In\nthe _Canones editi sub Edgaro Rege_ it is enacted that every priest\nforbid the vain practices that are carried on with Elder-sticks, and\nalso with various other trees.\n\nIn Gloucestershire, and some other counties, the peasantry will on\nno account burn Elder or Ellan-wood, the reason being, that it was\nsupposed to be one of the trees from which the wood of the Cross was\nformed. In a rare tract on Gloucestershire superstitions, a figure\nis given of an Elder-wood cross borne constantly about the person\nas a cure for rheumatism. This cross consisted of a small piece cut\nfrom a young shoot just above and below a joint, so as to leave the\nbud projecting at each end of it, after the fashion of a rude cross.\nTo be efficient, the Elder must have grown in consecrated ground. In\nTortworth and other Gloucestershire churchyards are to be found such\ntrees, and applications for pieces of them are still made.\n\nIn Sussex, an Elder-stick, with three, four, or more knots upon it, is\ncarried in the pocket as a charm against rheumatism.\n\nIn the Eastern counties, the Elder is popularly considered to be the\ntree of whose wood the Cross was made: it is therefore an unlucky tree,\nand one that should never be bound up in faggots. On this account,\nalso, the Elder is considered safe from the effects of lightning. In\nsome parts there is a vulgar prejudice that if boys be beaten with an\nElder-stick, their growth is sure to be checked.\n\nIn Huntingdonshire, there exists the Danish belief in a being called\nthe Elder-mother, so that it is not always safe to pluck the flowers.\nNo household furniture should be made of Elder-wood, least of all a\ncradle, for some evil will certainly befall the child sleeping in it.\n\nThe Elder-tree has been credited with possessing a peculiar fascination\nfor witches and elves, who love to lurk beneath the shadow of its\nbranches, and who are wont to bury their offspring at its foot. On the\nother hand, the tree has been said to exercise a protective influence\nagainst the attacks of witches and wizards, and similar evil-disposed\npersons; and it has been suggested that this is the reason why the tree\nis so often found in the neighbourhood of cottages. It was thought that\nthe tree was obnoxious to witches because their enemies use the green\njuice of its inner bark for anointing the eyes. Any baptised person\nwhose eyes are touched with it can see what the witches are about in\nany part of the world. It was possible by magic art to render witches\nsensible of blows given to them with an Elder-stick, but this has to\nbe managed by someone versed in the habits of witches. A cross made of\nthe Elder, affixed to cow-houses and stables, was supposed to protect\ncattle from all possible harm.\n\nShakspeare, in \u2018Love\u2019s Labour Lost,\u2019 says \u201cJudas was hanged on an\nElder,\u201d and this belief was general among early writers, and is\nconstantly alluded to by authors of the Elizabethan period; but the\nname Judas-tree was applied to the _Cercis siliquastrum_ (which is the\ntree which still bears it), about the same period. Gerarde, indeed,\ndefinitely tells us of the Cercis, \u201cThis is the tree whereon Judas did\nhang himselfe, and not upon the Elder-tree, as is stated.\u201d On the other\nhand, that old Eastern traveller, Sir John Maundevile, tells us that\nthe very Elder-tree upon which Judas hanged himself was to be seen in\nhis day close to the Pool of Siloe; whilst the legend which connects\nJudas with the Elder-tree is alluded to by Ben Jonson, and is thus\nreferred to in \u2018Piers Plowman\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cJudas, he japed\n  With Jewen silver\n  And sithen on an Eller\n  Hanged hymselve.\u201d\n\nBut not only is the ill-omened Elder credited with being connected with\nthe death of Judas, but there is a wide-spread belief that it was the\n\u201caccursed tree\u201d on which the Redeemer\u2019s life was given up; therefore,\nalthough fuel may be scarce and these sticks plentiful, in some places\nthe superstitious poor will not burn them.----In Scotland, according\nto a writer in the \u2018Dublin Magazine,\u2019 it is called the Bour-tree, and\nthe following rhyme is indicative of the belief entertained in that\ncountry:--\n\n  \u201cBour-tree, Bour-tree, crooked rung,\n  Never straight and never strong,\n  Ever bush and never tree,\n  Since our Lord was nailed on thee.\u201d\n\nIn Chambers\u2019s \u2018Book of Days\u2019 is an instance of the belief that a\nperson is perfectly safe under the shelter of an Elder-tree during a\nthunderstorm, as the lightning never strikes the tree of which the\nCross was made. Experience has taught that this is a fallacy, although\nmany curious exceptional instances are recorded. In Napier\u2019s Folk-lore\nof the Northern Counties we read of a peculiar custom:--the Elder is\nplanted in the form of a cross upon a newly-made grave, and if it\nblooms they take it as a sure sign that the soul of the dead person is\nhappy.\n\nIt is not considered prudent to sleep under an Elder. Evelyn describes\nthe narcotic smell of the tree as very noxious to the air, and narrates\nthat a certain house in Spain, seated among Elder-trees, diseased and\nkilled almost all the inhabitants, \u201cwhich, when at last they were\ngrubbed up, became a very wholesome and healthy place.\u201d As regards\nthe medical virtues of the tree, Evelyn exclaims:--\u201cIf the medicinal\nproperties of the leaves, bark, berries, &c., were thoroughly known, I\ncannot tell what our countryman could ail for which he might not fetch\na remedy from every hedge, either for sickness or wound.\u201d And he goes\non to describe a variety of medicinal uses for the bark, buds, berries,\nleaves, and flowers; summing up the virtues of the Elder with the\nremark that \u201cevery part of the tree is useful, as may be seen at large\nin Blockwitzius\u2019s anatomie thereof.\u201d In this work is the following\ndescription of an amulet for the use of an epileptic subject, which\nis to be made of the Elder growing on a Sallow:--\u201cIf in the month of\nOctober, a little before the full moon, you pluck a twig of the Elder,\nand cut the cane that is betwixt two of its knees, or knots, in nine\npieces, and these pieces, being bound in a piece of linen, be in a\nthread so hung about the neck that they touch the spoon of the heart,\nor the sword-formed cartilage; and, that they may stay more firmly in\nthat place, they are to be bound thereon with a linen or leather roller\nwrapt about the body, till the thread break of itself. The thread being\nbroken, and the roller removed, the amulet is not at all to be touched\nwith bare hands, but it ought to be taken hold on by some instrument,\nand buried in a place that nobody may touch it.\u201d\n\nOne mode of charming warts away is to take an Elder-shoot, and rub it\non the part, then cut as many notches on the twig as you have warts,\nbury it in a place where it will soon decay, and as it rots away the\nwarts will disappear. Another plan is to obtain a green Elder-stick,\nand rub the warts well with it, after which bury the stick to rot away\nin muck.\n\nThe black berries of the Elder are full of a deep violet-coloured\njuice, which, according to Virgil, the god Pan had his face smeared\nwith, in compliance with the old Roman custom of painting their gods on\nsolemn occasions.\n\nTo dream of Elder-berries denotes sickness. The tree is under the\ndominion of Venus.\n\n=ELECAMPANE.=--Of the Elecampane (_Inula Helenium_), Rapin writes:--\n\n  \u201cElecampane, the beauteous Helen\u2019s flower,\n  Mingles among the rest her silver store;\n  Helen, whose charms could royal breasts inspire\n  With such fierce flames as set the world on fire.\u201d\n\nWhen Paris carried off the celebrated Helen, the lovely wife of\nMenelaus was said to have had in her hand a nosegay of the bright\nyellow flowers of the Elecampane, which was thenceforth named Helenium,\nin her honour. The Romans employed the roots of Elecampane as an edible\nvegetable; the monks, who knew it as _Inula campana_, considered it\ncapable of restoring health to the heart; and the herbalists deemed\nit marvellously good for many disorders, and admirable as a pectoral\nmedicine. Elecampane lozenges have long been popular. Turner, in his\n\u2018Brittish Physician,\u2019 calls the _Inula campana_, the Sun-flower, and\nsays that the root chewed fastens loose teeth, and preserves them from\nrotting, and that the distilled water of the green leaves makes the\nface fair. From its broad leaves, the Elecampane is sometimes called\nthe Elf-dock.----It is held to be under Mercury.\n\n=ELICHRYSUM.=--This species of everlasting flower derived its name,\naccording to Themistagoras, from the nymph Elichrysa, who having\nadorned the goddess Diana with its blossoms, the plant was called after\nher, Elichryson. Its old English name was Golden Flower, or Golden\nMoth-wort, and Gerarde tells us that the blossoms, if cut before they\nare quite ripe, will remain beautiful a long time after. \u201cFor which\ncause of long lasting the images and carved gods were wont to weare\ngarlands thereof: whereupon some have called it \u2018God\u2019s floure.\u2019 For\nwhich purpose Ptolemy, King of \u00c6gypt, did most diligently observe them,\nas Pliny writeth.\u201d\n\n=ELM.=--The ancients had a tradition that, at the first sound of the\nplaintive strains which proceeded from the lyre of Orpheus, when he was\nlamenting the death of Eurydice, there sprang up a forest of Elms; and\nit was beneath an Elm that the Thracian bard sought repose after his\nunavailing expedition to the infernal regions to recover his lost love.\nRapin thus tells the tale:--\n\n      \u201cWhen wretched Orpheus left the Stygian coast,\n  Now hopeless since again his spouse was lost,\n  Beneath the preferable shade he sate\n  Of a tall Elm, and mourned his cruel fate:\n  Where Rhodope rears high her steepy brow,\n  While Heber\u2019s gentle current strays below.\n  On his sweet lyre the skilful artist played,\n  Whose all-commanding strings the woods obeyed;\n  And crowding round him formed a hasty shade.\n  There Cypress, Ilex, Willows, Planes unite,\n  And th\u2019 Elm, ambitious of a greater height,\n  Presents before his view a married Vine,\n  Which round her husband, Elm, did circling twine,\n  And warned him to indulge a second flame;\n  But he neglects th\u2019 advice, and slights the dame:\n  By fatal coldness still condemned to prove\n  A victim to the rage of female love.\u201d\n\nThe \u201cwedding of the Elm to the Vine,\u201d alluded to in the above lines,\nwas a very favourite topic among the old Roman poets; Virgil, indeed,\nselects the junction of the Elm and the Vine as the subject of one\nwhole book of his \u2018Georgics.\u2019 The ancients twined their Vines round\nthe trunks of the Elm; and the owner of a Vineyard tended his Elms\nas carefully as his Vines.----When Achilles killed the father of\nAndromache, he erected in his honour a tomb, around which nymphs came\nand planted Elms.----Perhaps on account of its longevity, or because\nit produces no fruit, the Greeks and Romans considered the Elm a\nfunereal tree: in our own times, it is connected with burials, inasmuch\nas coffins are generally made of its wood.----The ancients called\nthe Elm, the tree of Oneiros, or of Morpheus, the god of sleep. As a\nwidespreading shady tree, it is selected by Virgil (\u00c6n. vi.) as the\nroosting-place of dreams in gloomy Orcus:--\n\n  \u201cFull in the midst a spreading Elm displayed\n  His aged arms, and cast a mighty shade;\n  Each trembling leaf with some light visions teems,\n  And heaves impregnated with airy dreams.\u201d\n\nIt was in connection with the title of Tree of Dreams (_Ulmus\nSomnorum_), that the Elm became, like the Oak, a prophetic tree.----On\nthe Continent, an Elm is often found on the village-green, beneath\nwhose boughs justice used formerly to be administered, and meetings\nheld: there was one at Gisors, on the frontier of Normandy, where the\nkings of France and Dukes of Normandy used to hold conference together,\nand which was large enough to shelter both their trains; this tree\nwas upwards of two hundred years old when cut down by order of King\nPhilippe Auguste, out of hatred to our Plantagenet kings. One of the\noldest Elms in England is a stump at Richmond, now fenced in, and\ncovered with Ivy, which was planted by Queen Elizabeth herself, and has\non that account always been known as the Queen\u2019s Elm.----Formerly the\nleafing of the Elm was made to regulate both field and garden work, as\nseen in the following rustic rhyme:--\n\n  \u201cWhen the Elmen leaf is as big as a mouse\u2019s ear,\n  Then to sow Barley never fear.\n  When the Elmen leaf is as big as an ox\u2019s eye,\n  Then say I, \u2018Hie, boys, hie!\u2019\u201d\n\nIn olden times, the falling of the leaves of an Elm was thought to\nprognosticate a murrain. In Sicily, they have a custom of binding the\ntrunk of a Fig-tree with branches of Elm, from a belief that they would\nprevent the young Figs from falling before they became thoroughly\nripe.----The Elm is held to be under the influence of Saturn.----\u201cThe\nSeven Sisters\u201d was the name bestowed on seven Elm-trees at Tottenham,\nwhich gave the name to the road from thence to Upper Holloway. In\nBedwell\u2019s History of Tottenham, written in the year 1631, he describes\nPage Green by the side of the high road at that village, and a group\nof Elms in a circle, with a Walnut in the centre. He says: \u201cThis tree\nhath this many yeares stod there, and it is observed yearely to live\nand beare leavs, and yet to stand at a stay, that is, to growe neither\ngreater or higher. This people do commonly tell the reason to bee, for\nthat there was one burnt upon that place for the profession of the\nGospell.\u201d There was also a connecting link between the Walnut-tree and\nthe Seven Sisters, by which it was surrounded. There were seven Elms\nplanted by seven sisters respectively. The tree planted by the smallest\nof the sisters was always irregular and stunted in growth. There was an\neighth sister who planted an Elm in the midst of the other seven, and\nthe legend relates that it withered and died when she died, and that\nthen a Walnut-tree grew in its place. The Walnut-tree has long since\ngone, and probably the Elms have now disappeared.\n\n=ENCHANTER\u2019S NIGHTSHADE.=--Formerly the _Atropa Mandragora_ used to\nbear this name, but by some mistake it has been transferred to the\n_Circ\u00e6a Lutetiana_, an insignificant plant named after Circe, the\nfamed enchantress, probably because its fruit, being covered with\nhooked prickles, lays hold of the unwary passers-by, as Circe is said\nto have done by means of her enchantments. The Mandrake was called\n\u201cNightshade,\u201d from having been classed with the _Solanum_ tribe, and\n\u201cEnchanter\u2019s\u201d from its Latin name Circ\u00e6a, a name which it obtained,\naccording to Dioscorides, because Circe, who was expert in herbal lore,\nused it as a tempting powder in amorous concerns.\n\n=ENDIVE.=--The Endive or Succory (_Cichorium_) is, according to the\noldest Greek Alexandrian translations of the Bible, one of the \u201cbitter\nherbs\u201d which the Almighty commanded the Israelites to eat with the lamb\nat the institution of the Feast of the Passover. The garden Endive\n(_C. Endivia_) is probably the plant celebrated by Horace as forming a\npart of his simple diet: its leaves are used in salads, and its root,\nunder the name of Chicory, is extensively used to mingle with Coffee.\nImmense quantities of Endive were used by the ancient Egyptians, who\ncalled it _Chicouryeh_, and from this word is derived the generic name\n_Cichorium_.----The wild Succory (_C. Intybus_) opens its petals at 8\na.m., and closes them at 4 p.m.\n\n  \u201cOn upland slopes the shepherds mark\n  The hour when, to the dial true,\n  _Cichorium_ to the towering lark\n  Lifts her soft eye, serenely blue.\u201d\n\nThe Germans say that once upon a time the Endives were men under a\nban. The blue flowers, which are plentiful, were good men; the white\nflowers, much rarer, were evil-doers.----The blue star-like blossom\nis a most popular flower in Germany: it is the _Wegewarte_--the\nwatcher of the roads; the _Wegeleuchte_, or lighter of the road;\nthe _Sonnenwende_, or Solstice; the _Sonnenkraut_, or herb of the\nsun; and the _Verfluchte Jungfer_, or accursed maiden. An ancient\nballad of Austrian Silesia recounts the history of a young girl who\nfor seven years mourned for her lover, fallen in the wars. When her\nfriends wished to console her, and to procure for her another lover,\nshe replied: \u201cI shall cease to weep only when I become a wild flower\nby the wayside.\u201d----Another version of the German legend is that a\nloving maiden anxiously expected the return of her betrothed from\na voyage upon which he had long since set out. Every morning she\npaced the road where she had last bade adieu to him; every evening\nshe returned. Thus she wearily passed her time during many a long\nmonth. At last, utterly worn out with watching and waiting, she sank\nexhausted by the wayside, and, broken-hearted, expired. On the spot\nwhere she breathed her last sigh sprang up a little pale flower which\nwas the _Wegewarte_, the watcher of the road.----In Bavaria, the same\nlegend is met with, differing only in details. A young and beautiful\nprincess was abandoned by her husband, a young prince of extraordinary\nbeauty. Grief exhausted her strength, and finding herself on the\npoint of death, she exclaimed: \u201cAh, how willingly would I die if I\ncould only be sure of seeing my loved one, wherever I may be. Her\nladies-in-waiting, hearing her desire, solemnly added: \u201cAnd we also\nwould willingly die if only we were assured that he would always see us\non every roadside.\u201d The merciful God heard from heaven their heart-felt\ndesires, and granted them. \u201cHappily,\u201d said He, \u201cyour wishes can be\nfulfilled; I will change you into flowers. You, Princess, you shall\nremain with your white mantle on every road traversed by your husband;\nyou, young women, shall remain by the roadside, habited in blue, so\nthat the prince must see you everywhere.\u201d Hence the Germans call the\nwild Succory, _Wegewarten_.----Gerarde tells us that Placentinus and\nCrescentius termed the Endive, _Sponsa solis_, Spouse of the Sun (a\nname applied by Porta to the Heliotrope), and we find in De Gubernatis\u2019\n_Mythologie des Plantes_, the following passage:--\u201cProfessor Mannhardt\nquotes the charming Roumanian ballad, in which is recounted how the\nSun asked in marriage a beautiful woman known as _Domna Florilor_,\nor the Lady of the Flowers; she refused him, whereupon the Sun, in\nrevenge, transformed her into the Endive, condemned for ever to gaze\non the Sun as soon as he appears on the horizon, and to close her\npetals in sadness as the luminary disappears. The name of _Domna\nFlorilor_, a kind of Flora, given by the Roumanians to the woman loved\nby the Sun, reminds us somewhat of the name of Fioraliso, given in\nItaly to the Cornflower, and which I supposed to have represented the\nSun. The Roumanian legend has, without doubt, been derived from an\nItalian source, in its turn a development of a Grecian myth--to wit,\nthe amour of the Sun, Ph\u0153bus, with the lovely nymph Clytie.\u201d (See\nHELIOTROPE).----There is a Silesian fairy tale which has reference\nto the Endive:--The magician Batu had a daughter named Czekanka, who\nloved the youthful Wrawanec; but a cruel rival slew the beloved one. In\ndespair, Czekanka sought her lover\u2019s tomb, and killed herself beside\nit. Whilst in her death throes, she was changed into the blue Succory,\nand gave the flower its Silesian name _Czekanka_. Wrawanec\u2019s murderer,\njealous of poor Czekanka, even after her death, threw on the plant a\nswarm of ants, in the hope that the little insects might destroy the\nSuccory, but the ants, on the contrary, in their rage, set off in\npursuit of the murderer, and so vigorously attacked him, that he was\nprecipitated into a crevasse on the mountain Kotancz.----In Germany and\nin Rome, where a variety of estimable qualities are ascribed to the\nplant, they sell Endive-seed as a panacea, but especially as a love\nphiltre. They would not uproot it with the hand, but with a bit of\ngold or a stag\u2019s horn (which symbolise the disk and the rays of the\nSun), on one of the days of the Apostles (June 29th and July 25th).\nA girl thus uprooting an Endive will be assured of the constancy of\nher lover.----Endive, carried on the person, is supposed to enable a\nlover to inspire the object of his affections with a belief that he\npossesses all the good qualities she could wish for. Endive-root breaks\nall bonds, removes thorns from the flesh, and even renders the owner\ninvisible.----The herb is held to be under the rule of Venus.\n\n=ERAGROSTIS.=--Among the Hindus, the _Eragrostis cynosuroides_ is\nconsidered a sacred Grass, and is employed by them for strewing the\nfloors of their temples. In England, it is known as Love Grass.\n\n=ERYSIMUM.=--The Hedge Mustard, Bank Cress, or Jack-by-the-Hedge\n(_Erysimum Barbarea_) is called by the French St. Barbara\u2019s Hedge\nMustard and the Singer\u2019s Plant (_herbe au chantre_), and up to the time\nof Louis XIV. was considered an infallible remedy in cases of loss of\nvoice. Racine, writing to Boileau, recommended the syrup of Erysimum\nto him when visiting the waters of Bourbonne, in order to be cured of\nloss of voice. Boileau replied that he had heard the best accounts of\nthe Erysimum, and that he meant to use it the following summer.----The\nplant is held to be under Mercury.\n\n=ERYNGO.=--The Sea Eryngo (_Eryngium maritimum_) is, perhaps, better\nknown by the name of Sea Holly, which has been given it on account of\nthe striking resemblance of its foliage to the Holly. According to\nRapin, Eryngo possessed magical properties, inasmuch as, if worn by\nyoung married women, it ensured the fidelity of their husbands. On this\naccount, Sappho employed it to secure the love of Phaon, the handsome\nboatman of Mitylene, for whom the poetess had conceived so violent a\npassion, that at length, mortified at his coldness, she threw herself\ninto the sea. Rapin says:--\n\n  \u201cGrecian Eryngoes now commence their fame,\n  Which, worn by brides, will fix their husband\u2019s flame,\n  And check the conquests of a rival dame.\n  Thus Sappho charmed her Phaon, and did prove\n  (If there be truth in verse) his faith in love.\u201d\n\nPlutarch records that, if one goat took the herb Sea Holly into\nher mouth, \u201cit caused her first to stand still, and afterwards\nthe whole flock, until such time as the shepherd took it from her\nmouth.\u201d Eryngo-root was formerly much prized as a tonic, and in Queen\nElizabeth\u2019s time, when prepared with sugar, was called Kissing Comfits.\nLord Bacon, recommending the yolks of eggs as very nourishing, when\ntaken with Malmsey or sweet wine, says: \u201cYou shall doe well to put in\nsome few slices of Eringium-roots, and a little Amber-grice, for by\nthis meanes, besides the immediate facultie of nourishment, such drinke\nwill strengthen the back.\u201d\n\n=EUGENIA.=--In Burmah, the _Eugenia_ is regarded as a sacred plant.\nWhen a spray is cut, prayers and supplications for absent friends and\nrelatives are offered up before it, and twigs and leaves of it are\nkept in consecrated water in almost every house, and occasionally the\ndifferent apartments are sprinkled with it as a protective against\nghosts, ogres, and evil spirits. The twigs of _Eugenia_ are sometimes\nhung about the eaves, and in many cases a small plant is kept growing\nin a pot in the house, so that its benign influence may keep harm\naway.----In cases of cholera epidemic, the natives of the affected\ndistrict betake themselves to a Buddhist monastery, carrying presents\nand a small pot partly filled with water, and containing leaves of a\nspecies of _Eugenia_ (Tha-byay-bin), and some coarse yellow string\nwound round a small stick. These pots are blessed by the Buddhist\nabbot, and are then taken away by the people, who either hang up the\nyellow string in little bags round the eaves of their houses, or else\nwear it coiled round the left wrist. The pots of water and sprigs of\n_Eugenia_ are kept in the house to guard it from infection.\n\n=EUPATORIUM.=--Agrimony has derived its name of _Eupatorium_ from\nMithridates Eupator, King of Pontus, who was skilled in botany and\nphysic, and used this plant as an antidote against the poison with\nwhich his enemies at court attempted to destroy him. _E. Ayapana_, a\nnative of Brazil, has long been famed for curing the bites of serpents,\nand its leaves, when fresh bruised, are useful when applied to the face\nof ulcers.----In Italy and Russia, magical properties are attributed to\nthis plant.\n\n=EUPHORBIA.=--The Euphorbia or Medusa Head possesses the peculiar\nproperty of blooming in warm water after apparent death. The milky\njuice of _Euphorbia Canariensis_, and some other species of Spurge,\nproduces the drug Euphorbium. The juice of _E. heptagona_ furnishes the\nEthiopians with a deadly poison for their arrows. At Bodo, in India,\nbefore the doorway of every house is cultivated a plant of the sacred\nSidj, a species of Euphorbia, which is looked upon both as the domestic\nand national divinity, and to this plant the natives address their\nprayers and offer up hogs as sacrifices.\n\n=EVERLASTING FLOWERS.=--Writing of the _Gnaphalium Alpinum_, Gerarde\ntells us that in his day English women called it \u201cLive-long,\u201d or\n\u201cLive-for-ever.\u201d From hence has originated the name Everlasting,\napplied to the genus _Gnaphalium_. The ancients crowned the images\nof their gods with garlands made of these flowers, and from this\ncircumstance they were frequently called God\u2019s flowers. In Spain and\nPortugal, they are still used to decorate the altars and the images of\nthe saints. The French have named the Gnaphalium, _Immortelle_, and\nemploy it in the manufacture of the garlands and devices which they\nplace on their coffins and graves. Old writers call the plant Cudweed,\nCottonweed, Gold-flower, Goldilocks, Golden St\u0153chas, and Golden-flower\nGentle. One species has obtained the name of _Herba Impia_, because the\nlater flowers grow higher, and, as Gerarde says, \u201covertop those that\ncome first, as many wicked children do unto their parents.\u201d\n\n=EYEBRIGHT.=--The Eyebright or Euphrasy (_Euphrasia officinalis_)\nwas formerly called Euphrosyne, after one of the Graces. This name\nbecame subsequently corrupted to Euphrasy. The plant was also known\nas Ocularis and Ophthalmica, on account of its use in the treatment\nof disorders of the eye. According to Coles, it obtained the name of\nEyebright from its being employed by the linnet to clear its sight;\nother old authors also say that birds made use of it to repair their\nvision. Arnoldus affirms that the plant restored sight to people who\nhad been blind a long while; and Gerarde says that, taken either alone\nor in any other way, it preserves the sight, and, \u201cbeing feeble and\nlost, it restores the same: it is given most fitly being beaten into\npouder; oftentimes a like quantitie of Fennell-seed is added thereto,\nand a little Mace, to the which is put so much sugar as the weight of\nthem all commeth to.\u201d It was also believed to comfort the memory, and\nassist a weak brain. Milton, Drayton, Shenstone, and other poets have\ncelebrated the powers of Euphrasy, and we find Spenser writing:--\n\n  \u201cYet Euphrasie may not be left unsung,\n  That gives dim eyes to wander leagues around.\u201d\n\nAstrologers state that the Eyebright is under the sign of the Lion, and\nthe Sun claims dominion over it.\n\n=FAIR MAIDS.=--Fair Maids of February are Snowdrops, so called from\ntheir delicate white blossoms opening about the second of that month,\nwhen it was customary for maidens, dressed in white, to walk in\nprocession at the Feast of the Purification. Fair Maids of France are\ndouble Crowfoots, or a particular variety, originally introduced from\nFrance, viz., _Ranunculus aconitifolius_.\n\n=FELDWODE.=--Medea, the enchantress, is said by Gower to have employed\na certain herb, Feldwode:--\n\n  \u201cTho toke she Feldwode and Verveine,\n  Of herbes ben nought better tweine.\u201d\n\nThis herb is generally supposed to have been the yellow Gentian, or\nBaldmoney, _Gentiana lutea_. (See GENTIAN.)\n\n=FENNEL.=--Fenckle, or Fennel (_F\u0153niculum_), was employed by the\nancients in the composition of wreaths, to be worn by victors after the\ngames in the arena. The gladiators mixed this plant with their food\nto increase their strength. The god Sylvanus was sometimes crowned\nwith Fennel.----In later times, Fennel was strewn across the pathway\nof newly-married couples, and was generally liked for its odour; thus\nOphelia says: \u201cThere\u2019s Fennel for you, and Columbine.\u201d----Pliny records\nthat serpents are wonderfully fond of this plant, inasmuch as it\nrestores them to youth by causing them to cast their old skin, and by\nits use they recover their sight if it becomes dim. Gerarde says, that\nthe seed \u201cdrunke for certaine daies together, fasting, preserveth the\neyesight, whereof was written this distichon following:--\n\n  _\u201cF\u0153niculum, Rosa, Verbena, Chelidonia, Ruta,\n  Ex his fit aqua qu\u00e6 lumina reddit acuta._\n\n  \u201cOf Fennell, Roses, Vervain, Rue, and Celandine,\n  Is made a water, good to cheere the sight of eine.\u201d\n\nThe ancients believed that the use of Fennel gave strength to the\nconstitution, and made fat people grow lean. The roots of Fennel,\npounded with honey, were considered a remedy for the bites of\nmad dogs.----Fennel is one of the numerous plants dedicated to\nSt. John, and was formerly hung over doors and windows on his\nvigil.----Astrologers state it is a herb of Mercury under Virgo.\n\n=FERN.=--Among Celtic and Germanic nations the Fern was formerly\nconsidered a sacred and auspicious plant. Its luck-bringing power was\nnot confined to one species, but belonged to the tribe in general,\ndwelling, however, in the fullest perfection in the seed, the possessor\nof which could wish what he would, and the Devil would be obliged to\nbring it to him. In Swabia, they say that Fern-seed brought by the\nDevil between eleven and twelve on Christmas night enables a man to do\nas much work as twenty or thirty ordinary men.\n\nIn medi\u00e6val days, when sorcery flourished, it was thought the Fern-seed\nimparted to its owner the power of resisting magical charms and\nincantations. The ancients believed that the Fern had no seeds, but\nour ancestors thought it had seed which was invisible. Hence, after\nthe fantastic doctrine of signatures, they concluded that those who\npossessed the secret of wearing this seed about them would become\ninvisible. Thus, we find that, in Shakspeare\u2019s \u2018Henry IV.,\u2019 Gadshill\nsays: \u201cWe steal as in a castle, cock-sure: we have the receipt of\nFern-seed, we walk invisible.\u201d\n\nThe people of Westphalia are wont to relate how one of their countrymen\nchanced one Midsummer night to be looking for a foal he had lost, and\npassing through a meadow just as the Fern-seed was ripening, some of\nit fell into his shoes. In the morning he went home, walked into the\nsitting-room, and sat down, but thought it strange that neither his\nwife, nor indeed any of his family, took the slightest notice of him.\n\u201cI have not found the foal,\u201d said he. Everybody in the room started and\ngazed around with scared looks, for they had heard the man\u2019s voice,\nbut saw no one. Thinking that he was joking, and had hid himself, his\nwife called him by his name. Thereupon he stood up, planted himself\nin the middle of the floor, and said, \u201cWhy do you call me? Here I am\nright before you.\u201d Then they were more frightened than ever, for they\nhad heard him stand up and walk, and still they could not see him. The\nman now became aware that he was invisible, and a thought struck him\nthat possibly he might have got Fern-seed in his shoes, for he felt\nas if there was sand in them. So he took them off, and shook out the\nFern-seed, and as he did so he became visible again to everybody.\n\nA belief in the mystic power of Fern-seed to make the gatherer walk\ninvisible is still extant. The English tradition is, that the Fern\nblooms and seeds only at twelve o\u2019clock on Midsummer night--St. John\u2019s\nEve--just at the precise moment at which the Saint was born--\n\n  \u201cBut on St. John\u2019s mysterious night,\n    Sacred to many a wizard spell,\n  The hour when first to human sight\n    Confest, the mystic Fern-seed fell.\u201d\n\nIn Dr. Jackson\u2019s Works (1673) we read that he once questioned one of\nhis parishioners as to what he saw or heard when he watched the falling\nof the Fern-seed, whereupon the man informed him that this good seed\nis in the keeping of Oberon (or Elberich), King of the Fairies, who\nwould never harm anyone watching it. He then said to the worthy doctor,\n\u201cSir, you are a scholar, and I am none. Tell me, what said the angel to\nour Lady; or what conference had our Lady with her cousin Elizabeth,\nconcerning the birth of St. John the Baptist?\u201d Finding Doctor Jackson\nunable to answer him, he told him that \u201cthe angel did foretell John\nBaptist should be born at that very instant in which the Fern-seed--at\nother times invisible--did fall: intimating further that this saint of\nGod had some extraordinary vertue from the time or circumstance of his\nbirth.\u201d\n\nTo catch the wonder-working seed, twelve pewter plates must be taken\nto the spot where the Fern grows: the seed, it is affirmed, will pass\nthrough eleven of the plates, and rest upon the twelfth. This is one\naccount: another says that Midsummer night is the most propitious\ntime to procure the mystic Fern-seed, but that the seeker must go\nbare-footed, and in his shirt, and be in a religious state of mind.\n\nIn ancient days it was thought the demons watched to convey away the\nFern-seed as it fell ere anyone could possess themselves of it. A\nwriter on Brittany states that he remembers to have heard recounted\nby one who had gathered Fern-seed, that whilst he was prosecuting his\nsearch the spirits grazed his ears, whistling past them like bullets,\nknocking off his hat, and hitting him with it all over his body. At\nlast, when he thought that he had gathered enough of the mystic seed,\nhe opened the case he had been putting it into, and lo! it was empty.\nThe Devil had evidently had the best of it.\n\nM. Marmier, in his _L\u00e9gendes des Plantes_, writes:--\u201cIt is on Midsummer\nnight that you should go and seek the Fern-seed: he who is fortunate\nenough to find it will indeed be happy. He will have the strength\nof twenty men, he will discover precious metals in the bowels of the\nearth, he will comprehend the present and the future. Up to the present\ntime, however, no one has been able to secure this precious seed.\nIt ripens but for a minute, and the Devil guards it with ferocious\nvigilance.\u201d\n\nDe Gubernatis, in his _Mythologie des Plantes_, publishes a\ncommunication sent him by the Princess Marie Galitzin Prazorovska\u00efa,\non the subject of the flowering of the Fern, the details of which she\nobtained from a Russian peasant. \u201cOn Midsummer night, before twelve\no\u2019clock, with a white napkin, a cross, a Testament, a glass of water,\nand a watch, one seeks in the forest the spot where the Fern grows; one\ntraces with the cross a large circle; one spreads the napkin, placing\non the cross the Testament and the glass of water. Then one attentively\nlooks at one\u2019s watch: at the precise midnight hour the Fern will bloom:\none watches attentively; for he who shall see the Fern-seed drop shall\nat the same time see many other marvels; for example, three suns, and a\nfull moon, which reveals every object, even the most hidden. One hears\nlaughter; one is conscious of being called; if one remains quiet one\nwill hear all that is happening in the world, and all that is going to\nhappen.\u201d\n\nIn a work by Markevic, the author says:--\u201cThe Fern flowers on Midsummer\nnight at twelve o\u2019clock, and drives away all unclean spirits. First\nof all it put forth buds, which afterwards expand, then open, and\nfinally change into flowers of a dark red hue. At midnight, the flower\nopens to its fullest extent, and illuminates everything around. But at\nthat precise moment a demon plucks it from its stalk. Whoever wishes\nto procure this flower must be in the forest before midnight, locate\nhimself near the Fern, and trace a circle around it. When the Devil\napproaches and calls, feigning the voice of a parent, sweetheart,\n&c., no attention must be paid, nor must the head be turned, for if\nit is, it will remain so. Whoever becomes the happy possessor of the\nflower has nothing to fear: by its means he can recover lost treasure,\nbecome invisible, rule on earth and under water, and defy the Devil.\nTo discover hidden treasure, it is only necessary to throw the flower\nin the air: if it turns like a star above the Sun, so that it falls\nperpendicularly in the same spot, it is a sure indication that treasure\nis concealed there.\u201d\n\nA very ancient method prescribed for obtaining the mystic Fern-seed is\ngiven by Dr. Kuhn. At the Summer solstice, if you shoot at the Sun when\nit has attained its mid-day height, three drops of blood will fall:\nthey must be gathered up and preserved, for that is the Fern-seed.\n\nThe Franche-Comt\u00e9 peasantry talk of a mysterious plant that misleads\ntravellers. According to a German authority, this plant is no other\nthan the Fern on Midsummer night. As we have seen, on that night the\nFern is reputed to flower, and to let fall its seed: he who secures\nthis seed, becomes invisible; but if the unsuspecting traveller passes\nby the Fern without noticing it, he will be assuredly misled, even\nalthough well acquainted with the road. This is the reason why, in\nThuringia, they call the Fern _Irrkraut_, the misleading plant.\n\nIn Poland, there is a popular notion that the plucking of Fern produces\na violent thunderstorm.\n\nIn Germany, they call the Fern _Walpurgiskraut_, the superstition being\nthat, on the _Walpurgisnacht_, the witches procure this plant in order\nto render themselves invisible. In Lombardy, there exists a popular\nsuperstition akin to this. The witches, they say, are particularly fond\nof the Fern; they gathered it to rub in their hands during a hailstorm,\nturning it from the side where the hail falls the thickest.\n\nThe root of the common Male Fern (_Filix mas_), was an important\ningredient in the love-philtres of former days. An old Gaelic bard\nsings:--\n\n  \u201c\u2019Twas the maiden\u2019s matchless beauty\n    That drew my heart anigh;\n  Not the Fern-root potion,\n    But the glance of her blue eye.\u201d\n\nIn olden times the young scroll-like fronds of this Fern were called\nLucky Hands, or St. John\u2019s Hands, and were believed to protect the\npossessor from sorcery, witches\u2019 spells, and the Evil Eye. In Germany,\nthe Male Fern was formerly called _Johanniswurtzel_; and both on the\nContinent, and in England, it was the custom, on Midsummer Eve, to\ngather this Fern, which was sold to the credulous, who wore it about\ntheir persons, and mingled it with the water drunk by their cows, as\na protection against all evil spirits, and to ensure good luck. It is\nbelieved, in Thuringia, that if anyone carries Fern about him, he will\nbe pursued by serpents until he throws it away. In Sweden, the plant is\ncalled Snake-bane.\n\nAn ancient notion prevailed, that the Male Fern had an antipathy to\nthe Reed; and that where one grew, the other was sure to be absent.\nAccording to Dioscorides, \u201cthe root hereof is reported to be good for\nthose that have ill spleens; and being stamped with swine\u2019s grease and\napplied, it is a remedy against the pricking of the Reed.\u201d Other old\nherbalists state, that the roots of the Male Fern, and the Lady Fern\n(_Filix f\u0153mina_), boiled in oil, produced \u201cvery profitable ointments to\nheal wounds.\u201d The _Ophioglossum_ had, in olden times, the reputation of\nbeing a cure for the bite of serpents. (See also BRACKEN).\n\nAccording to Cornish fairy mythology, the Fern was connected with\nthe Small Folk, who are believed to be the spirits of the people who\ninhabited Cornwall thousands of years ago--long before the birth of\nChrist. In the legend of the Fairy Widower, a pretty girl, Jenny\nPermuen, a village coquette, one day set off to \u201clook for a place.\u201d\nAt the junction of four cross roads, she sat down on a boulder of\ngranite, and thoughtlessly began to break off the beautiful fronds of\nFerns which grew all around. Suddenly a young man appeared before her,\nand addressing her by name, enquired what brought her there. Jenny\nreplied that she wished to obtain a situation, and was on her road to\nthe market town. The young man said he was a widower, and in want of\na young woman to take care of his little son; and that as he liked\nJenny\u2019s good looks, he would engage her there and then for a year\nand a day, and pay her well; but that he should require her to swear\nhis oath, which consisted in kissing a Fern-leaf, and repeating the\nformula:--\n\n  \u201cFor a year and a day,\n  I promise to stay.\u201d\n\nJenny was charmed and flattered; all sorts of visions rose before her\neyes, and, without hesitation, she took the oath and followed the\nstranger eastward. In silence the pair walked on, until the girl was\nquite weary; then they sat down on a bank, and the young man taking a\nbunch of leaves passed them rapidly over Jenny\u2019s eyes: her weariness\ndeparted as if by magic, and she found herself in fairy-land, with her\nmysterious master. He led her to a splendid mansion, and introduced her\nto his little boy, who was so beautiful that he instantly won her love.\nThe girl continued at her duties in fairy-land for the allotted time;\nthen, one morning, upon awaking, she found herself sleeping in her own\nbed in her mother\u2019s cottage; and the old gossips of the village, upon\nhearing her story, knew that she had been carried by the Small People\nto some of their countries under the hills.\n\n=FIG.=--There are several mythological accounts of the origin of the\nFig. According to one, Lyceus, one of the Titans, pursued by Jupiter,\nwas metamorphosed into a Fig-tree by the goddess Rhea. Another story\nattributes to her husband, Saturn, the origin of the Fig-tree, and\non this account the inhabitants of Cyrene deck the statue of the god\nwith crowns of Figs. A third myth relates that the Fig-tree is the\noffspring of the loves of Oxylus, King of Elis, with a Hamadryad.\nBacchus, however, was generally considered to have introduced the\nFig to mortals: hence the tree was sacred to him, and he is often\nrepresented as crowned with Fig-leaves. On this account, also, it was\ncustomary to make an offering of the first Figs to the jovial god. At\nthe Canephoria festivals at Athens, in honour of Bacchus, the female\nvotaries wore round their necks collars composed of dried Figs; and at\nthe Dionysian festivals, a basket of Figs formed a prominent feature\nin the procession.----At Rome, the Fig was carried next to the Vine in\nthe processions in honour of Bacchus, as the patron of plenty and joy;\nand Bacchus was supposed to have derived his corpulence and vigour,\nnot from the Vine, but from the Fig. Under the name of the _Ficus\nruminalis_, the Romans jealously guarded the sacred wild Fig-tree,\nupon the roots of which stranded the cradle containing the infants\nRomulus and Remus, when the Tiber bore it to the foot of the Palatine.\nFig-trees are seldom affected by lightning, but this celebrated Ruminal\nFig-tree of Rome was once struck during a thunderstorm, and was ever\nafterwards held doubly sacred; the ancients considering that lightning\npurified every object it touched. The Romans bestowed upon Jupiter\nthe surname of Ruminus, because he presided over the nourishment of\nmankind, and they had a goddess Rumina, who presided over the female\nbreasts, and whose oblations were of milk only. These words are both\nderived from _ruma_, a teat; and hence the tree under which Romulus\nand Remus had been suckled by the she-wolf was the _Rumina Ficus_, a\nname most appropriate, because the Fig was the symbol of generation and\nfecundity. The Fig was consecrated to Juno, as the goddess presiding\nover marriages and at nuptial festivities. Figs were always carried\nin a mystic vase. The statues of Priapus, god of orchards, were often\nmade of the wood of the Fig, and the tree was also dedicated to\nMercury. Notwithstanding this reverence for the _Ficus ruminalis_,\nthe Romans considered the Fig a tree at once impure and ill-omened.\nThis is shown by the actions of the Arvales (twelve priests of Rome,\ndescended from the nurse of Romulus), who made special expiations\nwhen the Fig-tree--the impure tree--sprang up by chance on the roof\nof the temple of the goddess Dia, where Vestals officiated. After\nthey had uprooted the desecrating tree, they destroyed the temple as\nbeing defiled.----Pausanias relates that, according to an oracle, the\nMessenians were to be abandoned by heaven in their struggles with\nthe Spartans, so soon as a goat (_tragos_) should drink the water of\nthe Neda: the Messenians, therefore, drove out of their country all\nthe goats. But in Messenia grew the wild Fig, which was also called\n_tragos_. One of these wild Figs having sprung up on the banks of the\nNeda, its branches soon dipped into the flowing waters of the river\nbeneath it. The oracle was fulfilled--a _tragos_ had drunk the water\nof the Neda: soon afterwards the Messenians were defeated.----The\nsoothsayer Calchas, according to tradition, owed his death in a\nmeasure to the Fig-tree. Challenged by the seer Mopsus, of whom he\nwas jealous, to a trial of their skill in divination, Calchas first\nasked his antagonist how many Figs a neighbouring tree bore. \u201cTen\nthousand except one,\u201d was the reply of his rival, \u201cand one single\nvessel can contain them all.\u201d The Figs were carefully gathered, and his\npredictions were literally true. It was then the turn of Mopsus to try\nhis adversary. Calchas failed to answer the question put to him, and\nMopsus was adjudged victor. So mortified was Calchas at the result of\nthis trial, that he pined away and died.----The ancient Egyptians held\nthe Fig-leaf sacred to the goddess Isis.----The Fig is supposed to have\nbeen the first cultivated fruit tasted by man: beneath the boughs of\nthe Fig-tree Adam hid himself after having eaten the forbidden fruit;\nwith its leaves he endeavoured to hide his nakedness. Cakes of Figs\nwere included in the presents of provisions by which the wife of Nabal\nappeased the wrath of David (1 Sam. XXV., 18). The want of blossom on\nthe Fig-tree was considered as one of the most grievous calamities by\nthe Jews; for, growing as it did in Palestine on the Vine, the tree\nbecame with the Israelites an emblem of peace and plenty, and that\nsecurity which, in ancient times, was thought to be enjoyed by \u201cevery\nman under his own Fig-tree.\u201d Near the city of On, there was shown\nfor many centuries the sacred Fig-tree under which the Holy Family\nrested during the flight into Egypt.----St. Augustine tells us, in his\nConfessions, that while still unconverted and in deep communion with\nhis friend Alypius on the subject of the Scriptures, the contest within\nhis mind was so sharp, that he hastened from the presence of his friend\nand threw himself down beneath a Fig-tree, weeping and lamenting.\nThen he heard what seemed the voice of a child proceeding apparently\nfrom the tree, repeating again and again \u201c_Tolle, lege_,\u201d (Take and\nread); and returning to his friend, he took up the sacred volume, and\nopened it at St. Paul\u2019s words: \u201cPut ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d He\nwas struck with the coincidence; and considering it a Divine call, he\nthen and there resolved to take up the religious profession.----In\nIndia, the Fig-tree is greatly esteemed; one species, _Ficus\nglomerata_, is held sacred by the Hindus; and the _Ficus Indica_, or\nBanyan-tree, is one of the most highly venerated trees on the earth\n(see BANYAN).----The Andalusians have a saying, \u201cOn this life depends,\u201d\nin connection with the Fig-tree, the fruit of which they eat, fasting,\nin the morning. The Germans have a proverb, \u201cFigs will not grow either\non Brambles or Thistles.\u201d Another proverb tells us that \u201cHe who has\nFigs has riches.\u201d----In Sicily, the Fig-tree is looked upon as a tree\nof ill-omen. It is there thought to be the tree on which Judas hung\nhimself, and never to have thrived well since that occurrance. There\nis an old superstition that in each leaf of a Fig-tree lurks an evil\nspirit; and certain blood-thirsty spectres, called _Fauni Ficarii_,\nare mentioned in legends.----At Avola, it is popularly believed to be\nunwise to sleep beneath the shade of a Fig-tree during the warmth of\nSummer; should, however, anyone be foolhardy enough to do so, there\nwill appear before him the figure of a nun, holding a knife in her\nhand, who will compel him to say whether he will take it by the blade\nor by the handle; if he answer, by the blade, he will be forthwith\nslain; but should he select the handle, he will have all manner of\ngood fortune in store for him.----In Palermo, they deck the Fig-tree\nwith branches of the wild Fig woven into garlands, in order to ensure\nthe fruit ripening.----A Fig-tree has something to do in the way of\npreventing hydrophobia, if we may believe the following ancient English\nsuperstition:--\u201cFor tear of mad hound, take the worms which be under a\nmad hound\u2019s tongue, snip them away, lead them round about a Fig-tree,\ngive them to him who hath been rent; he will soon be healed.\u201d----To\ndream of Figs implies an accession of wealth, prosperity, and\nhappiness, the realisation of wishes, and a happy old age.\n\n=FILBERT.=--John Gower, in his _Confessio Amantis_, suggests that the\norigin of the word Filbert is to be sought in the metamorphosis of\nthe Thracian princess Phyllis into a Nut-tree, or, more precisely,\ninto the Almond; this view is strengthened by the fact that the\nold English names for both tree and nut was Fylberde, or Filberd;\nalthough another explanation of this word is that the tree was so\ncalled after a King Philibert. In olden times the distinction drawn\nbetween nuts of a good and those of the best quality, was by terming\nthe former the short-bearded, and the latter the long-bearded, or\nfull-bearded--whence, according to a popular belief, by corruption,\nFilbert.----Authorities in dream lore tell us that to dream of Filberts\nis a happy augury, a sign of good health and happy old age. It also\ndenotes success in love, and happiness in the married state, with\na numerous family, who will marry well, and occupy a high place in\nsociety.----Filbert-trees are held to be under the dominion of Mercury.\n\n=FIR.=--The ancient Egyptians adopted the Fir-cone as the symbol of\ntheir goddess Isis.----The Fir is the Fire-tree, the most inflammable\nof woods. Gerarde writes of Firs in Cheshire, Staffordshire, and\nLancashire, \u201cwhere they grew in great plenty, as is reputed, before\nNoah\u2019s floud; but then being overturned and overwhelmed, have lien\nsince in the woods and waterie moorish grounds, very fresh and sound,\nuntill this day; and so full of a resinous substance, that they burne\nlike a torch or linke, and the inhabitants of those countries do call\nit Fir-wood and Fire-wood unto this day.\u201d----In the traditions of\nnorthern countries, the Fir occupies a similar position to the Pine.\nHe is king of the forest; and so, in Switzerland and the Tyrol, the\nGeni of the Forest is always represented with an uprooted Fir-tree in\nhis hand. This Geni dwells by preference in the Fir, and especially\nloves old trees. When one of these trees is cut down, the Geni grieves,\nand pleads for its life. Old Firs, like old Oaks and Birches, are\nespecially respected when standing solitary.----De Gubernatis relates\nan anecdote of a colossal Fir-tree which grew by itself, at Tarssok,\nin Russia. This tree had withstood several lightning-blasts, and was\nsupposed to be several hundred years old, as shown by its barkless\ntrunk and its bare branches. At last, in a gale of wind, it fell;\nbut so great a respect had the country-people for the old tree, that\nthey would not make any profit from the sale of the huge trunk, but\npresented the proceeds to the Church.----In Denmark, Sweden, Russia,\nand Germany, they use the Fir as the Christmas-tree, and this custom\nhas now taken firm root in England.----Just as in many parts of\nGermany, on Christmas-night, they beat trees, so that they may bear\nfruit, so at Hildesheim in Hanover, at Shrove-tide, the peasantry\nsolicit gifts from the women, whipping them meanwhile with branches\nof Fir or Rosemary. This curious custom is supposed to signify their\ndesire to have children. In Northern Germany, newly-married couples\noften carry in their hands branches of Fir, with lighted candles\naffixed, perhaps in imitation of the Roman _fasces_. At Weimar, and\nother places, they plant Fir-trees before the house where a wedding has\ntaken place. In Austrian Silesia, the May-pole is always of Fir. In\nthe Harz, on Midsummer night, they decorate Fir-trees with flowers and\ncoloured eggs, or, more generally, branches of Fir, which they stick in\nthe ground, and dance around, singing the while some verses appropriate\nto the occasion. In Northern Germany, when they drive the cattle to\npasture for the first time, they often decorate the last cow with small\nboughs of Firs, as showing their wish for a pasturage favourable to\nthe fecundity of the cattle.----From wounds made in the Balm of Gilead\nFir (_Abies Balsamea_), a very fine turpentine is obtained, which is\nsometimes sold as the true Balm of Gilead.----To dream you are in a\nforest of Fir-trees is a sign of suffering.----A Moldavian legend\nrelates that, out of envy, the elder sister of a queen changed the\ntwo beautiful twin princes she had just given birth to, for two ugly\nblack children, which she placed in their cradle instead. She then\nburied the young princes alive in the garden, and as soon as possible\nwent to the king, and told him his queen had given birth to two odious\nblack babies. The king in revenge shut up his wife in a dungeon, and\nmade the elder sister his queen. Suddenly, among the flowers of the\ngarden, there spring up two Fir-trees, who, in the evening, talk and\nconfide to each other that they cannot rest whilst their mother is\nweeping in her lonely dungeon. Then they make themselves known to the\npoor ex-queen as her children, and tell her how much they love and pity\nher. Meanwhile the wicked queen awakes one night and listens. She is\nfilled with dread, and makes the king promise that the two Fir-trees\nshall be cut down. Accordingly, the young trees are felled and thrown\ninto the fire; when, immediately, two bright sparks fly out, and fall\nfar away among the flowers: they are the two young princes, who have\nagain escaped, and who are now determined to bring to light the crime\nof their detestable aunt. Some time after there is a grand festival at\nthe king\u2019s palace; and a great \u201cclaca\u201d (assembly) is gathered there\nto string pearls for the queen. Among the guests appear two beautiful\nchildren, with golden hair, who seem to be twin brothers. Whilst the\npearl-stringing goes on, stories are told by the guests, and at last it\ncomes to the turn of the twin brothers, who relate the sad story of the\nimprisoned queen, and reveal the crime of her sister. As they speak,\ntheir pearls continue to string themselves in a miraculous manner,\nso that the king, observing this, knows that they are telling the\ntruth. When their story is finished, he acknowledges them as his sons,\nrestores their mother to her position as queen, and orders her wicked\nsister to be torn asunder by wild horses.\n\nFLAG.--See Acorus and Iris.\n\n=FLAME TREE.=--The _Nuytsia floribunda_, called the Flame or Fire-tree,\nis a native of West Australia. This tree is most remarkable in many\nrespects: it belongs to the same Natural Order as the Mistletoe--an\norder numerous in species, most of those inhabiting warm countries\nhaving brilliantly-coloured flowers, and, with two exceptions, strictly\nparasitical on the branches of other trees. One of these exceptions\nis the Flame-tree; but although _Nuytsia floribunda_ is terrestrial,\nand has all the aspect of an independent tree, it is thought to be\nparasitical on the roots of some neighbouring tree or shrub, because\nall attempts to rear seedlings have proved unsuccessful. Its trunk is\nsoft, like pith, yet it has a massive appearance. Its gorgeous fiery\nflowers are more brilliant than flames, for they are undimmed by smoke.\n\n=FLAX.=--There are certain plants which, having been cultivated from\ntime immemorial, are not now to be found in a wild state, and have\nno particular history. The common Flax (_Linum usitatissimum_) has\nbeen thought to be one of these. Flax is mentioned both in Genesis\nand Exodus: at least Joseph was clothed in _linen_, and the Flax was\nblighted in the fields. But modern research has shown that the Flax\nof the ancients was _Linum angustifolium_, the narrow-leaved Flax;\nand the same fact has been developed in regard to the Flax of the\nLake-dwellers in Switzerland.----The fine linen of Egypt is frequently\nreferred to in Scripture, and specimens of this fabric are to be seen\nin the linen in which the Egyptian mummies are enfolded. That Flax\nwas also grown in ancient times in Palestine, may be inferred from\nthe fact that Rahab hid the Hebrew spies among the Flax spread on her\nroof.----In the mythology of the North, Flax is supposed to be under\nthe protection of the goddess Hulda, but the plant\u2019s blue blossom is\nmore especially the flower of Bertha, whose blue eyes shine in its\ncalyx, and whose distaff is filled by its fibres.----Indian mysticism\nlikens the grey dawn and the brightening daybreak to luminous linen\nand its weavers. The celestial bride, Aurora, weaves the nuptial\ngarment--the robe of the celestial bridegroom, the Sun.----The gods\nattire themselves in luminous robes--white or red, silver or gold.\nEarthly priests have adopted the white robe in India, Egypt, Asia\nMinor, Rome, and in all Christian countries. The offspring of the\nFlax, according to a tradition, represent the rays of the Sun, and\nclothe the great luminary.----In Sicily, to cure headache produced by\nexposure to the Sun, they burn, with certain incantations, flaxen tow\nin a glass, from which they have poured out the water it contained:\nthey then place the glass on a white plate, and the plate on the head\nof the patient: they contend that by this means they extract from his\nhead, and impart to the Flax, all the virtue of the Sun.----Flax is\nthe symbol of life and of prolific vegetation: on this account, in\nGermany, when an infant thrives but badly, or does not learn to walk,\nthey place it naked, either in the Spring or on Midsummer-day, upon\nthe turf, and scatter some Flax-seed on this turf and on the infant\nitself: then, as soon as the Flax commences to grow, the infant should\nalso begin to thrive and to walk.----To dream of Flax is reputed to\naugur a good and happy marriage; to dream of spinning Flax, however,\nbetokens coming troubles.----There is an old superstition that Flax\nwill only flower at the time of day at which it was originally sown.\nHe who sows it must first seat himself thrice on the sack, turning\nto the east. Stolen seeds mingled with the rest cause the crop to\nthrive.----Flax when in bloom acts as a talisman against witchcraft,\nand sorcery can be practised even with the dry stalks. When the shreds\nare spun or woven into shirts, under certain incantations, the wearer\nis secure from accidents or wounds.----It was the goddess Hulda who\nfirst taught mortals the art of growing Flax, of spinning, and of\nweaving it. According to the legendary belief in South Tyrol, she is\nthe especial patroness of the Flax culture in that district. Hulda is\nalso the sovereign of the Selige Fr\u00e4ulein, the happy fairy maidens\nwho keep watch and guard over the Flax-plants. Between Kroppb\u00fchl and\nUnterlassen, is a cave which is believed by the country people to have\nbeen the entrance to Queen Hulda\u2019s mountain palace. Twice a year she\npassed through the valley, scattering blessings around her path--once\nin Summer, when the blue flowers of the Flax were brightening the\nfields, and again during the mysterious \u201ctwelve nights\u201d immediately\npreceding our feast of the Epiphany, when, in ancient days, the gods\nand goddesses were believed to visit the earth. Hulda visited the\ncottagers\u2019 homes in the Winter nights to examine the distaff. If the\nFlax was duly spun off, prosperity attended the family; but laziness\nwas punished by trouble and blighted crops. Hulda\u2019s fairy people, the\nSelige Fr\u00e4ulein, would sometimes visit deserving folks and aid the\nFlax-spinning: there is a legend that a peasant woman at Vulpera,\nnear Tarash, thinking that she ought to reward her fairy assistants,\nset before them a sumptuous meal, but they shook their heads sadly,\nand, giving the poor woman a never-failing ball of cotton, they said,\n\u201cThis is the recompense for thy goodwill--payment for payment,\u201d--and\nimmediately vanished.\n\n=FLEA-BANE.=--The star-shaped yellow Flea-bane, or wild Marigold\n(_Inula dysenterica_), received its name from the belief that its odour\nwas repulsive to fleas, gnats, and other insects. On the flowers of\nthis plant, as well as on those of _Agnus Castus_, the Grecian women\nwere made to sleep during the feast of Thesmophoria. The Arabs extol\nthis plant highly as a remedy for wounds. One of their traditions\nrecords that flowers of the _Inula_, bruised, were used by the\npatriarch Job as an application to those grievous sores which he so\npathetically laments. Hence the Flea-bane is called by the men of the\ndesert \u201cJob\u2019s Tears.\u201d\n\n=FLOS ADONIS.=--In most European countries the Flos Adonis (the\ndark-crimsoned _Adonis autumnalis_) still retains in its nomenclature\na legendary connection with the blood of the unfortunate Adonis, and\nis called by the Germans _Blutstr\u00f6pfchen_ to the present day.----Just\nas from the tears of the sorrowing Venus, which fell as she gazed on\nthe bleeding corpse of the beautiful Adonis, there sprang the Anemone,\nor Wind-flower, so from the blood of the lamented boy which poured\nforth from the death-wound inflicted by the boar, there proceeded the\nAdonis-flower, or Flos Adonis. Referring to this, Rapin writes--\n\n  \u201cTh\u2019 unhappy fair Adonis likewise flowers,\n  Whom (once a youth) the Cyprian Queen deplores;\n  He, though transformed, has beauty still to move\n  Her admiration, and secure her love;\n  Since the same crimson blush the flower adorns\n  Which graced the youth, whose loss the goddess mourns.\u201d\n\nAnd Shakspeare, in his poem on Venus and Adonis, says--\n\n  \u201cBy this the boy that by her side lay killed\n      Was melted like a vapour from her sight;\n  And in his blood that on the ground lay spilled\n      A purple flower sprang up, chequered with white,\n  Resembling well his pale cheeks and the blood\n  Which in round drops upon their whiteness stood.\u201d\n\n=FLOWER DE LUCE.=--The Iris has obtained this name, which is derived\nfrom the French _Fleur de Louis_, from its having been assumed as his\ndevice by Louis VII., of France. This title of _Fleur de Louis_ has\nbeen changed to Fleur de Luce, _Fleur de Lys_, and _Fleur de Lis_. (See\nIRIS).----A curious superstition exists in the district around Orleans,\nwhere a seventh son without a daughter intervening is called a Marcon.\nIt is believed that the Marcon\u2019s body is marked somewhere with a _Fleur\nde Lis_, and that if a patient suffering under King\u2019s Evil touch this\n_Fleur de Lis_, or if the Marcon breathe upon him, the malady will be\nsure to disappear.\n\nFLOWER GENTLE, or FLORAMOR.--See Amaranth.\n\n=FLOWERS OF HEAVEN.=--Under the names of Rain Tremella and Star Jelly\nis known a strange gelatinous substance, of no precise form, but of a\ngreenish hue, which creeps over gravelly soils, and is found mixed up\nwith wet Mosses on rocks besides waterfalls: when moist, it is soft\nand pulpy, but in dry weather it becomes thin, brittle, and black in\ncolour. Linn\u00e6us called it _Tremella Nostoc_, but it is now classed with\nthe _Alg\u00e6 Gloioclade\u00e6_ under the name of _Nostoc commune_, a name first\nused by the alchymist Paracelsus, but the meaning of which is unknown.\nDuring the middle ages, some extraordinary superstitions were afloat\nconcerning this plant, which was called C\u0153lifolium, or Flowers of\nHeaven. By the alchemists it was considered a universal menstruum. The\ncountry people in Germany use it to make their hair grow. In England,\nthe country folk of many parts, firmly believed it to be the remains of\na falling star, for after a wet, stormy night, these Flowers of Heaven\nwill often be found growing where they were not to be seen the previous\nevening.\n\n=FLOWERING ROD.=--There is a legend in the Apocryphal Gospel of Mary,\naccording to which Joseph was chosen for Mary\u2019s husband because his\nrod budded into flower, and a dove settled upon the top of it. In\npictures of the marriage of Joseph and Mary, the former generally holds\nthe flowering rod. The rod by which the Lord demonstrated that He had\nchosen Aaron to be His priest, blossomed with Almond-flowers, and was\nlaid up in the Ark (see ALMOND).\n\n=FORGET-ME-NOT.=--The Forget-me-not is a name which, like the\nGilliflower, has been applied to a variety of plants. For more than two\nhundred years it was given, in England, France, and the Netherlands, to\nthe ground Pine, _Ajuga Cham\u00e6pitys_. From the middle of the fifteenth\ncentury until 1821, this plant was in all the botanical books called\nForget-me-not, on account of the nauseous taste which it leaves in the\nmouth. Some of the old German botanists gave the name _Vergiss mein\nnicht_ to the _Cham\u00e6drys vera f\u0153mina_, or _Teucrium Botrys_. _Forglemm\nmig icke_, the corresponding Danish name, was given to the _Veronica\ncham\u00e6drys_. This plant was in English called the Speedwell, from its\nblossoms falling off and flying away, and \u201cSpeedwell\u201d being an old form\nof leave-taking, equivalent to \u201cFarewell\u201d or \u201cGood-bye.\u201d In the days\nof chivalry, a plant, whose identity has not been ascertained, was\ncalled \u201c_Souveigne vous de moy_,\u201d and was woven into collars. In 1465,\none of these collars was the prize at a famous joust, fought between\nLord Scales, brother to Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV., and a\nFrench knight of Burgundy. Certain German botanists, as far back as the\nsixteenth century, seem, however, to have given the name Forget-me-not\nto the _Myosotis palustris_; and this name has become inseparably\nconnected with the flower, borne on the wings of the following poetic\nlegend:--A knight and his lady-love, who were on the eve of being\nunited, whilst strolling on the bank of the blue Danube, saw a spray\nof these pretty flowers floating on the waters, which seemed ready\nto carry it away. The affianced bride admired the delicate beauty of\nthe blossoms, and regretted their fatal destiny. At this hint, the\nlover did not hesitate to plunge into the stream. He soon secured the\nflowers, but the current was too strong for him, and as it bore him\npast his despairing mistress, he flung the fatal flowers on the bank,\nexclaiming, as he was swept to his doom, \u201c_Vergiss mich nicht!_\u201d\n\n  \u201cAnd the lady fair of the knight so true,\n    Aye remembered his hapless lot;\n  And she cherished the flower of brilliant hue,\n  And braided her hair with the blossoms blue,\n    And she called it Forget-me-not.\u201d\n\nAccording to Grimm, the original Forget-me-not was a certain\nLuck-flower, concerning which there is a favourite legend in Germany\n(see KEY-FLOWER). And there is another traditional origin of the\nflower, which for antiquity should have the precedence of all others.\nAccording to this version, Adam, when he named the plants in Paradise,\ncautioned them not to forget what he called them. One little flower,\nhowever, was heedless, and forgot its name. Ashamed of its inattention\nand forgetfulness, the flower asked the father of men, \u201cBy what name\ndost thou call me?\u201d \u201cForget-me-not,\u201d was the reply; and ever since\nthat humble flower has drooped its head in shame and ignominy.----A\nfourth origin of the name \u201cForget-me-not\u201d is given by Miss Strickland\nin her work on the Queens of England. Writing of Henry of Lancaster\n(afterwards Henry IV.), she says:--\u201cThis royal adventurer, the banished\nand aspiring Lancaster, appears to have been the person who gave to the\n_Myosotis_ its emblematical and poetical meaning, by writing it, at the\nperiod of his exile, on his collar of S.S., with the initial letter of\nhis _mot_ or watchword, _Souveigne vous de moy_, thus rendering it the\nsymbol of remembrance.\u201d It was with his hostess, at the time wife of\nthe Duke of Bretagne, that Henry exchanged this token of goodwill and\nremembrance.----The Italians call the _Myosotis, Nontiscordar di me_,\nand in one of their ballads represent the flower as the embodiment of\nthe spirit of a young girl who was drowned, and transformed into the\n_Myosotis_ growing by the river\u2019s banks.----The ancient English name\nof the _Myosotis palustris_ was Mouse-Ear-Scorpion-Grass; \u201cMouse-Ear\u201d\ndescribing the oval leaves, and \u201cScorpion\u201d the curve of the one-sided\nraceme, like a scorpion\u2019s tail.----According to some investigators,\nthe Forget-me-not is the Sun-flower of the classics--the flower into\nwhich poor Clytie was metamorphosed--the pale blossom which, says\nOvid, held firmly by the root, still turns to the sun she loves.\nC\u00e6salpinus called it _Heliotropium_, and Gerarde figured it as such.\n(See HELIOTROPE).----The Germans are fond of planting the Forget-me-not\nupon their graves, probably on account of its name; for the beauty of\nthe flower is lost if taken far from the water.----It is said that\nafter the battle of Waterloo, an immense quantity of Forget-me-nots\nsprung up upon different parts of that sanguinary field, the soil of\nwhich had been enriched by the blood of heroes.----A writer in \u2018All\nthe Year Round\u2019 remarks, that possibly the story of the origin of the\nForget-me-not\u2019s sentimental designation may have been in the mind of\nthe Princess Marie of Baden, that Winter day, when, strolling along\nthe banks of the Rhine with her cousin, Louis Napoleon, she inveighed\nagainst the degeneracy of modern gallants, vowing they were incapable\nof emulating the devotion to beauty that characterised the cavaliers\nof olden times. As they lingered on the causeway-dykes, where the\nNeckar joins the Rhine, a sudden gust of wind carried away a flower\nfrom the hair of the princess, and sent it into the rushing waters.\n\u201cThere!\u201d she exclaimed, \u201cthat would be an opportunity for a cavalier\nof the olden days to show his devotion.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s a challenge, cousin,\u201d\nretorted Louis Napoleon, and in a second he was battling with the rough\nwaters. He disappeared and reappeared to disappear and reappear again\nand again, but at length reached the shore safe and sound with his\ncousin\u2019s flower in his hand. \u201cTake it, Marie,\u201d said he, as he shook\nhimself; \u201cbut never again talk to me of your cavalier of the olden\ntime.\u201d\n\n=FOXGLOVE.=--The name of _Digitalis_ (from _digitale_, a thimble or\nfinger-stall) was given to the Foxglove in 1542, by Fuchs, who remarks\nthat hitherto the flower had remained unnamed by the Greeks and Romans.\nOur forefathers sometimes called it the Finger-flower, the Germans\nnamed it _Fingerhut_, and the French _Gantel\u00e9e_--names all bestowed on\naccount of the form of the flower, regarding which Cowley fancifully\nwrote--\n\n  \u201cThe Foxglove on fair Flora\u2019s hand is worn,\n  Lest while she gather flowers, she meet a thorn.\u201d\n\nThe French also term the Foxglove _Gants de Notre Dame_ and _Doigts de\nla Vierge_. Various explanations have been given as to the apparently\ninappropriate English name of Foxglove, which is, however, derived from\nthe Anglo-Saxon _Foxes-glof_; and was presumably applied to the flower\nfrom some bygone connection it had with the fox, and its resemblance to\na glove-finger. Dr. Prior\u2019s explanation is worth quoting, however, if\nonly for its ingenuity. He says: \u201cIts Norwegian names, _Rev-bielde_,\nFox-bell, and _Reveleika_, Fox-Music, are the only foreign ones that\nallude to that animal; and they explain our own, as having been, in the\nfirst place, _foxes-glew_, or music (Anglo-Saxon _gliew_), in reference\nto a favourite instrument of earlier times, a ring of bells hung on an\narched support--a tintinnabulum--which this plant, with its hanging\nbell-shaped flowers, so exactly represents.\u201d----The Foxglove is the\nspecial fairy flower: in its spotted bells the \u201cgood folk\u201d delight to\nnestle. It is called in Ireland, Lusmore, or the Great Herb, and also\nFairy-cap--a retreat in which the merry little elves are said to hide\nthemselves when a human foot approaches to disturb their dances. The\nbending of the plant\u2019s tall stalks is believed to denote the presence\nof supernatural beings, to whom the flower is making its obeisance. In\nthe Irish legend of Knockgrafton, the hero, a poor hunchback, reputed\nto have a great knowledge of herbs and charms, always wears a sprig\nof the Fairy-cap, or Lusmore, in his little straw hat, and hence is\nnicknamed Lusmore. The Shefro, or gregarious fairy, is represented as\nwearing the corolla of the Foxglove on his head. Browne describes Pan\nas seeking these flowers as gloves for his mistress:--\n\n  \u201cTo keep her slender fingers from the sunne,\n  Pan through the pastures oftentimes hath runne,\n  To pluck the speckled Foxgloves from their stem,\n  And on those fingers neatly placed them.\u201d\n\nIn Wales, the bells of the Foxglove are termed _Menyg Ellyllon_,\nor goblins\u2019 gloves. No doubt on account of its connection with the\nfairies, its name has been fancifully thought to have originally been\nthe Fairy Folks\u2019 Glove. The witches are popularly supposed to have\nheld the Foxglove in high favour, and to have decorated their fingers\nwith its largest bells, thence called \u201cWitches\u2019 Bells.\u201d----Beautiful\nas it is, the _Digitalis_ is a dangerous plant; no animal will touch\nit, and it exercises a singular influence over mankind: it impedes\nthe circulation of the blood. We read in \u2018Time\u2019s Telescope\u2019 for 1822,\nthat the women of the poorer class in Derbyshire indulged in copious\ndraughts of Foxglove-tea, as a cheap means of obtaining the pleasures\nof intoxication. It produces a great exhilaration of spirits, and has\nsome singular effects on the system.----Robert Turner tells us that\nthe Foxglove is under Venus, and that, in Hampshire, it is \u201cvery well\nknown by the name of Poppers, because if you hold the broad end of\nthe flower close between your finger and thumb, and blow at the small\nhead, as into a bladder, till it be full of wind, and then suddenly\nstrike it with your other hand, it will give a great crack or pop.\u201d The\nItalians call the plant _Aralda_, and have this proverb concerning it:\n\u201c_Aralda tutte piaghe salda_\u201d--\u201cAralda salveth all sores.\u201d Although\ncontaining a poison, the Foxglove yields a medicine valuable in cases\nof heart-disease, inflammatory fevers, dropsy, &c.\n\n  \u201cThe Foxglove leaves, with caution given,\n  Another proof of favouring Heaven\n      Will happily display.\u201d\n\n=FRANGIPANNI.=--The _Plumieria acuminata_, or Frangipanni plant,\nbears immense clusters of waxy flowers which exhale a most delicious\nodour: these flowers are white, with a yellow centre, and are flushed\nwith purple behind. The plant is common throughout Malaya, where Mr.\nBurbidge says it is esteemed by the natives as a suitable decoration\nfor the graves of their friends. Its Malay name, _Bunga orang sudah\nmati_, is eminently suggestive of the funereal use to which it is\nput, and means literally \u201cDead Man\u2019s Flower.\u201d----Frangipanni powder\n(spices, Orris-roots, and Musk or Civet) was compounded by one of the\nRoman nobles, named Frangipanni, an alchymist of some repute, who\ninvented a stomachic, which he named Rosolis, _ros-solis_, sun-dew. The\nFrangipanni tart was the invention of the same noble.\n\n=FRANKINCENSE.=--Leucothea, the daughter of the Persian king Orchamus,\nattracted the notice of Apollo, who, to woo her, assumed the form\nand features of her mother. Unable to withstand the god\u2019s \u201cimpetuous\nstorm,\u201d Leucothea indulged his love; but Clytia, maddened with\njealousy, discovered the intrigue to Orchamus, who, to avenge his\nstained honour, immured his daughter alive. Apollo, unable to save\nher from death, sprinkled nectar and ambrosia over her grave, which,\npenetrating to the lifeless body, changed it into the beautiful\ntree that bears the Frankincense. Ovid thus describes the nymph\u2019s\ntransformation:--\n\n  \u201cWhat Ph\u0153bus could do was by Ph\u0153bus done.\n  Full on her grave with pointed beams he shone.\n  To pointed beams the gaping earth gave way;\n  Had the nymph eyes, her eyes had seen the day;\n  But lifeless now, yet lovely, still she lay.\n  Not more the god wept when the world was fired,\n  And in the wreck his blooming boy expired;\n  The vital flame he strives to light again,\n  And warm the frozen blood in every vein.\n  But since resistless fates denied that power,\n  On the cold nymph he rained a nectar shower.\n  Ah! undeserving thus, he said, to die,\n  Yet still in odours thou shalt reach the sky.\n          The body soon dissolved, and all around\n  Perfumed with heavenly fragrances the ground.\n  A sacrifice for gods uprose from thence--\n  A sweet, delightful tree of Frankincense.\u201d--_Eusden._\n\nThe tree which thus sprang from poor Leucothea\u2019s remains was a\ndescription of Terebinth, now called _Boswellia thurifera_, which\nis principally found in Yemen, a part of Arabia. Frankincense is\nan exudation from this tree, and Pliny tells some marvellous tales\nrespecting its mode of collection, and the difficulties in obtaining\nit. Frankincense was one of the ingredients with which Moses was\ninstructed to compound the holy incense (Exodus xxx.). The Egyptians\nmade great use of it as a principal ingredient in the perfumes which\nthey so lavishly consumed for religious rites and funeral honours.\nAs an oblation, it was burned on the altars by the priests of Isis,\nOsiris, and Pasht. At the festivals of Isis an ox was sacrificed filled\nwith Frankincense, Myrrh, and other aromatics. On all the altars\nerected to the Assyrian gods Baal, Astarte, and Dagon, incense and\naromatic gums were burnt in profusion; and we learn from Herodotus that\nthe Arabians alone had to furnish a yearly tribute of one thousand\ntalents of Frankincense.---Ovid recommends Frankincense as an excellent\ncosmetic, and says that if it is agreeable to gods, it is no less\nuseful to mortals.----Rapin writes that \u201cPhrygian Frankincense is held\ndivine.\u201d\n\n  \u201cIn sacred services alone consumed,\n  And every Temple\u2019s with the smoke perfumed.\u201d\n\nDr. Birdwood states that there are many varieties of the\nFrankincense-tree, yielding different qualities of the \u201club\u00e2n\u201d or milky\ngum which, from time immemorial, has sent up the smoke of sacrifice\nfrom high places.----Distinct records have been found of the traffic\ncarried on between Egypt and Arabia in the seventeenth century B.C. In\nthe paintings at Dayr al B\u00e1hri, in Upper Egypt, are representations\nboth of bags of Olibanum and of Olibanum-trees in tubs, being conveyed\nby ships from Arabia to Egypt; and among the inscriptions deciphered\nby Professor D\u00fcmichen are many describing shipments of precious\nwoods, incense, and \u201cverdant incense trees brought among the precious\nthings from the land of Arabia for the majesty of their god Ammon, the\nlord of the terrestrial thrones.\u201d----The Philistines reverently burnt\nFrankincense before the fish-god Dagon. In ancient days it was accepted\nas tribute. Darius, for instance, received from the Arabians an annual\ntribute of one thousand talents of Frankincense.----When the Magi, or\nwise men of the East, following the guidance of the miraculous star,\nreached Bethlehem and paid their homage to the infant Saviour, they\nmade an offering of gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, by which symbolical\noblation they acknowledged Him as King (gold), God (incense), and Man\n(Myrrh).----The Roman Catholic and Greek churches, especially the\nchurches of South America, consume an immense quantity of Olibanum, as\ndo the Chinese in their joss-houses.\n\n=FRAXINELLA.=--The Fraxinella (_Dictamnus_) is deemed a most sacred\nplant by the fire-worshippers of India, and is highly reverenced\nby them on account of its singular powers of luminosity. The plant\nis covered with minute glands which excrete volatile oil: this\nis continually evaporating from its surface, and forms a highly\ninflammable atmosphere round the plant. If a light be brought near it,\nthe plant is enveloped by a transient flame, but without sustaining any\ninjury. When gently rubbed, the plant emits a delicious scent, like\nlemon-peel.\n\nFRIAR\u2019S CAP.--See Monkshood.\n\n=FRITILLARY.=--The origin of the _Fritillaria_, or Crown Imperial, is\ngiven by Rapin in the following lines:--\n\n      \u201cThen her gay gilded front th\u2019 Imperial Crown\n  Erects aloft, and with a scornful frown\n  O\u2019erlooks the subject plants, while humbly they\n  Wait round, and homage to her highness pay;\n  High on the summit of her stem arise\n  Leaves in a verdant tuft of largest size;\n  Below this tuft the gilded blossoms bent,\n  Like golden cups reversed, are downwards sent;\n  But in one view collected they compose\n  A crown-like form, from whence her name arose.\n  No flower aspires in pomp and state more high,\n  Nor, could her odour with her beauty vie,\n  Would lay a juster claim to majesty.\n  A _Queen_ she was whom ill report belied,\n  And a rash husband\u2019s jealousy destroyed;\n  Driv\u2019n from his bed and court the fields she ranged,\n  Till spent with grief was to a blossom changed,\n  Yet only changed as to her human frame:\n  She kept th\u2019 Imperial beauty and the name;\n  But the report destroyed her former sweets:\n  Scandal, though false, the fair thus rudely treats,\n  And always the most fair with most injustice meets.\u201d\n\nThis flower is a native of Persia, and was for some time known as\n_Lilium Persicum_. According to Madame de Genlis, it derived its\nmajestic name of Crown Imperial from the celebrated _Guirlande de\nJulie_. The Duke de Montausier, on New Year\u2019s Day, 1634, presented his\nbride, Julie de Rambouillet, with a magnificent album, on the vellum\nleaves of which were painted a series of flowers, with appropriate\nverses. The principal poem was by Chapelain, who chose this Persian\nLily as his theme, and, knowing the bride to be a great admirer of\nGustavus Adolphus, represented in his verses that the flower sprang\nfrom the life-blood of the Swedish King when he fell mortally wounded\non the field of L\u00fctzen; adding that had this hero gained the imperial\ncrown, he would have offered it with his hand to Julie, but as the\nFates had metamorphosed him into this flower, it was presented to her\nunder the name of _La Couronne Imp\u00e9riale_. In later days the flower\nreceived the name of _Fritillaria_ (from _Fritillus_, a dice box,\nthe usual companion of the chequer-board), because its blossoms are\nchequered with purple and white or yellow.\n\n=FUMITORY.=--This plant, which Shakspeare alludes to as Fumiter,\nderived its name from the French _Fume-terre_, and Latin _Fumus terr\u00e6_,\nearth-smoke. It was so named from a belief, very generally held in\nolden times, that it was produced without seed from smoke or vapour\nrising from the earth. Pliny (who calls it _Fumaria_) states that\nthe plant took its name from causing the eyes to water when applied\nto them, as smoke does; but another opinion is that it was so called\nbecause a bed of the common kind, when in flower, appears at a distance\nlike a dense smoke. Rapin has these lines on the plant:--\n\n  \u201cWith the first Spring the soft Fumaria shows\n  On stern Bavaria\u2019s rocks her sev\u2019ral hues;\n  But by report is struck by certain fate,\n  When dreadful thunders echo from their height;\n  And with the lightning\u2019s sulph\u2019rous fumes opprest,\n  Her drooping beauties languish on her breast.\u201d\n\nDioscorides says that the juice dropped into the eyes clears the sight,\nand also that the juice, having a little gum Arabic dissolved therein,\nand applied to the eyelids when the hairs have been pulled out, will\nkeep them from growing again.----According to astrologers, Fumitory is\na herb of Saturn.\n\n=GANG FLOWER.=--The Milk-wort, _Flos Ambarvalis_, Cross-, Procession-,\nGang-, or Rogation-Flower (_Polygala vulgaris_), was so called from its\nblossoming in Gang-week or Rogation-week, when processions were made in\nimitation of the ancient Roman Ambarvalia (see CORN), to perambulate\nthe parishes with the Holy Cross and Litanies, to mark boundaries,\nand to invoke God\u2019s blessing upon the crops; upon which occasions\nGerarde tells us \u201cthe maidens which use in the countries to walke the\nprocession do make themselves garlands and nosegaies\u201d of the Milk-wort,\nwhich the old herbalist likewise informs us is so called on account of\nits \u201cvertues in procuring milke in the breasts of nurses.\u201d\n\n=GARLIC.=--The tapering-leaved Garlic (_Allium sativum_) derives its\nname from two Anglo-Saxon words, meaning the Spear-plant. The Egyptians\nso appreciated Garlic, that they were accustomed to swear by it, and\neven to worship it. Referring to this, Juvenal satirically remarks:\n\u201cEach clove of Garlic hath a sacred flower.\u201d Nevertheless, no Egyptian\npriest was permitted to eat Garlic. The Israelites, who had learnt in\nEgypt to prize this vegetable, murmured at being deprived of its use,\nand expressed their preference of it to Manna itself.----In Asia Minor,\nGreece, Scandinavia, and Northern Germany, Garlic is popularly believed\nto possess magical properties of a beneficent nature. According to the\n\u2018Lay of Sigurdr\u00eefa,\u2019 protection from witchcraft may be ensured by the\naddition of Garlic to a beverage. The Sanscrit name for Garlic means\nthe Slayer of Monsters. Galen relates that it was considered inimical\nto all cold poisons, and to the bites of venomous beasts. Macer\nFloridus affirms that the eating of Garlic fasting ensured immunity\nfrom all ills attending change of climate or the drinking of unknown\nwater. The roots, hung round the necks of blind cattle, were supposed\nto induce restoration of sight. Clusius relates that the German miners\nfound the roots very powerful in defending them from the assaults of\nimpure spirits which frequented mines.----In England, Garlic obtained\nthe name of Poor Man\u2019s Treacle, or Triacle, from its being considered\nan antidote to animal poison. Bacon tells us that, applied to the\nwrists, and renewed, Garlic was considered a cure for long agues: in\nKent, and probably in other counties, it is placed in the stockings of\na child with the whooping-cough, in order to allay the complaint.----De\nGubernatis states that the Bolognese regard Garlic as the symbol of\nabundance; at the festival of St. John, everyone buys it, to preserve\nthemselves from poverty during the year. In Sicily, they put Garlic\non the beds of women during confinement, and they make three signs of\nthe cross with it to charm away polypus. In Cuba, thirteen cloves of\nGarlic at the end of a cord worn round the neck for thirteen days,\nis considered to safeguard the wearer against the jaundice, provided\nthat, in the middle of the night of the thirteenth day, he proceeds to\nthe corner of two streets, takes off his Garlic necklet, and, flinging\nit over his head, runs instantly home without turning round to see\nwhat has become of it.----The broad-leaved Garlic was formerly called\nBuckrams, Bear\u2019s Garlic, Ramsies, and Ramsins, the last name being\nreferred to in the proverb--\n\n  \u201cEat Leekes in Lide, and Ramsins in May,\n  And all the year after physitians may play.\u201d\n\nWe read that if a man dream of eating Garlic, it signifies that he will\ndiscover hidden secrets, and meet with some domestic jar; yet to dream\nhe has it in the house is lucky.----Garlic is under the dominion of\nMars.\n\nGEAN.--See Cherry.\n\n=GENTIAN.=--The Gentian (_Gentiana_) was so called after Gentius, King\nof Illyria, who first discovered the medicinal virtues of this bitter\nplant. Gentius having imprisoned the ambassadors sent to his court by\nthe Romans, they invaded his kingdom, conquered it, and led the royal\nbotanist and his family in triumph through the streets of Rome. The old\nname of this flower was _Gentiana cruciata_, and it was also called _S.\nLadislai Regis herba_, in regard to which latter appellation, there\nis a curious legend:--During the reign of King Ladislas, the whole of\nHungary was afflicted with the plague. Compassionating his unfortunate\nsubjects who were dying by thousands, the pious king prayed that if\nhe shot an arrow into the air, the Almighty would vouchsafe to guide\nit to the root of some herb that might be employed efficaciously in\narresting the terrible plague. The king discharged an arrow, and, in\nfalling, it cleft the root of the _Cruciata_ (Gentian), which was at\nonce tried, and found to possess the most astonishing curative powers\nwhen administered to sufferers from the plague.----According to old\nRobert Turner, the herbalist, Gentian, or Felwort, \u201cresists poisons,\nputrefaction, and the pestilence, and helps digestion; the powder of\nthe dry roots helps bitings of mad dogs and venomous beasts, opens\nthe liver, and procures an appetite. Wine, wherein the herb hath been\nsteept, being drunk, refreshes such as are over-wearied by travel,\nor are lame in their joynts by cold or bad lodgings.\u201d Gerarde states\nthat it is put into counterpoisons, \u201cas into the composition named\n_Theriaca diatessaron_, which \u00c6tius calleth _Mysterium_, a mystery, or\nhid secret.\u201d Formerly the names of Baldmoney and Baldmoyne were applied\nto the Felwort or Gentian. (See BALDMONEY and FELDWODE.)----Gentian is\nunder the dominion of Mars.\n\nGERANIUM.--See Crane\u2019s Bill.\n\nGILL.--See Ivy.\n\n=GILLIFLOWER.=--The appellation of Gilliflower has been applied,\napparently as a kind of pet name, to all manner of plants. Formerly the\nword was spelt _gyllofer_ and _gilofre_, from the French _girofl\u00e9e_\nand Italian _garofalo_, words derived from the Latin _Caryophyllum_\nand Greek _Karuophullon_, a Clove, in allusion to the flower\u2019s spicy\nodour. The name was originally given by the Italians to the Carnation\nand plants of the Pink tribe, and was so used by Chaucer, Spenser,\nand Shakspeare. Afterwards both writers and gardeners bestowed the\nname on the _Matthiola_ and _Cheiranthus_. At the present time the\nword has almost fallen out of use, but in books will be found to be\napplied to the Clove Gilliflower, _Dianthus Caryophyllus_ (the true\nGilliflower); the Marsh Gilliflower, or Ragged Robin (_Lychnis flos\ncuculi_); Queen\u2019s, Rogue\u2019s, or Winter Gilliflower, the Dame\u2019s Violet\n(_Hesperis matronalis_); Stock Gilliflower (_Matthiola incana_); Wall\nGilliflower (_Cheiranthus Cheiri_); and Water Gilliflower (_Hottonia\npalustris_).----The Gilliflower is in old songs represented as one of\nthe flowers thought to grow in Paradise. Thus, in a ballad called \u2018Dead\nMen\u2019s Songs,\u2019 occurs the following verse:--\n\n  \u201cThe fields about the city faire\n    Were all with Roses set,\n  Gillyflowers and Carnations faire\n    Which canker could not fret.\u201d\n\n(See also CARNATION).\n\n=GINSENG.=--The Chinese consider the far-famed Ginseng (_Panax\nquinquefolia_) the most valuable production of nature. It is their\nspecific for all disorders of the lungs or of the stomach, curing\nasthma, strengthening the eyesight, renewing a worn-out constitution,\ndelaying the approach of old age, and acting as a counterpoison. The\nDutch naturalists thus described the Ginseng:--\u201cIts name is taken from\nits shape, because its represents a man (in Chinese _Gin_) striding\nwith his legs. It is a larger and stronger species of our Mandrake. The\ndried root is of a yellow colour, streaked round with blackish veins,\nas if drawn with ink. It yields when chewed an unpleasant sweetness,\nmixed with bitterness. The Chinese will give three pounds of gold\nfor one pound of it.\u201d To the Chinese this shrub is in some measure a\nforeign production, as it is found only in Manchoo Tartary; but it\ndoes not owe all its reputation to its distant origin; the Tartars\nalso prize it, and give it a name (_Orhota_) expressive of its quality\nas the chief of plants. They endeavour to procure it at the risk of\nlosing their lives or liberty, equally endangered by the nature of the\ncountry where it is found, and by the policy of the Chinese Government,\nwhich endeavours to monopolise this much-esteemed production. A large\nextent of country to the north-east of Pekin, covered with inaccessible\nmountains, and almost impassable forests infested with wild beasts, and\naffording no means of subsistence, is separated from the province of\nLeao Tong by a strong barrier of stakes, always carefully protected by\nguards of Chinese soldiers who seize and punish unlicensed intruders:\nthis is the native country of Ginseng, and these precautions are\nconsidered necessary to preserve the valued plant from depredation.\nThe P\u00e8re Jartoux, who was employed in the survey of Tartary by order\nof the Emperor Kam-he, describes the mode of gathering the Ginseng, as\nit was practised at that time. He had frequently met with the party\nof Tartars employed on the service, but on this occasion ten thousand\nTartars were commanded to gather all the Ginseng that could be found;\nand after deducting two ounces from the quantity gathered by each man,\nthey were allowed for the remainder its weight in pure silver. This\narmy of botanists divided themselves into companies of a hundred men,\nwith a chief to each company. The whole territory was then apportioned\nto the several divisions; each division formed a line, and, slowly\nadvancing, traversed that portion of country allotted to it; nearly six\nmonths were spent in the occupation, and the whole territory was thus\nsearched through. Of the Ginseng thus collected the root is the only\npart preserved.\n\n=GLADIOLUS.=--The Corn-flag, or Sword-flag (_Gladiolus_), has been\nthought by some to be the flower alluded to by Ovid as the blossom\nwhich sprang from the blood of Hyacinthus when he was accidentally\nslain by Apollo with a quoit--the flower which bears displayed upon\nits petals the sad impression of the Sun-god\u2019s sighs-_Ai, Ai!_ (See\nHYACINTH). The upper root of the Sword-flag was supposed by the old\nherbalists to provoke amatory passions, whilst the lower root was\nthought to cause barrenness.----The Gladiolus is a plant of the Moon.\n\n=GLASTONBURY THORN.=--In Loudon\u2019s _Arboretum Britannicum_, the\nGlastonbury Thorn is mentioned as the _Crat\u00e6gus Oxyacantha pr\u00e6cox_.\nThis variety of the Hawthorn blossoms during the Winter, and was for\nmany years believed religiously to blow on Christmas-day. The Abbey\nof Glastonbury, in Somersetshire, which is now a ruin, and of whose\norigin only vague memorials exist, was said by the monks to have been\nthe residence of Joseph of Arimathea. The high ground on which the old\nabbey was erected used in early days to be called the Isle of Avalon.\nThe Thorn-tree stood on an eminence to the south-west of the town of\nGlastonbury, where a nunnery, dedicated to St. Peter, was in after\ntimes erected. The eminence is called Weary-all Hill; and the same\nmonkish legend which accounts for the name of the hill, states also the\norigin of the Thorn. It seems that when Joseph of Arimathea, to whom\nthe original conversion of this country is attributed, arrived at this\nspot with his companions, they were weary with their journey, and sat\ndown. St. Joseph then stuck his stick in the ground, when, although\nit was a dry Hawthorn staff, it took root and grew, and thenceforth\ncommemorated the birth of Christ in the manner above mentioned. This\nrendered its blossoms of so much value in all Christian nations, that\nthe Bristol merchants exported them as things of price to foreign\nlands. It had two trunks or bodies until the time of Queen Elizabeth,\nwhen a Puritan cut down one of them, but left the other, which was\nabout the size of an ordinary man. This desecration of the tree brought\ncondign punishment upon the over-zealous Puritan, for, according to\nJames Howell, a writer of the period, \u201csome of the prickles flew into\nhis eye, and made him monocular.\u201d The reputation which the Glastonbury\nThorn still retained, notwithstanding the change of religion, may be\nestimated by the fact that King James and his Queen, and other persons\nof distinction, gave large sums for small cuttings from the original\ntree. Until the time of Charles I., it was customary to carry a branch\nof the Thorn in procession at Christmas time; but during the civil war,\nin that reign, what remained of the tree was cut down; plants from its\nbranches are, however, still in existence, for a vintner of the place\nsecured a slip, and planted it in his garden, where it duly flowered\non the 25th December. When the new style was introduced in 1752, the\nalteration (which consisted of omitting eleven days) seems to have been\nvery generally disliked by the mass of the people. The use which was\nmade of the Glastonbury Thorn to prove the impropriety of the change is\nnot a little curious. The alteration in the Christmas Day, which was\nheld that year and since on a day which would have been January 5th,\nwas particularly obnoxious, not only as disturbing old associations,\nbut as making an arbitrary change from what was considered the true\nanniversary of the birth of Christ. In several places, where real or\nsupposed slips from the Glastonbury Thorn existed, the testimony of the\nplant against the change was anxiously sought on the first Christmas\nDay under the new style. As the special distinction of the Thorn arose\nfrom its supposed connection with the great event commemorated on that\nday, it was argued that it must indicate the true anniversary, and that\nits evidence would be conclusive on the subject. The event of one of\nthese references (at Quainton, in Buckinghamshire) is thus recorded in\nthe \u2018Gentleman\u2019s Magazine\u2019 for 1753:--\u201cAbove 2000 people came here this\nnight (December 24th, 1752, N.S., being the first Christmas Eve under\nthe new calendar), with lanthorns and candles, to view a Thorn-tree\nwhich grows in this neighbourhood, and which was remembered (this year\nonly) to be a slip from the Glastonbury Thorn; that it always budded\non the 24th, was full-blown the next day, and went off at night. But\nthe people, finding no appearance of a bud, it was agreed that December\n25th n.s. could not be the right Christmas Day, and accordingly they\nrefused going to Church, or treating their friends as usual. At length\nthe affair became so serious, that the ministers of the neighbouring\nvillages, in order to appease the people, thought it prudent to give\nnotice that the old Christmas Day should be kept holy as usual.\u201d The\nslips of the Thorn seem to have been everywhere unanimous in this\nopposition to the new style. There still exist at Glastonbury, within\nthe precincts of the ruins of the Abbey, two distinct trees, which,\ndoubtless, sprang from the Thorn of Joseph of Arimathea, and which\ncontinue to blossom during the winter months.\n\n=GLOBE FLOWER.=--The botanical name of the Globe Flower, _Trollius\nEurop\u00e6us_, is supposed to be of Scandinavian origin, and to signify\na magic flower. The plant is also called Globe Ranunculus and Globe\nCrow-foot, from the globular form of its calyx. The flower was formerly\nknown as the Troll-flower, and in Scotland as the Luckan Gowan (Cabbage\nDaisy). Its name of Troll was probably derived from the Swedish word\n_troll_, a malignant supernatural being,--a name corresponding to the\nScotch Witches\u2019 Gowan, and given to the _Trollius_ on account of its\nacrid poisonous qualities. It is a common flower on the Alps, and has\nbeen employed from time immemorial by the Swiss peasantry to make\ngarlands of on rural festive celebrations. In the northern counties\nof England, at the beginning of June, the Globe-flower is sought with\ngreat festivity by the young people, who adorn their doors and cottages\nwith wreaths and garlands composed of its blossoms.\n\n=GOAT\u2019S BEARD.=--The yellow Goat\u2019s Beard (_Tragopogon pratensis_) is\none of the best floral indices of the hour of the day, for it opens at\nsunrise and closes at noon.\n\n  \u201cAnd goodly now the noon-tide hour,\n  When from his high meridian tower\n  The sun looks down in majesty,\n  What time about the grassy lea\n  The Goat\u2019s Beard, prompt his rise to hail\n  With broad expanded disk, in veil\n  Close mantling wraps its yellow head,\n  And goes, as peasants say, to bed.\u201d--_Bp. Mant._\n\nOther names of this plant are Noon-day Flower, Go-to-bed-at-noon, Star\nof Jerusalem, and Joseph\u2019s Flower. No satisfactory explanation has ever\nbeen given with respect to the last two names, nor is it known whether\nthe Joseph referred to is the son of Jacob, the Virgin Mary\u2019s husband,\nor Joseph of Arimathea.\n\n=GOLDEN ROD.=--The tall straight-stemmed Golden Rod (_Solidago virga\naurea_) was formerly called Wound-weed, and on account of its healing\npowers received its scientific name _solidago_, from \u201c_in solidum ago\nvulnera_,\u201d \u201cI consolidate wounds.\u201d It was brought from abroad in a\ndried state, and sold in the London markets by the herb-women of Queen\nElizabeth\u2019s days, and Gerarde tells us that it fetched half-a-crown\nan ounce. About that time, however, it was found in Hampstead ponds,\nand when it was seen to be a native plant, it became valueless and was\ndiscarded from use; which, says Gerarde, \u201cplainely setteth forth our\ninconstancie and sudden mutabilitie, esteeming no longer of anything,\nhow pretious soever it be, than whilest it is strange and rare. This\nverifieth our English proverbe, \u2018Far fetcht and deare bought is best\nfor ladies.\u2019\u201d----According to tradition, the Golden Rod is also a\ndivining-rod, and points to hidden springs of water as well as to\ntreasures of gold and silver.----Astrologers say that Golden Rod is a\nplant of Venus.\n\nGOLD CUP and GOLD KNOBS.--See Ranunculus.\n\nGOLD, GOLDING, and GOWAN.--See Marigold.\n\n=GOLDILOCKS.=--This name is applied to _Ranunculus auricomus_,\n_Chrysocoma Linosyris_, _Amaranthus luteus_ (Golden Flower Gentle),\nand, by Gerarde, to _Muscus capillaris_ (Golden Maidenhair Moss).\n_Camelina sativa_ is the Gold of Pleasure.\n\n=GOLUBETZ.=--There is a popular belief in Russia, that anyone drinking\na draught of water in which this plant of the marshes has been steeped,\nwill be exempt from attacks by bears.\n\n=GOOD HENRY.=--The Allgood, English Mercury, Good Henry, or Good King\nHarry (_Chenopodium Bonus Henricus_) seems to have been given its name\nof Good Henry to distinguish it from a poisonous plant called _Malus\nHenricus_. Grimm explains that the name Henry has reference in this\ncase to elves and kobolds, which were called Heinz and Heinrich.\n\n=GOOL-ACHIN.=--The _Plumeria acutifolia_, a tree of American origin,\nis called by the Hindus Gool-achin, and is esteemed sacred by them. It\nis commonly planted in Indian gardens, and particularly in cemeteries,\nbecause it keeps the graves of the departed white with its daily fall\nof fragrant flowers. The branches are stout, and, when wounded, exude a\nmilky juice, which is prized.\n\n=GOOSEBERRY.=--The homely Gooseberry, which derives its name from the\nAnglo-Saxon _cr\u00f3s_, a curl (German _kraus_, and old Dutch _kroes_), is\nan old inhabitant of England, for Tusser, who lived in the reign of\nHenry VIII., wrote of it--\n\n  \u201cThe Barberry, Respis, and Gooseberry, too,\n  Look now to be planted as other things do.\u201d\n\nIt was formerly called Feaberry, Dewberry and Wineberry.----An\nold-fashioned remedy for a wart consisted in pricking it with a sharp\nGooseberry-thorn passed through a wedding-ring.----To dream of ripe\nGooseberries is considered as a favourable omen. It predicts a fortune,\na lucrative post under Government, great fidelity in your sweetheart,\nsweetness of temper and disposition, many children (chiefly sons),\nand the accomplishment of your aims. To the sailor, to dream of\nGooseberries, indicates dangers in his next voyage; to the maiden, a\nroving husband.----The Gooseberry is placed by astrologers under the\nrule of Venus.\n\n=GRAPES.=--The product of the Vine was the especial fruit of the god\nBacchus, who is sometimes represented like an infant, holding a thyrsus\nand clusters of grapes with a horn. In the Catholic Church, Grapes and\nCorn are symbolic of the Blessed Eucharist. According to Brocard, the\nfinest Grapes are those grown in the vales of Eshcol and Sorek. The\nword _sorek_ signifies \u201cfine Grapes.\u201d Clusters of Grapes have been\nfound in Syria, weighing as much as forty pounds, worthy successors of\nthe cluster taken by the Israelitish spies from Eshcol, which \u201cthey\nbare between two upon a staff.\u201d----In some countries, the Grape is\nbelieved to have been the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in\nthe Garden of Eden.----To dream of Grapes foretells to the maiden that\nher husband will be cheerful, and a great songster. If the dreamer\nbe in love, they augur a speedy union, and denote much happiness in\nmarriage and success in trade. According to another authority, to\ndream that you see clusters of Grapes hanging round about you predicts\nfuture advancement and honour. To the maid it implies marriage with an\nambitious man, who will arrive at great preferment, but die early.\n\n=GORSE.=--The Whin Gorse, or Furze (_Ulex_)--\u201cthe never-bloomless\nFurze\u201d--caused Dillenius the greatest delight, and is said to have\nso affected Linn\u00e6us, when he first came to England and saw a common\ncovered with its golden blossoms, that he fell down on his knees in a\nrapture at the sight, and thanked God for its loveliness. He attempted\nin vain to introduce it into Sweden; but although hardy enough in\nEngland, yet it would not grow even in the garden in which Linn\u00e6us\nplanted it.----The old English names for this shrub were Fursbush,\nFurrs, Whins, and Goss.----Gorse is held to be under the dominion of\nMars.\n\n=GORY-DEW.=--A minute Alga bears the name of Gory-dew from its\nresemblance to blood-drops. During the Middle Ages, it caused much\ndismay by appearing like a sudden shower of blood, and it was thought\nto portend battle, murder, and sudden death.\n\n=GRASS.=--In India, several kinds of Grass, such as the _Kusa_, a\nspecies of _Andropogon_, and _Eragrostis_, are held sacred by the\nHindus, and employed in their temples.----In Prussia, the northern Holy\nGrass (_Holcus odoratus_) is used for strewing the floors of churches\nat Whitsuntide. In some parts of Germany, Holy Grass (_Hierochloe\nborealis_) is strewn before church doors on holidays.----Wheat would\nappear to be only the cultivated form of the _\u00c6gilops_, a Grass\ninfesting Barley-fields on the shores of the Mediterranean. Grip-grass\n(_Galium Aparine_) is so called from its gripping or seizing with its\nhooked prickles whatever comes in its way. The _Potentilla reptans_\nis called Five-Finger Grass, on account of its five leaflets. The\nonly poisonous Grass (Darnel) is supposed to be the Tares of the\nScriptures: Linn\u00e6us says of this Grass (_Lolium temulentum_) that if\nthe seeds are baked in bread it is very hurtful, and if malted with\nBarley it produces giddinness.----In Norfolk, coarse marshy Grass is\ncalled Hassock, hence the application of this name to church hassocks,\nwhich are often made of a large Sedge, the _Carex paniculata_.----In\nconnection with Tussack-grass (_Aira c\u00e6spitosa_), Mr. Sikes relates\nthe following tradition current in Wales:--The son of a farmer at Drws\nCoed was permitted to marry a fairy-wife on condition that she should\nnever be touched by iron. They had several children, and lived happily\nenough until one unfortunate day her horse sank in the deep mire, and\nas her husband was helping her to remount, his stirrup struck her\nknee. At once sweet singing was heard on the hill top, and she was\nparted from him; but, though no longer allowed to walk the earth with\nman, she used to haunt the turf lake (Llyn y dywarchen). This lake\nhas moving islands of Tussack-grass, like Derwentwater, so on one of\nthese islands she used to stand for hours and hold converse with her\nbereaved husband.----\u201cFairy Rings\u201d is the popular name for the circles\nof dark-green Grass occasionally seen on grassy downs and old pastures,\nround which, according to popular belief, the\n\n  \u201cElfe-queen, with her jolly compagnie,\n  Danced full oft in many a grene mede.\u201d\n\nOn this dark Grass rustic superstition avers that no sheep or lamb will\nbrowse. Disregarding the poetical charm which lingers around the fairy\nsuperstition, and oblivious of the poet\u2019s asseveration that--\n\n  \u201cOf old the merry elves were seen\n  Pacing with printless feet the dewy green,\u201d\n\nsome naturalists have ascribed the phenomenon of these rings to\nlightning; others to the work of ants; and others, again, to the growth\nof a small esculent Fungus called _Agaricus Orcades_. However, Edmund\nJones, a celebrated preacher, of Monmouth, who in 1813 wrote a book on\napparitions, declares that in St. Matthew xii., 43, is to be found an\nauthority for the popular belief. He says, \u201cThe fairy rings are found\nin dry places, and the Scripture saith that the walk of evil spirits is\nin dry places.\u201d----In Sussex, elves and fairies are sometimes called\n\u201cPharisees\u201d by the country folk, and in Tarberry Hill, on Harting, are\nPharisees\u2019 rings, where the simple people say the Pharisees dance on\nMidsummer Eve.----To dream of Grass is a good omen; if the Grass be\nfresh and green, the dream portends long life, good luck, and great\nwealth; but if withered and decayed, misfortunes and sickness may be\nexpected, if not the death of loved ones. To dream of cutting Grass\nbetokens great troubles.\n\n=GROUNDHEELE.=--This plant, known in Germany as _Grundheil_, and in\nFrance as _Herbe aux Ladres_, is identified by Doctor Prior with\n_Veronica officinalis_, which he says was so called from its having\ncured a king of France of a leprosy, from which he had suffered some\neight years--a disease, called in Germany, _grind_. Quoting from\nBrunschwygk, our author tells us that a shepherd had seen a stag, whose\nhind quarter was covered with a scabby eruption from the bite of a\nwolf, cure itself by eating of this plant, and rolling itself upon it;\nand that thereupon he recommended the king to try it.\n\nGROUND-IVY.--See Ivy.\n\n=GROUNDSEL.=--The _Senecio vulgaris_ is called, in Scotland, Grundy\nSwallow, a term derived from the Anglo-Saxon word _grundswelge_, ground\nglutton, and of which Groundsel is evidently a corruption. _Senecio\nSaracenicus_ is said to have been used by the Saracens in the cure\nof wounds. Common Groundsel has the power of softening water if it\nbe poured while boiling on the plant. The Highland women often wear\na piece of its root as an amulet to guard them from the Evil Eye. A\nbunch of Groundsel worn on the bare bosom was formerly reputed to be an\nefficacious charm against the ague. Pliny prescribes Groundsel for the\ntoothache. A root must be pulled up, and a portion of it cut off with\na sharp razor; then the Groundsel must be immediately replanted, and\nthe excised portion applied three or four times to the ailing tooth.\nA cure is probable, says Pliny, provided the mutilated and replanted\nGroundsel should thrive: if otherwise, the tooth will ache more than\never. In Cornwall, if Groundsel is to be used as an emetic, they strip\nit upwards; if for a cathartic, downwards.----Groundsel is a herb of\nVenus.\n\n=GUABANA.=--The Guabana or Guarabana, which is presumed to be the wild\nPine Apple, _Ananas sativus_, first became known to Europeans in Peru\nsome three centuries ago. In the _Mythologie des Plantes_, we read that\nthe dead were, according to a ghastly popular tradition, believed to\nrise and eat the Guabana fruit every night. This fruit of the dead is\ndescribed as tender and sweet as a Melon, of the shape of a Pine-apple,\nand of a splendid appearance.\n\n=GUELDER ROSE.=--The _Viburnum Opulus_ has been called the\nSnowball-tree, but is more generally known as the Guelder Rose, from\nits Rose-like balls of white blossom. The shrub is a variety of the\nWater Elder, introduced from Gueldres. In England, its flowers are\ndedicated to Whitsuntide.\n\n=H\u00c6MANTHUS.=--The _H\u00e6manthus_, or Blood-flower, is a native of Brazil,\nwhere _H. multiflorus_ is the Imperial Flower--the especial flower and\nblazon of the Emperor.\n\n=HAG-TAPER.=--The _Verbascum Thapsus_ was called Hedge-taper,\nHigh-taper, or Hig-taper, because it was used as a torch on funeral and\nother occasions. These names became corrupted into Hag-taper during\nthe period when the belief in witchcraft existed, from a notion that\nwitches employed the plant in working their spells. Probably this\nsuperstition was derived from the ancients, for we read in Gerarde\u2019s\n\u2018Herbal\u2019--\u201cApuleius reporteth a tale of Ulysses, Mercurie, and the\ninchauntresse Circe using these herbes in their incantations and\nwitchcrafts.\u201d (See MULLEIN).\n\n=HALLELUJAH.=--The Wood-Sorrel (_Oxalis Acetosella_) bears the name of\nHallelujah, not only in England, but in Germany, France, Spain, and\nItaly, because it blossoms between Easter and Whitsuntide--the season\nat which those Psalms are sung which end with that pious ejaculation,\nviz., the 113th to the 117th inclusive.\n\n=HAREBELL.=--Gerarde, in his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 Parkinson, in his \u2018_Paradisus_,\u2019\nand other old herbalists, term the _Hyacinthus non scriptus_, or\nEnglish Jacinth, the Hare-bell or Hare\u2019s-bell. This is probably the\n\u201cazure Harebell\u201d alluded to by Shakspeare, and is the flower referred\nto by Browne, in his \u2018Pastorals,\u2019 as only to be worn by faithful\nlovers:--\n\n  \u201cThe Harebell, for her stainless azured hue,\n  Claims to be worn of none but who are true.\u201d\n\nThe nodding Blue-bell of the heath-land (_Campanula rotundifolia_),\nhowever, is the Hare-bell of modern poets; but both plants are called\nby that name in different parts of England. The original word is said\nto have been either Air-bell or Hair-bell, appellations which might\nmost appropriately be applied to the graceful and airy Campanulas,\nwhose slender stems have sufficient elasticity to rise again when\nlightly trodden under foot. In some English counties the flower is\nfamiliarly called Witches\u2019 Thimble. In France, a little white Hare-bell\nis common in the meadows, and from its modest and chaste appearance is\ncalled the Nun of the Fields. (See BLUE-BELL and CAMPANULA).\n\nHASSOCKS.--See Grass.\n\n=HAWKWEED.=--The Hawk-weed or Hawk-bit (_Hieracium_) was a name\noriginally applied to several plants of the Dandelion and Mouse-ear\nfamilies, and in days when falconry was practised, these plants\nderived some importance from the notion entertained by the ancients\nthat with them hawks were in the habit of clearing their eyesight--a\nnotion endorsed by the later herbalists, for we find Gerarde writing\nthat hawks are reported to clear their sight by conveying the juice\nhereof into their eyes. The old tradition that the hawk feed upon\nHawkweed and led her young ones early to eat the plant, that by\nits juices they might gain acuteness of vision, was believed some\ncenturies ago not only in England but throughout Europe. The Greeks\nconsidered the Hawkweed a holy plant, inasmuch as it was dedicated to\nthe use of a bird they held sacred. One of these plants was, like the\nScabious, called the Devil\u2019s-bit, on account of its root presenting\nthe appearance of having been bitten off short; another (_Hieracium\naurantiacum_) bore the familiar name of Grim the Collier, given it\nfrom the black hairs which cover its stem and involucre. Hawkweeds\nwere considered good for strengthening the eyesight, and were deemed\nefficacious against the bites of serpents and scorpions.----The plant\nwas adjudged to be under the rule of Saturn.\n\n=HAWTHORN.=--The Hawthorn, according to ancient myths, originally\nsprang from the lightning: it has been revered as a sacred tree from\nthe earliest times, and was accounted by the Greeks a tree of good\naugury and a symbol of conjugal union. After the rape of the Sabines,\nupon which occasion the shepherds carried Hawthorn-boughs, it was\nconsidered propitious; its blossoming branches were borne by those\nassisting at wedding festivities, and the newly-married couple were\nlighted to the bridal chamber with torches of the wood. At the present\nday, the Greeks garland their brides with wreaths of Hawthorn, and deck\nthe nuptial altar with its blossoms, whilst on May-day they suspend\nboughs of the flowering shrub over their portals. The ancient Germans\ncomposed their funeral-piles of Hawthorn wood, and consecrated it\nwith the mallet, the symbol of the god Thor. They believed that in\nthe sacred flame which shot upwards from the Thorn, the souls of the\ndeceased were carried to heaven.----In France, the Hawthorn is called\n_l\u2019Epine noble_, from the belief that it furnished the Crown of Thorns\nworn by our Lord before the Crucifixion. Sir John Maundevile has given\nthe original tradition, which is as follows:--\u201cThen was our Lord led\ninto a garden ... and the Jews scourged Him, and made Him a crown of\nthe branches of the _Albespyne_, that is, White Thorn, which grew in\nthe same garden, and set it on His head.... And therefore hath the\nWhite Thorn many virtues. For he that beareth a branch thereof, no\nthunder or manner of tempest may hurt him: and in the house that it\nis in may no evil spirit enter.\u201d----A Roman Catholic legend relates\nthat when the Holy Crown blossomed afresh, whilst the victorious\nCharlemagne knelt before it, the scent of Hawthorn filled the air. The\nCrown of Thorns was given up to St. Louis of France by the Venetians,\nand placed by him in the Sainte Chapelle, which he built in Paris. The\nFeast of the Susception of the Holy Crown is observed at the church\nof Notre Dame, in Paris, in honour of this cherished relic. The Crown\nof Thorns is enclosed within a glass circle, which a priest holds in\nhis hands; he passes before the kneeling devotees, who are ranged\noutside the altar rail, and offers the crown to them to be kissed. The\nNorman peasant constantly wears a sprig of Hawthorn in his cap, from\nthe belief that Christ\u2019s crown was woven of it.----The French have a\ncurious tradition that when Christ was one day resting in a wood, after\nhaving escaped from a pursuit by the Jews, the magpies came and covered\nHim all over with Thorns, which the kindly swallows (_poules de Dieu_)\nperceived, and hastened to remove. A swallow is also said to have taken\naway the Crown of Thorns at the Crucifixion.----The Hawthorn is the\ndistinguishing badge of the royal house of Tudor. When Richard III. was\nslain at Bosworth, his body was plundered of its armour and ornaments.\nThe crown was hidden by a soldier in a Hawthorn-bush, but was soon\nfound and carried back to Lord Stanley, who, placing it on the head\nof his son-in-law, saluted him as King Henry VII. To commemorate this\npicturesque incident, the house of Tudor assumed the device of a crown\nin a bush of fruited Hawthorn. The proverb of \u201cCleave to the crown,\nthough it hang on a bush,\u201d alludes to the same circumstance.----The\nHawthorn has for centuries borne in England the favourite name of\n\u201cMay,\u201d from its flowering in that month:\n\n  \u201cBetween the leaves the silver Whitethorn shows\n  Its dewy blossoms pure as mountain snows.\u201d\n\nIn olden times, very early on May-day morning, lads and lasses repaired\nto the woods and hedgerows, and returned, soon after sunrise, laden\nwith posies of flowers, and boughs of blooming Hawthorn, with which to\ndecorate the churches and houses: even in London boughs of May were\nfreely suspended over the citizens\u2019 doorways. Chaucer tells us how:--\n\n  \u201cFurth goth all the Courte, both most and lest,\n  To fetche the flouris freshe, and braunche, and blome,\n  And namely Hawthorne brought both page and grome,\n  With freshe garlandis partly blew and white,\n  And than rejoisin in their grete delighte.\u201d\n\nIn Lancashire, at the present day, the Mayers still, in some districts,\ngo from door to door, and sing:--\n\n  \u201cWe have been rambling all this night,\n    And almost all this day;\n  And now returned back again,\n    We\u2019ve brought you a branch of May.\n\n  \u201cA branch of May we have brought you,\n    And at your door it stands;\n  It is but a sprout, but it\u2019s well budded out\n    By the work of our Lord\u2019s hands.\u201d\n\nAubrey, writing in 1686, records that at Woodstock, in Oxfordshire,\nthe people were accustomed on May-eve to go into the park and procure\na number of Hawthorn-trees, which they set before their doors. In\nHuntingdonshire, on May-day morn, the young men used formerly to place,\nat sunrise, a branch of Hawthorn in blossom, before the door of anyone\nthey wished to honour.----A curious superstition survives in Suffolk,\nwhere to sleep in a room, with the Hawthorn in bloom in it during the\nmonth of May, is considered, by country folk, to be unlucky, and sure\nto be followed by some great misfortune.----In some parts of Ireland,\nit is thought unlucky to bring blossoming Hawthorn indoors, and unsafe\nto gather even a leaf from certain old and solitary Thorns which grow\nin sheltered hollows of the moorlands, and on the fairies\u2019 trysting\nplaces.----It is considered unlucky to cut down a Hawthorn-tree, and\nin many parts the peasants refuse to do it: thus we read, in a legend\nof county Donegal, that a fairy had tried to steal one Joe McDonough\u2019s\nbaby, and, telling the story to her neighbours: \u201cI never affronted\nthe gentry [fairies] to my knowledge,\u201d sighed the poor mother; \u201cbut\nJoe helped Mr. Todd\u2019s gardener to cut down the old Hawthorn-tree on\nthe lawn Friday was eight days: an\u2019 there\u2019s them that says that\u2019s a\nvery bad thing to do. I fleeched him not to touch it, but the master\nhe offered him six shillings if he\u2019d help wi\u2019 the job, for the other\nmen refused.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s the way of it,\u201d whispered the crones over their\npipes and poteen--\u201cthat\u2019s just it. The gude man has had the ill luck\nto displease the \u2018gentry,\u2019 an\u2019 there will be trouble in this house\nyet.\u201d----Among the Pyrenean peasantry Hawthorn and Laurel are thought\nto secure the wearer against thunder. The inhabitants of Biarritz\nmake Hawthorn wreaths on St. John\u2019s Day: they then rush to the sea,\nplunge in after a prayer, and consider themselves safe during the\nensuing twelve months from the temptation of evil spirits.----The old\nherbalists prescribe the distilled water of the Haws of the Hawthorn\nas an application suited to \u201cany place where thorns or splinters doe\nabide in the flesh,\u201d the result being that the decoction \u201cwill notably\ndraw them out.\u201d Lord Bacon tells us, that a \u201cstore of Haws portends\ncold winters.\u201d----Among the Turks, a branch of Hawthorn expresses\nthe wish of a lover to receive a kiss.----The Hawthorn attains to a\ngreat age, and its wood is remarkably durable: there is a celebrated\ntree enclosed in Cawdor Castle, near Inverness, which has stood from\ntime immemorial. Tradition relates that the Castle was built over the\ntree in consequence of a dream, by which the original proprietor was\ninstructed to erect a castle on this particular spot. From the most\nremote times it has been customary for guests to assemble themselves\naround this venerable tree, and drink success to the House of\nCawdor.----The most remarkable of English Thorns is that known as the\nGlastonbury Thorn, which is reputed to have sprung from the staff of\nJoseph of Arimathea. (See GLASTONBURY THORN).----By astrologers the\nHawthorn is placed under the dominion of Mars. Turner remarks that,\nshould he \u201cwant weapons, he may make use of the prickles and let Saturn\ntake the fruit.\u201d\n\nHAYMAIDS, or HEDGEMAIDS, the Ground-Ivy.--See Ivy.\n\n=HAZEL.=--The Hazel (_Corylus Avellana_) is the theme of many\ntraditions, reaching from the remotest ages, and in England the tree\nwould seem to have acquired almost a sacred character. In Scandinavian\nmythology the Hazel was consecrated to the god Thor, and in the poetic\nEdda a staff of Hazel is mentioned as a symbol of authority, and\nhence employed for the sceptres of kings.----In classic mythology,\nthe Hazel rod becomes the _caduceus_ of the god Mercury. Taking pity\non the miserable, barbarous state of mankind, Apollo and Mercury\ninterchanged presents and descended to the earth. The god of Harmony\nreceived from the son of Maia the shell of a tortoise, out of which\nhe had constructed a lyre, and gave him in exchange a Hazel stick,\nwhich had the power of imparting a love of virtue and of calming the\npassion and hatred of men. Armed with this Hazel wand, Mercury moved\namong the people of earth, and touching them with it, he taught them\nto express their thoughts in words, and awakened within them feelings\nof patriotism, filial love, and reverence of the gods. Adorned with\ntwo light wings, and entwined with serpents, the Hazel rod of Mercury\nis still the emblem of peace and commerce.----An old tradition tells\nus that God, when He banished Adam from the terrestrial Paradise, gave\nhim in His mercy the power of producing instantly the animals of which\nhe was in want, upon striking the sea with a Hazel rod. One day Adam\ntried this, and produced the sheep. Eve was desirous of imitating him,\nbut her stroke of the Hazel rod brought forth the wolf, which at once\nattacked the sheep. Adam hastened to regain his salutary instrument,\nand produced the dog, which conquered the wolf.----A Hebrew legend\nstates that Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, hid herself in\nthe foliage of a Hazel-bush.----It was a Hazel-tree which afforded\nshelter to the Virgin Mary, surprised by a storm, whilst on her way to\nvisit St. Elizabeth. Under a Hazel-tree the Holy Family rested during\ntheir flight into Egypt.----It was of wattled Hazel-hurdles that St.\nJoseph, of Arimathea, raised the first English Christian church at\nGlastonbury.----In Bohemia, a certain \u201cchapel in the Hazel-tree,\u201d\ndedicated to the Virgin Mary, is regarded with much reverence: it was\nerected in memory of a butcher to whom a statue of the Virgin, near\na Hazel-tree, had spoken. The butcher carried off the image to his\nhouse, but during the night the statue returned to its former place\nnear the Hazel-tree.----For the ancient Germans, the Hazel-tree, which\nre-blossoms towards the end of winter, was a type of immortality. It is\nnow considered a symbol of happy marriages, because the Nuts are seen\non its branches united in pairs.----In the Black Forest, the leader of\na marriage procession carries a Hazel wand in his hand. In some places,\nduring certain processions on Sunday, the Oats stored in stables for\nhorses are touched, in the name of God, with Hazel-branches.----It is\nbelieved that this humble shrub frightens serpents. An Irish tradition\nrelates that St. Patrick held a rod of Hazel-wood in his hand when\nhe gathered on the promontory of Cruachan Phadraig all the venomous\nreptiles of the island and cast them into the sea.----The Hazel rod\nor staff appears in olden times to have had peculiar sanctity: it\nwas used by pilgrims, and often deposited in churches, or kept as a\nprecious relic, and buried with its owner. Several such Hazel staffs\nhave been found in Hereford Cathedral.----The Tyroleans consider that\na Hazel-bough is an excellent lightning conductor.----According to an\nancient Hebrew tradition, the wands of magicians were made of Hazel,\nand of a virgin branch, that is, of a bough quite bare and destitute of\nsprigs or secondary branches.----Nork says that by means of Hazel rods\nwitches can be compelled to restore to animals and plants the fecundity\nwhich they had previously taken from them.----Pliny states that Hazel\nwands assist the discovery of subterranean springs; and in Italy, to\nthe present day, they are believed to act as divining-rods for the\ndiscovery of hidden treasure--a belief formerly held in England, if we\nmay judge from the following lines by S. Shepherd (1600):--\n\n  \u201cSome sorcerers do boast they have a rod,\n    Gather\u2019d with words and sacrifice,\n  And, borne aloft, will strangely nod\n    To hidden treasure where it lies.\u201d\n\nExtraordinary and special conditions are necessary to ensure success\nin the cutting of a divining-rod. It must always be performed after\nsunset and before sunrise, and only on certain nights, among which\nare specified those of Good Friday, Epiphany, Shrove Friday, and St.\nJohn\u2019s Day, the first night of a new moon, or that preceding it. In\ncutting it, one must face the east, so that the rod shall be one which\ncatches the first rays of the morning sun; or, as some say, the eastern\nand western sun must shine through the fork of the rod, otherwise it\nwill be valueless. Both in France and England, the divining-rod is\nmuch more commonly employed at the present time than is generally\nsupposed. In the eighteenth century its use was ably advocated by De\nThouvenel in France, and soon afterwards in our country by enthusiasts.\nPryce, in his _Mineralogia Cornubiensis_, states that many mines have\nbeen discovered by means of the rod, and quotes several. Sir Thomas\nBrowne describes the divining-rod as \u201ca forked Hazel, commonly called\nMoses\u2019 Rod, which, held freely forth, will stir and play if any mine\nbe under it.\u201d He thinks, however, that the rod is of pagan origin,\nand writes:--\u201cthe ground whereof were the magical rods in poets--that\nof Pallas, in Homer; that of Mercury, that charmed Argus; and that\nof Circe, which transformed the followers of Ulysses: too boldly\nusurping the name of Moses\u2019s rod; from which, notwithstanding, and\nthat of Aaron, were probably occasioned the fables of all the rest.\nFor that of Moses must needs be famous to the Egyptians, and that of\nAaron unto many other nations, as being preserved in the Ark until the\ndestruction of the Temple built by Solomon.\u201d In the \u2018Quarterly Review,\u2019\nNo. 44, is a long account (vouched for by the editor), proving that\na Lady Noel possessed the faculty of using the divining-rod:--\u201cShe\ntook a thin forked Hazel-twig, about sixteen inches long, and held it\nby the end, the joint pointing downwards. When she came to the place\nwhere the water was under the ground, the Hazel-twig immediately bent,\nand the motion was more or less rapid as she approached or withdrew\nfrom the spring. When just over it, _the twig turned so quick as to\nsnap, breaking near the fingers_, which by pressing it were indented\nand heated, and _almost blistered_; a degree of agitation was also\nvisible in her face. The exercise of the faculty is independent of any\nvolition.\u201d----The use of the forked Hazel-twig as a divining-rod to\ndiscover metals is said to have been known in this kingdom as early as\nthe days of Agricola: its derivation is probably to be sought in an\nancient custom of the Israelites, to which the Prophet Hosea alludes\nwhen he says: \u201cMy people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff\ndeclareth unto them.\u201d----In Sweden, Hazel-nuts are believed to have the\nmystical power of making invisible.----An old-fashioned charm to cure\nthe bite of an adder was to cut a piece of Hazel-wood, fasten a long\nbit and a short one together in the form of a cross, then to lay it\nsoftly on the wound, and say thrice in a loud tone--\n\n  \u201cUnderneath this Hazelin mote,\n  There\u2019s a Braggotty worm with a speckled throat,\n      Nine double is he.\n  Now from 9 double to 8 double,\n  And from 8 double to 7 double,\n  And from 7 double to 6 double,\n  And from 6 double to 5 double,\n  And from 5 double to 4 double,\n  And from 4 double to 3 double,\n  And from 3 double to 2 double,\n  And from 2 double to 1 double,\n  And from 1 double to no double,\n  No double hath he!\u201d\n\nTo dream of Hazels, and of cracking and eating their Nuts, portends\nriches and content as the reward of toil. To dream of finding hidden\nHazel-nuts predicts the finding of treasure.----Astrologers assign the\nHazel to the dominion of Mercury.\n\nHEARTSEASE.--See Pansy.\n\n=HEATHER.=--Included under the term Heather are the six English\nspecies of Heath (_Erica_) and the Ling (_Calluna_). Although, in\nthe Scriptures, the Prophet Jeremiah exclaims, \u201cAnd he shall be like\nthe Heath in the desert,\u201d it is probable that the Juniper is really\nreferred to.----In Germany, the Heath is believed to owe its colour to\nthe blood of the slain heathen, for in that country the inhabitants of\nthe uncultivated fields, where the Heath (_heide_) grew, came in time\nto be known as heathen, or _heiden_.----Heather was the badge of \u201cConn\nof a hundred fights.\u201d The Highlanders consider it exceedingly lucky\nto find white Heather, the badge of the captain of Clanronald.----The\nPicts made beer from Heather.\n\n  \u201cFor once thy mantling juice was seen to laugh\n  In pearly cups, which monarchs loved to quaff;\n  And frequent waked the wild inspired lay\n  On Teviot\u2019s hills beneath the Pictish sway.\u201d--_Leyden._\n\nThe secret of the manufacture of Heather beer was lost when the Picts\nwere exterminated, as they never divulged it to strangers. Tradition\nsays that after the slaughter by Kenneth, a father and son, the sole\nsurvivors, were brought before the conqueror, who offered the father\nhis life, provided that he would divulge the secret of making this\nliquor, and the son was put to death before the old man\u2019s eyes, in\norder to add emphasis to the request. Disgusted with such barbarity,\nthe old warrior said: \u201cYour threats might, perhaps, have influenced my\nson, but they have no effect on me.\u201d Kenneth then suffered the Pict to\nlive, and he carried his secret with him to the grave. At the present\ntime, the inhabitants of Isla, Jura, and other outlying districts, brew\na very potable liquor by mixing two-thirds of the tops of Heath with\none of malt.\n\n=HELENIUM.=--The flower of the Helenium resemble small suns of a\nbeautiful yellow. According to tradition, they sprang up from the\ntears shed by Helen of Troy. On this point Gerarde writes in his\n\u2018Herbal\u2019:--\u201cSome report that this plant tooke the name of _Helenium_\nfrom Helena, wife to Menelaus, who had her hands full of it when Paris\nstole her away into Phrygia.\u201d\n\n=HELIOTROPE.=--The nymph Clytie, enamoured of Ph\u0153bus (the Sun), was\nforsaken by him for Leucothea. Maddened with jealousy, the discarded\nand love-sick Clytie accused Leucothea of unchastity before her father,\nwho entombed his daughter, and thus killed her. Ph\u0153bus, enraged with\nClytie for causing the death of his beloved Leucothea, heeded not her\nsighs and spurned her embraces. Abandoned thus by her inconstant lover,\nthe wretched and despairing Clytie wandered half distraught, until at\nlength--\n\n  \u201cShe with distracted passion pines away,\n  Detesteth company; all night, all day,\n  Disrobed, with her ruffled hair unbound\n  And wet with humour, sits upon the ground;\n  For nine long days all sustenance forbears;\n  Her hunger cloy\u2019d with dew, her thirst with tears:\n  Nor rose; but rivets on the god her eyes,\n  And ever turns her face to him that flies.\n  At length to earth her stupid body cleaves;\n  Her wan complexion turns to bloodless leaves,\n  Yet streaked with red: her perished limbs beget\n  A flower resembling the pale Violet;\n  Which, with the Sun, though rooted fast, doth move;\n  And, being changed, yet changeth not her love.\u201d--_Sandys\u2019 Ovid._\n\nRapin, in error, alludes to the Sunflower (_Helianthus_) as owing its\norigin to Clytie. He says:--\n\n        \u201cBut see where Clytie, pale with vain desires,\n  Bows her weak neck, and Ph\u0153bus still admires;\n  On rushy stems she lifts herself on high,\n  And courts a glance from his enliv\u2019ning eye.\u201d\n\nThe flower into which the hapless Clytie was metamorphosed was not\nthe scented Heliotrope, common to modern gardens, which does not turn\nwith the Sun, and, being of Peruvian origin, was of course unknown to\nthe ancients; neither was it the _Helianthus_, or Sunflower, for that\nplant also came to us from the new world, and was therefore equally\nunknown in the days when Ovid wrote the tragic story of Clytie\u2019s love\nand death. The _Herba Clyti\u00e6_ is identified in an old German herbal\n(_Hortus Medicus Camerarii_) with _Heliotropium Tricoccon_. Gerarde\nfigures four Heliotropiums, or \u201cTornesoles,\u201d one of which he names\n_Heliotropium Tricoccum_; and in his remarks on the Heliotrope or\nTurnsole, he says: \u201cSome think it to be _Herba Clyti\u00e6_ into which\nthe poets feign Clytia to be metamorphosed; whence one writeth these\nverses:--\n\n  \u2018_Herba velut Cliti\u00e6 semper petit obvia solem,\n  Sic pia mens Christum, quo prece spectet, habet._\u2019\u201d\n\nParkinson calls the same plant the Turnesole Scorpion Tayle.\nTheophrastus alludes to the same Heliotropium under the name of _Herba\nSolaris_. But we do not find that the flowers of this common European\nspecies of Heliotrope answer the description given by Ovid--\u201cA flower\nmost like a Violet\u201d--or by Pliny, who says of it: \u201cThe Heliotrope\nturns with the Sun, in cloudy weather even, so great is its sympathy\nwith that luminary: at night, as though in regret, it closes its\n_blue_ flowers.\u201d The insignificant Heliotropium or Turnsole, with its\ndiminutive whitish blossom, cannot be the flower depicted by Ovid, or\nthe plant with \u201cblue flowers\u201d referred to by Pliny. Moreover, Gerarde\ntells us that the European Turnsole he figures \u201cis named Heliotropium,\nnot because it is turned about at the daily motion of the sunne, _but\nby reason it flowereth in the Summer solstice_, at which time the sunne\nbeing farthest gone from the equinoctial circle, returneth to the\nsame.\u201d In Mentzel\u2019s \u2018_Index Nominum Plantarum Multilinguis_\u2019 (1682)\nwe find that the old Italian name of the Turnsole was _Verrucaria_\n(Wart-wort), and Gerarde, in the index to his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 states that\n_Verrucaria_ is _Tithymalus_ (Spurge), or _Heliotropium minus_.\nReferring to his description of the Spurges, we note that he figures\ntwenty-three varieties, the first of which is called Wart-wort; and\nthe second, Sun Spurge, which is thus described:--\u201cThe second kinde\n(called _Helioscopius_ or _Solisequius_, and in English, according\nto his Greeke name, Sunne Spurge, or Time Tithymale, _of turning or\nkeeping time with the sunne_) hath sundry reddish stalkes of a foot\nhigh; the leaves are like unto Purslane, not so great nor thicke,\nbut snipt about the edges: the flowers are yellowish, and growing in\nlittle platters.\u201d Here, then, we have perhaps a sufficiently near\napproach to the pale flower of Ovid; but nothing like the blue flower\nof Pliny. Among the Spurges described by Gerarde, however, is one\nwhich he calls the Venetian Sea Spurge, and this plant is stated to\nhave bell-shaped flowers of a dark or blackish purple colour, so that\npossibly this was the flower indicated by Pliny.----De Gubernatis,\nin his _Mythologie des Plantes_, states that the flower into which\nClytia was transformed is the _Helianthemum roseum_ of Decandolle. The\nauthor of \u2018Flower Lore\u2019 says, \u201cThe classic Sunflower is an annual of an\ninsignificant appearance, having many fabulous properties assigned to\nit. The Heliotrope belongs to the natural order _Boragin\u00e6_, and is a\nnative of the south-west of Europe.\u201d The late Mr. H. A. Bright, in \u2018A\nYear in a Lancashire Garden,\u2019 tells us that one of our very best living\nauthorities on such a subject sent him \u201cthe suggestion that the common\nSalsafy, or possibly the Anagallis, may be the flower.\u201d Turner, in his\n\u2018Brittish Physician\u2019 (1687), calls the yellow-flowered Elecampane, the\nSunflower. Other botanists suggest an Aster or Calendula (Marigold):\nif this last suggestion be correct, the flower called by Parkinson, in\nhis \u2018_Paradisus_,\u2019 the Purple Marigold, and by Gerarde Italian Starwort\n(_Aster Italorum_), comes nearest to Pliny\u2019s description. This flower\nis stated by Gerarde to have been called by some the Blue Marigold,\nwhose yellow European brother Shakspeare describes as\n\n  \u201cThe Marygold, that goes to bed with the sun,\n  And with it rises weeping.\u201d\n\nWe may include the blue or purple Marigold among those flowers of which\nBacon writes: \u201cFor the bowing and inclining the head, it is found in\nthe great Flower of the Sunne, in Marigolds, Wart Wort, Mallow Flowers,\nand others.\u201d----Albertus Magnus accords to the Heliotrope the following\nwonderful properties: \u201cGather in August the Heliotropon, wrap it in a\nBay-leaf with a wolf\u2019s tooth, and it will, if placed under the pillow,\nshow a man who has been robbed where are his goods, and who has taken\nthem. Also, if placed in a church, it will keep fixed in their places\nall the women present who have broken their marriage vow. This last is\nmost tried and most true.\u201d According to another version, in order to\nwork this last charm, the Heliotrope-flower must be gathered in August\nwhen the sun is in Leo, and be wrapped in a Laurel-leaf before being\ndeposited in the church.\n\n=HELLEBORE.=--The Christmas Rose (_Helleborus niger_) has also been\ncalled Black Hellebore, from the colour of its roots, and Melampodium,\nin honour of Melampus, a learned physician who flourished at Pylos, in\nPeloponnesus, 1530 years before the birth of Christ. Melampus travelled\ninto Egypt, then the seat of science, in order to study the healing\nart, and there he became acquainted with the cathartic qualities of\nthe Hellebore, by noticing the effect it had upon some goats which\nhad fed upon the herb. He afterwards cured with Hellebore the mental\nderangement of the daughters of Pr\u0153tus, King of Argos--ancient writers\naffirm by causing the princesses to bathe in a cold fountain after\ntaking the drug; but according to Pliny, by prescribing the milk\nof goats which had eaten this vegetable. From this circumstance,\nHellebore became celebrated as a medicine, and was speedily regarded\nwith superstitious reverence by the ignorant populace. Thus, Black\nHellebore was used to purify houses, and to hallow dwellings, and the\nancients entertained the belief that by strewing or perfuming their\napartments with this plant, they drove away evil spirits. This ceremony\nwas performed with great devotion, and accompanied with the singing\nof solemn hymns. In similar manner, they blessed their cattle with\nHellebore, to keep them free from the spells of the wicked: for these\npurposes it was dug up with certain attendant mystic rites; the devotee\nfirst drawing a circle round the plant with a sword, and then, turning\nto the east, offering a prayer to Apollo and \u00c6sculapius, for leave to\ndig up the root. The flight of the eagle was anxiously watched during\nthe performance of these rites, for if the bird approached the spot,\nit was considered so ominous as to predict the certain death of the\npersons who took up the plant, in the course of the year. In digging\nup the roots of certain species of Hellebore, it was thought necessary\nto eat Garlic previously, to counteract the poisonous effluvia of\nthe plant. Yet the root was eventually dried and pounded to dust, in\nwhich state it was taken in the manner of snuff.----R. Turner, writing\nin 1663, says that at that time Hellebore was thought to cure such\nas seemed to be possessed with the Devil, and therefore was by some\ncalled _Fuga D\u00e6monum_.----The ancient Gauls are said to have invariably\nrubbed the points of their arrows with Hellebore, believing that it\nrendered all the game killed with them more tender.----Hellebore in\nancient times was considered a certain antidote against madness. In\nhis \u2018Anatomy of Melancholy,\u2019 Burton introduces the Hellebore among the\nemblematical figures of his frontispiece, with the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cBorage and Hellebore fill two scenes,\n  Sovereign plants to purge the veins\n  Of melancholy, and cheer the heart\n  Of those black fumes which make it smart;\n  To clear the brain of misty fogs,\n  Which dull our senses, and soul clogs;\n  The best medicine that e\u2019er God made\n  For this malady, if well assaid.\u201d\n\nHellebore formerly grew in great abundance on the Island of Anticyra,\nin the Gulf of Corinth: hence _Naviga ad Anticyram_ was a common\nproverb applied to hypochondriacal persons.----Pausanias tells us\nthat when the Cirrh\u00e6ans besieged Athens, Solon recommended that\nHellebore should be thrown in the river Plistus: this was done, and the\nCirrh\u00e6ans, from drinking the water, were so powerfully attacked with\ndysentery, that they were forced to abandon the siege.----The Hellebore\nhas long been considered a plant of evil omen, growing in dark and\nlonely places. Thus Campbell says of it:--\n\n                \u201cBy the witches\u2019 tower,\n  Where Hellebore and Hemlock seem to weave\n  Round its dark vaults a melancholy bower\n  For spirits of the dead at night\u2019s enchanted hour.\u201d\n\nThe plant, with certain accompanying exorcisms, was reputed to be\nefficacious in cases of deafness caused by witchcraft. In Tuscany,\nthe peasantry divine the harvest from the appearance of the\nHellebore-plant. If it has four tufts, it will be good; if three,\nmediocre; if two, bad.----Astrologers say that Hellebore is a herb of\nSaturn.\n\n=HELMET-FLOWER.=--The _Scutellaria_, or Skull-cap flower, is generally\nknown by the name of the Helmet-flower, the blossoms being shaped\nsimilar to those of the Snap-Dragon. It is used in curing the tertian\nague.\n\n=HEMLOCK.=--The common Hemlock (_Conium maculatum_) is described\nby Dioscorides as a very evil, dangerous, hurtful, and poisonous\nherb, \u201cinsomuch that whosoever taketh of it into his body dieth\nremediless, except the party drank some wine before the venom hath\ntaken the heart.\u201d It is the _Coneion_ of the ancients: that deadly\npoison distilled from the juices of the Hemlock, that was drunk by\nSocrates, Theramenes, and Phocion--the fatal drug given to him whom\nthe Areopagus had condemned to death--the unfailing potion gulped down\nby ancient philosophers, who were weary of their lives, and dreaded\nthe infirmities of old age. Resolved on their fate, these men crowned\nthemselves with garlands, and with a smile upon their lips tossed off\nthe fatal _Coneion_--dying respected by their countrymen for their\nfortitude and heroism.----The Hemlock is one of the deadly poisons\nthat kills by its cold quality. Hence Pliny tells us that serpents fly\nfrom its leaves, because they also chill to the death: on this account\nprobably it has been called _Herba benedicta_, or Herb Bennett.----The\nEleusinian priests, who were required to remain chaste all their lives,\nwere wont to rub themselves with Hemlock.----In Russia, the Hemlock\nunder the name of _Beh_, is looked upon as a Satanic herb; and in\nGermany, it is regarded as a funereal plant, and as a representative of\nthe vegetation of the infernal regions. In England, it was a favourite\nplant of the witches, gathered by them for use in their potions and\nhell-broths: it is still considered a plant of ill-omen, growing among\nruins and in waste places, and being unsavoury and offensive to the\nsenses.\n\n              \u201cBy the witches\u2019 tower,\n  Where Hellebore and Hemlock seem to weave\n  Round its dark vaults a melancholy bower\n  For spirits of the dead at night\u2019s enchanted hour.\u201d\n\nThe Hebrew prophet Hosea says of this sinister plant: \u201cJudgment\nspringeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field.\u201d----At the end\nof Summer the dead stalks of the Hemlock rattle in the wind, and are\ncalled by country folk Kecksies, an old English word applied to the dry\nhollow stalks of umbelliferous plants. Formerly the Hemlock was called\nKex.----Astrologers assign the plant to Saturn.\n\n=HEMP.=--Herodotus speaks of Hemp (_Cannabis sativa_) as a novelty in\nhis time, lately introduced into Thrace from Scythia.----A curious\nprophecy relating to English kings and queens, and the prosperity of\nEngland, has been preserved by Lord Bacon, who heard of it when Queen\nElizabeth was \u201cin the flower of her age\u201d:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Hempe is spun,\n  England\u2019s done.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhereby it was generally conceived that, after the princes had\nreigned, which had the principal letters of that word Hempe (which\nwere Henry, Edward, Mary, Philip, and Elizabeth), England should come\nto utter confusion, which is verified in the change of the name; for\nthat the king\u2019s style is now no more of England, but of Britain.\u201d----In\nsome parts of the country, on Midsummer Eve, but in Derbyshire on St.\nValentine\u2019s Eve, as the clock strikes twelve, young women desirous\nof knowing their future husbands go into a churchyard, and run round\nthe church, scattering Hemp-seed, and repeating the while, without\nstopping, these lines:--\n\n  \u201cI sow Hemp-seed: Hemp-seed I sow:\n  He that loves me the best\n  Come after me and mow.\u201d\n\nThe sowing of Hemp-seed is performed by maidens, at midnight, on\nMidsummer Eve in Cornwall, on St. Martin\u2019s night in Norfolk, and on All\nHallow Eve in Scotland; the incantation being completed by the recital\nof the following or similar lines:--\n\n  \u201cHemp-seed I sow thee,\n  Hemp-seed grow thee:\n  And he who will my true-love be\n  Come after me and show thee.\u201d\n\nThe figure of the girl\u2019s lover, it is then supposed, will appear and\nrun after her. In the poem of \u2018The Cottage Girl,\u2019 the rite of sowing\nHemp-seed is thus described:--\n\n  \u201cTo issue from beneath the thatch,\n  With trembling hand she lifts the latch,\n  And steps, as creaks the feeble door,\n  With cautious feet the threshold o\u2019er;\n  Lest, stumbling on the horseshoe dim,\n  Dire spells unsinew ev\u2019ry limb.\n\n  \u201cLo! shudd\u2019ring at the solemn deed,\n  She scatters round the magic seed,\n  And _thrice repeats_, \u2018The seed I sow,\n  My true-love\u2019s scythe the crop shall mow.\u2019\n  Straight, as her frame fresh horrors freeze,\n  Her true love with his scythe she sees.\n\n  \u201cAnd next, she seeks the Yew-tree shade,\n  Where he who died for love is laid;\n  There binds, upon the verdant sod\n  By many a moonlight fairy trod,\n  The Cowslip and the Lily-wreath\n  She wove her Hawthorn hedge beneath;\n  And whisp\u2019ring, \u2018Ah! may Colin prove\n  As constant as thou wast to love!\u2019\n  Kisses, with pale lip full of dread,\n  The turf that hides his clay-cold head!\u201d\n\nPerhaps the origin of this custom of Hemp-sowing is the fact that from\nHemp is made cord, which is used to bind, attach, or secure an object.\nThe Sicilians, indeed, employ Hemp as a charm to secure the affection\nof those they love. De Gubernatis tells us that, on Friday (the day\nconsecrated to the remembrance of our Lord\u2019s Passion), they take a\nHempen thread, and twenty-five needlefuls of coloured silk; and at\nmidnight they plait this, saying:\n\n  \u201c_Chistu \u00e8 c\u00e1nnava di Christu,\n  Servi pi attaccari a chistu._\u201d\n\nForthwith they go to the church with the plait in their hands, and\nenter at the moment of the Consecration: then they tie three knots in\nthe plait, previously adding a little of the hair of the loved one;\nafter which they invoke all evil spirits to entice the person beloved\ntowards the person who craves his or her love.----In Piedmont, there\nis a belief that Hemp spun on the last day of Carnival will bring bad\nluck. On that day, in some districts, the following ceremony is gone\nthrough to divine what sort of Hemp crop may be expected:--A bonfire\nis lighted, and the direction of the flames is attentively watched: if\nthe flames mount straight upwards, the crop will be good; but if they\nincline either way, it will be bad.----In the C\u00f4tes-du-Nord, France,\nthere is a belief that Hemp enrages those who have been bitten by dogs.\nWhen fowls eat Hemp-seed, they cease to lay, and commence to sit. It is\ncustomary to leave the finest sprig of Hemp, that the bird St. Martin\nmay be able to rest on it.----The Egyptians prepare an intoxicating\nsubstance from Hemp, called _Hash\u00eesh_. This they roll into balls the\nsize of a Chesnut, and after having swallowed a few of these, they\nexperience ecstatic visions.----The Arabians concoct a preparation of\nHemp, which produces the most varied hallucinations, so that those who\nare intoxicated by it imagine that they are flying, or that they are\nchanged into a statue, that their head is cut off, that their limbs\nstretch out to immense lengths, or that they can see, even through\nstone walls, \u201cthe colour of the thoughts of others\u201d and the words of\ntheir neighbours.----In the Chinese _Liao chai chih ye_ (A.D. 60-70),\nit is recorded that two friends wandering among the mountains culling\nsimples, find at a fairy bridge two lovely maidens guarding it; at\ntheir invitation, the two friends cross this \u201cazure bridge\u201d and are\nregaled with Huma (Hemp--the Chinese _Hash\u00eesh_); forthwith they fall\ndeeply in love with their hostesses, and spend with them in the Jasper\nCity what appears to them a few blissful days: at length, becoming\nhome-sick, they return, to find that seven generations have passed,\nand that they have become centenarians.----To dream of Hemp betokens\nill-luck.----Astrologers assign Hemp to the rule of Saturn.\n\n=HENBANE.=--There are two species of Henbane (_Hyoscyamus_), the black\nand the white: the black or common Henbane grows on waste land by\nroadsides, and bears pale, woolly, clammy leaves, with venomous-looking\ncream-coloured flowers, and has a f\u0153tid smell. Pliny calls this black\nHenbane a plant of ill omen, employed in funeral repasts, and scattered\non tombs. The ancients thought that sterility was the result of eating\nthis sinister plant, and that babes at the breast were seized with\nconvulsions if the mother had partaken of it.----Henbane was called\n_Insana_, and was believed to render anyone eating it stupid and\ndrowsy: it was also known as _Alterculum_, because those that had\npartaken of it became light-headed and quarrelsome.----According to\nPlutarch, the dead were crowned with chaplets of Henbane, and their\ntombs decorated with the baneful plant, which, for some unknown reason,\nwas also employed to form the chaplets of victors at the Olympic games.\nHercules is sometimes represented with a crown of Henbane. Priests\nwere forbidden to eat Henbane, but the horses of Juno fed on it; and\nto this day, on the Continent, Henbane is prescribed for certain\nequine disorders.----Albertus Magnus calls Henbane the sixth herb of\nJupiter, and recommends it especially for liver complaints.----In\nSanscrit, Henbane is called _Aj\u2019amoda_, or Goat\u2019s Joy. Both sheep and\ngoats will eat the plant sparingly, but swine are said really to like\nit, and in England it is well known as Hog\u2019s Bean.----In Piedmont,\nthere is a tradition that if a hare be sprinkled with Henbane juice,\nall the hares in the neighbourhood will run away. They also have\na saying, when a mad dog dies, that he has tasted Henbane.----In\nGermany, there is a superstitious belief that Henbane will attract\nrain.----The English name of Henbane was given to the plant on account\nof the baneful effects of its seed upon poultry, for, according to\nMatthiolus, birds that have eaten the seeds perish soon after, as do\nfishes also.----Anodyne necklaces, made of pieces of this root, are\nsometimes worn by infants to facilitate teething, and the leaves are\nsmoked by country people to allay toothache. Gerarde says, \u201cThe root\nboiled with vinegre, and the same holden hot in the mouth, easeth the\npain of the teeth. The seed is used by mountebank tooth-drawers, which\nrun about the country, to cause worms to come forth of the teeth, by\nburning it in a chafing-dish of coles, the party holding his mouth over\nthe fume thereof; but some crafty companions, to gain money, convey\nsmall lute-strings into the water, persuading the patient that those\nsmall creepers came out of his mouth or other parts which he intended\nto cure.\u201d----The plant was one of those sought for by witches, and used\nin their potions.\n\n  \u201cAnd I ha\u2019 been plucking plants among\n  Hemlock, Henbane, Adder\u2019s-tongue.\u201d--_Ben Jonson._\n\nAstrologers place Henbane under the rule of Saturn.\n\n=HENNA.=--In the Canticles, the royal poet says: \u201cMy beloved is unto\nme as a cluster of Camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.\u201d The Camphire\nmentioned here, and in other parts of Scripture, is the same shrub\nwhich the Arabs call Henna (_Lawsonia inermis_), the leaves of which\nare still used by women in the East to impart a ruddy tint to the\npalms of their hands and the soles of their feet. Throughout Egypt,\nIndia, Persia, Arabia, and Greece, it is held in universal estimation\nfor its beauty and sweet perfume. Mohammed pronounced it the chief of\nthe sweet-scented flowers of this world and of the next. In Egypt,\nthe flowers are sold in the street, the vendor calling out as he\nproceeds--\u201cO, odours of Paradise! O flowers of the Henna!\u201d The Egyptian\nwomen obtain from the powdered leaves a paste, with which they stain\ntheir fingers and feet an orange colour that will last for several\nweeks. This they esteem an ornament. Gerarde describes the Henna, or\nHenne-bush, as a kind of Privet, which in his day grew in Syria near\nthe city Ascalon, and he says \u201cBellonius writeth that not onely the\nhaire, but also the nether parts of man\u2019s body, and nailes likewise,\nare colored and died herewith, which is counted an ornament among the\nTurks.\u201d----The Hindus call the Henna-flower _Mindi_, and the females,\nlike the Egyptians, employ it to colour their nails, fingers, and the\nsoles of their feet an orange hue. The miraculous stone, which they\ncall _Gauri_, or _Parvati_, received its name and its ruddy colour\nfrom being touched by the foot of the divine wife of Siva, which had\npreviously been stained with the juice of _Mindi_. Henna-flowers\nare of a pale yellow tint, and emit a sweet perfume; they are made\ninto garlands by the Hindus, and offered to travellers in official\nceremonies; thus we read that at the reception of M. Rousselet by the\nKing of Gwalior, the ceremony concluded by the guests being decked with\ngarlands of Henna-flowers, placed around their necks and hands. An\nextract prepared from these flowers is employed in religious ceremonies.\n\n=HERB BENNETT.=--The Avens, Herb Bennett, or _Herba Benedicta_ (_Geum\nurbanum_), occurs as an architectural decoration towards the end of the\nthirteenth century, and is found associated with old church paintings.\nThe Holy Trinity and the five wounds of our Lord are thought to be\nsymbolised in its trefoiled leaf and the five golden petals of its\nblossom. The flower has several rural names, such as Star of the Earth,\nGoldy-flower, and Blessed Herb (a translation of the Latin _Herba\nBenedicta_, of which Herb Bennett is simply a corruption). This last\nname was given to it from an ancient belief that when the root is in\nthe house, the Devil is powerless and flies from it; wherefore it was\nconsidered blessed above all herbs. Herb Bennett was also reported\nto be hostile to all venomous beasts: if grown in a garden, no such\ncreature would approach within scent of it, and the root carried\nabout the person of any man ensured his immunity from the attacks of\nmonsters or reptiles.----Formerly, the appellation _Herba Benedicta_,\nwas applied not only to the Avens, but also to the Hemlock and the\nValerian. Dr. Prior remarks that \u201cin point of fact the proper name of\nthese plants was not _Herba Benedicta_, but _Sti. Benedicti herba_, St.\nBenedict\u2019s herb (German, _Sanct Benedicten-kraut_), and was assigned to\nsuch as were supposed to be antidotes, in allusion to a legend of St.\nBenedict, which represents that, upon his blessing a cup of poisoned\nwine which a monk had given to destroy him, the glass was shivered to\npieces.\u201d----By astrologers, Avens is deemed a herb of Jupiter.\n\n=HERB CARPENTER.=--The _Prunella vulgaris_, from its efficacy in\nhealing wounds inflicted by chisels, sickles, and other sharp\ninstruments used by working-men, was formerly known as Herb Carpenter,\nSickle-wood, and Hook-weed, as well as by the name it is still called\nby--Self-heal.----It is a herb of Venus.\n\n=HERB CHRISTOPHER.=--The name of Herb Christopher is applied by Gerarde\nto a species of Aconite, and to the Osmund Fern. Parkinson gives the\nBaneberry the same title.\n\n=HERB GERARD.=--Aishweed, Gout-wort, or Herb Gerard (_\u00c6gopodium\nPodagraria_), was named after St. Gerard, who used to be invoked\nagainst the gout, a disease for which this plant was highly esteemed as\na remedy.\n\nHERB IMPIOUS.--See Everlasting Flower.\n\n=HERB MARGARET.=--The Daisy (_Bellis perennis_) was also formerly\ncalled _Herba Margarita_, Herb Margaret, or Marguerite (French).\nThe flower is erroneously supposed to have been named after the\nvirtuous St. Margaret of Antioch, \u201cMaid Margarete, that was so meeke\nand milde\u201d--who was invoked because in her martyrdom she prayed for\nlying-in women; whereas it derives its name from St. Margaret of\nCortona. (See MARGUERITE).\n\nHERB OF GRACE.--See Rue.\n\n=HERB OF THE CROSS.=--In Brittany, the Vervain (_Verbena officinalis_)\nis called the Herb of the Cross, and is supposed to be endowed with\nremarkable healing qualities. J. White (1624) writes thus of it:--\n\n  \u201cHallow\u2019d be thou, Vervain, as thou growest in the ground,\n  For on the Mount of Calvary thou first was found.\n  Thou healedst our Saviour Jesus Christ,\n  And staunchedst His bleeding wound.\n  In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,\n      I take thee from the ground.\u201d\n\nIn the Flax-fields of Flanders, a plant is found called the\n_Roodselken_, the crimson spots on the leaves of which betoken the\nDivine blood which trickled on it from the Cross, and the stain of\nwhich neither snow nor rain has ever been able to wash off.----In\nPalestine, the red Anemone is called \u201cChrist\u2019s Blood-drops,\u201d from\nthe belief that the flower grew on Mount Calvary. In Cheshire, the\n_Orchis maculata_, which is there called Gethsemane, is supposed to\nhave sprung up at the foot of the Cross. The Milk-wort, Gang-flower,\nor Rogation-flower (_Polygala vulgaris_) is called the Cross-flower\nfrom its blooming in Passion week. The _Galium cruciatum_ is called\nCross-wort because its leaves are placed in the form of a cross.\nThe early Italian painters, in their paintings of the Crucifixion,\nintroduced the Wood-Sorrel (_Oxalis acetosella_), probably from its\ntriple leaf symbolising the Trinity. The four-leaved Clover is an\nemblem of the Cross. All cruciform flowers are of good and happy\naugury, having been marked with the sign of the Cross.\n\n=HERB PARIS.=--The narcotic plant called One-berry, Herb True-love,\nor Herb Paris (_Paris quadrifolia_), has obtained the latter name\nfrom the Latin _Herba paris_ (Herb of a pair--of a betrothed couple),\nin allusion to the four broad leaves which proceed from the top of\nits stalk, and form a cross; being, as Gerarde says, \u201cdirectly set\none against another in manner of a Burgundian Crosse or True-love\nknot: for which cause among the antients it hath been called Herbe\nTrue-love.\u201d Herb Paris bears flowers of a palish green--a colour\nalways suggestive of lurking poison. Every part of the herb contains\na poisonous principle, but the leaves and berries were formerly used\nto expel poisons, especially Aconite, as well as the plague and other\npestilential diseases. Matthiolus says that \u201cthe chymical oil of the\nblack berries is effectual for all diseases of the eyes, so that it is\ncalled _Anima oculorum_.\u201d----The herb is under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=HERB PETER.=--The Cowslip (_Primula veris_), the _Schl\u00fcsselblume_ of\nthe Germans, has obtained the name of Herb Peter from its resemblance\nto the badge of St. Peter--a bunch of keys.\n\n=HERB ROBERT.=--The species of Crane\u2019s Bill called Herb Robert\n(_Geranium Robertianum_) is thought to have derived its name from\nthe fact that it was employed in Germany to cure a disease known as\n_Ruprechts-Plage_, from Robert, Duke of Normandy: hence its old Dutch\nnames of _Ruprechts-kraut_ and _Robrechts-kraut_. The Church, however,\nconnects Herb Robert with St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme, in the eleventh\ncentury.----In olden times, the plant was used as a vulnerary; in\nWales, it is believed to be a remedy for gout; and in most country\nplaces, it is considered efficacious as an insecticide.----Herb Robert\nis under the rule of Venus.\n\n=HERB ST. BARBARA.=--Herb St. Barbara, or St. Barbara\u2019s Cress\n(_Barbarea vulgaris_), was so called from its growing and being eaten\nin the Winter, about the time of St. Barbara\u2019s Day--December 4th, old\nstyle.\n\nHERB TRINITY.--See Pansy.\n\n=HERB TWOPENCE.=--The Money-wort, or Creeping Loosestrife (_Lysimachia\nnummularia_), obtained the name of Two-penny Grass, or Herb Twopence,\nfrom its circular leaves, which are arranged in pairs, resembling money\nin their form. The plant was formerly also called _Serpentaria_, from\na belief that if serpents were hurt or wounded, they healed themselves\nwith this herb. It was highly esteemed as a vulnerary.----Astrologers\nassign the herb to Venus.\n\n=HERB WILLIAM.=--Bishop\u2019s Weed, or Ameos (_Ammi majus_), is said by\nGerarde to be called by some Bull-wort (Pool-wort) and Herb William,\nbut he does not give any reason for the name. The plant, according\nto the old herbalist, was noted for its efficacy, when applied with\nhoney, in removing \u201cblacke and blewe spots which come of stripes.\u201d Its\nseed was good \u201cto bee drunken in wine against the biting of all manner\nof venomous beasts, and hath power against all manner of poyson and\npestilent fevers, or the plague.\u201d----It is under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=HOLLY.=--The Holly or Holme (_Ilex Aquifolium_) derives its name from\nthe Anglo-Saxon _Holegn_, whilst another ancient designation, Hulver,\nor as Chaucer wrote it, Hulfeere, has been taken from the old Norse\n_Hulfr_. From the use made of its branches in decorating churches at\nChristmas time, the monks, by an easy corruption, bestowed on the Holly\nthe designation of the Holy-tree.----The disciples of Zoroaster, or\nFire Worshippers, believe that the Holly-tree casts no shadow, and\nboth in Persia and India they employ an infusion of its leaves for\nseveral purposes connected with their religious observances. They\nalso sprinkle the face of a newly-born child with water impregnated\nwith Holly-bark.---Pliny states that if the Holly, or Hulver-tree,\nbe planted about a house, it will keep away all malign spells and\nenchantments, and defend the house from lightning. He also, among other\nmarvels, relates that the flowers of the Holly would freeze water, and\nwould repel poison, and that if a staff of its wood were thrown to any\nanimal, even if it did not touch him, it would so influence the animal\nas to cause him to lie down beside it.----The custom of decorating\nhouses and churches with Holly at Christmas is probably derived from\nthe Romans, who were wont to send boughs to their friends during the\nfestival of the Saturnalia, which occurred about the same period, and\nthe Oaks being then bare of leaves, the priests obliged the people to\nbring in boughs of Holly and Evergreens. There is little doubt that\nthe early Roman Christians, disregarding the church\u2019s interdiction,\nintroduced the heathen practice of decorating their houses with Holly,\nand in course of time connected it with their own faith.----There is\nan old English superstition that elves and fairies join the social\ngatherings at Christmas, and this led to branches being hung up in hall\nand bower in order that the fays might \u201chang in each leaf, and cling\non every bough during that sacred time when spirits have no power to\nharm.\u201d----This Evergreen \u201cChristmas\u201d should be taken down on Candlemas\nEve. Herrick says:--\n\n  \u201cDown with the Holly and Ivy all\n  Wherewith ye deck the Christmas hall;\n  So that the superstitious find\n  No one least branch there left behind;\n  For look how many leaves there be\n  Neglected there--maids \u2019tend to me--\n  So many goblins ye shall see.\u201d\n\nDe Gubernatis tells us, that in certain parts of France, in\nSwitzerland, at Bologna, and in other Continental countries, there is\nan old custom extant of cutting branches of Holly on Christmas Eve,\nand hanging them in houses and stables, in the hope of driving away\nevil spirits and witchcraft. As the Holly-leaf is prickly, it repulses\nand drives away enemies. An English medi\u00e6val ballad illustrates this\ncustom:--\n\n  \u201cHer commys Holly, that is so gent,\n  To please all men is his intent. Alleluia!\n  But lord and lady of this hall,\n  Who so ever ageynst Holly call. Alleluia!\n  Who so ever ageynst Holly do crye,\n  In a lepe shall he hang full hie. Alleluia!\n  Who so ever ageynst Holly do syng,\n  He maye wepe and handys wryng. Alleluia!\u201d\n\nIn Germany, Holly is _Christdorn_--the Thorn woven into the crown\nplaced on our Saviour\u2019s head at the Crucifixion.----Witches are reputed\nto detest Holly: in its name they see but another form of the word\n\u201choly,\u201d and its thorny foliage and blood-red berries are suggestive\nof the most Christian associations.----In Northumberland, Holly is\nemployed in a form of divination. There the prickly variety is called\nHe-Holly, and the smooth, She-Holly. It is the leaves of the latter\nonly that are deemed proper for divining purposes. These smooth leaves\nmust be plucked late on a Friday, by persons careful to preserve an\nunbroken silence from the time they go out to the dawn of the following\nmorn. The leaves must be collected in a three-cornered handkerchief,\nand on being brought home, nine of them must be selected, tied with\nnine knots into the handkerchief, and placed beneath the pillow. Then,\nsleep being obtained, dreams worthy of all credit will attend this\nrite. In another form of divination, a maiden places three pails of\nwater on her bedroom floor, then pins to her night-dress, opposite her\nheart, three leaves of green Holly, and so retires to rest. She will\nbe aroused from her first sleep by three terrible yells, followed by\nthree horse-laughs, after which the form of her future husband will\nappear. If he is deeply attached to her, he will change the position of\nthe water pails; if not, he will glide from the room without touching\nthem. This spell is only effectual when performed on All Hallowe\u2019en,\nChristmas Eve, New Year\u2019s Eve, and Beltane, or Midsummer Eve.----Holly\nis under the dominion of Saturn.\n\n=HOLY PLANTS.=--In England, the _Angelica sylvestris_, for its\n\u201cangel-like properties,\u201d was, says Parkinson, called Holy Ghost; the\nVervain is the Holy Herb, from its use on ancient altars; the Holly\nwas called by the monks of old Holy-tree; and the Hollyhock, Holy Hoke\nor Hock (an old name for Mallow); the _Anastatica Hierochuntina_ is\nthe Holy Rose of Jericho; the Lucern (_Medicago sativa_) is Holy Hay;\nthe _Holcus odoratus_ is the Northern Holy Grass; the _Hierochloe\nborealis_, the German Holy Grass; the Hemp Agrimony (_Eupatorium\ncannabinum_) is Holy Rope, so called from its Hemp-like leaves\nbetokening the rope with which the Saviour was bound; the seed of\nWormwood is Holy Seed (_Semen sanctum_); and _Carduus benedictus_ is\nthe Holy Thistle.\n\n=HOMA.=--Homa, or Haoma, is the sacred Vine of the Zoroastrians, the\nfirst of the trees planted by Ormuzd in the fountain of life, and from\nwhich one of their religious ceremonials takes its name. This consists\nin the extraction of the juice of the Homa-plant by the priest during\nthe recital of prayers; the formal presentation of the liquid extracted\nto the sacrificial fire; the consumption of a small portion of it by\none of the officiating priests; and the division of the remainder among\nthe worshippers.----The Iranians describe two kinds of Haoma or Homa,\nthe white and the yellow. The former is a fabulous plant, the latter,\nwhich is used in religious rites, and is extolled for its yellow\ncolour, grows on mountains, and was known to Plutarch.----It has been\nattempted to identify the Zoroastrian Homa with the Vedic Soma, but\nthe Parsees deny that their sacred plant is ever found in India, and\nthose dwelling in Bombay use the branch of a particular tree, having a\nknotted stem and leaves like those of the Jasmine. To obtain supplies\nof the Homa-plant for sacred purposes, a priest is despatched from time\nto time to Kirman, in Persia, where he receives it in a dry state.\n\n=HONESTY.=--Honesty (_Lunaria biennis_) has a variety of names. It\nis called Lunary and Moonwort, from the disk-like form of its great\nflat seed vessels, or their silvery and transparent brightness.\nThis peculiarity accounts for its nicknames of White Satin-flower,\nMoney-flower, and Silver Plate.----The _Lunaria biennis_ is mentioned\nby Chaucer as one of the plants used in incantations:--\n\n  \u201cAnd herbes coude I tell eke many on,\n  As Egremaine, Valerian, and Lunarie,\n  And other swiche, if that me list to tarie,\n  Our lampes brenning bothe night and day,\n  To bring about our craft if that we may,\n  Our fournies eke of calcination,\n  And of wateres albification.\u201d\n\nDrayton also refers to the virtues of the plant:--\n\n  \u201cEnchanting Lunary here lies,\n  In sorceries excelling.\u201d\n\nThe poet likewise tells us that this Lunary was considered efficacious\nin the cure of madness.\n\n  \u201cThen sprinkles she the juice of Rue\n  With nine drops of the midnight dew,\n  From Lunarie distilling.\u201d\n\nThere is a popular superstition that wherever the purple Honesty is\nfound flourishing, the cultivators of the gardens are exceptionally\nhonest.\n\n=HONEYSUCKLE.=--The Honeysuckle, or Woodbine (_Lonicera_), is so\ncalled on account of the honey-dew found so plentifully on its\nfoliage. Originally, the word Honeysuckle was applied to the Meadow\nClover (_Trifolium pratense_), which is still so called in the Western\nCounties. French Honeysuckle (_Hedysarum coronarium_) is a foreign\nforage-plant. Chaucer makes the Woodbine an emblem of fidelity:\n\n  \u201cAnd tho\u2019 that were chapelets on his hede\n  Of fresh Wodebind be such as never were\n  To love untrue in word, ne thought, ne dede,\n  But ay, stedfast, ne for pleasaunce ne fere,\n  Tho\u2019 that they shudde their hertis all to tere,\n  Would never flit, but ever were stedfast,\n  Till that ther livis there assunder brast.\u201d\n\n_Caprifolium_, a specific name of the Honeysuckle, was poetically used\nby old botanists because the leaf, or rather the stem, climbs over high\nplaces where goats fear not to tread: hence the plant is sometimes\ncalled by country folks, Goat\u2019s-leaf. One of its French names, also,\nis _Ch\u00e8vrefeuille_, which country _patois_ abbreviates to _Cherfeu_,\nor Dear Flame: hence the plant is presented by ardent lovers to their\nsweethearts as an intimation of the state of their affections.----The\nFrench are fond of planting Honeysuckle in their cemeteries, and\nAlphonse Karr describes it as a plant which seems to devote itself\nto the tomb, the most magnificent bushes being found in cemeteries.\nHe further says: \u201cThere is a perfume more exciting, more religious,\neven than that of incense; it is that of the Honeysuckles which grow\nover tombs upon which Grass has sprung up thick and tufted with them,\nas quickly as forgetfulness has taken possession of the hearts of\nthe survivors.\u201d----In olden times, consumptive invalids, or children\nsuffering from hectic fever, were thrice passed through a circular\nwreath of Woodbine, cut during the increase of the March moon, and\nlet down over the body from head to foot. We read of a sorceress, who\nhealed sundry women, by taking a garland of green Woodbine, and causing\nthe patient to pass thrice through it: afterwards the garland was cut\nin nine pieces, and cast into the fire.----Woodbine appears to have\nbeen a favourite remedy with Scotch witches, who, in effecting magical\ncures passed their patients (generally) nine times through a girth or\ngarland of green Woodbine.----In Lower Germany, the Honeysuckle is\ncalled _Albranke_, the witch snare.----Astrologers consider Woodbine to\nbe under the rule of Mercury.\n\n=HOP.=--The Hop (_Humulus Lupulus_) is referred to in an old English\nproverb:--\n\n  \u201cTill St. James\u2019s day be come and gone,\n  There may be Hops and there may be none.\u201d\n\nThe cultivated Hop, however, was not brought into England until the\nreign of Henry VIII., when it was imported from Flanders, as recorded\nin the distich:--\n\n  \u201cHops and turkeys, mackerel and beer,\n  Came to England all in one year.\u201d\n\nThe Hop-leaf has become in Russia proverbial as the best of leaves.\nKing Vladimir, in 985, when signing a peace with the Bulgars, swore to\nkeep it till stone swam on the water, or Hop-leaves sank to the bottom.\nIt is a very old custom in Russia to cover the head of a bride with\nHop-leaves--typifying joy, abundance, and intoxication.----Astrologers\nplace Hops under the rule of Mars.\n\n=HOREHOUND.=--Horehound (_Marrubium_) is the Herb which the Egyptians\ndedicated to their god Horus, and which the priests called the Seed of\nHorus, or the Bull\u2019s Blood, and the Eye of the Star. Strabo attributed\nto the plant magical properties as a counter-poison. Horehound is one\nof the five plants which are stated by the Mishna to be the \u201cbitter\nherbs\u201d ordered to be taken by the Jews at the Feast of the Passover.\nAn infusion of its leaves has an ancient reputation as being valuable\nin consumptive cases, coughs, and colds, and, according to Gerarde,\n\u201cis good for them that have drunke poyson, or that have been bitten of\nserpents.\u201d It is a herb of Mercury, hot in the second degree and dry\nin the third.----To dream of Horehound indicates that you will suffer\nimprisonment.\n\n=HORNBEAM.=--Gerarde tells us that the Horn Beam (_Carpinus Betulus_)\nwas so called from its wood having been used to yoke horned cattle,\nas well by the Romans in olden times as in his own time and country,\nand growing so hard and tough with age as to be more like horn than\nwood. Hence it was also called Hardbeam and Yoke-Elm. Evelyn says\nthe tree was called Horse-Beech; and in Essex it is known as the\nWitch-Hazel.----In the country districts around Valenciennes, there\nis a pleasant custom on May-day morning, when, over the doorway of\ntheir sweethearts, rustic lovers hasten to suspend, as a sign of their\ndevotion, branches of Hornbeam or Birch.\n\n=HORSE-CHESNUT.=--It has been suggested that the Horse-Chesnut\n(_\u00c6sculus Hippocastanum_) derived its name from the resemblance of\nthe cicatrix of its leaf to a horse-shoe, with all its nails evenly\nplaced. The old writers, however, seem to have considered that the\nHorse-Chesnut was so called from the Nuts being used in Turkey (the\ncountry from which we first received the tree) as food for horses\ntouched in the wind. Thus we read in Parkinson\u2019s \u2018_Paradisus_\u2019:--\u201cThey\nare usually in Turkey given to horses in their provender to cure them\nof coughs, and help them being broken winded.\u201d----Evlia Effendi, a\nMoslem Dervish, who travelled over a large portion of the Turkish\nempire in the beginning of the seventeenth century, says: \u201cThe Santon\nAkyazli lived forty years under the shade of a wild Chesnut-tree, close\nto which he is buried under a leaden-covered cupola. The Chesnuts,\nwhich are as big as an egg, are wonderfully useful in the diseases\nof horses.\u201d Tradition says that this tree sprang from a stick which\nthe saint once thrust in the ground, that he might roast his meat\non it.----The Venetians entertain the belief that one of these Nuts\ncarried in the pocket is a sure charm against hemorrhoids.----When\nNapoleon I. returned to France on March 20th, 1814, a Horse-Chesnut in\nthe Tuileries garden was found to be in full blossom. The Parisians\nregarded this as an omen of welcome, and in succeeding years hailed\nwith interest the early flowering of the _Marronnier du Vingt\nMars_.----(See also CHESNUT).\n\n=HORSE-KNOT.=--The flowers of the Horse-knot _Centaurea nigra_ are also\ncalled Hard-heads and Iron-Heads, from the resemblance of the knotted\ninvolucre to an old weapon called Loggerhead, which consisted of a ball\nof iron fixed to a long handle, the precursor of the life-preserver,\nand the origin of the expression \u201ccoming to loggerheads.\u201d----In the\nNorthern Counties, the following rite is frequently observed by young\npeople as a divination:--Let a youth or maiden pull from its stalk the\nflower of the Horse-Knot, cut the tops of the stamens with a pair of\nscissors, and lay the flower by in a secret place, where no human eye\ncan see it. Let him (or her) think through the day, and dream through\nthe night, of the beloved one: then, on looking at the flower the next\nday, if the stamens have shot out, the anxious sweetheart may expect\nsuccess in love; but if not, disappointment. (See CENTAURY).\n\n=HORSERADISH.=--The Horseradish (_Cochlearia Armoracia_) is stated to\nbe one of the five plants referred to by the Mishna, as the \u201cbitter\nherbs\u201d ordered to be partaken of by the Jews during the Feast of the\nPassover; the other four being Coriander, Horehound, Lettuce, and\nNettle.----Horseradish is under the dominion of Mars.\n\n=HORSE-SHOE PLANT.=--The Horse-shoe Vetch (_Hippocrepis_) derives\nits scientific name from the Greek words, _hippos_, a horse, and\n_crepis_, a shoe, in allusion to its singular pods, which resemble a\nnumber of horse-shoes united at their extremities. Gerarde grew this\nplant in his garden, but he tells us that it is a native of Italy and\nLanguedoc, where it flourishes in certain untilled and sunny places.\nIts Italian name is _Sferracavallo_, and in De Gubernatis\u2019 _Mythologie\ndes Plantes_, we find a letter to the author from Mdme. Val\u00e9rie de\nGasparin, detailing the superstition current in Italy respecting this\nplant. The Countess writes:--\u201cIn our infancy, certain old people of\nthe village spoke of the plant which pulls off horse-shoes. My brother\ntells me that this superstition is to be found in all countries. It\ntakes its origin from the fact that the seed of the plant has the form\nof a horse-shoe.\u201d----The plant is also reputed by some people to open\nlocks. An identical superstition exists in England with regard to the\nMoonwort (_Botrychium Lunaria_), which is known as Unshoe-the-Horse.\n(See MOONWORT).\n\n=HOUND\u2019S TONGUE.=--The _Cynoglossum_ was probably so named on account\nof the form and soft texture of the leaf. It is called Hound\u2019s Tongue\nnot only in England, but all over the Continent, and the reason given\nby an old writer is, that \u201cit ties the tongues of hounds; whether true\nor not, I never tried; yet I cured the biting of a mad dog with this\nonly medicine.\u201d Miraldus said, that if a portion of the plant were laid\nbeneath the feet, it would prevent dogs from barking at the wearer.\nRobert Turner states that Hound\u2019s Tongue \u201ccures the biting of dogs,\neither mad or tame. I lay fourteen weeks once under a chyrurgeon\u2019s hand\nfor cure of a dog\u2019s biting; but, at last, I effected the cure myself,\nby applying to the wound Hound\u2019s Tongue leaves, changing them once in\nfour-and-twenty hours.\u201d The plant has a strong and disagreeable odour,\nwhich Gerarde tells us caused the Dutchmen to change the plant\u2019s name,\nsubstituting for \u201cTongue\u201d an impolite word, expressive of the odour of\nthe foliage.----_Cynoglossum_ is a herb of Saturn.\n\n=HOUSELEEK.=--The House-leek (_Sempervivum_) had, in olden times, the\nnames of Jupiter\u2019s Beard, Jupiter\u2019s Eye, Bullock\u2019s Eye, and Sengreene\n(a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon, and expressing the same idea\nas the plant\u2019s Latin name _Sempervivum_, evergreen). The old Dutch\nname of the Houseleek, _Donderbloem_, Thunder-flower, refers to the\npopular belief that the plant was a preservative against thunder.\nCharlemagne ordered the Houseleek to be planted on the roof of every\nhouse on this account. Miraldus is stated to have declared that this\nlowly plant preserves what it grows upon from fire and lightning; and\nSir Thomas Browne has left on record his belief that Houseleek is a\n\u201cdefensative from lightning.\u201d----In olden times there existed a belief\nthat Houseleek would suppress in children fevers given to them by\nwitchcraft or sorcery. According to Albertus Magnus, he who rubbed his\nhands with the juice of the Houseleek would be insensible to pain when\ntaking red-hot iron in his hands.----It is considered unlucky to uproot\nthe Houseleek; and there is a curious notion, still in existence, that\nit is also unlucky to let it blow; the flower-stalk is, therefore,\ncarefully cut off directly it begins to shoot up.----In Italy, on\nMidsummer Eve, rustic maidens employ Houseleek for divining purposes.\nThey gather buds to represent their various lovers, and on the\nfollowing morning the bud which has flowered the most freely indicates\nthe future husband. In Tuscany, they pound the Houseleek the first\nFriday after the birth of an infant, and administer to it the expressed\njuice, which is thought to preserve the babe from convulsions, and to\nensure it a long life.----According to astrologers, Houseleek is a herb\nof Jupiter.\n\nHURT-SICKLE.--See Centaury.\n\n=HYACINTH.=--From the time of Homer to the present day the Hyacinth\nhas been celebrated in the lays of the poets. Mythology tells us that\nthe flower sprang from the blood of Hyacinthus, a comely Laconian\nyouth, much beloved both by Apollo and Zephyr: preferring, however,\nthe sun to the wind, he kindled in the breast of the latter god a\nfeeling of jealousy and desire for revenge. The opportunity soon\ncame. Unsuspecting Hyacinthus playing a game of quoits with Apollo,\nZephyr, unperceived, seized the opportunity basely to cause his rival\nto become the innocent means of their common favourite\u2019s death: for\nwhilst a quoit thrown by the sun-god whirled through the air, Zephyr\ntreacherously blew it from its course till it struck the head of the\nill-fated Hyacinthus, and killed him, to the great sorrow of his\ninnocent slayer. Unable to restore his favourite companion to life,\nApollo, as a memorial of him, caused the flower which has since borne\nhis name to spring from his blood. Rapin refers to the story as\nfollows:--\n\n      \u201cIf spring proves mild \u2019tis Hyacinthus\u2019 time,\n  A flower which also rose from Ph\u0153bus\u2019 crime;\n  Th\u2019 unhappy quoit which rash Apollo threw,\n  Obliquely flying, smote his tender brow,\n  And pale alike he fell, and Ph\u0153bus stood,\n  One pale with guilt, and one with loss of blood;\n  Whence a new flower with sudden birth appears,\n  And still the mark of Ph\u0153bus\u2019 sorrow wears;\n  Spring it adorns, and Summer\u2019s scenes supplies\n  With blooms of various forms and various dyes.\u201d\n\nOvid gives a slightly different version of the tragedy, which he\nnarrates in the following lines:--\n\n      \u201cThe mid-day sun now shone with equal light\n  Between the past and the succeeding night;\n  They strip, then, smoothed with suppling oil, essay\n  To pitch the rounded quoit, their wonted play:\n  A well-pois\u2019d disk first hasty Ph\u0153bus threw;\n  It cleft the air, and whistled as it flew;\n  It reach\u2019d the mark, a most surprising length,\n  Which spoke an equal share of art and strength.\n  Scarce was it fall\u2019n, when with too eager hand\n  Young Hyacinth ran to snatch it from the sand;\n  But the curst orb, which met a stony soil,\n  Flew in his face with violent recoil.\n  Both faint, both pale and breathless now appear,\n  The boy with pain, the am\u2019rous god with fear.\n  He ran, and rais\u2019d him bleeding from the ground,\n  Chafes his cold limbs, and wipes the fatal wound:\n  Then herbs of noblest juice in vain applies;\n  The wound is mortal, and his skill defies.\u201d\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n      \u201cWhile Ph\u0153bus thus the laws of fate reveal\u2019d,\n  Behold the blood which stained the verdant field\n  Is blood no longer; but a flower full blown\n  Far brighter than the Tyrian scarlet shone.\n  A Lily\u2019s form it took; its purple hue\n  Was all that made a diff\u2019rence to the view.\n  Nor stopp\u2019d he here; the god upon its leaves\n  The sad expression of his sorrow leaves;\n  And to this hour the mournful purple wears\n  _Ai_, _Ai_, inscribed in funeral characters.\n  Nor are the Spartans, who so much are famed\n  For virtue, of their Hyacinth ashamed;\n  But still with pompous woe and solemn state,\n  The Hyacinthian feasts they yearly celebrate.\u201d--_Ozell._\n\nThe solemnities called _Hyacinthia_ lasted three days, during which the\npeople ate no bread, but subsisted on sweetmeats, and abstained from\ndecorating their hair with garlands, as on ordinary occasions. On the\nsecond day, a troop of youths entertained spectators by playing upon\nthe harp and flute, and chanting choruses in honour of Apollo. Numbers\nappeared mounted upon richly-caparisoned horses, who sang rustic songs,\nand were accompanied by a throng dancing to vocal and instrumental\nmusic. Females engaged in chariot races, and the most beautiful\nmaidens, sumptuously attired, drove about in splendidly adorned\nvehicles, singing hymns. Hundreds of victims were offered on the altars\nof Apollo; and the votaries with free-handed hospitality entertained\ntheir friends and slaves.----Many allusions are made by the poets to\nthe mournful letters A I, supposed to be visible on the petals of\n\n      \u201cThe languid Hyacinth, who wears\n  His bitter sorrows painted on his bosom.\u201d\n\nHunt, after entering into the vexed question as to the particular\nflower alluded to by Ovid, quotes a passage from Moschus, which he thus\ntranslates:--\n\n  \u201cNow tell your story, Hyacinth, and show\n  _Ai_, _Ai_, the more amidst your sanguine woe.\u201d\n\nThere has been much diversity of opinion expressed about the Hyacinth\nof the ancient poets. The claims of the modern flower to be the purple\nblossom that sprang from the blood of Hyacinthus are disputed, and the\ngeneral opinion is that the Martagon Lily was the plant referred to\nby the poet. The Gladiolus and the Larkspur, however, have both been\nnamed as the flower bearing the expression of grief A I, A I, on the\npetals.----Homer mentions the Hyacinth among the flowers which formed\nthe couch of Jupiter and Juno.\n\n  \u201cThick new-born Violets a soft carpet spread\n  And clust\u2019ring Lotus swelled the rising bed,\n  And sudden Hyacinths the turf bestrow\n  And flow\u2019ry Crocus made the mountains glow.\u201d\n\nIn allusion to the crisped and curled blossoms of the Hyacinth, poets\nhave been fond of describing curly hair as Hyacinthine locks. Milton\nwrites:--\n\n      \u201cAnd Hyacinthine locks\n  Round from his parted forelock manly hung\n  Clustering.\u201d\n\nByron makes the same comparison, and says the idea is common to both\nEastern and Grecian poets. Collins has the same simile in his \u2018Ode to\nLiberty.\u2019\n\n  \u201cThe youths, whose locks divinely spreading,\n  Like vernal Hyacinths in sullen hue.\u201d\n\nThe old English Jacinth, or Harebell, called by the French _Jacinthe\ndes bois_ (Wood Hyacinth) is botanically distinguished as _Hyacinthus\nnon scriptus_, because it has not the A I on the petals, and is not\ntherefore the poetical Hyacinth. (See HAREBELL).\n\nHYPERICUM.--See St. John\u2019s Wort.\n\n=HYSSOP.=--In the Bible, the name of Hyssop has been given to some\nplant that has not been identified, but is popularly associated at the\npresent day with _Hyssopus officinalis_. In many early representations\nof the Crucifixion, wild Hyssop has been depicted, it is presumed in\nmockery, as forming the crown worn by our Saviour. Parkinson, in his\n\u2018_Paradisus_,\u2019 says of the Golden Hyssop, that the leaves \u201cprovoke\nmany gentlewomen to wear them in their heads and on their armes,\nwith as much delight as many fine flowers can give.\u201d----To dream of\nHyssop portends that friends will be instrumental to your peace and\nhappiness.----The plant is under Jupiter\u2019s dominion.\n\n=ILEX.=--The Ilex (_Quercus Ilex_) is, perhaps, better known in England\nas the Evergreen or Holm Oak: in France, it is called _Ch\u00eane vert_.\nOn account of its dark and evergreen foliage, the Ilex is regarded as\na funereal tree, and a symbol of immortality, like the Cypress, the\nCedar, and other conifers. It was consecrated to Hecate, and the Fates\nwore chaplets of its leaves. The drunken Silenus was wont, also, to\nbe crowned with its foliage.----Virgil associates the Ilex with the\nraven, and tells us that from its dark foliage may be heard issuing\nthe mournful croakings of that funereal bird. Ovid, on the other\nhand, informs us that, in the Golden Age, the bees, living emblems\nof the immortal soul, sought the Ilex, to obtain material for their\nhoney.----Pliny speaks of a venerable Ilex which grew in the Vatican\nat Rome, which bore an inscription, and was regarded as a sacred tree;\nand of three of these trees at Tibur, which the inhabitants venerated\nas being almost the founders of the people.----The Ilex being very\ncombustible, and attracting lightning, was thought to render thereby a\nservice to man, in drawing upon itself the effects of the anger of the\ngods: hence it is somewhat remarkable that in Greece it is regarded as\na tree of bad omen, and has the following legend attached to it:--When\nit was decided at Jerusalem to crucify Christ, all the trees held a\ncounsel, and unanimously agreed not to allow their wood to be defiled\nby becoming the instrument of punishment. But there was a second Judas\namong the trees. When the Jews arrived with axes to procure wood for\nthe cross destined for Jesus, every trunk and branch split itself into\na thousand fragments, so that it was impossible to use it for the\ncross. The Ilex alone remained whole, and gave up its trunk for the\npurpose of being fashioned into the instrument of the Passion. So to\nthis day the Grecian woodcutters have such a horror of the tree, that\nthey fear to sully their axe or their hearth-stones by bringing them in\ncontact with the accursed wood. However, according to the _Dicta Sancti\nAegidii_ (quoted by De Gubernatis), Jesus Himself would seem to have\na preference for the tree which generously gave itself up to die with\nthe Redeemer; for we find that on most occasion when he appeared to the\nsaints, it was near an Ilex-tree.----In Russia, the Ilex, so far from\nbeing regarded with disdain, is looked upon as a benefactor and worker\nof miraculous cures among children. In certain districts, whenever a\nchild is ill, and especially when it is suffering from consumption,\nthey carry it into the forest, where they cleave in two the stem of an\nIlex, and pass the child thrice through the cleft, after which they\nclose the cut stem, and bind it securely with cord. Then they carry the\nchild round the tree thrice nine times (the number of days composing\nthe lunar month). Lastly they hang on the branches the child\u2019s shirt,\nso that the martyr-tree may generously take to itself all the disease\nhitherto afflicting the child.\n\n=INGUDI.=--In Bengal, they ascribe to the plant Ingudi (_Terminalia,\ncatappa_) the extraordinary property of begetting infants. According\nto De Gubernatis, the _T\u00e2patasaru_ is also called the Tree of the\nAnchorite, because with an oil extracted from the crushed fruit the\nIndian ascetics prepare the oil for their lamps.\n\n=IPECACUANHA.=--The root of the _Psychotria emetica_ is used generally\nas an expectorant, but in India in cases of dysentery: its sexsyllabic\nnomenclature has been thus immortalised by George Canning:--\n\n  \u201cCoughing in a shady grove,\n      Sat my Juliana;\n  Lozenges I gave my love:\n      Ipecacuanha!\u201d\n\n=IPOM\u0152A.=--The Ipom\u0153as are nearly allied to the _Convolvuli_, and are\namong the most lovely of all shrubs. The rosy-red _K\u00e2malat\u00e2_, the\nLove\u2019s Creeper of the Hindus, is a plant by which all desires are\ngranted to such as inherit the Indian Paradise. _Ipom\u0153a Bona-nox_,\n\u201cGood-night,\u201d is so named in allusion to its opening its flowers in the\nevening.\n\n=IRIS.=--The Iris of \u201call hues\u201d derives its name from the goddess\nIris, one of the Oceanides, a messenger of the gods, and the especial\nattendant of Juno. As goddess of the rainbow, she is represented with\nits variegated colours glistening in her wings. Thus Virgil says:--\n\n  \u201cIris on saffron wings arrayed with dew\n  Of various colours through the sunbeams flew.\u201d\n\nIris is usually depicted as descending from the rainbow, and her\nglorious arch is said not to vary more in its colours than the flower\nwhich bears her name. Columella observes--\n\n  \u201cNor Iris with her glorious rainbow clothed\n  So fulgent as the cheerful gardens shine\n  With their bright offspring, when they\u2019re in their bloom.\u201d\n\nThe Greeks plant the Iris on tombs, possibly because the goddess\nIris was believed to guide the souls of dead women to their last\nresting-place, as Mercury conducted the souls of men. The Iris was one\nof the flowers dedicated to Juno, and with the ancients was wont to\nbe employed as the symbol of eloquence or power; hence the Egyptians\nplaced this flower on the brow of the Sphinx, and on the sceptres\nof their monarchs. The three leaves of the blossom represent faith,\nwisdom, and valour. The Iris is supposed to be the flower which\nforms the terminating ornament of the sceptre of the ancient kings\nof Babylon and Assyria.----The Franks of old had a custom, at the\nproclamation of a king, to elevate him upon a shield, or target, and\nplace in his hand a reed of Flag in blossom, instead of a sceptre,\nand from thence the kings of the first and second race in France are\nrepresented with sceptres in their hands like the Flag with its flower,\nand which flowers became the armorial figures of France.----There\nis a legend that Clotilda, the wife of the warlike king Clovis, had\nlong prayed for the conversion of her husband, and at length Clovis,\nhaving led his army against the Huns, and being in imminent danger of\ndefeat, recommended himself to the God of his sainted wife. The tide\nof battle turned, he obtained a complete victory, and was baptised by\nSt. Remi. On this occasion, owing to a vision of St. Clotilda, the\nLilies (Iris) were substituted in the arms of France for the three\nfrogs or toads which Clovis had hitherto borne on his shield. In the\npictures of St. Clotilda, she is generally represented attended by\nan angel holding a shield on which are the three _Fleurs de Lys_.\nThis occurred early in the sixth century. Louis VII., in consequence\nof a dream, assumed it as his device in 1137, when engaged in the\nsecond expedition of the Crusaders, and the Iris-flower soon became\ncelebrated in France as the _Fleur de Louis_, which was first\ncontracted into _Fleur de Luce_, and afterwards into _Fleur de Lys_,\nor _Fleur de Lis_ (Lily-flower--although it has no affinity to the\nLily), and was incorporated in the arms of France, and formed one of\nthe embellishments of the crown.----Pope Leo III. presented Charlemagne\nwith a blue banner, _sem\u00e9e_ of golden _Fleurs de Lys_, and the banner\ncoming from the Pope was supposed by the ignorant to have descended\nfrom heaven.----Other traditions respecting this blue banner relate\nthat an angel gave it to Charlemagne, that St. Denis gave it to the\nkings of France, and that an angel brought it to Clovis after his\nbaptism.----The _Fleur de Lys_ appertains to the Bourbon race, and\nwas made the ornament of the northern radius of the compass in honour\nof Charles of Anjou, who was King of Sicily at the time of this great\ndiscovery. When Edward III. claimed the crown of France in 1340, he\nquartered the ancient shield of France with the lion of England. After\nmany changes of position, the _Fleur de Lys_ finally disappeared from\nthe English shield in the first year of the present century. (See also\nFLOWER DE LUCE).\n\nIRON-HEAD and HARD-HEAD.--See Horse-Knot.\n\n=IVY.=--Kissos (Greek for Ivy) was the original name of the infant\nBacchus, who, abandoned by his mother Semele, was hidden under an\nIvy-bush, which was subsequently named after him. Another Hellenic\ntradition makes Kissos a son of Bacchus, who, whilst dancing before\nhis father, suddenly dropped down dead. The goddess G\u00e6a (the Earth),\ncompassionating the unfortunate youth, changed him into the Ivy, which\nafterwards received his name--Kissos.----The god Bacchus is said to\nhave worshipped the Ivy under the name of _Kissos_; the plant was\nsacred to him, and he is represented crowned with the leaves of Ivy as\nwell as with those of the Vine. The god\u2019s thyrsus was also crowned with\nIvy. In Greece and Rome, Black Ivy was used to decorate the thyrsus of\nBacchus in commemoration of his march through India. This Ivy bears\nyellow berries, and is common in the Himalayas; it was, therefore,\nappropriately selected as the shrub wherewith to crown Alexander in his\nIndian expedition.----According to Plutarch, the priests of Jupiter\nwere bound to shun the Vine (in order to preserve themselves from\nintoxication), and to touch the Ivy, which was believed to impart a\nsort of prophetic transport. Bacchus, therefore, crowned with Ivy,\nbecame a god both victorious and prophetic.----At the Dionysian\nfestivals, the worshippers were crowned with Ivy, Vine-leaves, Fir,\n&c. Certain of the men engaged in the procession wore chaplets of Ivy\nand Violets, and the women--who, worked up into a kind of frenzy,\nexecuted fantastic dances--often carried garlands and strings of\nIvy-leaves.----Pliny says that Ivy-berries, taken before wine, prevent\nits intoxicating effects. Probably the Bacchanals\u2019 chaplet and the\nIvy-bough formerly used as the sign of a tavern, both derived their\norigin from the belief that Ivy in some form counteracted the effects\nof wine.----On this point, Coles says: \u201cBox and Ivy last long green,\nand therefore vintners make their garlands thereof; though, perhaps,\nIvy is the rather used because of the antipathy between it and wine.\u201d\nKennett tells us that, in olden times, \u201cthe booths in fairs were\ncommonly dressed with Ivy-leaves, as a token of wine there sold, the\nIvy being sacred to Bacchus; so was the tavern bush, or frame of wood,\ndrest round with Ivy forty years since, though now left off for tuns\nor barrels hung in the middle of it. This custom gave birth to the\npresent practice of putting out a green bush at the door of those\nprivate houses which sell drink during the fair.\u201d De Gubernatis says,\nthat the Ivy to be seen over the doors of Italian wine-shops has the\nsame signification as the Oak-bough--it is a precaution to render the\nwine innocuous. Ch\u00e9ruel tell us that the French, in suspending Ivy at\nthe door of their cabarets, intend it as a symbol of love.----Ivy,\nwhich clings and embraces, has been adopted as the emblem of confiding\nlove and friendship.----There is an old Cornish tradition which\nrelates that the beauteous Iseult, unable to endure the loss of her\nbetrothed, the valiant Tristan, died broken-hearted, and was buried in\nthe same church, but, by order of the king, their graves were placed\nfar asunder. But soon from the tomb of Tristan came forth a branch of\nIvy, and from the tomb of Iseult there issued another branch. Both\ngradually grew upwards, until at last the lovers, represented by\nthe clinging Ivy, were again united beneath the vaulted roof of the\nsanctuary.----In Greece, the altar of Hymen was encircled with Ivy, and\na branch of it was presented to the newly-married couple, as a symbol\nof the indissoluble knot. It formed the crown of both Greek and Roman\npoets; and in modern times, female love, constancy, and dependence have\nbeen expressed by it. Friendship is sometimes symbolised by a fallen\ntree, firmly embraced by the verdant arms of the Ivy, with the motto:\n\u201cNothing can part us.\u201d----In Northern mythology, Ivy, on account of its\nblack colour, was dedicated to Thor, the god of thunder, and offered to\nthe elf who was supposed to be his messenger.----When, in Germany, they\ndrive the cattle for the first time to pasture, they deck them with a\nbranch of Ivy fashioned into a crown. They believe also that he who\ncarries on his head a crown of Ivy acquires the faculty of recognising\nwitches. In the Tyrol, a similar belief holds good, only there, Rue,\nBroom, Maidenhair, and Agrimony must be bound together with Ground-Ivy\nin a bundle, which is to be kept about the person.----In Ross-shire,\nit is a May-day custom for young girls to pluck sprays of Ivy with the\ndew on them that have not been touched by steel.----Ivy has long been\nused in decorating churches and houses at Christmas: thus old Tusser\ndirects:--\u201cGet Ivye and Hull [Holly], woman, deck up thine house.\u201d It\nseems in the middle ages to have been regarded as a most favoured and\nauspicious plant; one old song couples the Ivy and Holly as plants\nwell adapted for Christmas time, and the following medi\u00e6val carol\nsings loudly the plant\u2019s praises:--\n\n  \u201cThe most worthy she is in towne;\n      He that sayeth other do amysse;\n  And worthy to bear the crowne:\n            _Veni, coronaberis_.\n\n  \u201cIvy is soft and meke of speech,\n      Ageynst all bale she is blysse;\n  Well is he that may hyre rech.\n            _Veni, coronaberis._\n\n  \u201cIvy is green, with coloure bright,\n      Of all trees best she is,\n  And that I prove will now be right.\n            _Veni, coronaberis._\n\n  \u201cIvy beryth berrys black,\n      God graunt us all His blysse,\n  For there shall we nothing lack.\n            _Veni, coronaberis._\u201d\n\nAccording to an old poem in the British Museum, however, Ivy was\nconsidered by some good people only fit to ornament the porches and\nouter passages of houses, but not the interior.\n\n  \u201cNay my nay, hyt shall not be I wis,\n  Let Holly have the maystry, as the maner ys.\n  Holly stoud in the hall, fayre to behold,\n  Ivy stoud without the dore, she ys ful sore a-cold.\n                                          Nay my nay.\u201d\n\nCorymbifer was a surname given to Bacchus, from his wearing a crown\nof _corymbi_, or Ivy-berries. These berries were recommended by old\nphysicians as a remedy for the plague, and Pliny averred that when\ntaken before wine, they prevented its intoxicating effects.----There\nis a popular tradition that an Ivy cup has the property of separating\nwine from water--the former soaking through, and the latter remaining.\nAn old writer remarks that those who are troubled with the spleen shall\nfind much ease by the continual drinking out of a cup made of Ivy, so\nas the drink may stand some time therein before it be drunk; for, he\nadds, \u201cCato saith that wine put into the Ivy cup will soak through\nit by reason of the antipathy that is between them;\u201d this antipathy\nbeing so great that a drunkard \u201cwill find his speediest cure if he\ndrunk a draught of the same wine wherein a handful of Ivy-leaves had\nbeen steeped.\u201d----The ancient Scottish clan Gordon claim Ivy as their\nbadge.----Ivy is under the dominion of Saturn. It is considered to be\nexceedingly favourable to dream of the evergreen climber, portending\nas it does, friendship, happiness, good fortune, honour, riches, and\nsuccess.\n\nGround-Ivy is a name which was formerly applied to the Periwinkle,\nand to the Ground Pine or Yellow Bugle (called till the beginning\nof the present century the Forget-Me-Not), but which was afterwards\ntransferred to the _Nepeta Glechoma_, a plant also known by the rustic\nnames of Gill and Gill-by-the-ground, Haymaids, Cat\u2019s-foot, Ale-hoof,\nand Tun-hoof. In olden times, it was put into ale, instead of hops, and\nwas also used to clear ale. The juice of the leaves, tunned up in ale,\nwas thought to cure the jaundice and other complaints.\n\nJACINTH.--See Hyacinth.\n\nJACK-BY-THE-HEDGE.--See Erysimum.\n\nJACK-OF-THE-BUTTERY.--See Stonecrop.\n\n=JACOB\u2019S LADDER.=--The _Polemonium c\u0153ruleum_, from its leaflets being\narranged in successive pairs.\n\n=JAMBU.=--The Jambu (_Eugenia Jambos_) is included among the great\nIndian cosmogonic trees. It is called, says Prof. De Gubernatis, the\nFruit of Kings, on account of the great size of its fruit. According to\nthe _Vishnu pur\u00e2na_, the continent _Jambudv\u00eepa_ took its name from the\ntree Jambu. The fruits of this tree are in point of fact very large,\nbut the fruits of the Indian mythological Jambu attain to the size\nof an elephant; when they have ripened they fall from the mountain,\nand the juice which exudes feeds the river Jambu, whose waters are\nconsequently richly endowed with salutary properties, and can neither\nbe tainted nor defiled. We learn from the _D\u00eergh\u00e2gama-S\u00fbtra_, that\nthe four cardinal points were not only represented by the four\nelephants which sustained the world, but by four trees of colossal\nbulk and grandeur. These four trees were the _Ghanta_, the _Kadamba_,\nthe _Ambala_, and the _Jambu_. The _Jambu_ sprang, it is said, from\nthe south of the mountain Meru, of which the summit was believed to\nrepresent the zenith. In the cosmogonic forest of the Himalaya towers\nthe stupendous bulk of the Jambu, and from its roots four great rivers,\nwhose waters are inexhaustible, take their source. It bears during the\nentire _kalpa_ of the renovation an immortal fruit, like unto gold,\ngreat as the vase called _Mah\u00e2kala_. This fruit falls into the rivers,\nand its pips produce the golden seed which is carried away to the sea,\nand which is sometimes washed up again, and to be found on its shores.\nThis gold is of incalculable value, and has not its equal in the world\nfor purity.----It appears, according to the _Sapta\u00e7ataka_ of H\u00e2la, that\nIndian lovers are fond of secreting themselves beneath the leaves of\nthe _Eugenia Jambos_, and that the young Indian bride becomes sad with\njealousy when she sees her young husband approaching, with his ears\ndecked with the leaves of the Jambu.\n\n=JASMINE.=--Perfumes and flowers play an important part in the poetry\nof India, and the Jasmine, which Hindu poets call the \u201cMoonlight\nof the Grove,\u201d has furnished them with countless images. Thus, in\n_Anv\u00e1r-i-Suhail\u00ee_ (translated by E. B. Eastwick), we read of a damsel\nentering the king\u2019s chamber, whose face charms like a fresh Rosebud\nwhich the morning breeze has caused to blow, and whose ringlets are\ncompared to the twisting Hyacinth buried in an envelope of the purest\nMusk:--\n\n  \u201cWith Hyacinth and Jasmine her perfumed hair was bound,\n    A posy of sweet Violets her clustering ringlets seemed;\n  Her eyes with love intoxicate, in witching sleep half drowned,\n    Her locks, to Indian Spikenard like,\n        with love\u2019s enchantments beamed.\u201d\n\nDe Tassy, the translator of the allegories of Aziz Eddin, points\nout that the Arabian word _y\u00e2s-min_ is composed of the word _y\u00e2s_,\ndespair, and _min_, an illusion. In the allegories we read: \u201cThen the\nJasmine uttered this sentence with the expressive eloquence of its\nmute language: \u201c_Despair is a mistake._ My penetrating odour excels\nthe perfume of other flowers; therefore lovers select me as a suitable\noffering to their mistresses; they extract from me the invisible\ntreasures of divinity, and I can only rest when enclosed in the folds\nand pleats which form in the body of a robe.\u201d----An allusion to the\nJasmine is made in the following poetic description of a young girl\ndrooping from a sudden illness:--\u201cAll of a sudden the blighting glance\nof unpropitious fortune having fallen on that Rose-cheeked Cypress,\nshe laid her head on the pillow of sickness; and in the flower-garden\nof her beauty, in place of the Damask-Rose, sprang up the branch of\nthe Saffron. Her fresh Jasmine, from the violence of the burning\nillness, lost its moisture, and her Hyacinth, full of curls, lost\nall its endurance from the fever that consumed her.\u201d----The Indians\ncultivate specially for their perfume two species of Jasmine--viz., the\n_Jasminum grandiflorum_, or _Tore_, and the _J. hirsutum_, or _Sambac_.\nThe _Moo-le-hua_, a powerful-smelling Jasmine, is used in China and\nother parts of the East as an adornment for the women\u2019s hair.----It\nis believed that the Jasmine was first introduced into Europe by some\nSpaniards, who brought it from the East Indies in 1560.----Loudon\nrelates that a variety of the Jasmine, with large double flowers and\nexquisite scent, was first procured in 1699 from Goa, by the Grand Duke\nof Tuscany, and so jealous was he of being the sole possessor of this\nspecies, that he strictly forbade his gardener to part with a single\ncutting. However the gardener was in love, and so, on the birthday of\nhis betrothed, he presented her with a nosegay, in the midst of which\nwas a sprig of this rare Jasmine. Charmed with its fragrance, the girl\nplanted the sprig in fresh mould, and under her lover\u2019s instructions\nwas soon able to raise cuttings from the plant, and to sell them at\na high price: by this means she soon saved enough money to enable\nher to wed the gardener, who had hitherto been too poor to alter his\ncondition. In memory of this tender episode, the damsels of Tuscany\nstill wear a wreath of Jasmine on their wedding days, and the event\nhas given rise to a saying that a \u201cgirl worthy of wearing the Jasmine\nwreath is rich enough to make her husband happy.\u201d----Yellow Jasmine\nis the flower of the Epiphany.----To dream of this beautiful flower\nforetells good luck; to lovers it is a sure sign they will be speedily\nmarried.\n\n=JERUSALEM.=--Many plants are found to have been named in olden times\nafter the Holy City. The Lungwort, _Pulmonaria officinalis_, is the\nJerusalem Cowslip; _Phlomis_ is Jerusalem Sage; and _Teucrium Botrys_\nis the Oak of Jerusalem, called so from the resemblance of its leaf to\nthat of the Oak. In these three cases the prefix \u201cJerusalem\u201d seems to\nhave been applied for no particular reason--probably because the plants\nhad an Eastern origin. Salsafy, _Tragopogon porrifolius_, is the Star\nof Jerusalem, so named from the star-like expansion of its involucre;\nand _Helianthus tuberosus_ is the Jerusalem Artichoke, a plant of the\nsame genus as the Sunflower, called Artichoke from the flavour of its\ntubers. The soup made from it is termed Palestine Soup. In the last two\ncases, Dr. Prior thinks the prefix \u201cJerusalem\u201d is simply a corruption\nof the Italian word _girasole_, turn-sun, and has been applied to these\nplants from a popular belief that they turn with the Sun. The _Lychnis\nChalcedonica_ is the Jerusalem Cross, which has derived its name from\nthe fact that a variety of it has four instead of five petals, of the\ncolour and form of a Jerusalem Cross.\n\n=JEWS\u2019 EARS.=--The _Auricula Jud\u00e6_ is a Fungus resembling in shape\nthe human ear, which grows usually upon the trunks of the Elder, the\ntree upon which Judas Iscariot is said by some to have hung himself.\nSir John Maundevile relates that he actually saw the identical tree.\nBacon says of this excrescence, \u201cThere is an herb called Jewes-Eare,\nthat groweth upon the roots and lower parts of the bodies of trees,\nespecially of Elders, and sometimes Ashes. It hath a strange propertie;\nfor in warme water it swelleth, and openeth extremely. It is not\ngreene, but of a darke browne colour. And it is used for squinancies\nand inflammations in the throat, whereby it seemeth to have a\nmollifying and lenifying vertue.\u201d\n\n=JOAN\u2019S SILVER PIN.=--The red-Poppy (_Papaver Rh\u0153as_) has acquired the\nname of Joan\u2019s Silver Pin, because, according to Parkinson, the gaudy\nflower is \u201cfair without and foul within\u201d (in allusion to its yellow\njuice). Joan\u2019s Silver Pin was a contemptuous term applied to some\ntawdry ornament displayed ostentatiously by a sloven.\n\n=JOB\u2019S TEARS.=--The pretty East Indian Grass, _Coix lacryma_, is called\nJob\u2019s Tears on account of the formation of its hard beard-like seeds,\nof which Gerarde says \u201cevery graine resembleth the drop or teare\nthat falleth from the eye.\u201d----Among the Arabs, the Fleabane (_Inula\ndysenterica_) is also called Job\u2019s Tears (See FLEABANE).\n\n=JONAH\u2019S GOURD.=--According to the Greek version of the Scriptures,\nthe plant under which Jonah sat was a Gourd, but the Vulgate considers\nit a species of Ivy. The _Ricinus communis_, the Castor-oil-tree, with\nits broad palmate leaves, has been, however, identified with the\n_Kikayon_, which God caused to rise up and shelter Jonah.\n\nJOSEPH\u2019S FLOWER.--See Goat\u2019s Beard.\n\n=JUDAS TREE.=--The Fig, the Tamarisk, the Aspen, the Dog Rose, the\nElder, and the Cercis have all been named as the tree from whose\nboughs the traitorous Judas, overcome with remorse, hung himself\nin guilty despair. The idea that the Fig-tree was the tree whereon\nJudas sought his fate, is a wide-spread one, and probably derives\nits origin from the fact of our Lord having cursed an unproductive\nFig-tree,--the tradition being that, after this malediction, the tree\nlost its foliage, and soon died; that its wood, when put in the fire,\nproduced smoke, but no flame; and that all its progeny from that\ntime forth became wild Fig-trees.----A Fig-tree growing on the coast\nof Coromandel, bears the name of Judas\u2019 Purse.----De Gubernatis, on\nthe authority of Dr. J. Pitr\u00e9, states that, according to a Sicilian\ntradition, Judas was not hung on a Fig, but on a Tamarisk-tree, called\n_Vruca_ (_Tamarix Africana_), much more common than the _Tamarix\nGallica_. The _Vruca_ is only a shrub; but, say the Sicilians, once\nupon a time it was a great tree, and very handsome. Since, however,\nthe traitor Judas hung himself from its boughs, the tree, owing to a\nDivine malediction, became merely a shrub, ugly, mis-shapen, small,\nuseless, not even capable of lighting even the smallest fire; from\nwhence has arisen the proverb: \u201cYou are like the wood of the _Vruca_,\nwhich neither yields cinders nor fire.\u201d----A Russian proverb says:\n\u201cThere is a tree which trembles, although the wind does not blow.\u201d\nIn the Ukraine, they state that the leaves of the Aspen (_Populus\ntremula_) have trembled and shaken ever since the day that Judas\nhanged himself on a bough of that tree.----In Germany, the Dog Rose\n(_Rosa canina_) is a tree of ill repute, and according to tradition,\none with which the Devil has had dealings. (See EGLANTINE). There is\na legend that Judas hanged himself on this tree; that in consequence\nit became accursed, and ever after turned to the earth the points of\nits thorns; and that from this cause its berries, to this day, are\ncalled _Judasbeeren_.----In England and other countries, there has\nlong existed a tradition that the Elder was the tree on which the\ntraitor-disciple hanged himself. Sir John Maundevile, in his \u2018Travels,\u2019\ndeclares that he saw the identical tree; and we read in \u2018Piers\nPlowman\u2019s Vision\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cJudas, he japed\n  With Jewen silver,\n  And sithen _on an Eller_\n  Hanged hymselfe.\u201d\n\nGerarde, however, in his \u2018Herbal\u2019 (1597) denies that the Elder was the\ntree, but states that the _Arbor Jud\u00e6_, the Judas-tree, is the _Cercis\nSiliquastrum_ (Wild Carob-tree). \u201cIt may,\u201d says the old herbalist,\n\u201cbe called in English Judas-tree, for that it is thought to be that\nwhereon Judas hanged himselfe, and not upon the Elder-tree, as it is\nvulgarly said.\u201d A similar belief is entertained by the French and\nItalians, who regard the _Cercis Siliquastrum_ as an infamous tree.\nThe Judas-tree grows about twenty feet high, has pale green foliage\nand purple papilionaceous flowers, which appear in the Spring in large\nclusters: they are succeeded by long flat pods, containing a row of\nseeds. Curiously enough, the Spaniards and Portuguese, on account of\nwhat Gerarde terms its \u201cbraveness,\u201d call it the \u201cTree of Love.\u201d\n\n=JUJUBE.=--The real Jujube-tree is _Zizyphus Jujuba_, a native of the\nEast Indies, nearly allied to the _Paliurus_, or Christ\u2019s Thorn: it\nbears similar yellow flowers and fruit about the size of a middling\nplum. It is sweet and mealy, and highly esteemed by the natives of the\ncountries to which the tree is indigenous. The lozenges called Jujubes\nare made from the fruit of _Zizyphus vulgaris_, which ripens abundantly\nin the neighbourhood of Paris.\n\nJULY FLOWER, the Stock Gilliflower.--See Stock.\n\n=JUNIPER.=--The ancients called the Juniper generally by the name of\nCedar, although Pliny distinguishes the two. Thus Virgil is supposed to\nhave alluded to the Juniper in the line in his \u2018Georgic\u2019:--\n\n  \u201c_Disce et odoratam stabulis accendere Cedrum._\u201d\n\n  \u201cBut learn to burn within your sheltering rooms\n  Sweet Juniper.\u201d\n\nThe Juniper was consecrated to the Furies. The smoke of its green\nroots was the incense which the ancients deemed most acceptable to\nthe infernal gods; and they burned its berries during funerals to\nban malign influences.----The Juniper has always been looked upon\nas a protective tree; its powerful odour is stated to defeat the\nkeen scent of the hound, and the hunted hare at the last extremity\nwill seek and find a safe retreat in the cover of its branches. It\nsheltered the prophet Elijah from the persecutions of King Ahab, and\nwe read in 1 Kings xix., 4, that the prophet lay and slept \u201cunder\na Juniper-tree.\u201d----According to a tradition common in Italy, the\nVirgin Mary fled for safety with the infant Jesus, pursued by the\nrelentless soldiers of King Herod. Whilst on their road, the Brooms\nand the Chick-Peas began to rustle and crackle, and by this noise\nbetrayed the fugitives. The Flax bristled up. Happily for her, Mary\nwas near a Juniper: the hospitable tree opened it branches as arms,\nand enclosed the Virgin and Child within their folds, affording them\na secure hiding-place. Then the Virgin uttered a malediction against\nthe Brooms and the Chick-Peas, and ever since that day they have\nalways rustled and crackled. The Holy Mother pardoned the Flax its\nweakness, and gave to the Juniper her blessing: on that account, in\nItaly, branches of Juniper are hung up on Christmas Day in stables\nand cattle sheds, just as in England, France, and Switzerland, Holly\nis employed as a decoration.----In Thibet, they burn Juniper-wood as\nincense in a gigantic altar, with an aperture at the top, which is\ncalled _Song-boom_, and bears some resemblance to a limekiln.----The\nold notion of the ancients that the burning of Juniper-wood expelled\nevil spirits from houses evidently led to some superstitious practices\nin this country in later times. Thus we find Bishop Hall writing:--\n\n  \u201cAnd with glasse stills, and sticks of Juniper,\n  Raise the black spright that burns not with the fire.\u201d\n\nIn some parts of Scotland, during the prevalence of an epidemic,\ncertain mysterious ceremonies are enacted, in which the burning of\nJuniper-wood plays an important part.-----In Germany and Italy, the\nJuniper is the object of a superstitious reverence on account of its\nsupposed property of dispersing evil spirits. According to Herr Weber,\nin some parts of Italy, holes or fissures in houses are brushed over\nwith Juniper-boughs to prevent evil spirits introducing sickness;\nin other parts, boughs of Juniper are suspended before doorways,\nunder the extraordinary belief that witches who see the Juniper are\nseized with an irresistible mania to count all its small leaves,\nwhich, however, are so numerous that they are sure to make a mistake\nin counting, and, becoming impatient, go away for fear of being\nsurprised and recognised.----In Waldeck, Germany, when infants fall\nill, their parents place in a bunch of Juniper some bread and wool,\nin order to induce bad spirits to eat, to spin, and so forget the\npoor little suffering babe. In Germany, a certain _Frau Wachholder_\nis held to be the personification and the presiding spirit of the\nJuniper, who is invoked in order that thieves may be compelled to give\nup their ill-gotten spoils: this invocation takes place with certain\nsuperstitious ceremonies beneath the shadow of a Juniper, a branch of\nwhich is bent to the earth. In Germany, also, the Juniper, like the\nHolly, is believed to drive away from houses and stables, spells and\nwitchcraft of all description, and specially to cast out from cows\nand horses the monsters which are sometimes believed mysteriously to\nhaunt them. For a similar reason, in Germany, in order to strengthen\nhorses, and to render them tractable and quiet, they administer to\nthem on three successive Sundays before sunrise, three handfuls of\nsalt, and seventy-two Juniper-berries. Prof. De Gubernatis tells us\nthat from a rare Italian book which he possesses, he finds that in\nBologna it is customary on Christmas Eve to distribute in most houses\nbranches of Juniper; and moreover, that the best authorities have\nproved the omnipotence of Juniper against serpents and venomous beasts,\nwho by their bites represent sins; and that the Juniper furnished\nthe wood for the Cross of the Saviour and protected the Prophet\nElijah.----In Tuscany, the Juniper receives a benediction in church\non Palm Sunday.----In Venetia, Juniper is burnt to purify the air,\nrecalling the ancient Roman custom of burning it instead of incense on\nthe altars.----In Norway and Sweden, the floors are strewed with the\ntops of Juniper, which diffuse a pleasant fragrance.----Evelyn says\nthat Juniper-berries afford \u201cone of the most universal remedies in the\nworld to our crazy forester,\u201d and he wonders that Virgil should condemn\nthe shadow of such a beneficial tree, but suspects him misreported as\nhaving written the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cNow let us rise, for hoarseness oft invades\n  The singer\u2019s voice who sings beneath the shades:\n  From Juniper unwholesome dews distil.\u201d\n\nThe old herbalists recommended the berries of the Juniper for use\nas counter-poisons and other wholesome medicines, and water wherein\nthese berries had been steeped was held to be health-giving and\nuseful against poisons and pestilent fevers. The smoke of the leaves\nand wood was said to drive away serpents, \u201cand all infection and\ncorruption of the aire which bring the plague, or such-like contagious\ndiseases.\u201d----The Juniper would appear to be potent in dreams; thus,\nit is unlucky to dream of the tree itself, especially if the person\nbe sick; but to dream of gathering the berries, if it be in winter,\ndenotes prosperity; whilst to dream of the actual berries signifies\nthat the dreamer will shortly arrive at great honours, and become an\nimportant person. To the married it foretells the birth of a male\nchild.----The Juniper is held to be under the dominion of the Sun.\n\n=JUNO\u2019S ROSE.=--The _Lilium candidum_ has derived its name of Juno\u2019s\nRose from the legend that relates how Jupiter, to make his infant son\nHercules immortal, put him to the breast of the sleeping Juno; and how,\nwhen the babe withdrew from her, the milk which fell from his lips\nformed the Milky Way, and, falling on earth, caused the White Lily to\nspring up. (See Lily).\n\n=JUNO\u2019S TEARS.=--A name originally given by Dioscorides to the _Coix\nlacryma_ (now called Job\u2019s Tears), but for some unknown reason\ntransferred to the Vervain (_Verbena officinalis_).\n\n=JUPITER\u2019S PLANTS.=--The Pink (_Dianthus_) is Jove\u2019s flower; the Oak is\nsacred to him because he first taught mankind to live upon Acorns; his\nsceptre is of Cypress. The Dodon\u00e6an Jupiter is usually depicted with a\nwreath of Oak-leaves; the Olympian Jove wears a wreath of Olive, and\nhis mantle is decorated with various flowers, particularly the Lily;\nto Jupiter Ammon the Beech is dedicated. The House-leek (_Sempervivum\ntectorum_) has obtained its name of Jupiter\u2019s Beard (_Jovis Barba_)\nfrom its massive inflorescence resembling the sculptured beard of\nJupiter. The same plant is also called Jupiter\u2019s Eye from its stellate\nform: in its centre is a bud, and on the surrounding petals can\nbe distinguished a little eye, from which circumstance has arisen\nthe superstition, mentioned by Dioscorides, that this plant cures\ninflammation of the eyes. Jupiter\u2019s Staff is the Mullein (_Verbascum\nThapsus_). Jupiter\u2019s Distaff is the Yellow Clary (_Salvia glutinosa_).\nGerarde thus describes it: \u201c_Jovis Colus_ representeth in the highest\ntop of the stalk a distaffe, wrapped about with yellow Flax, whereof\nit took its name.\u201d----The Couch of Jupiter and Juno was formed of the\nblossoms of Lotus, Lily, Hyacinth, Crocus, and Asphodel.\n\n=KAIL.=--Writing of the Cabbage or Colewort, Gerarde tells us \u201cthe\napothecaries and the common herbalists do call it _Caulis_, of the\ngoodnesse of the stalke.\u201d The old English name Cole and the Scotch\nKail are both derived from this Latin word _Caulis_, a stalk.----In\nScotland, it is a custom on Hallowe\u2019en for the young people, after\nbeing duly blindfolded, to go forth into the Kail-yard, or garden,\nand pull the first stalk they meet with. Returning to the fireside,\nthey determine, according as the stalk is big or little, straight or\ncrooked, what the future wife or husband will be. The quantity of earth\nadhering to the root is emblematic of the dowry to be expected, and\nthe temper is indicated by the sweet or bitter taste of the _motoc_ or\npith. Lastly, the stalks are placed in order over the door, and the\nChristian names of persons afterwards entering the house signify in the\nsame order those of the wives and husbands _in futuris_.\n\n=KATAKA.=--The Kataka (_Strychnos potatorum_) is an East Indian plant,\nthe seeds of which are sold in the bazaars for the purpose of cleansing\nmuddy water, &c. The vessel containing the water, milk, &c., is first\nrubbed round the inside for a minute or two with one of the seeds,\nafter which, by allowing the liquid to settle for a short time, however\nimpure it may have been before, it becomes clear. The confidence of the\nsuperstitious Hindus in this property of the Kataka became so great,\nthat in course of time they ignorantly thought the mere name of Kataka\nwould be sufficient to cleanse water. It became, therefore, necessary\nto state in one of their Codes that although the seeds of the Kataka\npurify water, its name alone was insufficient for that purpose.\n\n=KATHARINE\u2019S FLOWER.=--The _Nigella Damascena_ has been called\nKatharine\u2019s or St. Katherine\u2019s-flower, from the persistent styles\nspreading like the spokes of a wheel, the symbol of St. Katharine,\nwho was martyred upon a wheel. As regards the seed of this plant,\nGerarde tells us that if dried, powdered, and wrapped in a piece of\nfine lawn or sarcenet, it \u201ccureth all murs, catarrhes, rheumes, and\nthe pose, drieth the braine, and restoreth the sence of smelling unto\nthose which have lost it, being often smelled unto from day to day,\nand made warme at the fire when it is used.\u201d----This plant bears\nalso the names of Fennel-flower, Bishop\u2019s-wort, Old Man\u2019s Beard, and\nKiss-me-twice-before-I-rise.\n\n=KESARA.=--The Kesara (_Mimusops Elengi_) is an Indian tree sacred to\nKrishna. According to Jones, the flowers of the _Kesara_ ornament\nconspicuously the Garden of Paradise. An odoriferous water is distilled\nfrom the flowers, and the bark is used medicinally.\n\n=KERNEL-WORT.=--The _Scrophularia nodosa_ has obtained the name of\nKernel-wort, from its having kernels or tubers attached to its roots,\nand, therefore, as Gerarde remarks, \u201cit is reported to be a remedy\nagainst those diseases whereof it tooke his name.\u201d It appears to have\nbeen more particularly employed as a cure for the King\u2019s-evil; but\nthe old herbalist tells us that \u201cdivers do rashly teach that if it be\nhanged about the necke, or else carried about one, it keepeth a man in\nhealth.\u201d\n\n=KERZEREH.=--The Kerzrah, or Kerzereh, is the name of an Eastern\nflower, the odour of which would seem to have deadly properties. It\nis well known in Persia, and there, it is commonly said, that if a\nman inhale the hot south-wind, which in June or July passes over the\nKerzereh-flowers, it will undoubtedly kill him.\n\n=KETAKI.=--The Indian name of the Screw Pine, _Pandanus odoratissimus_,\nis Ketaki, the male and female flowers of which are borne on separate\ntrees. The male flowers are dried, and are then much in vogue as a\nscent by Indian ladies. These flowers are said by the native poets to\nbe dear to the god Siva; and so exquisite is their perfume, that the\nbee, intoxicated by it, mistakes the golden blossom for a beauteous\nnymph, and, blinded with passion, loses its wings.\n\n=KING\u2019S CUP.=--The Buttercup (_Ranunculus bulbosus_) is also called\nKing\u2019s Cup, from the resemblance of its buds to a gold stud such as\nKings wore. This flower was dedicated in medi\u00e6val times to the Virgin\nMary, and is the Mary-bud alluded to by Shakspeare in \u2018Cymbeline\u2019--\n\n  \u201cAnd twinkling Mary-buds begin\n  To ope their golden eyes.\u201d\n\nKISS-ME-ERE-I-RISE.--See Pansy.\n\nKISS-ME-TWICE-BEFORE-I-RISE.--See Katharine\u2019s Flower.\n\nKNIGHT\u2019S SPURS.--See Larkspur.\n\n=KNOT GRASS.=--The Centinode, or Knot Grass (_Polygonum aviculare_)\nderives its name from the knottiness of its stem and its Grass-like\nleaves. In \u2018A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u2019 Shakspeare refers to this plant\nas \u201cthe hindering Knotgrass,\u201d because its decoction was, in olden\ntimes, believed to be efficacious in stopping or retarding the growth\nof children, as well as of the young of domestic animals. Thus, in\nBeaumont and Fletcher\u2019s \u2018Coxcomb,\u2019 we read:--\n\n                      \u201cWe want a boy,\n  Kept under for a year with milk and Knotgrass.\u201d\n\nGerarde says that \u201cit is given unto swine with good success when they\nare sick, and will not eat their meat, whereupon country people do call\nit Swine\u2019s-grass or Swine\u2019s-skir.\u201d\n\n=KOVIDARA.=--The Kovidara (_Bauhinia variegata_) is one of trees which\nare represented as growing in the Indian Paradise. The flowers of this\nMountain Ebony are of a purplish-red colour, marked with white, and\nwith yellow bottoms.\n\n=KOUNALNITZA.=--In Russia, a plant dedicated to the Slave-God Kounala,\nprotector of the harvest, is named after him _Kounalnitza_. It would\nseem, however, to be now considered a herb of St. John. De Gubernatis\ntells us that on the eve of St. John\u2019s Day it is customary in Russia to\ndeck the floors of bath-rooms with this plant. _Kounalnitza_ is thus\ndescribed by a Russian lady:--\u201cIt is a herb as delicate as an arrow,\nhaving on each side nine leaves and four colours--black, green, red,\nand blue. This herb is very salutary. He who has gathered it on St.\nJohn\u2019s Day, and carries it about him with a piece of gold or silver\nmoney attached, need neither fear the Devil nor wicked men at night. In\ncourse of time he will prevail against all adversaries, and will become\nthe friend of Tzars and princes. The root of this plant is equally\nmiraculous: if a woman be childless, she has only to drink a potion in\nwhich this plant has been powdered, and she will have children and be\nable to protect them from all infantile diseases. _Kounalnitza_ is also\ngathered as a protection against sorcerers, who by their cries scare\nreapers and workers in the fields.\u201d\n\n=KUDDUM.=--The Kuddum, or Cadamba (_Anthocephalus Cadamba_), is one\nof the most sacred trees of India. According to the Chinese Buddhist\nscriptures, there grows to the east of the mountain Sume a great ring\nof trees called _Kadamba_, of vast proportions. The tree of Buddha\nsprang spontaneously from a kernel of this _Kadamba_, dropped in the\nsoil. \u201cIn one moment the earth split, a shoot appeared, and the giant\ntree raised itself, embracing within its shadow a circumference of\nthree hundred cubits. The fruits of this miraculous tree are a source\nof bitter vexation to the enemies of Buddha, and against these the\nDevas launch all the fury of the tempest.\u201d The yellowish-brown flowers\nof the Kuddum are small and collected in dense balls: they open at\nthe commencement of the rainy season, and they are represented by\nthe Indian poets as having the power of recalling to lovers, with\nirresistible vividness, the beloved absent one.\n\n=KUSA GRASS.=--The sacred Vedic herb _Kusa_ (_Poa cynosuroides_) is\nknown in the Sanscrit writings as the Ornament of the Sacrifice, the\nPure Herb, the Purifier, &c. With its long pointed leaves, the sacred\nbeverages are purified, the altar is covered, and the sacrificing\npriest is furnished with a natural carpet. According to the Vedas, the\nsacrifices offered in the Hindu temples of the Indian Trinity, Brahma,\nVishnu, and Siva, consisted of a fire of fragrant woods lighted at\neach of the cardinal points. The flames were fed now and again with\nconsecrated ointment, and around the fire was scattered the sacred\nherb _Kusa_. Thus, in the drama of \u2018_Sakuntal\u00e2_,\u2019 written by K\u00e2lid\u00e2sa\ntwo thousand years ago, we find that Kanva, the father of the heroine\n(who is the chief of the hermits), offers one of these sacrifices, and\nexclaims:--\n\n  \u201cHoly flames, whose frequent food\n  Is the consecrated wood,\n  And for whose encircling bed,\n  Sacred Kusa-grass is spread;\n  Hear, oh, hear me when I pray,\n  Purify my child this day!\u201d\n\nIn those times it was apparently considered no sin to apply the sacred\ngrass to private purposes, for one of Sakuntal\u00e2\u2019s handmaids compounds\nperfumes and unguents with consecrated paste and the Kusa-grass,\nto anoint the limbs of her mistress, previous to her nuptials. In\nthe Vedas, the Kusa-grass, or _Darbha_, is often invoked as a god.\nAccording to the _Atharvaveda_, it is immortal, it never ages, it\ndestroys enemies, and Indra, the god of thunder, employs it as his\nweapon.----The Vedic rituals contain directions for the employment of\nKusa-grass for various mystic purposes. To cleanse butter, the priest\nheld a small stalk of the sacred Grass, without nodes, in each hand,\nand, turning towards the east, he invoked Savitar, Vasu, and the rays\nof the sun. At the new moon, and at the full moon, they bound and\nfastened together the sacrificial wood and the Kusa-grass. In the third\nyear of its age, it was customary for a Hindu child to be brought\nby its parents to the priest, that its hair might be cut. Then the\nfather, placed to the south of the mother, held in his hand twenty-one\nstalks of Kusa-grass, which symbolised the twenty-one winds, and an\ninvocation was made to V\u00e2yu, the god of the winds. The father, or, in\nhis absence, a Brahman, took three stalks at a time, and inserted them\nin the child\u2019s hair seven times, the points turned towards the infant\u2019s\nbody; at the same time devoutly murmuring, \u201cMay the herb protect thee!\u201d\nAccording to the Vedas, a house ought to be erected in a locality where\nthe Kusa-grass abounds; the foundations are sprinkled with it, and\ncare is taken to extirpate all thorny plants. When reading the sacred\nbooks, the devout Hindu should be seated either on the ground or on a\nflooring strewn with Kusa-grass, upon which once rested Brahma himself.\nIt was customary, upon leaving a seminary, for the Vedic student to\ntake, among other things, by way of memento, and as a presage of\ngood fortune, a few blades of Kusa-grass. Anchorites employed the\nsacred Grass as a covering to their nudity, and it was also used as a\npurification in funeral rites. In the Buddhist ritual, the Vedic Kusa\nappears under the name of _Barhis_, and serves as a kind of carpet, on\nwhich come Agni and all the gods to seat themselves. Of such importance\nis the sacred Grass considered, that the name _Barhis_ is sometimes\neven employed to signify in a general manner the sacrifice itself.\n\n=KUSHTHA.=--Wilson identifies the Indian mythological tree _Kushtha_\nwith the _Costus speciosus_, a swamp plant bearing snow-white flowers\nand celebrated for the sweetness of its fruits. The Kushtha forms one\nof the trees of heaven. In the _Atharvaveda_, it is stated to flourish\nin the third heaven, where the ambrosia is to be found: it possesses\nmagical properties, will cure fevers, and is considered as the first\nof medicinal plants. It is represented also as a great friend and\ncompanion of Soma, the god of the ambrosia, and it descends from the\nmountain Himavant as a deity of salvation.\n\nLAD\u2019S LOVE.--See Southernwood.\n\n=LADY\u2019S PLANTS.=--When the word \u201clady\u201d occurs in plant names, it\nalludes in most cases to Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, on whom the monks\nand nuns of old lavished flowers in profusion. All white flowers were\nregarded as typifying her purity and sanctity, and were consecrated\nto her festivals. The finer flowers were wrested from the Northern\ndeities, Freyja and Bertha, and from the classic Juno, Diana, and\nVenus, and laid upon the shrine of Our Lady. In Puritan times, the\nname of Our Lady was in many instances replaced by Venus, thus\nrecurring to the ancient nomenclature: for example: Our Lady\u2019s Comb\nbecame Venus\u2019s Comb (_Scandix Pecten Veneris_); _Galium verum_ is\ncalled Our Lady\u2019s Bedstraw, from its soft, puffy, flocculent stems,\nand its golden flowers. The name may allude more particularly to the\nVirgin Mary having given birth to her Son in a stable, with nothing\nbut wild flowers for her bedding. _Clematis vitalba_, commonly called\nTraveller\u2019s Joy, from the shade and shelter it affords to weary\nwayfarers, is also called Lady\u2019s Bower, from \u201cits aptness in making\narbours, bowers, and shadie covertures in gardens.\u201d _Statice Armeria_,\nthe clustered Pink, which is called Thrift, from the past participle of\nthe verb to thrive, is, on account of its close cushion-like growth,\ntermed Lady\u2019s Cushion. _Alchemilla vulgaris_ is named Lady\u2019s Mantle\nfrom the shape and vandyked edge of the leaf; and _Campanula hybrida_\n(from the resemblance of its expanded flower, set on its elongated\novary, to an ancient metallic mirror on its straight handle) is the\nLady\u2019s Looking-glass. Two plants with soft inflated calyces (_Anthyllis\nvulneraria_ and _Digitalis purpurea_) are Lady\u2019s Fingers. _Neottia\nspiralis_, with its flower-spikes rising above each other like braided\nhair, is Lady\u2019s Tresses; and the Maidenhair Fern is Our Lady\u2019s Hair.\nDodder (_Cuscuta_), from its string-like stems, is called Lady\u2019s Laces;\nand _Digraphis arundinacea_, from the ribbon-like striped leaves,\nLady\u2019s Garters. In Wiltshire, _Convolvulus sepium_ is called Lady\u2019s\nNightcap. _Cypripedium Calceolus_, from the shape of its flower, is\ncalled Lady\u2019s Slippers; and _Cardamine pratensis_, from the shape of\nits flowers, like little smocks hung out to dry, is the Lady\u2019s Smock,\nall silver white, of Shakspeare. Lady\u2019s Thimble is a name of the Blue\nor Hare Bell (_Campanula rotundifolia_); and Lady\u2019s Seal is now the\nBlack Briony. _Carduus Marianus_ is the Lady\u2019s Thistle, the blessed\nMilk Thistle, whose green leaves have been spotted white ever since\nthe milk of the Virgin fell upon it when she was nursing Jesus, and\nendowed it with miraculous virtues.\n\n=LARCH.=--There has long been a superstitious belief that the wood\nof the Larch-tree (_Pinus Larix_) is impenetrable by fire, and a\nstory is told by Vitruvius of a castle besieged by C\u00e6sar, which,\nfrom being built largely of Larch timber, was found most difficult\nto consume.----Evelyn calls the Larch a \u201cgoodly tree, which is of so\nstrange a composition, that \u2019twill hardly burn; whence the Mantuan,\n_Et robusta Larix igni impenetrabile lignum_, for so C\u00e6sar found\nit.\u201d----Tiberius constructed several bridges of this timber, and the\nForum of Augustus, at Rome, was built with it.----Evelyn tells of a\ncertain ship found many years ago in the Numidian Sea, twelve fathoms\nunder water, which was chiefly built of Larch and Cypress, so hardened\nas long to resist the fire or the sharpest tool. Nor, he adds, \u201cwas\nanything perished of it, though it had lain above a thousand and four\nhundred years submerged.\u201d----A Manna is obtained from the Larch,\ncalled in the South of France _Manna de Brian\u00e7on_; it is very rare,\nand met with only in little drops that adhere to the leaves.----In\nthe case of a forest fire, if Larches are scorched to the pith, the\ninner part exudes a gum, called Orenburg gum, which the mountaineers\nmasticate in order to fasten their teeth. Ben Jonson, in the \u2018Masque of\nQueens,\u2019 speaks of the gum or turpentine of the Larch as being used in\nwitchcraft. A witch answers her companion:--\n\n  \u201cYes, I have brought (to help your vows)\n  Horned Poppy, Cypress-boughs,\n  The Fig-tree wild, that grows on tombs,\n  And juice that from the Larch-tree comes,\n  The basilisk\u2019s blood and the viper\u2019s skin:\n  And now our orgies let\u2019s begin.\u201d\n\nAccording to a Tyrolean tradition, the Seliges Fr\u00e4ulein, dressed\nin white, repairs to an aged Larch beneath whose shelter she\nsings.----Lucan includes the \u201cgummy Larch\u201d among the articles burned\nto drive away serpents.----M. de Rialle, quoted in _Mythothologie des\nPlantes_, relates that a group of seven Larches constituted for the\nOstiaks a sacred grove. Everyone passing was expected to leave an\narrow, and formerly it was customary to suspend skins there, so that in\ncourse of time an immense quantity was accumulated. As these offerings\nwere frequently stolen by strangers, the Ostiaks decided to fell one\nof the Larches and remove the stump to some secret locality where they\nmight pay their devotions without fear of sacrilege. M. de Rialle\nfound the same Larch worship at B\u00e9r\u00e9zof: there a tree fifty feet high,\nand so old that only its top bore foliage, received the homage of the\nOstiaks, who showed their piety by turning to good account its singular\nconformation: about six feet from the ground the trunk of the tree\nbecame divided into two limbs, which joining again a little higher up,\nleft a cleft in the centre: this aperture the devotees dedicated to the\nreception of their offerings.\n\n=LARKSPUR.=--The Larkspur, the _Delphinium_ or Dolphin-flower of the\nancients, was considered by Linn\u00e6us and many other botanists to be\nnone other than the Hyacinth of the classic poets. It is not, however,\ngenerally recognised as the flower that sprang from the blood of the\nunfortunate Hyacinthus, and which to this day bears his name; but is\nrather regarded as the flower alluded to in the enigma propounded by a\nshepherd in one of the Eclogues of Virgil.\n\n  \u201c_Dic quibus in terris inscripti nomina regum\n  Nascuntur flores._\u201d\n\n  \u201cSay in what country do flowers grow with the names of kings\n   written upon them.\u201d\n\nTradition states that from the life-blood of the disappointed\nand infuriated Ajax sprang the _Delphinium_--the flower which we\nnow know as the Larkspur, upon whose petals it is said may be\nread the letters A I A, and which the botanists consequently term\n_Delphininium Ajacis_--truly a flower upon which the name of a king\nis written.----The legend concerning the origin of the flower is as\nfollows:--Ajax, the son of Telamon and Hesione, was next to Achilles\nworthily reputed the most valiant of all the Greeks at the Trojan war,\nand engaged in single combat with Hector, the intrepid captain of the\nTrojan hosts, who was subsequently slain by Achilles. After the death\nof Achilles, Ajax and Ulysses both claimed the arms of the deceased\nhero: the latter was awarded them by the Greeks, who preferred the\nwisdom and policy of Ulysses to the courage of Ajax. This threw Ajax\ninto such a fury, that he slaughtered a flock of sheep, mistaking\nthem for the sons of Atreus; and then, upon perceiving his error,\nstabbed himself with the sword presented to him by Hector; the blood\nspurting from his self-inflicted death-wound, giving birth, as it fell\nto the earth, to the purple _Delphinium_, which bears upon its petals\nthe letters at once the initials of his name and an exclamation of\ngrief at the loss of such a hero.----The generic name of the plant\nis derived from the Greek _delphinion_, a dolphin; the flower-buds,\nbefore expansion, being thought to resemble that fish. In England, the\nflower is known by the names of Larkspur, Lark\u2019s-heel, Lark\u2019s-toe,\nLark\u2019s-claw, and Knight\u2019s-spur.\n\n=LAUREL.=--Daphne, daughter of Peneus and the goddess Terra, inspired\nApollo with a consuming passion. Daphne, however, received with\ndistrust and horror the addresses of the god, and fled from his\nadvances. Pursued by Apollo, she adjured the water-gods to change her\nform, and, according to Ovid--\n\n  \u201cScarce had she finished when her feet she found\n  Benumb\u2019d with cold and fastened to the ground:\n  A filmy rind about her body grows;\n  Her hair to leaves, her arms extend to boughs.\n  The nymph is all into a Laurel gone\n  The smoothness of her skin remains alone.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  To whom the god: because thou canst not be\n  My mistress, I espouse thee for my tree:\n  Be thou the prize of honour and renown;\n  The deathless poet and the poem crown.\n  Thou shalt the Roman festivals adorn,\n  And after poets, be by victors won.\n  Thou shalt returning C\u00e6sar\u2019s triumph grace\n  When pomps shall in a long procession pass;\n  Wreath\u2019d on the posts before his palace wait;\n  And be the sacred guardian of the gate,\n  Secure from thunder, and unharmed by Jove,\n  Unfading as th\u2019 immortal powers above;\n  And as the locks of Ph\u0153bus are unshorn,\n  So shall perpetual green thy boughs adorn.\u201d--_Dryden._\n\nThe classical Laurel, known as the \u201cRoyal,\u201d or \u201cAugustan,\u201d was the\nSweet Bay, or Daphne (_Laurus nobilis_). Formerly the Bay-tree was\ncalled Laurel, and the fruit only named Bayes, a word derived from\nthe French _baie_, a berry. By the Greeks and Romans the tree was\nconsidered sacred. The Romans decorated with Laurel the gods Apollo\nand Bacchus, the goddesses Libertas and Salus, \u00c6sculapius, Hercules,\n&c. The victors of the Pythian games, held to commemorate Apollo\u2019s\ntriumph over the Pythons, wore crowns of Laurel, Palm, or Beech. Paris\n(called in Homer, Alexander) was crowned with Alexandrian Laurel\n(_Ruscus racemosus_), as victor in the public games, whence its names\nin Apuleius, _Daphne Alexandrina_ and _Stephane Alexandrina_. Of all\nthe honours decreed to C\u00e6sar by the Senate, he is said to have valued\nmost the privilege of wearing a crown of Alexandrian Laurel, because it\ncovered his baldness, which was reckoned a deformity among the Romans\nas well as among the Jews. This is the Laurel generally depicted on\nbusts, coins, &c. The palace gates of the C\u00e6sars, and the high pontiffs\nwere decorated with Laurel. Victorious Roman generals sent their\nletters and dispatches to the Senate enclosed in Laurel-leaves. The\nletter announcing the victory was called _liter\u00e6 laureat\u00e6_, and its\nbearer carried a branch of Laurel, which was placed in the breast of\nJupiter Optimus Maximus. The soldiers\u2019 spears, tents, ships, &c., were\nall dressed up with Laurel, and in the triumph each soldier carried a\nbranch in his hand. According to Plutarch, Scipio entered Carthage,\nholding in one hand a sceptre and in the other a branch of Laurel.\nSophocles relates how \u0152dipus, seeing Creon arrive crowned with Laurel,\nbelieved that he brought good news. The goddess Victoria is represented\nas crowned with Laurel, and bearing the branch of a Palm-tree.\nAccording to Hesiod, the Muses hold Laurel in their hands.\n\nThe prophetess Manto, a daughter of the prophet Tiresias, was sometimes\ncalled Daphne (Laurel).\n\nThe bough of a Laurel was considered to give to prophets the faculty\nof seeing that which was hidden. Dionysius calls the Laurel the\nprophetical plant; and Claudian, _venturi pr\u00e6scia Laurus_. Fulgentius\nstates, that a Laurel-leaf placed beneath the pillow will cause coming\nevents to be foreseen in a dream; thereby greatly assisting the\nprediction of future events. Diviners, like the priests of Apollo, wore\nLaurel wreaths, and Laurel was used in the composition of incense.\nEvelyn relates that the Laurel and _Agnus Castus_ were reputed to be\n\u201ctrees which greatly composed the \u2018phansy,\u2019 and did facilitate true\nvisions; and that the first was especially efficacious to inspire a\npoetical fury. Such a tradition there goes of Rebekah, the wife of\nIsaac, in imitation of her father-in-law. The instance is recited\nout of an ancient ecclesiastical history, by Abulensis.\u201d From hence,\nEvelyn thinks the Delphic Tripos, the Dodonean Oracle in Epirus, and\nothers of a similar nature, took their origin. The Pythia, or priestess\nof Apollo, at Delphi, before delivering the oracles from the sacred\ntripod, shook a Laurel-tree and sometimes chewed the leaves with which\nshe crowned herself, casting them afterwards into the sacred fire.\nThe temple of Apollo at Delphi, where the celebrated oracles were\ndelivered, was at first only a structure of Laurel-branches, which\nenclosed a fissure in the earth, from which a stupefying exhalation\narose. Over the fissure was placed a tripod, on which the Pythia or\nprophetess sat, and, becoming excited by the ascending vapour, she\nfell into an ecstacy, and prophesied. After a temple of stone had been\nconstructed, the Pythia prophesied in an inner and secluded cell,\nthe only opening to which, accessible to questioners, was covered\nwith Laurel-leaves. The Laurel being sacred to Apollo as well as to\n\u00c6sculapius, was used in the temples of both these divinities, partly\nto induce sleep and dreams, partly to produce beneficial effects in\nvarious diseases. Whosoever wished to ask counsel was bound to appear\nbefore the altar crowned with Laurel-twigs and chewing Laurel-leaves.\nEvery ninth year, a bower, composed of Laurel-branches, was erected in\nthe forecourt of the temple at Delphi.\n\nThe B\u0153otian f\u00eates, held every ninth year at Thebes in honour of Apollo,\nwere designated Daphnephoria. On these occasions, an Olive-bough,\nadorned with Laurel, was carried by a beautiful and illustrious youth,\ndedicated to the service of Apollo, and who was called _Daphnephoros_\n(Laurel-bearer). The origin of the Daphnephoria was as follows:--The\n\u00c6tolians had invaded B\u0153otia, but both invaders and defenders suspended\nhostilities to celebrate the festival of Apollo, and having cut down\nLaurel-boughs from Mount Helicon, they walked in procession in honour\nof the divinity: that same day the B\u0153otian general, Polemates, dreamed\nthat a youth presented him with a suit of armour, and commanded the\nB\u0153otians to offer prayers to Apollo, and to walk in procession, with\nLaurel-boughs in their hands, every ninth year. Three days later,\nPolemates defeated the invaders, and immediately instituted the\nFestival of Daphnephoria.\n\nThe Laurel formerly had the power ascribed to it of being a safeguard\nagainst lightning, of which Tiberius was very fearful, and in order to\navoid which he is stated to have crept under his bed and protected his\nhead with Laurel-leaves. In Sicily, it has long been popularly believed\nthat the shrub is a protection from thunder and lightning. The same\nsuperstition survived till recently in our own country. W. Browne tells\nus that \u201cBaies being the material of poets\u2019 ghirlands, are supposed\nnot subject to any hurt of Jupiter\u2019s thunder-bolts, as other trees\nare.\u201d Culpeper alludes to the old belief that neither witch nor devil,\nthunder nor lightning, will hurt a man where a Bay-tree is; and remarks\nfurther, that Laurels resist \u201cwitchcraft very potently, as also all the\nevils old Saturn can do the body of man, and they are not a few. The\nberries are very effectual against all poisons of venomous creatures,\nas also against the pestilence and other infectious diseases.\u201d\n\nThe decay of the Bay-tree, which is generally rapid, was formerly\nconsidered as an omen of disaster. It is said that before the death\nof Nero, though in a very mild winter, all these trees withered to\nthe root, and a great pestilence in Padua is reputed to have been\npreceded by the same phenomenon. So great a reputation had the Laurel\nfor clearing the air and resisting contagion, that the Emperor Claudius\nwas advised by his physicians during a raging pestilence to remove\nhis court to Laurentum. That city, in the reign of Latinus, was the\ncapital of Latium, whose inhabitants were called Laurentini from the\ngreat number of Laurels which flourished in their country. King Latinus\ndiscovered one of unusual size and beauty when about to build a temple\nto Apollo, and the tree was consecrated to the god, and preserved with\nreligious care.\n\nThe Laurel had the reputation of being generally propitious to man.\nAt Rome, on the 15th of May, merchants used to celebrate a festival\nin honour of Mercury, and proceeding to a public fountain, they drew\nwater wherein they dipped a Laurel-branch, which they then employed\nto bless all their merchandise. The Laurus (Bay) was held in high\nesteem by the old Greek physicians; and among the people there existed\na belief that spirits could be banished by its means. The Greeks had\na saying, \u201cI carry a branch of Laurel,\u201d to indicate that the speaker\nhad no fear of poison or sorcery. They had a custom of affixing a\nLaurel-bough over the doorway, in the case of a severe illness, in\norder to avert death and drive away evil spirits. Presumably from these\nassociations, it became the fashion to crown young doctors of physic\nwith Laurel-berries (_Bacca Lauri_), and the students were called\nBaccalaureats, Bay-laureats, or Bachelors. Theophrastus tells us that\nin his time the superstitious kept Bay-leaves in their mouths all day,\nto guard them from misfortune. Theocritus says that young girls were\nwont to burn Laurel as a charm to recall errant lovers. The Bolognese\nuse Laurel to obtain an augury of the harvest: they put Laurel-leaves\nin the fire, and if in burning they crackle, it is a sign that the\nharvest will be good; if not, it will be bad. Tibullus chronicles a\nsimilar superstition in his time.\n\nIn the days of Pliny, there still existed on Mount Aventine a\nplantation of Laurels, of which the branches were employed for\nexpiations. On the other hand, there grew on the shores of the Euxine\na Laurel bearing a sinister reputation, close to where Amycus, the\nson of Neptune, was killed and buried. The Argonauts, when passing\nthere, broke off a branch of this Laurel, and they immediately began\nto quarrel among themselves: the quarrel ceased, however, directly the\nbranch was thrown away.\n\nPetrarch made the Laurel the constant theme of his verse, associating\nit with the name of his beloved mistress, Laura; and when publicly\ncrowned in the Roman Capitol with a wreath of Laurel, the poet\nacknowledged himself to have experienced the greatest delight.\n\nSir Thomas Browne refers to a custom common in Christian countries of\nthrowing a sprig of Bay upon the coffin when interred. In England, it\nhas long been used, together with Holly, Rosemary, &c., to decorate\nhouses and churches at Christmas. In Greece, on Holy Saturday, they\nspread Laurel-leaves on the church floor. In Corsica, they deck with\nLaurel-leaves the doorway of the house where a wedding is being\ncelebrated.\n\nTo dream of a Laurel-bush is a token of victory and pleasure. If the\ndreamer is married it denotes an inheritance through the wife. If\na married woman dreams of seeing or smelling Laurel, it is a sign\nthat she shall bear children; if a maid, it denotes that she will be\nsuddenly married. Astrologers consider the Laurel a tree of the Sun,\nunder the celestial sign Leo.\n\nThe Roumanians have a legend that there was once a nymph, known as the\nDaughter of the Laurel, who dwelt in the midst of a Laurel-bush. One\nevening the Laurel had opened its branches that she might, as was her\nwont, issue forth and dance in the flowery valley. Whilst tripping\nalong she was accosted by a handsome youth, who extolled her beauty,\nexpressed his passion for her, and finally endeavoured to embrace her;\nbut the Laurel nymph fled, and pursued by the stranger, disappeared in\nthe flowery groves.... \u201cThe Star Queen sleeps in her palace of clouds;\nsleep also, gentle and lovely girl; try to calm thy sighs.\u201d So sings\nthe handsome stranger, and the Daughter of the Laurel falls to sleep\nin his arms, murmuring a prayer that her lover may never abandon her.\nAt her waking, alas! the youth is nowhere to be seen. She shrieks\nfor him wildly, and calls to the night; to the stars; to the rivulet\nrunning through the wood; but in vain. \u201cOpen thy branches, beautiful\nLaurel-tree!\u201d then cries the deserted girl; \u201cthe night is already\nflying, and if I remain longer here I shall dissolve away into dew.\u201d\n\u201cAway, young and beautiful girl,\u201d replies the Laurel-tree mournfully;\n\u201cthe star wreath of honour has fallen from thy brow; there is no longer\nany place for thee here.\u201d Then the sun rose over the mountain, and the\nDaughter of the Laurel dissolved away into dew.\n\n=LAVENDER.=--The ancients employed Lavender (_Lavandula Spica_) largely\nin their baths, whence its name, derived from the Latin verb, _lavare_,\nto wash. The expression \u201cLaid up in Lavender\u201d has arisen from the old\ncustom of using the plant to scent newly-washed linen.\n\n        \u201cIts spike of azure bloom\n  Shall be erewhile in arid bundles bound,\n  To lurk amid the labours of the loom,\n  And crown our kerchiefs clean with mickle rare perfume.\u201d\n\nThe ancients used the French Lavender (_L. St\u0153chas_), which formerly\ngrew in great abundance on the islands near Hy\u00e8res, in France, that\nwere named after the plant, the St\u0153chades. Gerarde calls this French\nLavender, Sticadove, and says the herb was also known as Cassidonie,\ncorrupted by simple country folk into \u201cCast-me-down.\u201d Shakspeare makes\nPerdita class Lavender among the flowers denoting middle-age:--\n\n          \u201cHere\u2019s flowers for you;\n  Hot Lavender, Mints, Savory, Marjoram.\n  The Marygold, that goes to bed with the sun,\n  And with him rises weeping; these are the flowers\n  Of middle Summer, and, I think, they are given\n  To men of middle age.\u201d\n\nEnglish Lavender was formerly called Lavender Spike, and Gerarde says\nit was thought by some to be the sweet herb Cassia, mentioned by Virgil\nin his \u2018Bucolics\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cAnd then she\u2019ll Spike and such sweet herbs unfold,\n  And paint the Jacinth with the Marigold.\u201d\n\nIt was formerly believed that the asp, a dangerous species of viper,\nmade Lavender its habitual place of abode, for which reason the\nplant was approached with extreme caution.----In Spain and Portugal,\nLavender is used to strew the floors of churches and houses on festive\noccasions, or to make bonfires on St. John\u2019s Day.----In Tuscany,\nit is employed to counteract the effect of the Evil Eye on little\nchildren.----The Kabyle women attribute to Lavender the property of\nprotecting them from marital cruelty, and invoke it for that purpose.\n\n=LEEK.=--Biblical commentators say that the Leek (_Allium Porrum_),\nas well as the Onion and Garlic, was included among those Egyptian\nluxuries after which the Children of Israel pined. White and green were\nthe old Cymric colours, and these colours are found combined in the\nLeek, which is the national emblem of the Welsh. The following lines\nare from a MS. in the Harl. Col., British Museum:--\n\n  \u201cI like the Leeke above all herbes and floures;\n  When first we wore the same the field was ours.\n  The Leeke is white and green, whereby is ment\n  That Britaines are both stout and eminente.\n  Next to the lion and the unicorne,\n  The Leeke\u2019s the fairest emblym that is worne.\u201d\n\nShakspeare, in Henry V., tells us that the Leek, worn by Welshmen on\nSt. David\u2019s Day (March 1st), is \u201can ancient tradition, begun upon an\nhonourable respect, and worn as a memorable trophy of pre-deceased\nvalour.\u201d This vegetable \u201ctrophy\u201d is said to be in memory of a great\nvictory obtained by the Welsh over the Saxons; on which occasion,\nthey, by order of St. David, placed Leeks in their caps in order to\ndistinguish themselves. It has also been supposed that the wearing\nof the Leek may have originated in the custom of _Cymortha_, still\nobserved among the farmers of the country, where, in assisting one\nanother in ploughing their land, they bring each their Leeks to the\ncommon repast of the whole party.----Drayton relates another legend,\nwhich runs as follows:--\n\n  \u201cThere is an aged cell, with Moss and Ivy grown,\n  In which not to this day the sun has ever shone.\n  That reverend British saint, in zealous ages past,\n  To contemplation lived, and did so truly fast,\n  As he did only drink what crystal Hodney yields,\n  And fed upon the Leeks he gathered in the fields;\n  In memory of whom, in each revolving year,\n  The Welshmen on his day that sacred herb do wear.\u201d\n\nPliny states that Nero brought Leeks into great repute among the Romans\nby eating them with oil to clear his voice for singing. His folly in\nthis respect obtained for him the satirical name of _Porrophagus_, the\nLeek Eater. Martial, referring to the disagreeable effects of the Leek\nupon the breath of the eater, says:--\n\n  \u201cThe juice of Leeks who fondly sips,\n  To kiss the fair, must close his lips.\u201d\n\n----In Poland, the flower-stalk of the Leek is placed in the hands\nof the statues of our Saviour on certain special days, to represent\nthe Reed given to Him at the Crucifixion.----Among the Sicilians,\nthe mother of the Apostle Peter is the subject of many legends. She\nis always represented as bad and niggardly. The only thing she ever\ngave away was the leaf of a Leek, which she flung to a beggar, who\nimportuned her one day as she was washing her potherbs. When she died,\nhell received her. Years afterwards, Peter, the doorkeeper of Paradise,\nheard a piteous voice saying: \u201cSon Peter, see what torments I am in.\nGo, ask the Lord to let me out.\u201d So Peter went and asked. But the Lord\nsaid: \u201cShe never did a nail-paring of good. Except this Leek-leaf,\nshe never once gave a scrap away. However, here is a Leek-leaf: this\nangel shall take it, and shall tell her to lay hold of the other end,\nwhile he pulls her up.\u201d So Peter\u2019s mother grasped the Leek-leaf; but\nall the souls in torment ran after her, and clung to her skirts, so\nthat the angel was dragging quite a string of them after her. Her evil\ndisposition, however, would not permit her to keep quiet. It grieved\nher avaricious temperament that anyone besides herself should be saved;\nso she struggled and kicked, in order to shake the poor souls off, and\nin so doing tore the saving Leek-leaf, and fell back again, and sank\ndeeper than before.\n\n=LENT LILIES.=--The Daffodil is the Lent Lily. Mingled with Yew, which\nis the emblem of the Resurrection, it forms an appropriate decoration\nfor Easter. Lent Lilies are called by the French _Pauvres Filles de\nSte. Clare_. (See NARCISSUS).\n\n=LENTIL.=--Like almost all vegetables, Lentils are traditionally\nregarded as funereal plants: formerly they were forbidden at all\nsacrifices and feasts.----St. Hilarion, when he arrived at man\u2019s\nestate, subsisted for three years upon Lentils steeped in cold\nwater.----To dream of Lentils is supposed to indicate sorrow and\nanxiety.\n\n=LETTUCE.=--Pythagoras, we are told, was extremely fond of Lettuces,\nwhich formed a large portion of his diet; but Eubulus is said to have\nbitterly reproached his wife for having served up at a meal Lettuces,\nwhich were only recommended for funeral repasts.----The ancients\nconsidered the Lettuce (_Lactuca_) as an aliment appropriate in times\nof mourning, and they employed it largely in their funeral repasts in\ncommemoration of the death of Adonis, son of Myrrha, whom Venus had\nconcealed in a bed of Lettuces, and whose death had occurred from a\nwound inflicted by a wild boar that had come to feed on the Lettuces,\nand so surprised the beautiful youth.----Another legend states that\nthe young man hidden by Venus in the Lettuce bed was Phaon, the\nhandsome boatman of Lesbos, and not Adonis.----In medi\u00e6val days, it\nwas superstitiously thought that an evil spirit lurked in a bed of\nLettuces, and a species known by women as _Astylida_ was believed to\naffect mothers adversely, and to cause grievous ills to newly-born\ninfants. Perhaps this may account for a saying often heard at Richmond,\nSurrey:--\u201cO\u2019er-much Lettuce in the garden will stop a young wife\u2019s\nbearing.\u201d----The old poets prescribed a bed of Lettuce for those who\nwere unable to obtain repose; and Pliny states that Lettuces of all\ndescriptions were thought to cause sleep. Pope, referring to its\nsoporific qualities, has said of the Lettuce:--\n\n              \u201cIf your wish be rest,\n  \u201cLettuce and Cowslip wine, _probatum est_.\u201d\n\nGerarde remarks that, if eaten after supper, this vegetable prevents\nthe drunkenness resulting from too free indulgence in wine.----Lettuce\nis stated by the Mishna to be one of the five \u201cbitter herbs\u201d ordered\nto eaten by Jews at the Feast of the Passover.----To dream of eating\nsalads made of Lettuce, &c., is supposed to portend trouble and\ndifficulty in the management of affairs.\n\n=LILY.=--The white Lily (_Lilium candidum_) was held in the highest\nregard by the heathen nations; it was one of the flowers employed\nto form the couch of Jupiter and Juno, and under the name of _Rosa\nJunonis_ was consecrated to the imperious queen of the heavens, from\nwhose milk, indeed, the flower is stated to have originally sprung. The\nlegend is as follows:--Jupiter being desirous of rendering the infant\nHercules immortal, that he might rank among the divinities, caused\nSomnus to prepare a nectareous sleeping-draught, which he persuaded\nJuno to take. The Queen of the Gods fell immediately into a profound\nslumber, and Jupiter then placed the little Hercules to the celestial\nbreast, in order that the babe might imbibe the ambrosial milk that\nwould ensure its immortality. The infant, over-eager to enjoy the\ndelightful nutriment, drew the milk faster than he could swallow, and\nsome drops falling to the earth, there immediately sprang from it the\nwhite Lily, the emblem of purity: some of the milk is also said to have\ndropped over that portion of the heavens which, from its whiteness,\nstill retains the name of the Milky Way (_lactea via_). Another version\nof the myth states that originally all the Lilies were Orange-coloured,\nbut that those on which Juno\u2019s milk fell were rendered white, and\nproduced the _Lilium candidum_.----The Lily was doubtless cultivated by\nthe ancient Egyptians, and probably held in great esteem, for we find\nit appearing in their hieroglyphical representations, and may therefore\nconclude that the flower possessed some special significance. With\nthe Greeks and Romans, the Lily was a favourite flower, and Columella\ntells us that the latter were wont to preserve Lilies by planting them\nin baskets. The frequent allusions made to the plant in the Scriptures\nare sufficient proof that the Hebrew race thought highly of the beauty\nand grace of the Lily. In their language, the name Susannah signifies\na Lily. There are great diversities of opinion as to what was the\nparticular Lily alluded to by our Saviour when He said, \u201cConsider the\nLilies of the field.\u201d Some think the Tulip, others the _Amaryllis\nlutea_, others again the white Lily to be the flowers to which Solomon\nin all his glory was not to be compared.----In nearly every Catholic\ncountry, the White Lily is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and is held\nto be emblematic of her purity: hence the flower is frequently used to\ndecorate her shrine, and especially so on the feast of the Visitation\nof Our Lady and the Annunciation. The Continental order of the Blessed\nLady of the Lily was instituted by Garcia, fourth King of Navarre, on\naccount of an image of the Holy Virgin being miraculously found, as it\nwas reported, in a Lily, which is believed to have cured this prince\nof a dangerous disorder.----Rapin, the French Jesuit poet, has the\nfollowing lines on the Lily, which he evidently confounds with the\nIris, or _Fleur de Luce_ (see IRIS), as being the representative flower\nof the French nation. He says:--\n\n  \u201cWith Lilies our French monarchs grace their crown,\n  Brought hither by the valiant Hector\u2019s son,\n  From Trojan coasts, when Francus forc\u2019d by fate\n  Old Priam\u2019s kingdom did to France translate:\n  Or, if we may believe what legends tell,\n  Like Rome\u2019s Ancilia, once from heav\u2019n they fell.\n  Clovis, first Christian of our regal line,\n  Of heav\u2019n approved, received the gift divine\n  With his unblemished hands, and by decree\n  Ordained this shield giv\u2019n by the gods should be\n  Preserved, the nation\u2019s guard to late posterity.\u201d\n\nThe Roman Catholics assigned to the Madonna, as Queen of Heaven, the\nWhite Lily (_Lilium candidum_), the symbol of purity, and it is the\nflower appropriated to the Annunciation and to the Visitation of Our\nLady. According to the Romish legend, St. Thomas, who was absent at\nthe death of the Virgin, would not believe in her resurrection, and\ndesired that her tomb should be opened before him; and when this was\ndone, it was found to be full of Lilies and Roses. Then the astonished\nThomas, looking up to heaven, beheld the Virgin ascending, and she,\nfor the assurance of his faith, flung down to him her girdle.----In a\npicture by Gozzoli, in the National Gallery, representing St. Jerome\nand St. Francis kneeling at the foot of the Virgin, a red Rose-bud\nhas sprung up at the knees of St. Jerome, and a tall White Lily at\nthose of St. Francis--these flowers typifying the love and purity of\nthe Virgin Mother. In the works of Italian masters, a vase of Lilies\nstands by the Virgin\u2019s side, with three flowers crowning three stems.\nSt. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, is depicted with the Lily in\nhis hand; his staff, according to the legend, having put forth Lilies.\nLater painters of this school depict the angel Gabriel with a branch\nof White Lilies.----As the emblem of purity and chastity, the Lily\nis associated with numbers of saints, male and female; but, being\nconsecrated to the Virgin, it is always placed, in the paintings of\nthe early Italian masters, near those saints who were distinguished\nby their devotion to the Mother of Jesus, as in the pictures of St.\nBernard.----As protector of youth, St. Louis de Gonzague bears a Lily\nin his hand, and the flower is also dedicated to St. Anthony, as a\nguardian of marriages. The flower is likewise the characteristic of St.\nClara, St. Dominick, and St. Katherine of Siena. The crucifix twined\nwith the Lily signifies devotion and purity of heart: it is given\nparticularly to St. Nicholas of Solentine.----Lilies being emblematic\nof the Virgin, an order of knighthood was instituted by Ferdinand of\nAragon, in 1403, called the \u201cOrder of the Lily,\u201d the collar of which\nwas composed of Lilies and gryphons.----From the Virgin being the\npatron Saint of Dundee, that town bears Lilies on its arms.----To dream\nof Lilies during their blooming season is reputed to foretell marriage,\nhappiness, and prosperity; but a vision of Lilies out of their season,\nor withered, signifies frustration of hopes, and the death or severe\nillness of someone beloved.----Astrologers state that Lilies are under\nthe dominion of the Moon.\n\n=LILY OF THE VALLEY.=--In medi\u00e6val days, the monks and nuns believed\nthat the _Convallaria_ was the Lily of the Valley mentioned in the\nCanticles (ii., 17), and the flower alluded to by Christ when he bade\nhis disciples \u201cconsider the Lilies of the field.\u201d The Martagon Lily,\nhowever (_Lilium Chalcedonicum_), is now generally considered to be the\nLily of Palestine; the Lily of the Valley, or Conval Lily, being quite\nunknown in the Holy Land.----Lilies of the Valley are called Virgin\u2019s\nTears; they are the flowers dedicated to Whitsuntide, but in some parts\nof England still retain their old name of May Lilies.----There exists\nin Devon a superstition that it is unlucky to plant a bed of Lilies\nof the Valley, as the person doing so will probably die in the course\nof the ensuing twelve months.----In France, Germany, and Holland,\nthese Lilies are called May-flowers.----The blossoms possess a perfume\nhighly medicinal against nervous affections. The water distilled\nfrom them was formerly in such great repute that it was kept only in\nvessels of gold and silver: hence Matthiolus calls it _aqua aurea_.\nIt was esteemed as a preventive against all infectious distempers.\nCamerarius recommends an oil made of the flowers as a specific against\ngout and such-like diseases. His prescription is as follows:--\u201cHave\nfilled a glass with flowers, and being well stopped, set it for a\nmoneth\u2019s space in an ante\u2019s hill, and after being drayned cleare, set\nit by for use.\u201d----There is a legend in Sussex, that in the forest\nof St. Leonard, where the hermit-saint once dwelt, fierce encounters\ntook place between the holy man and a dragon which infested the\nneighbourhood; the result being that the dragon was gradually driven\nback into the inmost recesses of the forest, and at last disappeared.\nThe scenes of their successive combats are revealed afresh every year,\nwhen beds of fragrant Lilies of the Valley spring up wherever the earth\nwas sprinkled by the blood of the warrior saint.----The Conval Lily is\nunder Mercury.\n\n=LIME-TREE.=--The origin of the Lime-tree, according to Ovid, is to\nbe traced to the metamorphosis of Baucis, the good-hearted wife of\nan aged shepherd named Philemon. This old couple lived happily and\ncontentedly in a humble cottage in the plains of Phrygia. Here they\none day, with rustic hospitality, entertained unknowingly the gods\nJupiter and Mercury, who had been refused admittance to the dwellings\nof their wealthier neighbours. Appreciating their kindness, Jupiter\nbade them ascend a neighbouring hill, where they saw their neighbours\u2019\ndwellings swept away by a flood, but their own hut transformed into a\nsplendid temple, of which the god appointed them the presiding priests.\nAccording to their request, they both died at the same hour, and were\nchanged into trees--Baucis into a Lime, and Philemon into an Oak. Ovid\nthus describes the transformation:--\n\n  \u201cThen, when their hour was come, while they relate\n  These past adventures at the temple gate,\n  Old Baucis is by old Philemon seen\n  Sprouting with sudden leaves of sprightly green:\n  Old Baucis looked where old Philemon stood,\n  And saw his lengthened arms a sprouting wood;\n  New roots their fastened feet begin to bind.\n  Their bodies stiffen in a rising rind.\n  Then, ere the bark above their shoulders grew,\n  They give and take at once their last adieu.\n  At once, farewell, O faithful spouse! they said,\n  At once th\u2019 incroaching rinds their closing lips invade.\n  Ev\u2019n yet an ancient Tyan\u00e6an shows\n  A spreading Oak that near a Linden grows.\u201d\n\nRapin, in his version of the tale, makes both of the old folks become\nLimes, male and female:--\n\n  \u201cWhile these you plant, Philemon call to mind,\n  In love and duty with his Baucis joined--\n  A good old pair whom poverty had tried,\n  Nor could their vows and nuptial faith divide;\n  Their humble cot with sweet content was blest,\n  And each benighted stranger was their guest.\n  When Jove unknown they kindly entertained,\n  This boon the hospitable pair obtained,\n  Laden with years, and weak through length of time,\n  That they should each become a verdant Lime\n  And since the transformation Limes appear\n  Of either sex; and male and female are.\u201d\n\nIn honour of its descent from the worthy old couple, the Lime became\nthe symbol of wedded love.----In Scandinavian mythology, Sigurd, after\nhaving killed the serpent Fafnir, bathes himself in its blood: a leaf\nof a Linden or Lime-tree falls on him between his shoulders, and\nrenders that particular place vulnerable, although every other portion\nof his body had become invulnerable.----In Germany, during May-day\nfestivities, they often make use of the Linden. Around the Linden\ndance the villagers of Gotha. In Finland and in Sweden, the Linden is\nconsidered as a protective tree.----In the cemetery of the hospital of\nAnnaberg, in Saxony, there is a very ancient Linden-tree, concerning\nwhich tradition relates that it was planted by an inhabitant, with\nits top in the ground; and that its roots became branches, which now\novershadow a considerable portion of the country.----At S\u00fcderheistede,\nin Ditmarschen, there once stood a Linden which was known throughout\nthe country, as the \u201cWonderful Tree.\u201d It was much higher than other\ntrees, and its branches all grew crosswise. Connected with this tree\nwas an old prophecy that, as soon as the Ditmarschens lost their\nfreedom, the tree would wither; and so it came to pass. But the people\nbelieve that a magpie will one day build its nest in its branches,\nand hatch five young ones, and then the tree will begin to sprout\nout anew, and again be green, and the country recover its ancient\nfreedom.----According to an old legend current in Berlin, the youngest\nof three brothers fell in love with the daughter of an Italian, who was\nthe Elector\u2019s chief kapellmeister. The Italian refused the hand of his\ndaughter, and forbade any further intercourse. Some time afterwards\nthe three brothers met the kapellmeister on the occasion of a public\nexecution; when, suddenly, the assembled crowd were horrified at seeing\nthe Italian fall with a loud shriek, and pointing to a knife which had\nbeen plunged into his bosom. The brothers were all three arrested on\nsuspicion of the murder; and the eldest, who had been standing nearest\nthe deceased, was speedily sentenced to death. The two other brothers,\nto save him, however, each declared he was the real murderer, whereupon\nthe perplexed judge referred the case to the Elector, who resolved upon\na curious ordeal to ascertain the truth. He ordered each of the three\nbrothers to carry a Linden-tree to a certain churchyard, and plant it\nwith its head downwards, adding, that the one whose tree did not grow\nshould be executed as the murderer. Accordingly, the brothers proceeded\nto the churchyard, accompanied by the clergy, the magistrates, and many\ncitizens; and, after hymns had been sung, they planted their trees;\nafter which solemn act, they were allowed to return home, and remained\nunguarded. In course of time, the upper branches of the Lindens all\nstruck root, and the original roots were transformed into branches,\nwhich, instead of growing upwards, spread horizontally, in rich\nluxuriance, and, in thirty years, overshadowed the churchyard. They\nhave since perished, but the brothers were ennobled by the Elector as\nLords of Linden, and bore the effigy of the marvellous trees on their\nescutcheon. The youngest afterwards married the Italian\u2019s daughter.\n\nLING.--See Heather.\n\n=LIVELONG.=--The name of Livelong, or Liblong, is supposed to have been\ngiven to the _Sedum Telephium_ from its remaining alive when hung up in\na room. Parkinson, in his \u2018_Paradisus_,\u2019 states that the ladies of his\ntime (1629) called the plant Life Everlasting; and remarks that \u201cthey\nare also laid in chests and wardrobes, to keep garments from moths,\nand are worne in the heads and arms of gentiles and others, for their\nbeautiful aspect.\u201d The plant is much esteemed for divining purposes.\n(See ORPINE).\n\n=LONDON PRIDE.=--A speckled Sweet John had formerly the honour of being\ncalled London Pride, and a red Sweet William, London Tufts. _Saxifraga\numbrosa_ now bears the title of London Pride, not, however, because,\nlike the speckled Sweet John, it was the pride and ornament of old\nLondon gardens, but because it was introduced by Mr. London, a partner\nin the firm of London and Wise, Royal Gardeners in the early part of\nthe eighteenth century. (See SAXIFRAGE.)\n\nLONG PURPLES.--See Orchis.\n\nLORDS-AND-LADIES.--See Arum.\n\n=LOOSESTRIFE.=--The word Loosestrife is a translation of the plant\u2019s\nLatin name _Lysimachia_ (from the Greek _lysis_, dissolution, and\n_mache_, strife). Gerarde, who calls the plant, also, Willow-herb, says\nof it:--\u201cLysimachia, as Dioscorides and Pliny write, tooke his name of\na speciall vertue that it hath in appeasing the strife and unrulinesse\nwhich falleth out among oxen at the plough, if it be put about their\nyokes; but it rather retaineth and keepeth the name _Lysimachia_, of\nKing Lysimachus, the sonne of Agathocles, the first finder-out of the\nnature and vertues of this herbe.\u201d He adds that the smoke of the herb\nwhen burnt will drive away gnats, flies, all manner of venomous beasts,\nand serpents; and says that Pliny reports that snakes will crawl away\nat the smell of Loosestrife.\n\n=LOTOS-TREE.=--Lotis, the beauteous daughter of Neptune, was\nunfortunate enough to attract the notice of Priapus, who attempted to\noffer her violence. Flying terrified from the deformed deity, the nymph\ninvoked the assistance of the gods to save herself from his odious\nimportunities: her prayers were heard, and she was transformed into the\nLotos-tree. Dryope, the wife of Andr\u00e6mon, passing the tree one day,\nin company with her sister Iole, stopped to pluck the fruit to please\nher infant son Amphisus, whereupon she became suddenly changed into a\nLotos-tree. Iole afterwards recounted her fate to Alcmena--\n\n  \u201cBut, lo! I saw (as near her side I stood)\n  The violated blossoms drop with blood;\n  Upon the tree I cast a frightful look,\n  The trembling tree with sudden horror shook,\n  Lotis, the nymph (if rural tales be true)\n  As from Priapus\u2019 lawless lust she flew,\n  Forsook her form; and, fixing here, became\n  A flow\u2019ry plant, which still preserves her name.\n    This change unknown, astonished at the sight,\n  My trembling sister strove to urge her flight;\n  Yet first the pardon of the nymph implored,\n  And those offended sylvan powers adored:\n  But when she backward would have fled, she found\n  Her stiffening feet were rooted to the ground.\u201d--_Ovid._\n\nThe tree into which the nymph Lotis was transformed must not be\nconfounded with the Lotus Lily, or Sacred Bean, a totally distinct\nplant: it was the _Rhamnus Lotus_, the Lotos of the Lotophagi, a\npeople inhabiting the coast of Africa near the Syrtes. Pliny states\nthat not far from the lesser Syrtis is the island of Menynx, surnamed\nLotophagitis on account of its Lotos-trees; but Strabo affirms that the\nlesser Syrtis, in addition to the adjacent isle of Menynx, was thought\nto be Lotophagitis, the land of the Lotos-eaters. In this country, he\nsays, there are certain monuments to be seen, and an altar to Ulysses,\nbesides a great abundance of Lotos-trees, whose fruit is wonderfully\nsweet. According to Homer, the Lotos-eater became oblivious of the\nworld and its cares; and he relates how the seductive fruit of the\nLotos-tree possessed of old so potent a charm, that Ulysses, when\nreturning from the Trojan war, dreaded it would lure his companions to\ngive up home and friends for ever. In the ninth book of the Odyssey,\nthe poet sings--\n\n  \u201cAnd whoso tasted of their flowery meat\n  Cared not with tidings to return, but clave\n  First to that tribe, for ever fain to eat--\n  Reckless of home return--the tender Lotos sweet.\u201d\n\nGerarde describes the Lotos-tree as being as big as a Pear-tree, of a\n\u201cgallant greene colour tending to blewnesse,\u201d with leaves similar to\nthe Nettle, dashed here and there with stripes of a yellowish-white\ncolour. \u201cThe beries be round, and hang upon long stalks like Cherries,\nof a yellowish-white colour at the first, and afterwards red, but being\nripe they are somewhat black.\u201d The Lotos-eaters were held to have\nimmunity from all stomachic complaints. The fruit which formed their\nfood is described by Theophrastus as being of the size of a Bean, which\nchanged its colour when ripening, like the Grape. In flavour it was\nsweet, pleasant, harmless, and perfectly wholesome; the most agreeable\nsort being that which had no kernel. Whole armies were reported to have\nbeen fed with the nutritious food afforded by the Lotos, when passing\nthrough Africa. The Lotophagi obtained a wine from their beloved fruit,\nwhich, however, Cornelius Nepos says would not endure above ten days.\nThe Lotos and its fruit is dwelt upon by Tennyson, who tells how\n\n  \u201cThe mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters came,\n  Branches they bore of that enchanted stem,\n  Laden with flowers and fruit, whereof they gave\n  To each; but whoso did receive of them\n  And taste, to him the gushing of the wave\n  Far, far away did seem to mourn and rave\n  On alien shores.\u201d\n\nThe Lotos was considered by Theophrastus to be by nature everlasting.\nPliny enumerates several very ancient trees growing in Rome, notably\none in Vulcan\u2019s temple built by Romulus, which was reputed to be as old\nas the city.----It was under the Lotos-tree, beyond which there is no\npassing, that Mahomed saw the angel Gabriel.\n\n=LOTUS.=--The Lotus, as described by Herodotus, is the \u201cWater Lily\nthat grows in the inundated lands of Egypt\u201d: it is the _Nymph\u00e6a Lotus_\nof Linn\u00e6us, and, according to Grecian mythology, owed its origin to\na young girl who was deeply in love with Hercules, and who, dying of\njealousy, was transformed into the Lotus. With the Greeks, the flower\nwas the symbol of beauty and of eloquence, perhaps because it was\nreputed to flourish in the fields of Helicon. Young girls twined these\nflowers into garlands. Theocritus writes of maidens carrying a crown\nof Lotus for the Princess Helen on her marriage with Menelaus. In a\npainted temple at Pompeii, the Lotus-flower is represented above a geni\nor winged god.----The Grecian god of silence (Harpocrates), who was of\nEgyptian origin, is represented sometimes with a Lotus-flower in his\nleft hand; sometimes seated on a Lotus.----But it is in the East where\nthe Lotus is supreme--a sacred plant not merely revered as a symbol,\nbut even the object of worship in itself, and notably in Hindostan,\nThibet, and Nepaul, where it is believed that from its mystic blossom\ncame forth the all-powerful Brahma. In the Hindu theology, OM is the\none Supreme Being from whom proceed the great deities Brahma (creator),\nVishnu (preserver), and Siva (destroyer). Before the creation of this\nworld, there existed an immense sea covering its surface; on this vast\nsea moved the spirit of OM, and quickened into life a golden Lotus,\nresplendent as the sun, from which emanated the four-formed creative\ngod Brahma, who by the radiance of his countenance dispelled the\npervading gloom, and by the light and warmth of his divine presence\nevoked the earth from the surrounding waters. Vishnu, the pervader or\npreserver, is represented with four arms: from his umbilicus springs\na Lotus-plant, in the beautiful calyx of which Brahma appears seated,\nready to accomplish the work of creation. The breath of Vishnu is like\nthe perfume of the Lotus, and he rests and walks, not on the earth,\nbut on nine golden Lotus-plants, carried by the gods themselves. The\nheaven of Vishnu is described in the _Mah\u00e2bh\u00e2rata_ as blazing with\ngolden edifices studded with innumerable gems. Descending from the\nsuperior heaven the waters of the Ganges flow through this Paradise,\nand here are also lovely diminutive lakes of water, upon the surfaces\nof which myriads of red, blue, and white Lotus-flowers, with a thousand\npetals, are seen floating. On a throne glorious as the meridian sun,\nseated on Lotus-lilies, is Vishnu, and on the right hand is his wife,\nthe goddess Lakshm\u00ee, also seated in a Lotus, shining like a continued\nblaze of lightning, while from her beauteous form the fragrance of the\nLotus is diffused through the heaven. Siva, the destroyer (the third\nmember of the Hindoo triad), is represented in many ways, but generally\nwith three eyes; his favourite seat is a Lotus. Buddha, an emanation\nfrom Vishnu, like Brahma, first appeared on this hemisphere floating on\nan enormous Lotus, which spread itself over the ocean. Buddha had for\nhis symbol a Lotus, surmounted by a trident (typical of the Sun with\na flame, or the superior heaven).----The emblem of the Sun was called\n_S\u00fbramani_ (the jewel of the Sun), but when the _Sv\u00e2bh\u00e2vikas_ adopted\nthe Lotus as their symbol of spontaneous generation, they called this\nornament _Padmi Mani_ (jewel of the Lotus), and inscribed their temples\nwith these words:--\n\n   AUM              MANI               PADMI          HOONG.\n  _Jehovah_        _The Jewel_        _Lotus_        _Amen._\n\nThis sentence forms the Alpha and Omega of Lama worship, and is\nunceasingly repeated by the devotees of Thibet and the slopes of\nthe Himalayas. For the easy multiplication of this prayer, that\nextraordinary contrivance, the praying-wheel, was invented. In\naccordance with the principles of this belief, Jin-ch\u2019au represents all\ncreation as a succession of worlds, typified by Lotus-flowers, which\nare contained one within the other, until intelligence is lost in the\neffort to multiply the series _ad infinitum_.----A legend connected\nwith Buddha runs as follows:--In an unknown town, called _Bandnumak_,\nBipaswi Buddh arrived one day, and having fixed his abiding place on a\nmountain to the east of _N\u00e2g-Hrad_, saw in a pool a seed of the Lotus\non the day of the full moon, in the month of _Chait_. Soon afterwards\nfrom this Lotus-seed sprang a Lotus-flower, in the middle of which\nappeared Swayambh\u00fb, in the form of a luminary, on the day of the full\nmoon in the month of _Asvins_.----Another Buddhist legend relates that\nthe King P\u00e2ndu had the imprudence to burn a tooth of Buddha, which was\nheld in high reverence among the Kalingas: but a Lotus-flower sprang\nfrom the middle of the flame, and the tooth of Buddha was found lying\non its petals.----In Eastern India, it is popularly thought that the\ngod Brahma first appeared on a sea of milk, in a species of Lotus of\nextraordinary grandeur and beauty, which grew at Temerapu, and which\ntypified the umbilicus of that ocean of sweetness. To that flower is\ngiven eighteen names, which celebrate the god\u2019s different beauties;\nand within its petals he is believed to sleep during six months of\nthe year.----K\u00e2madeva, the Indian Cupid, was first seen floating\ndown the sacred Ganges, pinioned with flowers, on the blossom of a\nroseate Lotus.----The Hindus compare their country to a Lotus-flower,\nof which the petals represent Central India, and the eight leaves\nthe surrounding eight divisions of the country. The sacred images of\nthe Indians, Japanese, and Tartars are nearly always found seated\nupon the leaves of the Lotus.----The sacred Lotus, as the hallowed\nsymbol of mystery, was deemed by the priests of India and China an\nappropriate ornament for their religious structures, and hence its\nspreading tendrils and perfect blossoms are found freely introduced\nas architectural enrichments of the temples of the East.----Terms\nof reverence, endearment, admiration, and eulogy have been freely\nlavished by Indian writers on the flowers of the Lotus, dear to the\nsick women of their race from the popular belief of its efficacy in\nsoothing painful feelings. Nearly every portion of the human body has\nbeen compared by Indian poets to the Lotus; and in one of their works,\nthe feet of the angels are said to resemble the flowers of that sacred\nplant.----The Persians represent the Sun as being robed with light\nand crowned with Lotus.----By the Japanese, the Lotus is considered\nas a sacred plant, and pleasing to their deities, whose images are\noften seen sitting on its large leaves. The blossom is deemed by them\nthe emblem of purity because it is unsullied by the muddy waters in\nwhich it often grows: with the flowers of the Mother-wort it is borne\naloft in vases before the body in funeral processions.----The Chinese\nmake the Lotus typical of female beauty: their god Puzza is always\nrepresented as seated upon the leaves of the plant.----The Lotus is\nstated to be held sacred by the Egyptians because it conceals the\nsecret of the gods; from the throne of Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys, it\nrises in the midst of the waters, bearing on the margin of its blossom\nthe four genii. It is the \u201cBride of the Nile,\u201d covering the surface of\nthe mighty river, as it rises, with its fragrant white blossom. Like\nthe Indians, the ancient Egyptians represented the creation of the\nworld under the form of a Nymph\u00e6a that floated on the surface of the\nwaters. The Lotus was consecrated by the Egyptians to the Sun, and the\ndawn of day was figured by them as a youth seated upon a flower of the\nNymph\u00e6a. The god Osiris (the Egyptian Ph\u0153bus) is represented as having\nhis head decorated with the sacred Lotus. Oblations of flowers were\ncommon among the offerings of the Egyptians to their gods. A papyrus in\nthe British Museum (lent by the Prince of Wales) represents the altar\nof the god Re or Ra piled up with Lotus-blossoms and other offerings.\nUpon approaching a place of worship, the ancient Egyptian always held\nthe flower of the Lotus or Agrostis in his hand. A single flower was\nsometimes deemed a suitable oblation, or a bouquet of the Lotus or\nPapyrus, carefully arranged in a prescribed form, was offered.----The\nLotus typified Upper Egypt; the Papyrus, Lower Egypt. In the British\nMuseum are several Egyptian statues with sceptres of the Lotus; and\na mummy with crossed arms, holding in each hand a Lotus-flower. In\nthe mummies of females the Lotus is found, placed there probably to\ntypify regeneration or purification. A bust of Isis emerging from\na Lotus-flower has often been mistaken for Clytie changing into a\nSunflower.----The Egyptians cultivated three species of Nymph\u00e6ace\u00e6--the\n_Nymph\u00e6a cerulea_, or blue-flowered Lotus; the _Nymph\u00e6a Lotus_, a\nwhite-flowered variety, which still grows profusely in Lower Egypt, and\nwhich is the flower represented in the mosaic pavement at Pr\u00e6neste;\nand, lastly, the _Nelumbium speciosum_, or Sacred Bean--the \u201cRose Lily\u201d\nof Herodotus--the true Lotus of the Egyptians, whose blossoms are of a\nbrilliant red colour, and hang over broad peltated leaves: its fruit\nis formed of many valves, each containing a Nut about the size of a\nFilbert, with a taste more delicate than that of the Almond. It has\nbeen thought that the use of the seeds in making bread, and the mode\nof sowing them, by enclosing each seed in a ball of clay, and throwing\nit into the water, may be alluded to in the text, \u201cCast thy bread\nupon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.\u201d The Nelumbo\nmaintains its sacred character in Africa, India, China, Japan, Persia,\nand Asiatic Russia; it has, however, disappeared from Egypt.----The\nArabians call the Lotus, _Nuphar_; and the Syrians regard it as a\nsymbol of the cradle of Moses, and typify, also, the Ark of Noah by\nthe same flower.----The collar of the order of the Star of India is\ncomposed of the heraldic Rose of England, two Palm-branches crossed,\nand a Lotus-flower, alternating with each other.\n\n=LOVE PLANTS.=--The _Clematis Vitalba_ was formerly called Love,\nbecause of its habit of embracing; from its clinging to people,\nthe _Galium Aparine_ has obtained the name of Loveman; _Levisticum\nofficinale_ is Loveage; the _Solanum Lycopersicum_ is the Apple of\nLove; _Nigella damascena_ is Love-in-a-mist; the Pansy is called\nLove-in-idleness and Love-and-idle; and _Amaranthus caudatus_ has been\nnamed Love-lies-bleeding, from the resemblance of its crimson flowers\nto a stream of blood.\n\n=LUCK-FLOWER.=--There is in Germany a favourite legend of a certain\nmystical Luck-flower which possesses the extraordinary power of gaining\nadmittance for its owner into the recesses of a mountain, or hidden\ncave, or castle, wherein vast treasures lie concealed. The legend\ngenerally runs that the fortunate discoverer of the receptacle for\nwealth is a man who has by chance found a beautiful flower, usually\na blue one, which he sticks in his hat. Suddenly the mountain he is\nascending opens to admit him; astounded at the sight, he enters the\nchasm, and a white lady or fairy bids him help himself freely from the\nheaps of gold coin he sees lying all around. Dazzled at the sight of so\nmuch wealth, he eagerly fills his pockets, and is hastening away when\nshe calls after him, \u201c_Forget not the best!_\u201d He thinks, as he feels\nhis stuffed pockets, that he cannot find room for any more, but as he\nimagines the white lady wishes to imply that he has not helped himself\nto enough, he takes his hat and fills that also with the glittering\ngold. The white lady, however, alluded to the little blue flower which\nhad dropped from his hat whilst he stooped to gather up the gold coins.\nAs he hurries out through the doorway the iron door shuts suddenly\nbehind him with a crash of thunder, and cuts off his right heel. The\nmountain side instantly resumes its old impenetrable appearance, and\nthe entrance to the treasure hall can never be found again. As for the\nwonderful flower, that has vanished, but is to this day sought for by\nthe dwellers on the Kyffh\u00e4user, on the Qu\u00e4stenburg, and even on the\nnorth side of the Harz. It was from this legend that, according to\nGrimm, the little blue flower \u201cForget-me-not\u201d originally received its\nname, which at first was indicative of its magic virtue, but afterwards\nacquired a sentimental meaning from the tale of the drowning lover of\nthe Danube and his despairing death cry.\n\nLUNARY.--See Moonwort and Honesty.\n\n=LUPINE.=--The Romans cultivated the Lupine (_Lupinus_) as an article\nof food, and Pliny declared that nothing could be more wholesome than\nwhite Lupines eaten dry, and that this diet imparted a fresh colour\nand cheerful countenance.----The eating of Lupines was also thought\nto brighten the mind and quicken the imagination. It is related of\nProtogenes, a celebrated painter of Rhodes, that during the seven\nyears he was employed in painting the hunting piece of Ialysus, who\nwas the accredited founder of the State of Rhodes, he lived entirely\nupon Lupines and water, with an idea that this aliment would give\nhim greater flights of fancy.----Virgil called the Lupine, _Tristis\nLupinus_, the Sad Lupine, and this expression has given rise to much\ndiscussion--the only tangible explanation being that when the Lupine\npulse was eaten without preparation to destroy the bitter, it was\napt to contract the muscles and give a sorrowful appearance to the\ncountenance.----The seeds are said to have been used by the ancients,\nin their plays and comedies, instead of pieces of money: hence the\nproverb, _Nummus Lupinus_, a piece of money of no value.----The\nBolognese have a tradition that during the flight of the Holy Family\ninto Egypt, the Lupine received the maledictions of the Virgin Mary,\nbecause, by the clatter and noise they made, certain plants of this\nspecies drew the attention of Herod\u2019s minions to the spot where the\ntired and exhausted travellers had made a brief halt.\n\n=LYCHNIS.=--The scarlet _Lychnis Coronaria_ is, in the Catholic\nChurch, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and the text in which he is\ndescribed as \u201ca light to them which sit in darkness,\u201d being taken in\na literal sense, the flame-coloured flower was said to be lighted up\nfor his day, and was called _Candelabrum ingens_. This flower is also\ncalled Rose-Campion, and, on the Continent, Cross of Jerusalem and\nCross of Malta. By old writers it was known as Flower or Campion of\nConstantinople, Flower of Bristow, and Nonsuch.\n\n=MAGNOLIA.=--The _Magnolia grandiflora_ is one of those shrubs the\nbaneful emanations from which have procured for them an ill name. It\nis a native of Carolina, and has large white blossoms of powerful\nfragrance. When wafted to a distance upon the air, the scent is\ndelicious, but when inhaled in the immediate neighbourhood of a group\nof Magnolias in flower, it becomes overpowering. The Indians carefully\navoid sleeping under a Magnolia in blossom, and it is stated that so\npowerful is the perfume of the flower, that a single blossom placed in\na bedroom suffices to cause death in one night.\n\nMAGHET.--See Mayweed.\n\n=MAHWAH.=--The _Bassia latifolia_, or Mahwah, is esteemed a sacred\ntree in India, and is, besides, interesting as being one of the few\nplants whose flowers are used as food by the human race. They are\neaten raw by the poor of India, and are also employed largely in the\ndistillation of a spirit somewhat resembling Scotch whiskey. A kind of\nflour is produced from them when dried, and so valuable are they to\nthe Indians, that the prosperity of some parts of the country depends\nlargely on their abundance. The Almond-like fruit is eaten, and an\noil is obtained from it: the wood is hard, and is used by the Indians\nin constructing their huts. Among certain uncivilised hill tribes, the\nMahwah is regarded as equal to a deity, so great is their affection\nfor this tree, under whose branches they hold their assemblies and\ncelebrate their anniversaries; on whose boughs they suspend, when not\nin use, their spears and their ploughshares, and beneath whose shadow\nthey exhibit those mysterious circles of flint which take the place of\nidols with them. So, when attacked by the Hindus, the wild tribes fight\nwith desperation for the defence of their Mahwahs, which their enemies,\nwhen at war with them, make a point of seizing and destroying.\n\n=MAIDENHAIR FERN.=--_Adiantum_, or _Capillus Veneris_, derived its name\nfrom the Greek _adiantos_, unmoistened, in relation, doubtless, to its\nproperty of repelling water--a peculiarity noticed by Theophrastus,\nand also by Pliny, who says it is in vain to plunge the _Adiantum_\nin water, for it always remains dry. This property of remaining\nunmoistened by water was attributed to the hair of Venus, when she rose\nfrom the sea; and hence the _Adiantum_ obtained the name of _Capillus\nVeneris_. Nevertheless, _Adiantum_ was specially dedicated to Pluto\nand to Proserpine. Maidenhair is called _polytrichon_, because it\nbrings forth a multitude of hairs; _callitrichon_, because it produces\nblack and fair hair; _Capillus Veneris_, because it produces grace and\nlove.----According to Egyptian symbolism, _Adiantum_ indicated recovery\nfrom illness.----In the Catholic Church, the Maidenhair Fern is known\nas the Virgin\u2019s Hair.\n\n=MAITHES or MAIDS.=--The _Pyrethrum Parthenium_ was formerly known\nby the name of Maithes (Maids), because by the old herbalists it was\nconsidered efficacious in hysterical and other irregularities of\nthe system to which maidens are subject. In the same category are\nthe plants formerly known as Maghet, Mather, or Maydweed (_Anthemis\nCotula_), the Maydweed (_Matricaria Chamomilla_), Maudlein, or\nCostmary (_Balsamita_), Maudlin-wort or Moon Daisy (_Chrysanthemum\nLeucanthemum_), the Maudlin, or _Herba div\u00e6 Mari\u00e6_ (_Achillea\nAgeratum_), the Marguerite (_Bellis perennis_), and some others.\nThese plants, bearing flowers with white ray florets, were thought to\nresemble the Moon, which, as it regulated the monthly periods of the\nyear, was supposed, says Dr. Prior, to have an influence over female\ncomplaints. By the ancients these plants were consecrated to Isis,\nJuno Lucina, and Artemis, or Diana, the virgin goddess of the night;\nbut were transferred by the Catholics to St. Mary Magdalene and St.\nMargaret of Cortona.\n\n=MAIZE.=--The American aborigines worshipped Maize as a divinity.\nChildren were kept to watch the precious grain as it grew, and guard\nit from the ravages of birds; but some of the tribes protected the\nthievish crow because of the legend that a crow had brought them\nthe first seed of the sacred plant.----At the present day, the\nIndians regard it with superstitious veneration. They esteem it, says\nSchoolcraft, so important and divine a grain, that their story-tellers\ninvented various tales in which this idea is symbolised under the form\nof a special gift from the Great Spirit. The Ojebwa-Algonquins, who\ncall it Mon-da-min, or the Spirit\u2019s grain or berry, cherish a legend,\nin which the stalk in full tassel is represented as descending from the\nsky, under the guise of a handsome youth, in response to the prayers of\na young man offered up at his fast of virility.----Among the American\ncolonists, the husking of the Maize was always accompanied with a\nrustic ceremony and gathering of the villagers.----Longfellow tells us\nhow--\n\n  \u201cIn the golden weather the Maize was husked, and the maidens\n  Blushed at each blood-red ear, for that betokened a lover;\n  But at the crooked laughed, and called it a thief in the cornfield.\n  Even the blood-red ear to Evangeline brought not her lover.\u201d\n\n=MALLOW.=--The ancient Romans had some kind of Mallow (_Malva_) served\nup as vegetables, and the Egyptians, Syrians, and Chinese also use them\nas food. In Job\u2019s days, these plants were eaten by those wandering\ntribes who, as the patriarch says, \u201ccut up Mallows by the bushes, and\nJuniper-roots for their meat.\u201d The Mallow formed one of the funeral\nflowers of the ancients, with whom it was customary to plant it around\nthe graves of departed friends. The plant yields a fibre capable of\nbeing woven into a fabric; and there is an Eastern tradition that\nMahomed was so delighted with the texture of a robe made of this\nmaterial, that he forthwith miraculously turned the Mallow into a\nPelargonium. The seeds of the Mallow are called by country children,\ncheeses. Clare recalls the days of his childhood, when he and his\nplaymates sat--\n\n  \u201cPicking from Mallows sport to please,\n  The crumpled seed we call\u2019d a cheese.\u201d\n\nPliny ascribes a magical power to Mallows. He says, \u201cWhosoever shall\ntake a spoonful of any of the Mallows shall that day be free from\nall the diseases that may come unto him;\u201d and he adds, that it is\nespecially good against the falling sickness. The same writer, quoting\nXenocrates, attributes to the seed of Mallows the power of exciting\nthe passions. Gerarde, writing of the _Malva crispa_, commends its\nproperties in verse:--\n\n  \u201cIf that of health you have any speciale care,\n  Use French Mallowes, that to the body holsome are.\u201d\n\n=MANCHINEEL.=--The Manchineel-tree (_Hippomane Mancinella_) is one of\nill repute. Its exhalations are stated to cause certain death to those\nwho sleep beneath its foliage. It abounds in a white milky juice, which\nis highly poisonous; a single drop causing instant pain if it touches\nthe human skin.\n\n=MANDRAKE.=--The _Atropa Mandragora_ derives its name from Atropos, the\neldest of the all-powerful Parc\u00e6, the arbiters of the life and death of\nmankind. Clothed in sombre black robes, and holding scissors in her\nhands, Atropos gathers up the various-sized clues of thread which, as\nthe chief of the inexorable Fates, it is her privilege to cut according\nto the length of the persons\u2019 lives they represent.----Another name\nbestowed by the Greeks upon the Mandrake was that of Circeium, derived\nfrom Circe, the weird daughter of Sol and Perseis, celebrated for her\nwitchcraft and knowledge of magic and venomous herbs.----From the\nearliest ages, the _Atropa Mandragora_ appears to have been deemed\na mystic plant by the inhabitants of Eastern countries, and to have\nbeen regarded by them as stimulating the passions; on which account\nit is still used for preparing love potions. It is generally believed\nthat the Mandrake is the same plant which the ancient Hebrews called\n_Dudaim_; and that these people held it in the highest esteem in\nJacob\u2019s time is evident from the notice in Genesis (xxx., 14) of Reuben\nfinding it and carrying the plant to his mother Leah. From the remotest\nantiquity the Mandrakes were reputed in the East to possess the\nproperty of removing sterility; hence Rachel\u2019s desire to obtain from\nLeah the plants that Reuben had found and given to his mother. It is\ncertain that the _Atropa Mandragora_ was looked upon by the ancients as\nsomething more than a mere vegetable, and, in fact, as an embodiment of\nsome unquiet or evil spirit. In an Anglo-Saxon manuscript of the tenth\nor eleventh century, the Mandrake is said to shine in the night like a\ncandle. The Arabs call it the Devil\u2019s Candle, because of this nocturnal\nshining appearance; and in allusion to this peculiarity, Moore says of\nit in \u2018Lalla Rookh\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cSuch rank and deadly lustre dwells,\n  As in those hellish fires that light\n  The Mandrake\u2019s charnel leaves at night.\u201d\n\nFrom times long past has come down the legend that the Mandrake is a\ndweller in the dark places of the earth, and that it thrives under the\nshadow of the gallows, being nourished by the exhalations or flesh\nof the criminals executed on the gibbet. Amongst other mysterious\nattributes, we are told by old writers that the Mandrake has the power\nof emitting sounds, and that when it is pulled out of the ground, it\nutters dreadful shrieks and groans, as if possessed of sensibility.\nShakspeare thus describes these terrible cries:--\n\n  \u201cWould curses kill, as doth the Mandrake\u2019s groan,\n  I would invent as bitter-searching terms,\n  As curst, and harsh, and horrible to hear.\u201d\n\nAnd Moore relates in verse another tradition--\n\n  \u201cThe phantom shapes--oh touch them not--\n    That appal the maiden\u2019s sight,\n  Lurk in the fleshy Mandrake\u2019s stem\n    That shrieks when plucked at night.\u201d\n\nThese screams were so horrible and awe-inspiring, that Shakspeare tells\nus the effect was maddening--\n\n  \u201cAnd shrieks like Mandrakes, torn out of the earth,\n  That living mortals, hearing them, ran mad.\u201d\n\nOne other terrible attribute of this ill-omened plant was its power, by\nits pestilential effects, severely to injure, if not, indeed, to strike\nwith death, the person who had the hardihood to drag the root from its\nbed. To guard against these dangers, therefore, the surrounding soil\nwas removed, and the plant securely fastened to the tail of a dog,\nwhich was then driven away, and thus pulled up the root. Columella, in\nhis directions for the site of gardens, says they may be formed where\n\n                            \u201cThe Mandrakes flowers\n  Produce, whose root shows half a man, whose juice\n  With madness strikes.\u201d\n\nThe Romans seem to have been very superstitious as to the manner of\ntaking up the root. According to Pliny, those who undertook the office\nwere careful to stand so that the wind was at their back; and before\ncommencing to dig, they made three circles around the plant with the\npoint of the sword; then, turning to the west, they proceeded to take\nit up. Probably the plant\u2019s value as a narcotic and restorative alone\ninduced the gathering of so dangerous a root.----In medi\u00e6val times,\nwhen ignorance and credulity were dominant in Europe, the mountebank\nquack doctors palmed on the credulous fictitious Mandrake-roots,\nwhich were largely sold as preventives against mischief and dangers.\nSpeaking of this superstition, Lord Bacon, in his \u2018Natural History,\u2019\nsays, \u201cSome plants there are, but rare, that have a mossie or downie\nroot, and likewise that have a number of threads, like beards, as\nMandrakes, whereof witches and impostours make an ugly image, giving\nit the forme of a face at the top of the root, and leave those strings\nto make a broad beard down to the foot.\u201d----Madame de Genlis speaks\nof an author who gravely gives a long description of the little\nidols which were supposed to be roots of the Mandrake, and adds that\nthey must be wrapped up in a piece of sheet, for that then they will\nbring unceasing good luck. The same author, she says, gives this name\n_Mandragora_ (Mandrake) to certain sprites that are procured from an\negg that must be hatched in a particular manner, and from which comes\nforth a little monster (half chick and half man) that must be kept in\na secret chamber, and fed with the seed of Spikenard, and that then it\nwill prophesy every day. Thus it can make its master lucky at play,\ndiscover treasures to him, and foretell what is to happen.----The\ncredulous people of some nations have believed that the root of the\nMandrake, if dislodged from the ground, becomes the good genius of\nthe possessor, and not only cures a host of maladies, but discovers\nhidden treasures; doubling the amount of money locked up in a box,\nkeeping off evil spirits, acting as a love charm, and rendering other\nnotable services. According to Pliny, the Mandrake was sometimes\nconformed like a man, at others like a woman: the male was white, the\nfemale black. In the mountain of Pistoia, the peasants think they can\ntrace the form of a man in the leaves of the Mandrake, and of the\nhuman face in the roots.----In Germany, since the time of the Goths,\nthe word _alruna_ has borne the double meaning of witch and Mandrake.\nConsidering the roots to possess magical properties, the Germans formed\nfrom them little idols, to which they gave the name of _Alrunen_. These\nimages were regularly habited every day, and consulted as oracles;\ntheir repute becoming very great, large numbers were manufactured and\nsold in cases: in this state they were brought over to this country\nduring the reign of Henry VIII., and met with a ready sale. Fraudulent\ndealers used to replace the Mandrake-roots with those of the White\nBriony, cut to the shape of men and women, and dried in a hot sand\nbath.----In France, under the names of _Main de gloire_ or _Maglore_,\nthe Mandrake became a species of elf; and, till the eighteenth century,\nthere existed a wide-spread superstition among the peasantry connected\ntherewith. Sainte-Palaye writes: \u201cWhen I asked a peasant one day why\nhe was gathering Mistletoe, he told me that at the foot of the Oaks on\nwhich the Mistletoe grew, he had a Mandrake (_Main de gloire_); that\nthis Mandrake had lived in the earth from whence the Mistletoe sprang;\nthat he was a kind of mole; that he who found him was obliged to give\nhim food,--bread, meat, or some other nourishment; and that he who\nhad once given him food was obliged to give it every day, and in the\nsame quantity, without which the Mandrake would assuredly cause the\nforgetful one to die. Two of his countrymen, whom he named to me, had,\nhe said, lost their lives; but, as a recompense, this _Main de gloire_\nreturned on the morrow double what he had received the previous day. If\none paid cash for the _Main de gloire\u2019s_ food one day, one would find\ndouble the amount the following; and so with anything else. A certain\ncountryman, whom he mentioned as still living, and who had become very\nrich, was believed to have owed his wealth to the fact that he had\nfound one of these _Mains de gloire_.\u201d----The Chinese physicians assert\nthat the Mandrake has the faculty of renovating exhausted constitutions.\n\n=MANGO.=--The Indian mythologists relate that the daughter of the\nSun, persecuted by a wicked enchantress, plunged into a pool, where\nshe was transformed into a golden Lotus. The king became enamoured of\nthe beautiful flower, so the enchantress burnt it; but from its ashes\nrose the Mango (_Mangifera Indica_). Then the king fell in love, first\nwith the Mango-flower, and next with the fruit, which he ordered to be\ncarefully preserved for his own use. At last, just as the fruit was\nripe, it fell from the bough, and out of it issued the daughter of the\nSun, whom the king, after having lost and forgotten, now recognised as\nhis former wife.----The Indian poets are never tired of singing the\npraises of the Mango, the beauty of its flowers, and the sweetness of\nits fruit. The Indian Cupid K\u00e2madeva is represented as having five\narrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower which pierce the heart\nthrough one of the five senses. A young maiden once plucked one of\nthese blossoms, and offered it to the god, saying:--\n\n  \u201cGod of the bow, who with Spring\u2019s choicest flowers\n  Dost point the five unerring shafts; to thee\n  I dedicate this blossom; let it serve\n  To barb thy truest arrow; be its mark\n  Some youthful heart that pines to be beloved.\u201d\n\nK\u00e2madeva accepted the offering, and tipped with the Mango-flower one\nof his darts, which, from that time, was known as the arrow of love,\nand is the god\u2019s favourite dart. Along with Sandalwood, the wood of the\nMango is used by the Hindus in burning their dead. Among the Indian\njugglers, the apparent production and growth of the Mango-tree is a\nperformance executed in such a marvellous manner as to excite the\nastonishment of those who have most determined to discover how the\nillusion is effected.\n\n=MANNA.=--Some naturalists consider that the Manna miraculously\nprovided for the sustenance of the Children of Israel in the Desert\nwas a species of Lichen--the _Parmelia esculenta_. Josephus, however,\ndescribes it as a kind of dew which fell, like honey in sweetness and\npleasant taste, but like in its body to Bdellium, one of the sweet\nspices, but in bigness equal to Coriander-seed. The origin of the\ndifferent species of Manna or sugary exudations which cover certain\ntrees, has at all times been a subject of wonder, and for a long time\nit was thought that these saccharine tears, which appear so quickly,\nwere simply deposits from the atmosphere. The Manna used in medicine is\nprincipally procured from the flowering Ash (_Fraxinus ornus_), which\nis cultivated for the purpose in Sicily and Calabria: the puncture of\nan insect of the cochineal family causes the sap to exude. The Manna\nof Mount Sinai is drawn from the Tamarisk by puncture of the coccus:\nit exudes in a thick syrup during the day, falls in drops, congeals in\nthe night, and is gathered in the cool of the morning. The Larch-tree\nfurnishes the Manna of Brian\u00e7on. A sweet substance resembling Manna\nexudes from the leaves of the _Eucalyptus resinifera_, dries in the\nsun, and when the leaves are shaken by the wind, falls like a shower\nof snow. In some countries, even herbs are covered with an abundant\nsugary exudation similar to Manna. Bruce observed this in Abyssinia.\nMatthiolus relates that in some parts of Italy the Manna glues the\ngrass of the meadows together in such a manner as to impede the mowers\nat their work.----To dream of Manna denotes that you will be successful\nthrough life, and overcome all troubles.\n\n=MAPLE.=--The wood of the Maple (_Acer_) was considered by Pliny to\nbe, in point of elegance and firmness, next to the Citron itself. The\nveined knobs of old Maples, known as the _bruscum_ and _molluscum_,\nwere highly prized by the Romans, and of these curiously-marked woods\nwere made the famous Tigrine and Pantherine tables, which were of such\nimmense value, that when the Romans reproached their wives for their\nextravagance in jewels, they were wont to retort and (literally) \u201cturn\nthe tables\u201d upon their husbands. Evelyn tells us, that such a table\nwas that of Cicero, \u201cwhich cost him 10,000 sesterces; such another had\nAsinius Gallus. That of King Juba was sold for 15,000; and yet that\nof the Mauritanian Ptolemy was far richer, containing four feet and\na half diameter, three inches thick, which is reputed to have been\nsold for its weight in gold.\u201d----Some centuries ago, Maple-wood was in\ngreat request for bowls and trenchers. The unfortunate Fair Rosamond\nis reputed to have drunk her fatal draught of poison from a Maple\nbowl; and the medi\u00e6val drinking-vessels, known as mazers, were chiefly\nmade of this material--deriving their name from the Dutch _Maeser_,\nMaple.----On May-day, in Cornwall, the young men proceed, at daybreak,\nto the country, and strip the Maple (or Sycamore) trees--there called\nMay-trees--of all their young branches, to make whistles, and with\nthese shrill musical instruments they enliven their way home with \u201cMay\nmusic.\u201d----In Germany, the Maple is regarded with much superstitious\nreverence. There existed formerly, in Alsace, a curious belief that\nbats possessed the power of rendering the eggs of storks unfruitful.\nWhen once a stork\u2019s egg was touched by a bat, it became sterile;\nand so, in order to preserve it, the stork placed in its nest some\nbranches of the Maple, and the wonderful power of this tree sufficed\nto frighten away every intruding bat.----De Gubernatis relates a\nHungarian fairy tale, in which the Maple plays a conspicuous part.\nAccording to this legend, a king had three daughters, one of whom, a\nbeautiful blonde, was in love with a shepherd, who charmed her with\ndelightful music he produced from a flute. One night, the king, the\nprincess, and the shepherd, were disturbed by disquieting dreams. The\nking dreamt that his crown had lost its diamonds; the princess that\nshe had visited her mother\u2019s tomb and was unable to get away from it;\nthe shepherd that two fallow deer had devoured the best lamb in his\nflock. After this dream, the king called his three daughters to him,\nand announced to them that she who should first bring to him a basket\nof Strawberries should become his pet daughter, and inherit his crown\nand seven kingdoms. The three daughters hastened to a neighbouring\nhill to gather the Strawberries. There, setting down their baskets,\neach one in turn wished that her basket might be filled with fruit.\nThe wishes of the two elder sisters were unheeded; but when it came to\nthe blonde\u2019s turn, her wish was no sooner expressed, than her basket\nwas filled with Strawberries. At this sight, the two sisters, mad with\nenvy, fell upon the poor blonde, and slew her; then, having buried her\nunder an old Maple-tree, they broke her basket in two, and divided the\nStrawberries between them. On their return to the palace, they told the\nking that their sister had been devoured by a fallow deer. On hearing\nthis sad news, the unhappy father exclaimed: \u201cAlas! I have lost the\nmost precious diamond of my crown.\u201d At the approach of the new moon,\nthe shepherd took up his flute to play a tune; but it was mute, for\nthe fair princess was no longer there to listen to its tuneful notes.\nMeanwhile, on the third night, there sprang from the stem of the old\nMaple on the hill a new shoot, on the spot where the poor princess had\nmet her cruel death. The shepherd, happening to pass by, saw this fresh\nshoot from the Maple, and thought he would make from it a new flute. So\nhe cut the Maple-shoot, and from it fashioned a flute; but the moment\nhe placed it to his lips, the flute sang, \u201cPlay, play, dearest. Once\nI was a king\u2019s daughter; then I was a Maple-shoot; now I am a flute\nmade from the Maple-shoot.\u201d The shepherd rushed off with the flute\nto the king, who put it to his lips, when instantly it sang, \u201cPlay,\nplay, my father. Once, &c.\u201d Then the two wicked sisters approached,\nand each in turn put the flute to her lips--only, however, to hear it\nhiss, \u201cPlay, play, murderess. Once, &c.\u201d Then the king, becoming aware\nof the sisters\u2019 wickedness, cursed them, and drove them with bitter\nreproaches from his palace into the wide world.----The Maple has been\nmade the emblem of reserve, because its flowers are late in opening,\nand slow to fall.----A curious belief exists in some parts of England,\nthat the Maple can confer longevity on children, if they are passed\nthrough its branches. In West Grinstead Park, Sussex, was an old Maple\nmuch used for this purpose, and, upon a rumour reaching the parish,\nthat the ancient tree was to be felled, many petitions were made that\nit might be spared.----Pliny says that Maple-root, pounded, is a remedy\nfor pains in the liver, and Gerarde states that, steeped in wine, it is\nuseful in stopping pain in the side. He quotes a verse from Sammonicus,\nwhich he thus translates:--\n\n  \u201cThy harmless side if sharp disease invade,\n    In hissing water quench a heated stone:\n  This drink. Or Maple-root in powder made,\n    Take off in wine, a present med\u2019cine known.\u201d\n\n=MARGUERITE.=--The Daisy (_Bellis perennis_), which Chaucer called\n\u201cdouce Margarette,\u201d derives its French name of Marguerite from its\nsupposed resemblance to a pearl. In Germany, indeed, it is known as the\nMeadow-pearl, and Chaucer, in describing the flower, says:--\n\n  \u201cAnd of a perle fine orientall,\n  Her white croune was imaked all.\u201d\n\nThe Greek word for pearl, _Margarites_, became in Latin _Margarita_,\nremained the same in Italian, and in French was spelt _Marguerite_; the\nsame word in each language indicating both the pearl and the flower\nwe call Daisy. This flower was formerly employed in the treatment of\ncertain female complaints, and on that account, perhaps, was dedicated\nby the Monks to St. Margaret of Cortona. Chaucer, in error, referred\nthe name Margaret, as bestowed on the Daisy, to St. Margaret of\nHungary, who was martyred in the thirteenth century; but in an old\nlegend it is stated\n\n  \u201cThere is a double flowret, white and red,\n  That our lasses call Herb Margaret,\n  In honour of Cortona\u2019s penitent,\n  Whose contrite soul with red remorse was rent;\n  While on her penitence kind Heaven did throw\n  The white of purity surpassing snow;\n  So white and red in this fair flower entwine,\n  Which maids are wont to scatter at her shrine.\u201d\n\nThis St. Margaret of Cortona, who in medi\u00e6val days was very popular,\nhad for some years, says Mrs. Jameson, led an abandoned life, but\nhaving repented and been canonised, she was regarded by the people\nof her native town as a modern Magdalene; and, like her prototype,\nwas supposed, on account of her early habits, to preside over uterine\ndiseases, and others peculiar to young women. The Daisy, and other\nflowers which were supposed from their shape to resemble the Moon, were\nby the ancients dedicated to the virgin goddess of the night, Artemis,\nor Diana: but in Christian times were transferred to the two saints who\nreplace her, namely, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Margaret of Cortona.\nDr. Prior, in his work on plant names, points out that this latter\nsaint has often been confounded with a St. Margaret of Antioch, who was\n\u201cinvoked as another Lucina, because in her martyrdom she prayed for\nlying-in-women.\u201d This maiden of Antioch is described in old metrical\nlegends as\n\n  \u201cMaid Marguerite that was so meeke and milde.\u201d\n\nThe Daisy has been connected with several eminent women of the name of\nMargaret. Margaret of Anjou wore the flower as her device, and had it\nembroidered on the robes of her courtiers. Lady Margaret, the mother of\nHenry VII., wore three white Daisies; Margaret, the sister of Francis\nI., also wore the Daisy, and was called by her brother his Marguerite\nof Marguerites--his pearl of pearls. (See DAISY).\n\n=MARIGOLD.=--The African Marigold (_Tagetes erecta_) is regarded as a\nsacred flower in Northern India, where the natives adorn the trident\nemblem of Mah\u00e2deva with garlands of it; and both men and women wear\nchaplets made of its flowers on his festival.----The Romans named the\nEuropean Marigold _Calendula_--the flower of the Calends--from a notion\nthat it blossoms the whole year.----In the oldest of English herbals,\nthe \u2018Grete Herball,\u2019 the Marigold is called Mary Gowles, but by the\nold poets it is frequently alluded to as Gold simply, and it is still\ncalled Goules or Goulans in some counties of England. Another old\nEnglish name for these flowers was Ruddes.----From its tawny yellow\nblossom the Marigold is presumed to have been the _Chrusanthemon_, or\nGold Flower, of the Greeks.----In medi\u00e6val times, this flower, along\nwith numerous others, was dedicated by the monks and nuns to the\nVirgin, and had the prefix Mary appended to its name. According to an\nold tradition, however, the Marigold was so called because the Virgin\nMary wore this flower in her bosom.----Shakspeare, in \u2018Cymbeline,\u2019\nspeaks of the flower as the Mary-bud, and in \u2018A Winter\u2019s Tale,\u2019 alludes\nto its habit of closing at sunset and opening at sunrise:--\n\n  \u201cThe Marigold that goes to bed with the sun,\n  And with him rises weeping.\u201d\n\nLinn\u00e6us states that the flower is usually open from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m.,\nand this foreshows a continuance of dry weather. Should the blossom\nremain closed, rain may be expected. This circumstance, and the plant\u2019s\nhabit of turning its golden face towards the sun, has gained for it the\nname of the \u201cSun-flower\u201d and the \u201cSpouse of the Sun\u201d.----Marguerite\nof Orleans, the maternal grandmother of Henri IV., chose for her\narmorial device a Marigold turning towards the sun, and for a motto,\n\u201c_Je ne veux suivre que lui seul_.\u201d----In America, Marigolds are called\nDeath-flowers, in reference to an existing tradition that the crimson\nand gold-coloured blossoms sprang upon ground stained by the life-blood\nof those unfortunate Mexicans who fell victims to the love of gold and\narrogant cruelty of the early Spanish settlers in America.----In the\nreign of Henry VIII., the Marigold was called _Souvenir_, and ladies\nwore wreaths of them intermixed with Heart\u2019s-ease.----To dream of\nMarigolds appears to be of happy augury, denoting prosperity, riches,\nsuccess, and a happy and wealthy marriage.----The Marigold is deemed by\nastrologers a Solar herb, under the sign Leo.\n\n=MARJORAM.=--The origin of Marjoram (_Origanum vulgare_: Greek,\n_Amarakos_) is related by the Greeks as follows:--A young man named\nAmaracus was employed in the household of Cinyras, King of Cyprus:\none day, when carrying a vase containing perfumes, he unfortunately\nlet it fall, and was so frightened at the mishap that he lost all\nconsciousness, and became metamorphosed into an odoriferous herb called\nat first _Sampsuchon_, and afterwards _Amarakos_. According to Rapin,\nthe goddess Venus first raised Sweet Marjoram. He says:--\n\n  \u201cAnd tho\u2019 Sweet Marjoram will your garden paint\n  With no gay colours, yet preserve the plant,\n  Whose fragrance will invite your kind regard,\n  When her known virtues have her worth declared:\n  On Simois\u2019 shore fair Venus raised the plant,\n  Which from the goddess\u2019 touch derived her scent.\u201d\n\nThe Greeks and Roman crowned young married couples with Marjoram, which\nin some countries is the symbol of honour.----Astrologers place the\nherb under the rule of Mercury.\n\n=MARSH MALLOW.=--The name _Alth\u00e6a_ (from a Greek root meaning to cure)\nwas given to this plant on account of its manifold healing properties,\nwhich were duly appreciated by the old herbalists. It was sometimes\ncalled _Bismalva_, being held to be twice as good in medicinal\nproperties as the ordinary Mallow. As an ointment, it was celebrated\nfor mollifying heat, and hence it became invaluable as a protection to\nthose who had to undergo the ordeal of holding red-hot iron in their\nhands. This ordeal was practised by the ancient Greeks; for we read in\nthe \u2018Antigone\u2019 of Sophocles, that the guards placed over the body of\nPolynices--which had been carried away surreptitiously--offered, in\norder to prove their innocence, to take up red-hot iron in their hands:\na similar ordeal was extant in the Middle Ages, when invalids and\ndelicate persons, particularly monks and ecclesiastics, were exempted\nfrom the usual mode of single combat, and were required to test their\ninnocence by holding red-hot iron in their hands. These trials were\nmade in the church during the celebration of mass, inspection being\nmade by the clergy alone. The suspected person, therefore, if he had\nany friends at hand, was easily shielded by covering his hand with a\nthick coating of some substance which would enable him to resist the\naction of heat. Albertus Magnus describes a paste compounded in the\nthirteenth century for this express purpose. The sap of the Marsh\nMallow, the slimy seeds of a kind of Fleabane, and the white of a hen\u2019s\negg, were combined to make the paste adhere, and the hands covered with\nit were perfectly safe.----According to a German tradition, an ointment\nmade of the leaves of the Marsh Mallow was employed to anoint the\nbody of anyone affected by witchcraft.----The Marsh Mallow is held by\nastrologers to be a herb of Venus.\n\n=MARSH MARIGOLD.=--According to Rapin, the Sicilian shepherd Acis\noriginally discovered the Marsh Marigold (_Caltha_) growing in his\nnative pastures:--\n\n  \u201cNor without mention shall the _Caltha_ die,\n  Which Acis once found out in Sicily;\n  She Ph\u0153bus loves, and from him draws her hue,\n  And ever keeps his golden beams in view.\u201d\n\nThe flower\u2019s modern Italian name, _Sposa di Sole_, has probably been\ngiven to it in reference to this legend. On May-day, country people\nstrew Marsh Marigolds before their doors, and twine them into garlands.\nSome think the _Caltha palustris_ to be Shakspeare\u2019s \u201cwinking May-bud\nwith golden eye,\u201d which, if plucked with due care, and borne about,\nwill hinder anyone from speaking an angry word to the wearer.\n\n=MASTIC.=--The Mastic or Pistachio-tree (_Pistacia Lentiscus_), the\nsymbol of purity and virginity, was particularly dear to Dictynna, a\nnymph of Crete, and one of Diana\u2019s attendants. Following her example,\nthe Greek virgins were fond of adorning themselves with Mastic-sprays;\nand at the present time, in the isle of Chios, where the Mastic-tree\nflourishes, they eat the gum to preserve sweetness of breath. The\nMastic is stated to have been under the special protection of Bacchus,\nas being the tree under which the Bacchanals found and slew Pentheus,\nKing of Thebes, who had forbidden his subjects to acknowledge the new\ngod.\n\nMATHER.--See Mayweed.\n\nMAUDLEIN, MAUDELYNE, or _Maudlin_.--See Costmary.\n\nMAUDLIN WORT.--See Moon Daisy.\n\n=MAURITIA.=--The Moriche Palm (_Mauritia flexuosa_) is regarded as a\nsacred tree by the Mexican Indians. Certain tribes live almost entirely\non its products, and, strange to say, build their houses high up\namongst its leaves, where they live during the floods. These Indians\nhave a traditional Deluge, which they call the Water Age, when there\nwas only one man and one woman left alive. To re-people the earth,\nthe Deucalion and Pyrrha of the new world, instead of stones, threw\nover their shoulders the fruit of the Moriche Palm, and from its seeds\nsprang the whole human race. The Moriche is regarded as a deity among\nthe Tamancas, a tribe of Oronoco Indians.\n\n=MAY.=--The Hawthorn has obtained the name of May, or May-bush, from\nthe time of its flowering. In Suffolk, it is believed to be unlucky to\nsleep in a room in which there is May in bloom. In Sussex, to bring\na branch of blossoming May into the house is thought to portend a\ndeath. It was a custom in Huntingdonshire, forty years ago, for the\nrustic swains to place a branch of May in blossom before sunrise at the\ndoorway of anyone they wished to honour, singing the while--\n\n  \u201cA branch of May we have brought you,\n  And at your door it stands;\n          It is but a sprout,\n          But it\u2019s well budded out,\n  By the work of our good Lord\u2019s hands.\u201d\n\nAn Italian proverb describes the universal lover as \u201cone who hangs\nevery door with May.\u201d (See HAWTHORN).\n\n=MAYFLOWER.=--The Mayflower of New England, _Epig\u00e6a repens_, is the\nemblem of Nova Scotia. The trailing Arbutus, or Mayflower, is a native\nof North America; it grows abundantly in the vicinity of Plymouth,\nMassachusetts, and was the first flower that greeted the Pilgrims after\ntheir terrible winter.\n\n=MAYWEED.=--The Mayweed, or more properly Maydweed (_Anthemis Cotula_),\nowes its name to its having been formerly used for the complaints\nof young women. In olden times, the plant was also known as Maghet,\nand Mather or Mauther, words signifying a maid.----The flower is\ndistinguished as having, for its fairness, been likened to the brow of\nthe Northern divinity Baldr.----The _Matricaria Chamomilla_ is called\nStinking Maydweed. (See MAITHES, COSTMARY, and MOON DAISY.)\n\n=MELON.=--According to a tradition of the Arabs, the Melon is to be\nfound in Paradise, where it signifies that God is One, and that Ali is\nhis true prophet.----Sebastian, a Roman traveller of the seventeenth\ncentury, recorded that on Mount Carmel, in the Holy Land, he had seen\na field of Melons which had been turned into stones by the curse of\nElias.----An old Tuscan legend records how the wife of a certain\nyoung king bore him three children, which were represented by the\nQueen\u2019s jealous sisters to be a cat, a piece of wood, and a snake.\nThe enraged king, upon this, cast his unfortunate wife into prison,\nwhilst the three infants were secured by the wicked sisters in a box,\nand cast into the sea. A gardener found the box, and compassionating\nthe helpless babes, brought them up, and taught them to tend his\ngarden. Through the kindly offices of a good fairy, the king came to\ndinner one day, and a large Water Melon was gathered from the garden\nand placed before him. The king cut the Melon, when in place of seeds\nhe discovered inside a number of precious stones. In astonishment, he\ndemanded: \u201cHow is it possible that a Melon can produce gems?\u201d Then the\ngood fairy responded: \u201cAnd how, sire, is it possible that a woman could\ngive birth to a cat, a piece of wood, and a snake? Behold your three\nchildren, and hasten, cruel man, to release the poor innocent queen.\nThe envy of her sisters has occasioned all this mischief.\u201d The king was\ndeeply affected; he embraced his children, and forthwith hastened with\nall speed to his wife, whose pardon he implored. Then he ordered public\nf\u00eates and rejoicings to take place, but condemned the wicked sisters\nto the stake.----According to dream oracles, a young woman who dreams\nof Melons is destined to marry a rich foreigner, and to live with him\nin a foreign land. If a young man dreams of Melons, it denotes that he\nwill marry a rich foreign lady, by whom he will have a large family,\nbut they will die young. If a sick person dreams of Melons, it is a\nprognostic of recovery by reason of their humidity or juicy substance.\n\nMIDSUMMER MEN.--See Orpine.\n\n=MIGNONETTE.=--The Mignonette, or Little Darling, is supposed to be an\nEgyptian plant, and to have been brought to England from the South of\nFrance, where it is called _Herbe d\u2019Amour_, or Love-flower. Although\na flower of no heraldic fame, the Mignonette is nevertheless, to be\nseen on the armoured shield of a noble Saxon house, and the origin\nof its adoption is related in the following legend:--A Count of\nWalstheim was betrothed to Amelia von Nordburg, a young and beautiful\nheiress, whose poor cousin Charlotte, an amiable girl of no particular\npersonal charms, had been brought up with her from infancy. Returning\none evening from a charitable visit, the humble dependent found her\naunt\u2019s saloon full of guests, the ladies busily occupied in selecting\nflowers for which their admirers were expected to improvise mottoes.\nCharlotte was invited to follow the example of her betters. Amelia\nvon Nordburg had selected the Rose as her emblem, and her companions\nhad naturally chosen such popular flowers as were best calculated to\nelicit gallant compliments. Thus most of the floral favourites had\nbeen appropriated; so Charlotte placed a modest spray of Mignonette\nin her dress. Noticing as she did so that her coquettish cousin was\nneglecting the Count of Walstheim for the fascinations of a gallant\ncolonel, and anxious to recall the thoughtless heiress to her lover\u2019s\nside, Charlotte asked the Count what motto he had ready for the Rose.\nTaking out his pencil, he wrote: \u201c_Elle ne vit qu\u2019un jour, et ne plait\nqu\u2019un moment_;\u201d and then presented her with this motto for her own\nMignonette: \u201c_Ses qualit\u00e9s surpassent ses charmes_.\u201d His wilful fianc\u00e9e\ntook offence at the Count\u2019s discrimination, and revenged herself by\ntreating him with studied coldness and neglect; the result being that\nthe Count transferred his affections to the dependent Charlotte, whom\nhe soon afterwards married, and to celebrate the event added a spray of\nMignonette to the ancient arms of his family.\n\n=MILK THISTLE.=--The Thistle _Silybum Marianum_ is called the Milk\nThistle from a supposition that it derived the colour of its leaves\nfrom the Milk of the Virgin Mary having fallen on them as she suckled\nthe infant Jesus.\n\n=MILKWORT.=--In olden times, the Milkwort (_Polygala vulgaris_),\nbore the names of Cross-flower, Rogation-flower, Gang-flower, and\nProcession-flower, which were given it because, according to ancient\nusage, maidens made garlands of the flower, and carried them in\nprocession during Rogation Week. At this period it was customary to\noffer prayers against plagues, fires, and wild beasts, and as the\nbounds of the parish were traversed on one of the days, it was also\ntermed Gang Week. This custom was a relic of the ancient Ambarvalia.\nThe bishop, or one of the clergy, perambulated the limits of the parish\nwith the Holy Cross and Litanies, and invoked the blessing of God upon\nthe crops; on which occasion, Bishop Kennett tells us, the maidens made\ngarlands and nosegays of the Milkwort, which blossomed in Rogation\nWeek, the next but one before the Whitsuntide.----Gerarde relates that,\nin Queen Elizabeth\u2019s time, Milkwort-flowers were \u201cvulgarly knowne in\nCheapside to the herbe women by the name of Hedge Hyssop.\u201d The plant\nwas called Milkwort from an old belief that it increased the milk of\nmothers who took it.----A Javanese species, _Polygala venenata_, is\ngreatly dreaded by the natives of Java for its poisonous effects;\nviolent sneezing and faintness seizes anyone touching the leaves of\nthis ill-omened plant.\n\n=MILLET.=--According to Schlegel, Millet has, among the Chinese, given\nits name to the constellation _Tien-tzi_, \u201cCelestial Millet,\u201d which\nis composed of five stars, and presides at the grain harvest. Its\nclearness and brilliance presage an abundant harvest, its absence\nforetells famine. This constellation the Chinese consider as the\nresidence of the King of the Cereals.----The grain of Millet has\nbecome proverbial as indicative of anything minute: possibly on this\naccount, Millet portends misery if seen in a dream.----There is a\nlegend in North Germany, that, long ago, a rich merchant had a fine\ngarden, in which was a piece of land sown with Millet. One day the\nmerchant discovered that a part of the Millet had been shorn during the\npreceding night, so he set his three sons to watch in case the theft\nshould be repeated. Both the eldest and the second son fell asleep\nduring their respective vigils; and on each occasion the theft was\nrepeated, and further portions of the Millet disappeared. On the third\nnight, the youngest son, John, agreed to watch: he surrounded himself\nwith Thorns and Thistles, so that if he felt sleepy, and began to nod,\nthe Thorns should prick him, and thus keep him awake. At midnight\nhe heard a tramping, and then a sound of munching among the Millet:\npushing aside the Thorns, John sprang out from his hiding-place, and\nsaw a beautiful little colt feeding on the Millet. To catch the little\nanimal was an easy task, and it was soon safely locked up in the\nstable. The merchant, overjoyed at the capture his vigilant son John\nhad made, made him a present of the colt, which he named Millet-thief.\nSoon after this, the brothers heard of a beautiful princess who was\nkept by enchantment confined in a palace that stood on the top of a\nglass mountain, which no one, on account of its being so slippery,\ncould ascend; but it was said that whosoever should be so fortunate as\nto reach its summit, and ride thrice round the palace, would disenchant\nthe princess and obtain her hand in marriage. Numbers had already\nendeavoured to ride up the slippery mountain, but were precipitated\nto its foot; and their skeletons lay bleaching all around. The three\nbrothers determined to try and ascend the mountain, but, alas, the two\neldest fell with their horses down the treacherous mountain side, and\nlay sorely hurt. Then John saddled his little colt Millet-thief, and\nto his delight, when ridden to the mountain, he easily rattled up to\nits summit, and trotted round the palace three times as though he knew\nthe road perfectly. Soon they stood in front of the palace-gates, which\nopened spontaneously, and the lovely princess stepped forth with a cry\nof joy, as she recognised in Millet-thief her own little colt, who had\nbeen accustomed to take her by night down the steep mountain, so that\nshe might enjoy a gallop across the green fields--the only indulgence\npermitted her by the cruel enchanter. Then the princess bestowed her\nhand upon her deliverer, and they lived happily, far removed from\nworldly cares, in the palace on the glass mountain.\n\n=MIMOSA.=--The _Mimosa Catechu_, according to Indian mythology, was\nthe tree which sprang from the claw lost by a falcon whilst engaged in\npurloining the heavenly Soma, or Amrita, the drink of immortality.\nThe Vedas recount that, when the gods were pining for the precious\nbeverage, the falcon undertook to steal it from the demons who kept\nit shut up: the attempt was successful, but the falcon, whilst flying\noff with its prize, was wounded by an arrow discharged by one of\nthe demons, and lost a claw and a feather. They fell to earth, and\nstruck root there; the claw becoming the Indian Thorn-tree, or _Mimosa\nCatechu_--the younger branches of which have straight thorns, that\nafterwards become hooked, and bear a strong resemblance to a bird\u2019s\nclaw.----Bishop Heber tells us that, whilst travelling in Upper India,\nhe saw, near Boitpoor, a Mimosa-tree, with leaves at a little distance\nso much resembling those of the Mountain Ash, that he was for a moment\ndeceived, and asked if it did not bear fruit. The Bishop says: \u201cThey\nanswered no; but that it was a very noble tree, being called the\nImperial Tree for its excellent properties. That it slept all night,\nand awakened, and was alive all day, withdrawing its leaves if any\none attempted to touch them. Above all, however, it was useful as a\npreservative against magic. A sprig worn in the turban, or suspended\nover the bed, was a perfect security against all spells, Evil Eye, &c.,\ninsomuch that the most formidable wizard would not, if he could help\nit, approach its shade. One, indeed, they said, who was very renowned\nfor his power (like Lorinite, in the Kehama) of killing plants and\ndrying up their sap with a look, had come to this very tree and gazed\non it intently; but, said the old man, who told me this with an air\nof triumph, look as he might, he could do the tree no harm. I was\namazed and surprised to find the superstition which in England and\nScotland attaches to the Rowan-tree here applied to a tree of nearly\nsimilar form. What nation has, in this case, been the imitator? Or from\nwhat common centre are these common notions derived?\u201d----The _Mimosa\nsensitiva_ is the true Sensitive Plant, which collapses its leaflets\nupon the slightest touch (see SENSITIVE PLANT); and another member of\nthis singular family droops its branches whenever anyone approaches;\nhence Moore has called it\n\n                \u201cThat courteous tree\n  Which bows to all who seek its canopy.\u201d\n\nFrankincense is the product of the Egyptian Mimosa, a tree spoken of by\nTheophrastus as an Acanthus, and referred to by Virgil.\n\n=MIMUSOPS.=--The _Mimusops Elengi_ is one of the sacred trees of India,\nand dedicated to the god Krishna. An odoriferous water, highly prized,\nis distilled from the flowers, and the astringent bark of the tree is\nused medicinally.\n\n=MINT.=--Ovid tells us, in his \u2018Metamorphoses,\u2019 that the nymph Minthe,\na daughter of Cocytus, was beloved of Pluto, and that Proserpine,\ndiscovering her husband\u2019s infidelity, transformed his mistress into the\nherb which is called by her name.----In olden times, Mint (_Mentha_)\nwas called _Herba bona_ and _Herba sancta_, and the ancients were\nwont to weave garlands of its foliage to be worn by brides--_corona\nVeneris_. In later days, the herb was dedicated to the Virgin, under\nthe name of _Herba Sanct\u00e6 Mari\u00e6_.----It was formerly customary to\nstrew the churches with Mint or other herbs or flowers. In \u2018Appius and\nVirginia,\u2019 an old play, is an illustration of this custom:--\n\n  \u201cThou knave, but for thee ere this time of day\n  My lady\u2019s fair pew had been strewed full gay\n  With Primroses, Cowslips, and Violets sweet,\n  With Mints, and with Marygold and Marjoram meet,\n  Which now lyeth uncleanly, and all along of thee.\u201d\n\nAmong the women of the Abruzzi there exists a curious superstition. If,\nwhilst walking, they should chance to come across a plant of Mint, they\nwill bruise a leaf between their fingers, in order to ensure that, on\nthe day of their death, Jesus Christ will assist them.----In Holstein,\nat the funeral of peasants, Mint is carried by youths attending the\nceremony.----Pliny was of opinion that \u201cthe smell of Mint doth stir up\nthe minde and taste to a greedy desire of meat;\u201d and other old writers\nstate that Mint should be smelled, as being refreshing for the head and\nmemory; probably on this account it was formerly a custom to strew it\n\u201cin chambers and places of recreation, pleasure, and repose, and when\nfeasts and banquets are to be made.\u201d Gerarde says of this herb:--\u201cIt is\npoured into the eares with honied water. It is taken inwardly against\nscolopendres, beare-wormes, sea scorpions and serpents. It is applied\nwith salt to the bitings of mad dogs.\u201d\n\n=MISTLETOE.=--According to Scandinavian mythology, Baldr (the Apollo of\nthe North) was rendered by his mother Fr\u00eegg proof against all injury\nby the four elements, fire, air, earth, and water: Loki, the evil\nspirit, however, being at enmity with him, fashioned an arrow out of\nMistletoe (which proceeded from neither of the elements), and placed\nit in the hand of H\u00f6dr, the blind deity, who launched the fatal dart\nat Baldr, and struck him to the earth. The gods decided to restore\nBaldr to life, and as a reparation for his injury, the Mistletoe was\ndedicated to his mother Fr\u00eegg; whilst, to prevent its being again used\nadversely to her, the plant was placed under her sole control so long\nas it did not touch the earth, the empire of Loki. On this account\nit has always been customary to suspend Mistletoe from ceilings; and\nso, whenever persons of opposite sexes pass under it, they give one\nanother the kiss of peace and love, in the full assurance that this\nplant is no longer an instrument of mischief.----Like the Indian\nAsvattha, and the Northern Rowan, the Mistletoe was supposed to be\nthe embodiment of lightning: hence its Swiss name, _Donnerbesen_; and\nlike them, again, it is very generally believed to spring from seed\ndeposited by birds on trees. Some naturalists, indeed, say that the\nseeds will not vegetate until they have passed through the stomach\nof a bird, and so recommend that fowls should be caused to eat the\nseeds, which, after evacuation, should be sown. This old belief in the\nMistletoe-seed being sown by birds is referred to by Lord Bacon in his\n\u2018Natural History.\u2019 His lordship says:--\u201cThey have an idle tradition\nthat there is a bird called a Missel-bird that feedeth upon a seed\nwhich many times she cannot digest, and so expelleth it whole with her\nexcrement, which, falling upon a bough of a tree that hath some rift,\nputteth forth the Misseltoe.\u201d----In Druidic times, the Mistletoe was\nregarded as a divine gift of peculiar sanctity, only to be gathered\nwith befitting ceremonies, on the sixth day, or at latest on the sixth\nnight, of the sixth moon after the winter solstice, when their year\ncommenced.----Pliny tells us that \u201cthe Druids hold nothing more sacred\nthan the Mistletoe and the tree upon which it is produced, provided\nit be an Oak. They make choice of groves of Oak on their own account,\nnor do they perform any of their sacred rites without the leaves of\nthese trees, so one may suppose that for this reason they are called\nby the Greek etymology Druids, and whatever Mistletoe grows upon the\nOak they think is sent from heaven, and is a sign of God Himself as\nhaving chosen that tree. This, however, is rarely found, but, when\ndiscovered, is treated with great ceremony; they call it by a name\nwhich in their language signifies the curer of all ills, and, having\nduly prepared their feast and sacrifices under the tree, they bring to\nit two white bulls, whose horns are then for the first time tied; the\npriest, dressed in a white robe, ascends the tree, and, with a golden\npruning-hook, cuts off the Mistletoe, which is received into a white\n_sagum_, or sheet; then they sacrifice the victims, praying that God\nwould bless His own gift to those on whom He has bestowed it.\u201d As the\nDruids attributed to the Mistletoe marvellous curative properties, they\nplaced it in water, and distributed this water to those who deserved\nit, to act as a charm against the spells of witches and sorcerers.\nIf any portion of this plant came in contact with the earth, it was\nconsidered as ominous of some impending national disaster.----The\npractice of decorating dwellings with Mistletoe and Holly is\nundoubtedly of Druidic origin. Dr. Chandler states that, in the times\nof the Druids, the houses were decked with boughs in order that the\nspirits of the forest might seek shelter among them during the bleak\nwinds and frosts of winter.----Among the Worcestershire farmers, there\nis a very ancient custom of taking a bough of Mistletoe, and presenting\nit to the cow that first calved after New Year\u2019s Day, as this offering\nis presumed to avert ill-luck from the dairy.----In some provinces of\nFrance, they preserved for a long period the custom of gathering the\nMistletoe of the Oak, which they regarded as a talisman. Many public\ndocuments attest that, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,\nlarge gatherings of the country-people took place at the f\u00eates held\nin commemoration of the ceremony of the sacred Mistletoe, and which\nwas called _Auguilanneuf_ (_Gui de l\u2019an neuf_).----In Holstein, the\npeasantry call the Mistletoe the \u201cSpectre\u2019s wand,\u201d from the supposition\nthat a branch borne in the hand will enable the holder not only to\nsee ghosts, but to compel them to speak.----The magical properties\nof the Mistletoe are alluded to by Virgil in his _\u00c6neid_, as well as\nby Ovid and other ancient writers. Albertus Magnus states that the\nMistletoe, which the Chald\u00e6ans called _Luperax_, the Greeks _Esifena_,\nand the Latins _Viscus Querci_, like the herb _Martagon_ (Moonwort),\npossessed the property of opening all locks. The Druids called it\nAll-heal, and represented it as an antidote to all poisons, and a cure\nfor all diseases. When there were no longer any Druids in England\nleft to gather the holy plant with the customary sacred rites, it was\ngathered by the people themselves, with a lack of due solemnity, so\nthat, according to Aubrey, this want of reverence met with miraculous\npunishment. He relates how some ill-advised folk cut the Mistletoe from\nan Oak, at Norwood, to sell to the London apothecaries: \u201cAnd one fell\nlame shortly after; soon after each of the others lost an eye; and a\nrash fellow, who ventured to fell the Oak itself, broke his leg very\nshortly afterwards.\u201d At this time, the powder of an Oak-Mistletoe was\ndeemed an infallible cure for epilepsy; and Culpeper, the astrological\nherbalist, prescribed the leaves and berries of this precious\nplant, given in powder for forty days together, as a sure panacea\nfor apoplexy, palsy, and falling sickness. Clusius affirmed that a\nsprig of the sacred plant worn round the neck was a talisman against\nwitchcraft, always providing that the bough had not been allowed to\ntouch earth after being gathered.----In the West of England, there is a\ntradition that the Cross was made of Mistletoe, which, until the time\nof the Crucifixion, had been a noble forest tree, but was thenceforth\ncondemned to exist only as a mere parasite. Culpeper remarks that\nit was sometimes called _lignum sanct\u00e6 crucis_--wood of the holy\ncross--from a belief in its curative virtues in cases of consumption,\napoplexy, and palsy--\u201cnot only to be inwardly taken, but to be hung at\ntheir neck.\u201d----In Sweden, Oak-Mistletoe is suspended in the house to\nprotect it from fire and other injuries; a knife with an Oak-Mistletoe\nhandle is supposed by the Swedes to ward off the falling sickness: for\nother complaints, a piece of this plant is hung round the patient\u2019s\nneck, or made into a finger-ring.\n\n=MOLY.=--The Moly was a magical plant, beneficent in its nature, which\nHomer tells us, in the \u2018Odyssey,\u2019 was given by Mercury to Ulysses to\nenable him successfully to withstand and overcome the enchantments of\nthe sorceress Circe, and obtain the restoration of his comrades whom\nthe witch-goddess had by her enchantments transformed into swine.\nUlysses, distressed at the fate of his companions, was visited by\nMercury, who promised to give him a plant of extraordinary powers,\nwhich should baffle the spells of Circe;\n\n  \u201cThus while he spoke, the sovereign plant he drew\n  Where on th\u2019 all-bearing earth unmark\u2019d it grew,\n  And show\u2019d its nature and its wondrous power:\n  Black was the root, but milky white the flower;\n  Moly the name, to mortals hard to find,\n  But all is easy to th\u2019 ethereal kind.\u201d--_Pope._\n\nThe Moly is generally supposed to have been a species of Garlick\n(a plant credited with many magical qualities), and Gerarde, in\nhis \u2018Herbal,\u2019 describes several plants under the head of \u201cMoly, or\nSorcerer\u2019s Garlick,\u201d one of which he particularises as Homer\u2019s Moly\n(_Moly Homericum_). The identity of the plant has, however, long\nbeen a matter for speculation among botanists of all ages. Dodon\u00e6us,\nAnguillara, and C\u00e6salpinus consider it to be _Allium magicum_;\nMatthiolus and Clusius, _Allium subhirsutum_; Sprengel, _Allium\nnigrum_; and Sibthorp, a plant which he names _Allium Dioscoridis_.\nVarious treatises have appeared on the subject, in one of which\nthe Moly is thought to be identified with the Lotus. Milton, in\nhis \u2018Comus,\u2019 mentions a magical plant, designated H\u00e6mony, which\npossessed similar properties to the Moly, and was potent in dispelling\nenchantments, ghostly apparations, mildew-blast, and unwholesome\nvapours.\n\nMONEY FLOWER.--See Honesty.\n\n=MONK\u2019S HOOD.=--_Aconitum_ has two English names, Monk\u2019s Hood and\nWolf\u2019s Bane. The former has been given it from the resemblance of the\nplant\u2019s upper sepal to the cowl of a monk. The latter is of great\nantiquity, being the same as that of the Anglo-Saxon. By the ancients\n(who were unacquainted with mineral poisons) the Aconite was regarded\nas the most virulent of all poisons, and their mythologists declare it\nto be the invention of Hecate, who caused the plant to spring from the\nfoam of the many-headed Cerberus, when Hercules dragged him from the\ngloomy regions of Pluto. The legend is thus told by Ovid:--\n\n  \u201cMedea, to dispatch a dang\u2019rous heir,\n  (She knew him) did a pois\u2019nous draught prepare,\n  Drawn from a drug, long while reserved in store,\n  For desp\u2019rate uses, from the Scythian shore,\n  That from the Echydn\u00e6an monster\u2019s jaws\n  Derived its origin, and this the cause.\n      Through a dark cave a craggy passage lies\n  To ours ascending from the nether skies,\n  Through which, by strength of hand, Alcides drew\n  Chained Cerberus, who lagged and restive grew,\n  With his bleared eyes our brighter day to view.\n  Thrice he repeated his enormous yell,\n  With which he scares the ghosts, and startles hell;\n  At last outrageous (though compelled to yield),\n  He sheds his foam in fury on the field;\n  Which, with its own and rankness of the ground,\n  Produced a weed by sorcerers renowned\n  The strongest constitution to confound--\n  Called Aconite, because it can unlock\n  All bars, and force its passage through a rock.\u201d\n\nWith this venomous plant the ancients were wont to poison their\narrow-heads when engaged in war and also when in pursuit of wild\nbeasts. As a poison, it had a sinister reputation. Ovid was of opinion\nthat the _Aconitum_ derived its name from growing on rocks almost\nbarren; and he describes, in his \u2018Iron Age,\u2019 the step-dame occupied in\npreparing a deadly potion of this plant:--\n\n  \u201c_Lurida terribiles miscent Aconita noverc\u00e6._\u201d\n\nIn Greece, the Wolf\u2019s Bane is credited with many malignant influences,\nand the fevers so common in the neighbourhood of Corinth were\nattributed to it. Until the Turks were dispossessed, the Aga proceeded\nevery year in solemn procession to denounce it and hand it over to\ndestruction.----In North India, a species, _Aconitum ferox_, is used as\na poison for arrows--the poison which is obtained from the roots being\nof remarkable virulence and activity when infused into the blood.\n\n=MOON DAISY.=--The _Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum_, a large Daisy-like\nflower, resembles the pictures of a full moon, and on this account has\nacquired the name of Moon Daisy. From its use in uterine diseases, this\nplant was dedicated by the ancients to Artemis, goddess of the Moon,\nJuno Lucina, and Eileithuia, a deity who had special charge over the\nfunctions of women--an office afterwards assigned by the Romish Church\nto St. Mary Magdalene and St. Margaret. Hence, in the Middle Ages, the\nMoon Daisy became known as Maudelyne or Maudlin-wort.----The plant\nis also called the Ox-eye and Midsummer Daisy; and in France, this\nflower, known as the _Paquerette_, is employed, like the Bluet, as a\ndivining-flower, to discover the state of a lover\u2019s affections.----The\nMidsummer Daisy is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.\n\n=MOONWORT.=--The Fern _Botrychium Lunaria_ has derived its name of\nMoonwort from the crescent shape of the segments of its frond. Perhaps\nit is this lunar form which has caused it to be so highly esteemed for\nits supposed magical properties. The old alchymists professed to be\nable, by means of the Moonwort, which they called _Lunaria minor_, or\nLesser Lunary, to extract sterling silver from Mercury. By wizards and\nprofessors of necromancy no plant was held in greater repute, and its\npotency is attested by many old writers. Gerarde refers to the use made\nby the alchymists of this Fern in those mystic compounds over which\nthey pored night and day, and he also states that it was a plant prized\nby witches, who called it Martagon. In Ben Jonson\u2019s \u2018Masque of Queens,\u2019\na witch says to her companions:--\n\n  \u201cAnd I ha\u2019 been plucking plants among\n  Hemlock, Henbane, Adder\u2019s-tongue;\n  Nightshade, Moonwort, Libbard\u2019s-bane,\n  And twice by the dogs was like to be ta\u2019en.\u201d\n\nColes, referring to the mystical character of the Moonwort, observes:\n\u201cIt is said, yea, and believed by many, that Moonwort will open the\nlocks, fetters, and shoes from those horses\u2019 feet that goe on the\nplaces where it groweth; and of this opinion was Master Culpeper, who,\nthough he railed against superstition in others, yet had enough of\nit himselfe.\u201d Du Bartas, in his \u2018Divine Weekes,\u2019 thus refers to this\nsuperstition--\n\n  \u201cHorses that, feeding on the grassie hills,\n  Tread upon Moonwort with their hollow heels,\n  Though lately shod, at night goe barefoot home,\n  Their maister musing where their shooes become.\n  O Moonwort! tell us where thou hidst the smith,\n  Hammer and pincers, thou unshodd\u2019st them with.\n  Alas! what lock or iron engine is\u2019t\n  That can thy subtill secret strength resist,\n  Sith the best farrier cannot set a shoe\n  So sure, but thou (so shortly) canst undo?\u201d\n\nCulpeper tell us that the Moonwort was a herb which, in his days,\nwas popularly believed to open locks and unshoe horses that trod on\nit. \u201cThis,\u201d he adds, \u201csome laugh to scorn, and those no small fools\nneither, but country people that I know call it Unshoe-the-Horse.\nBesides, I have heard commanders say that on White Down, in Devonshire,\nnear Tiverton, there were found thirty horse-shoes, pulled off from the\nEarl of Essex\u2019s horses, being there drawn up in a body, many of them\nbeing newly shod, and no reason known, which caused much admiration;\nand the herb described usually grows upon the heaths.\u201d--In Virginia,\nthe _Botrychium Lunaria_ is called the Rattle-snake Fern, because that\nreptile shelters itself beneath its fronds.\n\n=MOSS.=--The _Sifjar haddr_, or Hair Moss (_Polytrichum commune_),\nwhich supplies the Lapp with bedding, is dedicated to Sif, the wife of\nThor. The _Supercilium Veneris_ is Freyja\u2019s hair.--The good fairies\ncalled by the Germans _Moosweibchen_ are represented as being entirely\ncovered with Moss. They live in the hollows of forest trees, or on the\nsoft Moss itself. These beneficent fairies of the forest spin soft\nMoss of various kinds, which they weave into beautiful fabrics, and,\naccording to their custom, occasionally make handsome presents to\ntheir prot\u00e9g\u00e9s.----There is a legend that Oswald, King of Northumbria,\nerected a certain cross, which, after his decease, acquired miraculous\nproperties. One day, a man who was walking across the ice towards\nthis venerated cross, suddenly fell and broke his arm; a friend who\nwas accompanying him, in dire distress at the mishap, hurried to the\ncross, and plucked from it some Moss, which was growing on the surface.\nThen, hastening back to his friend, he placed the Moss in his breast,\nwhen the pain miraculously ceased, and the broken arm became set, and\nwas soon restored to use.----The _Bryum_ Moss, which grows all over\nthe walls of Jerusalem, is supposed to be the plant referred to by\nSolomon as \u201cthe Hyssop that groweth out of the wall.\u201d----According\nto tradition, headache is to be removed by means of snuff made from\nthe Moss which grows on a human skull in a churchyard; and Gerarde\nsays that this Moss is \u201ca singular remedie against the falling evill\nand the chin-cough in children, if it be powdered, and then given\nin sweet wine for certain daies together.\u201d Robert Turner tells us of\nthis Moss that it is \u201ca principal ingredient in the Weapon Salve; but\nthe receipt is, it should be taken from the skull of one who died a\nviolent death.\u201d----The dust from the spore cases of Club-Moss is highly\ninflammable, and is used in fireworks; it is the _Blitz-mehl_, or\nlightning-meal, of the Germans. (See CLUB-MOSS.)\n\n=MOSS ROSE.=--The country of the Moss Rose or Moss Provins Rose (_Rosa\nMuscosa_) is unknown, but the origin of its mossy vest is thus given by\na German writer:--\n\n  \u201cThe angel of the flowers one day\n  Beneath a Rose-tree sleeping lay;\n  That spirit to whose charge is given\n  To bathe young buds in dews from heaven;\n  Awaking from his light repose,\n  The angel whispered to the Rose;\n  \u2018O fondest object of my care,\n  Still fairest found where all are fair,\n  For the sweet shade thou\u2019st given to me\n  Ask what thou wilt, \u2019tis granted thee.\u2019\n  \u2018Then\u2019 said the Rose, with deepened glow,\n  \u2018On me another grace bestow:\u2019\n  The spirit paused in silent thought\n  What grace was there that flower had not?\n  \u2019Twas but a moment: o\u2019er the Rose\n  A veil of Moss the angel throws,\n  And robed in Nature\u2019s simplest weed,\n  Could then a flower that Rose exceed?\u201d\n\nThe Moss Rose is one of the flowers specially plucked at the fall of\nthe dew on Midsummer Eve for the purposes of love divination. This\nrite of rustic maidens is fully described in the poem of \u2018The Cottage\nGirl\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cThe Moss Rose that, at fall of dew,\n  Ere eve its duskier curtain drew,\n  Was freshly gathered from its stem,\n  She values as the ruby gem;\n  And, guarded from the piercing air,\n  With all an anxious lover\u2019s care,\n  She bids it, for her shepherd\u2019s sake,\n  Await the New Year\u2019s frolic wake:\n  When, faded, in its altered hue\n  She reads--the rustic is untrue!\n  But if its leaves the crimson paint,\n  Her sick\u2019ning hopes no longer faint;\n  The Rose upon her bosom worn,\n  She meets him at the peep of morn.\u201d\n\n=MOTHERWORT.=--According to Parkinson, the Motherwort (_Leonurus\nCardiaca_) was so called from its being \u201cof wonderful helpe to women\nin the risings of the mother;\u201d its name of _Cardiaca_ was given\nbecause the herb was formerly noted for curing not only heartburn but\nthe mental disorder known as heart-ache.----In Japan, the Motherwort\nis in great estimation. In bygone times it is related that to the\nnorth of the province of Nanyo-no-rekken, there was a village situated\nnear a hill covered with Motherwort. At the foot of the hill, fed\nby the dew and rains that trickled down its sides, ran a stream of\npure water, which formed the ordinary beverage of the villagers,\nwho generally lived till they had attained an age varying from a\nhundred to a hundred and thirty years. Thus the people ascribe to the\nMotherwort the property of prolonging life. At the Court of the Cairi,\nthe ecclesiastical potentate of Japan, it is a favourite amusement to\ndrink _zakki_, a kind of strong beer prepared from Motherwort-flowers.\nThe Japanese have five grand festivals in the course of the year. The\nlast, which takes place on the 9th of the 9th month, is called the\nFestival of Motherwort; and the month itself is named _Kikousouki_,\nor month of Motherwort-flowers. It was formerly the custom to gather\nthese flowers as soon as they had opened, and to mix them with boiled\nrice, from which they prepared the _zakki_ used in celebrating the\nfestival. In the houses of the common people, instead of this beverage,\nyou find a branch of the flowers fastened with a string to a pitcher\nfull of common _zakki_, which implies that they wish one another a long\nlife. The origin of this festival is as follows:--An emperor of China\nwho succeeded to the throne at seven years of age, was disturbed by a\nprediction that he would die before he attained the age of fifteen.\nAn immortal having brought to him, from Nanyo-no-rekken, a present of\nsome Motherwort-flowers, he caused _zakki_ to be made from them, which\nhe drank every day, and lived upwards of seventy years. This immortal\nhad been in his youth in the service of the Emperor, under the name of\nZido. Being banished for some misdemeanour, he took up his residence in\nthe valley before mentioned, drinking nothing but the water impregnated\nwith these flowers, and lived to the age of three hundred years, whence\nhe obtained the name of _Sien-nin-foso_.\n\n=MOUSE-EAR.=--The plant now known as Forget-me-not, was formerly called\nMouse-Ear, from its small, soft, oval leaves. It is called _Herba\nClavorum_, because, according to tradition, it hinders the smith from\nhurting horses when he is shoeing them.\n\n=MULBERRY.=--According to tradition, the fruit of the Mulberry-tree was\noriginally white, but became empurpled by human blood. Referring to the\nintroduction of the Mulberry by the Greeks, Rapin writes:--\n\n  \u201cHence Pyramus and Thisbe\u2019s mingled blood\n  On Mulberries their purple dye bestowed.\n  In Babylon the tale was told to prove\n  The fatal error of forbidden love.\u201d\n\nThis tale of forbidden love is narrated at length by Ovid: Pyramus, a\nyouth of Babylon, and his neighbour, Thisbe, became mutually enamoured,\nbut were prohibited by their parents from marrying; they therefore\nagreed to meet at the tomb of Ninus, under a white Mulberry-tree.\nThisbe reached the trysting-place first, but was compelled to seek\nsafety in a cave, owing to the arrival of a lioness, who besmeared with\nblood a veil which the virgin dropped in her flight. Soon afterwards\nPyramus reached the spot, and finding the bloody veil, concluded that\nThisbe had been torn to pieces. Overcome with grief, he stabbed himself\nwith his sword; and Thisbe, shortly returning, and beholding her lover\nin his death throes, threw herself upon the fatal weapon. With her last\nbreath she prayed that her ashes should be mingled with her lover\u2019s in\none urn, and that the fruit of the white Mulberry-tree, under which the\ntragedy occurred, should bear witness of their constancy by ever after\nassuming the colour of their blood.\n\n  \u201cThe prayer which dying Thisbe had preferred\n  Both gods and parents with compassion heard.\n  The whiteness of the Mulberry soon fled,\n  And ripening, saddened in a dusky red;\n  While both their parents their lost children mourn,\n  And mix their ashes in one golden urn.\u201d--_Eusden._\n\nLord Bacon tells us that in Calabria Manna falls upon the leaves\nof Mulberry-trees during the night, from whence it is afterwards\ncollected.----Pliny called the Mulberry the wisest of trees, because it\nis late in unfolding its leaves, and thus escapes the dangerous frosts\nof early spring. To this day, in Gloucestershire, the country folks\nhave a saying that after the Mulberry-tree has shown its green leaves\nthere will be no more frost.----At Gioiosa, in Sicily, on the day of\nSt. Nicholas that saint is believed to bless the sea and the land,\nand the populace sever a branch from a Mulberry-tree and preserve it\nfor one year as a branch of good augury.----In Germany, at Iserlohn,\nthe mothers, to deter the children from eating the Mulberries, sing\nto them that the Devil requires them for the purpose of blacking his\nboots.----According to Gerarde, \u201cHegesander, in _Athen\u00e6us_, affirmeth\nthat the Mulberry-tree in his time did not bring forth fruit in twenty\nyeares together, and that so great a plague of the gout then raigned,\nand raged so generally, as not onely men, but boies, wenches, eunuches,\nand women were troubled with that disease.\u201d----A Mulberry-tree, planted\nby Milton in the garden of Christ\u2019s College, Cambridge, has been\nreverentially preserved by successive college gardeners. The Mulberry\nplanted by Shakspeare in Stratford-on-Avon was recklessly cut down in\n1759; but ten years later, when the freedom of the town was presented\nto Garrick, the document was enclosed in a casket made from the wood\nof the tree. A cup was also wrought from it, and at the Shakspeare\nJubilee, Garrick, holding this cup aloft, sang the following lines\ncomposed by himself:--\n\n  \u201cBehold this fair goblet, \u2019twas carved from the tree\n  Which, O my sweet Shakspeare, was planted by thee;\n  As a relic I kiss it, and bow at the shrine;\n  What comes from thy hand must be ever divine!\n        All shall yield to the Mulberry-tree;\n        Bend to the blest Mulberry;\n        Matchless was he who planted thee;\n        And thou, like him, immortal shall be.\u201d\n\nTo dream of Mulberries is of good import: they denote marriage,\nmany children, and all sorts of prosperity: they are particularly\nfavourable to sailors and farmers.----Among the hill tribes of Burmah,\nthe Mulberry-tree is regarded as sacred, and receives a kind of\nworship.----A Chinese folk-lore tale records that in the Tse dynasty,\none Chang Ching, going out at night, saw a woman in the south corner\nof his house. She beckoned him to come to her, and said: \u201cThis is your\nhonour\u2019s Mulberry-ground, and I am a sh\u00ean (fairy); if you will make\nnext year, in the middle of the first moon, some thick congee and\npresent it to me, I will engage to make your Mulberry-trees a hundred\ntimes more productive.\u201d Ching made the congee, and afterwards had\na great crop of silkworms. Hence came the Chinese custom of making\nthickened congee on the fifteenth of the first month.\n\n=MULLEIN.=--The Mullein (_Verbascum_) was formerly employed by\nwizards and witches in their incantations. The plant is known as the\nFlannel-flower from its stem and large leaves being covered with wool,\nwhich is often plucked off for tinder. The Great Mullein (_V. Thapsus_)\nwas called by the old Romans _Candela regia_, and _Candelaria_,\nbecause they used the stalks dipped in suet to burn at funerals, or\nas torches; the modern Romans call the plant Light of the Lord. In\nEngland, the White Mullein was termed Candle-week-flower; and the\nGreat Mullein\u2019s tall tapering spikes of yellow flowers suggested, at a\nperiod when candles were burnt in churches, the old names of Torches,\nHedge-taper, High-taper, and Hig-taper, which became corrupted into\nHag-taper, from a belief that witches employed the plant in working\ntheir spells.----The little Moth Mullein (_V. Blattaria_) derives\nits specific name from _blatta_, a cockroach, it being particularly\ndisliked by that troublesome insect. Gerarde explains its English\nprefix by stating that moths and butterflies, and all other small\nflies and bats, resort to the place where these herbs are laid or\nstrewed.----Mullein is known by country people as Bullock\u2019s Lungwort, a\ndecoction of the leaves being considered very efficacious in cases of\ncough: probably we are indebted to the Romans for this specific, for\nthey attributed extraordinary properties to the Mullein as a remedy for\ncoughs. (See also HAG-TAPER).\n\n=MUGWORT.=--The old Latin name for this species of Wormwood was\n_Artemisia, mater herbarum_; and, according to Gerarde, the plant was\nso named after Artemisia, the wife of Mausolus, King of Caria, who\nadopted it for her own herb.\n\n  \u201c_That_ with the yellow crown, named from the queen\n  Who built the Mausoleum.\u201d--_Smith\u2019s \u2018Amarynthus.\u2019_\n\nOther authorities say that _Artemisia_ is derived from Artemis, one of\nthe names of Diana, and that the plant was named after that goddess,\non account of its being used in bringing on precocious puberty. Among\nthe ancients, the Mugwort had a reputation for efficacy in the relief\nof female disorders. It was also used for the purpose of incantations.\nPliny says that the wayfarer having this herb tied about him feels no\nfatigue, and that he who hath it about him can be hurt by no poisonous\nmedicines, nor by any wild beast, nor even by the sun itself. Apuleius\nadds that it drives away lurking devils and neutralises the effect of\nthe evil eye of men. The plant was also considered a charm against the\nague.--T--here is an old Scotch legend which tells how a mermaid of the\nFirth of Clyde, upon seeing the funeral of a young girl who had died of\nconsumption, exclaimed--\n\n  \u201cIf they wad drink Nettles in March,\n    And eat Muggins [Mugwort] in May,\n  Sae mony braw maidens\n    Wad not go to clay.\u201d\n\nIn Italy, there is still a superstitious custom extant of consulting\nMugwort as to the probable ending of an illness. Some leaves of Mugwort\nare placed beneath the pillow of the patient without his knowledge. If\nhe falls asleep quickly, his recovery is certain: if he is unable to\nsleep, it is a sign that he will die.----Mugwort is one of the plants\nassociated with St. John the Baptist, and is, indeed, called the Herb\nof St. John in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Holland. There is\na curious superstition regarding it which is related by Lupton in his\n\u2018Notable Things.\u2019 He says:--\u201cIt is certainly commonly affirmed that, on\nMidsummer Eve, there is found under the root of Mugwort a coal which\nkeeps safe from the plague, carbuncle, lightning, and the quartan ague,\nthem that bear the same about them: and Mizaldus, the writer hereof,\nsaith that it is to be found the same day under the root of Plantain,\nwhich I know for a truth, for I have found them the same day under\nthe root of Plantain, which is especially and chiefly to be found at\nnoon.\u201d Paul Barbette, writing in 1675, says, these coals were old\ndead roots, and that it was a superstition that \u201cold dead roots ought\nto be pulled up on the Eve of St. John the Baptist, about twelve at\nnight.\u201d----In some parts of England, girls pull a certain root which\ngrows under Mugwort, and which, they believe, if pulled exactly at\nmidnight, on the eve of St. John, and placed under the pillow, will\ncause dreams of the future husband.----De Gubernatis tells us that, in\nSicily, on the eve of the Ascension, the women of Avola form crosses of\nMugwort, and place them on the roofs of their houses, believing that,\nduring the night, Jesus Christ, as He re-ascends to heaven, will bless\nthem. They preserve these crosses of Mugwort for a year. Placed in\nstables, they are believed to possess the power of taming unmanageable\nanimals.----The same author gives the following legends:--In the\ndistrict of Starodubsk, Russia, on the day of the Exaltation of the\nCross, a young girl was searching for Mushrooms in a forest, when she\nsaw a number of serpents curled up. She endeavoured to retrace her\nsteps, but fell into a deep pit, which was the abode of the serpents.\nThe pit was dark, but at the bottom she found a luminous stone; the\nserpents were hungry; the queen of the golden-horned serpents guided\nthem to the luminous stone, and the serpents licked it, and satisfied\ntheir hunger; the young girl did the same, and remained in the pit\nuntil Spring. On the arrival of Spring, the serpents interlaced\nthemselves in such a manner as to form a ladder on which the young\ngirl ascended to the mouth of the pit. But in taking her leave of the\nqueen of the serpents, she received, as a parting gift, the power of\nunderstanding the language of plants, and of knowing their medicinal\nproperties, on the condition that she should never name the Mugwort, or\n_Tchornobil_ (that which was black): if she pronounced that word, she\nwould forget all that she had come to know. The damsel soon understood\nall that the plants talked about; but, one day, a man suddenly asked\nher, \u201cWhat is the plant which grows in the fields by the side of the\nlittle footpaths?\u201d Taken by surprise, the girl replied, _Tchornobil_;\nand, at the same moment, all her knowledge forsook her. From that time,\nit is said, the Mugwort obtained the additional name of _Zabytko_, or\nthe Herb of Forgetfulness.----In Little Russia, Mugwort has obtained\nthe name of _Bech_, which has a legendary etymology. The story goes,\nthat the Devil had, one day, offended his brother, the Cossack Sabba,\nwho took him and bound him, saying he should remain a prisoner until\nhe did him some great service. Soon afterwards, a troop of Poles\narrived in the neighbourhood, and began to make merry at a rustic\nfeast, leaving their horses to graze. The Cossack Sabba wished to seize\ntheir horses, and promised the Devil his liberty if he would aid him\nto accomplish his object. The Devil despatched certain demons to the\nfields where the horses were feeding, who caused Mugwort to spring up.\nAs the horses trotted away, the plant moaned \u201c_Bech_, _Bech_\u201d: and now,\nwhenever a horse treads on the Mugwort, recollecting the horses of the\nPoles, the plant always moans, \u201c_Bech_, _Bech_\u201d; hence, the name which\nhas been given to it in the Ukraine.----The Japanese manufactured a\nkind of tinder, called Moxa, from the dried leaves of Mugwort, and,\naccording to Thunberg, twice in a year, men and women, young and old,\nrich and poor, were indiscriminately burnt with it, either to prevent\ndisorders, or to cure rheumatism, &c.----Astrologers state that Mugwort\nis a herb of Venus.\n\n=MUSHROOM.=--On account of their apparently spontaneous generation,\nPorphyrius calls Mushrooms sons of the gods.----In Indo-European\nmythology, the Sun-hero is represented as sometimes hiding under a\nMushroom. He also appears as King of the Peas, and in a Russian legend,\nin this capacity, gives battle to the Mushroom tribes.----In Wales,\nthe poisonous Mushroom is called _Bwyd Ellyllon_, or the meat of the\ngoblins.----In many parts of England it is believed that the changes of\nthe moon influence the growth of Mushrooms, and in Essex there is an\nold saying that\n\n  \u201cWhen the moon is at the full,\n    Mushrooms you may freely pull;\n  But when the moon is on the wane,\n    Wait ere you think to pluck again.\u201d\n\nThere is an old belief that Mushrooms which grow near iron, copper, or\nother metals, are poisonous; the same idea is found in the custom of\nputting a piece of metal in the water used for boiling Mushrooms, in\norder that it should attract and detach any poison from the Mushrooms,\nand thus render them innocuous.----Bacon characterises Mushrooms as\n\u201cvenereous meat,\u201d but Gerarde remarks that \u201cfew of them are good to be\neaten, and most of them do suffocate and strangle the eater. Therefore,\nI give my advice unto those that love such strange and new-fangled\nmeates, to beware of licking honey among thornes, least the sweetnesse\nof the one do not countervaile the sharpnesse and pricking of the\nother.\u201d----The Burman, if he comes across Mushrooms at the beginning\nof a journey, considers it as a most fortunate omen.----Dream oracles\nstate that Mushrooms forbode fleeting happiness; and that to dream of\ngathering them indicates a lack of attachment on the part of lover or\nconsort.\n\n=MUSTARD.=--Among the Jews, \u201cSmall as a grain of Mustard-seed\u201d was a\ncommon comparison; and our Saviour referred to it as being \u201cthe least\nof all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs,\nand becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in\nthe branches thereof\u201d (Matthew xiii., 31, 32). The Mustard-tree here\nalluded to is not, however, the English Mustard (_Sinapis nigra_), but\na tree called by the Arabs _Khardal_ (_Salvadora Persica_), a tree with\nnumerous branches, among which birds may take shelter, while the seed\nis exceedingly small. In the north-west of India, this plant is known\nas _Kharjal_.----One of the Sanscrit names given to the Mustard-tree\nis the She-devil or Witch. By means of the seed the Hindus discover\nwitches. During the night they light lamps and fill certain vessels\nwith water, into which they gently drop Mustard-seed oil, pronouncing\nthe while the name of every woman in the village. If, during this\nceremony, as they pronounce the name of a woman, they notice the\nshadow of a female in the water, it is a sure sign that such woman is\na witch.----In India, the Mustard-seed symbolises generation: thus, in\nthe Hindu myth of the \u2018Rose of Bakawali,\u2019 the king of Ceylon destroys\nthe temple in which the nymph Bakawali is incarcerated; having been\ncondemned by Indra to remain there transformed into marble for the\nspace of twelve years. A husbandman ploughs over the site of this\ntemple, and sows a Mustard-seed. In course of time the Mustard ripens,\nis gathered, pressed, boiled, and the oil extracted. According to the\ncustom of his class, the husbandman first tastes it, and then his wife:\nimmediately she, who before had been childless, conceives, and nine\nmonths afterwards gives to the world a daughter (Bakawali), beauteous\nas a fairy.\n\n=MYROBALAN.=--The Myrobalan Plum-tree produces a fruit similar to a\nCherry, but containing only a juice of so disagreeable a flavour that\nthe very birds refuse to feed upon it: the fruit, however, is much\nemployed in Indian medicines. According to Hindu tradition, the wife\nof Soma\u00e7arman struck twice with a wand a Myrobalan-tree, whereupon\nthe tree rose from the earth with her, and carrying her away, at last\nplaced her on a golden hill in a golden town.\n\n=MYRRH.=--Myrrh is an exudation from the tree _Balsamodendron Myrrha_;\nbut the precious resin was held by the ancients to have been first\nproduced by the tears of Myrrha, daughter of Cinyras, King of Cyprus,\nand mother of Adonis. Flying from the avenging sword of her father,\nfor whom she had conceived an incestuous passion, the guilty Myrrha,\nafter long and weary wanderings, reached the Arabian continent, and at\nlength, in the Sab\u00e6an fields, overcome with fatigue and the misery of\nher situation, prayed with her dying breath to the gods to accept her\npenitence and to bestow upon her, as a punishment for her sin, a middle\nstate \u201cbetwixt the realms above and those below.\u201d \u201cSome other form,\u201d\ncries she, \u201cto wretched Myrrha give, nor let her wholly die, nor wholly\nlive.\u201d\n\n          \u201cThe prayers of penitents are never vain;\n  At least she did her last request obtain.\n  For while she spake the ground began to rise\n  And gathered round her feet, her legs, and thighs;\n  Her toes in roots descend, and, spreading wide,\n  A firm foundation for the trunk provide:\n  Her solid bones convert to solid wood,\n  To pith her marrow, and to sap her blood:\n  Her arms are boughs, her fingers change their kind,\n  Her tender skin is hardened into rind.\n  And now the rising tree her womb invests,\n  Now, shooting upwards still, invades her breasts\n  And shades her neck; when, weary with delay,\n  She sunk her head within, and met it half the way.\n  And though with outward shape she lost her sense,\n  With bitter tears she wept her last offence;\n  And still she weeps, nor sheds her tears in vain,\n  For still the precious drops her name retain.\u201d--_Dryden._\n\nMyrrh is one of the ingredients of the sacred ointment or oil of the\nJews, with which were anointed the Tabernacle, the Ark, the altars,\nand the sacred vessels (Exodus xxx.) It was also used to consecrate\nAaron and his sons. The purification of women, as ordained by the\nJewish law, lasted one year; the first six months being accomplished\nwith oil of Myrrh, and the rest with other sweet odours. After our\nLord\u2019s death, Nicodemus brought a mixture of Myrrh and Aloes, about\nan hundred pounds weight, that his body might be embalmed.----Myrrh\nformed part of the celebrated _Kuphi_ of the Egyptians--a preparation\nused in fumigations and embalmings. At the _f\u00eate_ of Isis, which was\ncelebrated with great magnificence, they sacrificed an ox filled with\nMyrrh and other aromatics. This ancient people delighted in displays of\nperfumes: in a religious procession which took place under one of the\nPtolemies, marched one hundred and twenty children, carrying incense,\nMyrrh, and Saffron in golden basins, followed by a number of camels\nbearing precious aromatics.----At Heliopolis, the city of the sun,\nwhere the great luminary was worshipped under the name of Re, incense\nwas burnt to him thrice a day,--resin at his rising, Myrrh when in\nthe meridian, and the compound called _Kuphi_ at his setting. In the\ntemples of Isis similar rites were observed. According to Herodotus,\npowdered Myrrh formed one of the principal ingredients inserted in the\nbodies of mummies.----The Persian kings usually wore on their heads\ncrowns composed of Myrrh and Labyzus.----In medi\u00e6val times, it was\ncustomary for the king to make an oblation on Twelfth Day. In pursuance\nof this custom, we read that so late as 1762 George III. made the usual\noffering at the Chapel Royal, of gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh--the\ngifts of the Magi, offered to the infant Saviour at Bethlehem; the gold\ntypifying king; Frankincense, God; and Myrrh, man.\n\n=MYRTLE.=--The father, mother, and brothers of Myrene, a beautiful\nGrecian, were murdered by robbers, who despoiled their home, and\ncarried Myrene away. She escaped, however, and on her return was made\na priestess of Venus. On the occasion of a festival, she discovered\none of the assassins of her family, who was seized, and disclosed\nthe hiding-place of his confederates. Myrene\u2019s lover promised that,\nif she would yield him her hand, he would bring the rest of the band\nto punishment. He was successful, and received his promised reward;\nbut Venus, offended at being deprived of her favourite priestess,\ncaused the bridegroom to expire suddenly, and changed the bride into\nthe Myrtle, which she ordained, as a proof of her affection, should\ncontinue green and odoriferous throughout the year. The Myrtle became,\ntherefore, an especial favourite with Venus. Reputed to possess the\nvirtue not only of creating love, but of preserving it, it was,\nboth by the Greeks and Romans, considered symbolic of love, and was\nappropriately consecrated to Venus, the goddess of love, around whose\ntemples groves of Myrtle were planted. It was behind a Myrtle-bush\nin the island of Cythera, that Venus sought shelter when disturbed\nat her bath by a band of Satyrs; with Myrtle she caused Psyche to be\nchastised for daring to compare her charms with the heaven-born beauty\nof her mother-in-law; and with Myrtle the goddess selected to deck her\nlovely brows when Paris adjudged to her the golden Apple--the prize\nfor supremacy of beauty: hence the shrub was deemed odious to Juno and\nMinerva. Because she presided over the Myrtle, Venus was worshipped\nunder the name of Myrtea, and had a temple dedicated to her under\nthat appellation at the foot of Mount Aventine. It is probable that\nthe Myrtle was dedicated to Venus because of its fondness for the\nsea--from the foam of which the goddess sprang, and was wafted by the\nZephyrs to the shore, where she was received by the Hor\u00e6, and crowned\nwith Myrtle. Myrtle chaplets were worn by her attendants, the Graces,\nand by her votaries when sacrificing to her. During her festivals in\nApril, married couples (her prot\u00e9g\u00e9s) were decked with Myrtle wreaths.\nThe Myrtle of which the nuptial crowns were composed was the _Myrtus\nlatifolia_ of Pliny, called by Cato _Myrtus conjugula_.----The Myrtle\nwas adopted by Minerva and Mars; the priests of the latter deity being\nsometimes crowned with it. The plant was also associated with Hymen,\nthe son of Venus, and the Muse Erato, whose chaplet was composed\nof Roses and Myrtle. It sometimes symbolised unchaste love. In the\nfestivals of Myrrha, the incestuous mother of Adonis, the married\nwomen crowned themselves with Myrtle. Virgil represents the victims\nof love in the infernal regions hiding themselves behind bunches of\nMyrtle. At the festival of the Bona Dea at Rome, where all other\nflowers and shrubs might be used, Myrtle was forbidden to be placed\non the altar, because it encouraged sensual gratification.----The\nGreeks were extremely partial to the Myrtle. At their most sacred\nfestival, the Eleusinian mysteries, the initiates, as well as the\nhigh priest, who officiated at the altar of Ceres, were crowned with\nMyrtle. The Athenian magistrates wore chaplets of the fragrant shrub\nin token of their authority; and bloodless victors entwined Myrtle\nwith their Laurel wreaths. When Aristogiton and Harmodius set forth\nto free their country from the tyranny of the Pisistratid\u00e6, their\nswords were wreathed with Myrtle.----With the Romans, the Myrtle was a\nhighly-esteemed plant, and invariably expressive of triumph and joy. It\nalso symbolised festivity, and, when steeped in wine, was supposed to\nimpart to it invigorating qualities. On the 1st of April, Roman ladies,\nafter bathing beneath the Myrtle-trees, crowned themselves with the\nleaves, and proceeded to the shrine of Venus to offer sacrifice. The\nRoman bridegroom decked himself with Myrtle on his bridal day; and the\nhero wore it as a badge of victory, and sometimes interweaved it with\nLaurel in honour of Venus and Mars. When the Romans fought to guard the\ncaptured Sabine women, they wore chaplets of Myrtle on their heads,\nand, according to Pliny, after the combatants had at length become\nreconciled, they laid down their weapons under a Myrtle, and purified\nthemselves with its boughs. The tree was sacred to the Sabine Mars\nQuirinus; and two Myrtles stood before his temple, as two Laurels stood\nbefore the temple of the Roman Mars, symbolising the union of the Roman\nand Sabine peoples.----The Romans crowned themselves with Myrtle after\na victory, but only when blood had not been shed.----Pliny relates that\nRomulus planted in Rome two Myrtles, one of which became the favourite\nof the patricians, the other of the people. When the nobles won, the\npeople\u2019s Myrtle drooped; when, on the other hand, the people were\nvictorious, the patricians\u2019 Myrtle withered. As a charm to ensure a\nsuccessful journey, Roman pedestrians were accustomed to procure and\nwear a Myrtle wreath.----At Temnos, in Asia Minor, there is a statue\nin Myrtle-wood consecrated by Pelops to Venus, as a thank-offering for\nhis marriage with Hippodamia. After the death of Hippolytus, Ph\u00e6dra,\nmaddened with passionate grief, pricked innumerable small holes in the\nleaves of a Myrtle with a hair-pin. The geographer Pausanias states\nthat this Myrtle was in his time to be seen near the tomb of Ph\u00e6dra\nat Tr\u0153zen.----The same writer relates that a Myrtle which had been\nthe hiding place of a hare was selected by Diana to mark the site of\na new city.----With the Jews, the Myrtle is a symbol of peace, and is\noften so referred to in the Old Testament, notably by Nehemiah and\nthe prophets Zechariah and Isaiah. A variety, called the Broad-leaved\nJew\u2019s Myrtle, is held in especial veneration, and is frequently used\nin Hebrew religious ceremonies. Branches of this and other Evergreens\nare used in the erection of their tents at the Feast of Tabernacles.\nAt Aleppo, these tabernacles are made by fastening to the corner of a\nwooden divan four slender posts as supports to a diaper-work of green\nReeds on all sides, leaving only a space in front for the entrance,\nwhich on the outside is covered with fresh Myrtle. Jewish maidens were\nwont to be decked with a bridal wreath of Myrtle; but this wreath\nwas never worn by a widow, or by divorced women. This custom is\nstill retained in Germany, where the bride is adorned with a Myrtle\nwreath.----The Oriental nations are extremely partial to the Myrtle,\nand there is a tradition among the Arabs that, when Adam was expelled\nfrom Paradise, he brought the Myrtle with him, as being the choicest of\nfragrant flowers.----It is a popular belief in Somersetshire, that, in\norder to ensure its taking root, it is necessary when planting a sprig\nof Myrtle, to spread the skirt of your garment, and to look proud. In\nthe same county, there is a saying that \u201cthe flowering Myrtle is the\nluckiest plant to have in your window, water it every morning, and be\nproud of it.\u201d----In Greece, there is a superstitious notion that no one\nshould pass near an odoriferous Myrtle without gathering a perfumed\nbunch; indifference to the attractions of Myrtle being considered a\nsign of impotence and death.----In the allegories of Azz Eddin, the\nRose says that the Myrtle is the prince of odoriferous plants.----Rapin\ncalls the Myrtle \u201cof celestial race,\u201d and in his poem has the\nfollowing lines on it:--\n\n      \u201cWhen once, as Fame reports, the Queen of Love\n  In Ida\u2019s valley raised a Myrtle grove,\n  Young wanton Cupids danced a summer\u2019s night\n  Round the sweet place by Cynthia\u2019s silver light.\n  Venus this charming green alone prefers,\n  And this of all the verdant kind is hers:\n  Hence the bride\u2019s brow with Myrtle wreaths is graced,\n  When the long-wished-for night is come at last;\n  And Juno (queen of nuptial mysteries)\n  Makes all her torches of these fragrant trees.\n\n  Hence in Elysian fields are Myrtles said\n  To favour lovers with their friendly shade,\n  There Ph\u00e6dra, Procris (ancient poets feign),\n  And Eriphyle still of love complain,\n  Whose unextinguished flames e\u2019en after death remain.\n  Nor is this all the honour Myrtles claim:\n  When from the Sabine war Tudertus came,\n  He wreathed his temples from the Myrtle grove,\n  Sacred to Triumph as before to Love.\u201d\n\nTo dream of seeing a fine Myrtle portends many lovers and a legacy. If\na married person dreams of Myrtle, it prognosticates a second marriage.\nA similar dream for the second time portends a second marriage to\na person who has also been married before. Myrtle seen in a dream\ndenotes, as a rule, a numerous family, wealth, and old age.\n\n=NARCISSUS.=--The white, or Poet\u2019s, Narcissus owes its origin to a\nbeautiful youth of B\u0153otia, of whom it had been foretold he should\nlive happily until he beheld his own face. Caressed and petted by the\nNymphs, and passionately loved by the unhappy Echo, he slighted and\nrejected their advances; but one day, when heated by the chase, he\nstopped to quench his thirst in a stream, and in so doing beheld the\nreflection of his own lovely features. Enamoured instantly of his own\nbeauty, he became spell-bound to the spot, where he pined to death.\nOvid relates how the flower known by his name sprang from the corpse of\nNarcissus:--\n\n  \u201cAs wax dissolves, as ice begins to run,\n  And trickle into drops before the sun,\n  So melts the youth, and languishes away;\n  His beauty withers, and his limbs decay;\n  And none of those attractive charms remain,\n  To which the slighted Echo sued in vain.\n  She saw him in his present misery,\n  Whom, spite of all her wrongs, she grieved to see;\n  She answered sadly to the lover\u2019s moan,\n  Sighed back his sighs, and groaned to every groan.\n  \u2018Ah, youth belov\u2019d in vain!\u2019 Narcissus cries;\n  \u2018Ah, youth beloved in vain!\u2019 the Nymph replies.\n  \u2018Farewell!\u2019 says he;--the parting sound scarce fell\n  From his faint lips but she replied, \u2018Farewell!\u2019\n  Then on th\u2019 unwholesome earth he gasping lies,\n  Till death shuts up those self-admiring eyes.\n  To the cold shades his flitting ghost retires,\n  And in the Stygian waves itself admires.\n\n      For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn,\n  Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn.\n  And now the sister-nymphs prepare his urn;\n  When, looking for his corpse, they only found\n  A rising stalk, with yellow blossoms crown\u2019d.\u201d--_Addison._\n\nThe cup in the centre of the flower is fabled to contain the tears of\nNarcissus. Virgil alludes to this (Georgic IV.) when, in speaking of\nthe occupations of bees, he says: \u201cSome place within the house the\ntears of Narcissus.\u201d Milton also refers to this fancy in the following\nlines, when introducing the Narcissus under its old English name of\nDaffodil:--\n\n  \u201cBid Amaranthus all his beauty shed,\n  And Daffodillies fill their cups with tears,\n  To strew the laureat hearse where Lycid lies.\u201d\n\nThe Daffodil is supposed to be one of the flowers which Proserpine\nwas gathering when she was seized and carried off by Pluto (Dis). The\nEarth, at the instigation of Jupiter, had brought forth the lovely\nblossom for a lure to the unsuspecting maid. An old Greek hymn contains\nthe tale:--\n\n      \u201cIn Sicilia\u2019s ever-blooming shade,\n  When playful Proserpine from Ceres strayed,\n  Led with unwary step, the virgin train\n  O\u2019er \u00c6tna\u2019s steeps and Enna\u2019s flow\u2019ry plain\n  Pluck\u2019d with fair hand the silver-blossom\u2019d bower,\n  And purpled mead,--herself a fairer flower;\n  Sudden, unseen, amidst the twilight glade,\n  Rushed gloomy Dis, and seized the trembling maid.\u201d\n\nShakspeare, in \u2018A Winter\u2019s Tale,\u2019 alludes to the same story:--\n\n                      \u201cO Proserpina,\n  For the flowers now that, frightened, thou let\u2019st fall,\n  From Dis\u2019s waggon! Daffodils\n  That come before the swallow dares, and take\n  The winds of March with beauty.\u201d\n\nOther accounts of a similar legend, slightly varied, state that it\nwas at the instigation of Venus that Pluto employed the Narcissus to\nentice Proserpine to the lower world.----Ancient writers referred to\nthe Narcissus as the flower of deceit, on account of its narcotic\nproperties; for although, as Homer assures us, it delights heaven and\nearth by its odour and beauty, yet, at the same time, it produces\nstupor, madness, and even death.----It was consecrated both to Ceres\nand Proserpine, on which account Sophocles poetically alludes to\nit as the garland of the great goddesses. \u201cAnd ever, day by day,\nthe Narcissus, with its beauteous clusters, the ancient coronet of\nthe \u2018mighty goddesses,\u2019 bursts into bloom by heaven\u2019s dew\u201d (_\u0152dipus\nColoneus_).----The Fates wore wreaths of the Narcissus, and the Greeks\ntwined the white stars of the odorous blossoms among the tangled locks\nof the Eumenides. A crown composed of these flowers was wont to be\nwoven in honour of the infernal gods, and placed upon the heads of the\ndead.----The Narcissus is essentially the flower of Lent; but when\nmixed with the Yew, which is symbolical of the Resurrection, it becomes\na suitable decoration for Easter:--\n\n  \u201cSee that there be stores of Lilies,\n  Called by shepherds Daffodillies.\u201d--_Drayton._\n\nHerrick, Shakspeare, Milton, Wordsworth, all sing the praises of\nthe Narcissus, or Lent Lily, the Daffodil and Daffadowndily of our\nforefathers,--names which they formed from the still older one of\nAffodilly, a corruption of _Asphodelus_.\n\n=NASTURTIUM.=--According to Rapin, the Nasturtium was once a young\nTrojan huntsman; but the Jesuit poet gives no details of the\nmetamorphosis, merely stating that\n\n  \u201cShield-like Nasturtium, too, confusedly spread,\n  With intermingling Trefoil fills each bed--\n  Once graceful youths; this last a Grecian swain,\n  The first an huntsman on the Trojan plain.\u201d\n\nThe shield-like form of the Nasturtium\u2019s leaves and its\ncuriously-shaped flowers, which resemble golden helmets, have obtained\nfor the plant the Latin name of \u201c_Trop\u00e6olum_\u201d (trophy). Its old English\nnames were Yellow Lark\u2019s-heels and Indian Cress.----The seed of the\nNasturtium, according to Macer Floridus, possess a great power to repel\nserpents.----Linn\u00e6us has recorded that his daughter Elizabeth Christina\nobserved the flowers of the Nasturtium emit spontaneously, at certain\nintervals, sparks like electric ones, visible only in the evening.\n\n=NEEM.=--The Neem-tree (_Azardirachta Indica_) is considered by the\nIndians a sacred tree, and is described by their poets as the type of\neverything bitter. Its bark is used as a substitute for Cinchona in\ncases of fevers.\n\n=NELUMBO.=--The Nelumbo, Sacred Lotus, or Padma (_Nelumbium\nspeciosum_), was the Sacred Bean of Egypt, the Rose Lily of the\nNile spoken of by Herodotus. The beauty of its blossoms, which are\nsometimes of a brilliant red colour, but rarely white, hanging over\nbroad peltated leaves considerably above the surface of the water,\nrender this the most lovely and graceful of all the Water Lilies; and\nat the same time it is the most interesting on account of its remote\nhistorical associations. Four thousand years ago the Nelumbo was the\nemblem of sanctity in Egypt amongst the priests of a religion long\nsince defunct; and the plant itself has long been extinct in that\ncountry, though in India and China the flowers are held especially\nsacred, and the plant is commonly cultivated. The Chinese call this\nsacred flower the _Lien-wha_, and prize it above all others. Celebrated\nfor its beauty by their poets, and ranked for its virtues among the\nplants which, according to Chinese theology, enter into the beverage of\nimmortality, this _Lien-wha_ is to the Chinese what the Gul or Rose is\nto the Persians; and a moonlight excursion on a tranquil river covered\nwith its yellow blossoms is numbered by the inhabitants of the Flowery\nLand among the supreme delights of mortal existence. (See also LOTUS\nand NYMPH\u00c6A).\n\n=NETTLE.=--The Nettle is one of the five plants which are stated by\nthe Mishna to be the \u201cbitter herbs\u201d ordered to be partaken of by the\nJews at the Feast of the Passover.----In Ireland, the Nettle of Timor\nis known as _Daoun Setan_, or the Devil\u2019s Apron; and in the southern\nparts of the island it is a common practice for schoolboys, once a\nyear, to consider themselves privileged to run wildly about with a\nbunch of Nettles, striking at the face and hands of their companions\nor of such other persons as they fancy they may venture to assault\nwith impunity.----The Roman Nettle (_Urtica pilulifera_) is the most\nvenomous of British Nettles, and is found abundantly about Romney, in\nKent, where, according to Camden, the Roman soldiers brought the seed\nwith them, and sowed it for their own use, to rub and chafe their limbs\nwhen, through extreme cold, they should be stiff and benumbed; having\nbeen told before they came from home that the climate of England was\nso cold that it was not to be endured without having recourse to some\nfriction to warm their blood and to stir up natural heat.----Among\nthe various remedies once prescribed for the \u201ctrembling fever,\u201d or\nague, by Catherine Oswald, a noted herbalist, was one which related\nto plucking up a Nettle by the root three successive mornings before\nsunrise. In bygone times, Nettle and Milfoil carried about the person\nused to be believed to drive away fear, and to be a certain charm\nagainst malignant spirits.----The Scotch say that to cure the sting of\na Nettle, the person stung must rub the leaves of a Dock over the part\naffected, repeating at the same time: \u201cNettle in, Dock out; Dock rub\nNettle out.\u201d This charm was known to Chaucer, who uses it as a common\nsaying, implying lovers\u2019 inconstancy, in \u2018Troilus and Cresside\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cBut canst thou playen racket to and fro,\n  Nettle in, Dock out, now this, now that, Pandure?\u201d\n\nIn German mythology, the Nettle was consecrated to the god Thor.----In\nthe Tyrol, during thunderstorms, the mountaineers throw Nettles on the\nfire to avert danger, and more especially to guard themselves from\nlightning; this custom also prevails in some parts of Italy.----In\nGermany, there exists a superstition that Nettles gathered before\nsunrise will drive away evil spirits from cattle.----The god Thor was,\namong the ancient Germans, regarded as the guardian deity of marriage;\nhence it is, perhaps, that in Germany Nettle-seed is believed to excite\nthe passions and to facilitate births.----In dream lore, to fancy you\nare stung by Nettles indicates vexation and disappointment; to dream of\ngathering Nettles denotes that someone has formed a favourable opinion\nof you; and if the dreamer be married, then that the domestic circle\nwill be blessed with concord and harmony.----Astrologers place Nettles\nunder the dominion of Mars.\n\n=NIGHTSHADE.=--The Deadly Nightshade (_Atropa Belladonna_), or Death\u2019s\nHerb, is a plant of ill omen, and one of which witches are reported\nto be fond: it is so poisonous in its nature, that Gerarde says: \u201cIf\nyou will follow my counsell, deale not with the same in any case, and\nbanish it from your gardens, and the use of it also, being a plant so\nfurious and deadly; for it bringeth such as have eaten thereof into a\ndead sleepe, wherein many have died.\u201d Buchanan relates that the Scots,\nunder Macbeth, being desirous of poisoning the Danes, treacherously\ntook the opportunity, during a period of truce, to mix the poisonous\nNightshade with the beer with which they had agreed to supply them.\nThus stupefied, Sweno\u2019s army slept soundly, and the Scots, falling\nupon their enemies, destroyed them in their helplessness.----According\nto Gassendi, a shepherd in Provence produced visions and prophesied,\nthrough the use of Deadly Nightshade.----The Nightshade (_Solanum\nDulcamara_) has poisonous red berries; but the root and leaves have\nbeen applied to several medicinal uses.----The Vale of Furness,\nLancashire, is still known by the name of Valley of Nightshade, on\naccount of the plant being exceedingly plentiful there. Sprigs of\nNightshade appeared on the ancient seals of the Abbey.\n\n=NIMBU.=--The Nimbu (_Melia Azedarach_) is a native of the warm parts\nof Asia, and bears a variety of names in different countries, such as\nthe Holy Tree, Pride of India, Bead Tree (in allusion to the seeds\nbeing strung for chaplets), Persian Lilac, and Hill Margosa. Bishop\nHeber saw it in India, and states that the natives have a profound\nreverence for the tree, which they believe has the power to ward off\nwitchcraft and the Evil Eye.\n\n=NIPA PALM.=--The Nipa, or Susa (_Nipa fruticans_), is the sacred tree\nof Borneo, and is the most valuable of all growing things to the Dyaks\nof that country. The seeds, it is recorded, lie dormant in the fruit\nseveral years before germination, when the fruit becomes detached from\nthe plant and is floated off by the tide to establish itself on some\nother mudbank. This plant only grows where fever and Mangroves flourish.\n\nNONE-SO-PRETTY, or NANCY-PRETTY.--See London Pride.\n\nNOSEBLEED.--See Yarrow.\n\n=NUTMEGS.=--In the Middle Ages, a curious belief existed that Nutmegs,\nCloves, Cinnamon, and Ginger all grew on the same tree.----The strength\nof the Nutmeg in the season is said so to overcome the birds of\nParadise, that they fall helplessly intoxicated.----To dream of Nutmegs\nis stated to be a sign of many impending changes.\n\n=NUTS.=--When the Scandinavian god Loki, transformed into a falcon,\nrescued Idhunn, the goddess of youthful life, from the power of the\nFrost-giants, it was in the shape of a Hazel-nut that he carried her\noff in his beak.----The Hazel was sacred to Thor, and was in olden\ntimes regarded as an actual embodiment of lightning: hence it possessed\ngreat virtue as a promoter of fruitfulness, and Hazel-nuts became a\nfavourite medium in divinations relating to love and marriage.----In\nold Rome, Nuts were scattered at marriages, as they are now in Italy\nand in Altmark.----In Westphalia and other parts of Germany, a few\nNuts are mixed with the seed-corn to act as a charm in making it\nprolific.----In Hertfordshire and other parts of England, as well as in\nGermany, a certain relation is believed to exist between the produce of\nthe Hazel-bushes and the increase of the population; a good Nut year\nalways bringing an abundance of babies. In Westphalia, the proverb\nruns, \u201cPlenty of Nuts, plenty of babies.\u201d----Brand says it is a custom\nin Iceland, when a maiden would know if her lover is faithful, to put\nthree Nuts upon the bar of a grate, naming them after her lover and\nherself. If a Nut crack or jump, the lover will prove faithless; if it\nbegin to blaze or burn, it is a sign of the fervour of his affection.\nIf the Nuts named after the girl and her swain burn together, they\nwill be married. This divination is still practised in Scotland on\nHallowe\u2019en, whose mysterious rites Burns has immortalised in his poem,\ncontaining these lines:--\n\n  \u201cSome merry friendly countree folks\n    Together did convene\n  To burn their Nits and pu\u2019 their stocks,\n    And haud their Hallowe\u2019en,\n              Fu\u2019 blithe that night.\u201d\n\nA similar custom has for years existed in Ireland; and Gray, long\nbefore Burns, had evidenced that the superstitions of Hallowe\u2019en or\nNutcrack Night (October 31st) were known and practised in England, as\nthus--\n\n  \u201cTwo Hazel-nuts I threw into the flame,\n  And to each Nut I gave a sweetheart\u2019s name.\n  This with the loudest bounce me sore amazed,\n  That with a flame of brightest colour blazed.\n  As blazed the Nut, so may thy passion grow;\n  For \u2019twas _thy_ Nut that did so brightly glow.\u201d\n\nIn Bohemia, on Christmas Eve, girls fix coloured wax lights in the\nshells of the first parcel of Nuts they have opened that day, light\nthem all at the same time, and set them floating in the water, after\nmentally giving to each the name of a wooer. He whose lighted bark\nfirst approaches the girl will be her future husband. If an unwelcome\nsuitor seems likely to be first in, the girl endeavours to retard the\nshell by blowing against it, and by this means the favourite\u2019s bark\nusually wins. Should, however, one of the lights be perchance blown\nout, it is accounted a portent of death.----The instrument used by the\nnutter in robbing the Hazel of its fruit seems to have been formerly\nregarded as opprobrious, and as suggestive of a thief: thus, in the\n\u2018Merry Wives of Windsor,\u2019 Nym says: \u201cIf you run the Nut-hook\u2019s humour\non me,\u201d or, in other words, \u201cIf you call me a thief.\u201d Again, in \u2018Henry\nIV.,\u2019 Part II., Doll Tearsheet cries out to the beadle: \u201cNut-hook,\nNut-hook, you lie!\u201d----In Sussex, there is a proverb current: \u201cAs black\nas the De\u2019il\u2019s nutting bag;\u201d and it is held to be dangerous to go out\nnutting on Sunday, for fear of meeting the Evil One, who haunts the\nNut-bushes, and sometimes appears to nutters in friendly guise, and\nholds down the branches for them to strip.----In bygone times, it was\nbelieved that a spirit of a weird and sinister character inhabited a\nNut-grove.----There is a superstition that the ashes of the shells of\nHazel-nuts have merely to be applied to the back of a child\u2019s head to\nensure the colour of the iris in the infant\u2019s eyes turning from grey\nto black.----In Germany, Nuts are placed in tombs, as being emblematic\nof regeneration and immortality. Searchers in the old tombs of\nWurtemburg sometimes found Pumpkins and Walnuts, but always a number of\nNuts.----In some countries, Hazel-nuts are supposed to be endowed with\nthe power of discovering or attracting wealth. Thus, in Russia, there\nis a belief that anyone carrying a Nut in his house will make money;\nand on this account many of the Russian peasantry invariably carry a\ndouble Nut in their purses. In fairy tales, we often find good fairies\nusing Nuts as their carriages: as, in \u2018Romeo and Juliet,\u2019 Mercutio\nspeaks of Queen Mab arriving in a Nut-shell.----There is a legend that\nSt. Agatha every year crosses the sea from Catania to Gallipoli on a\nNut-shell, which she employs as a boat.----Authorities on the subject\nsay that to dream that you see Nut-trees, and that you crack and eat\ntheir fruit, signifies riches and content gained with toil and pain.\nClusters of Nuts imply happiness and success: to dream of gathering\nNuts is a bad omen; and to dream of finding Nuts that have been hid\nsignifies the discovery of treasure.\n\n=NYMPH\u00c6A.=--The _Nymph\u00e6a c\u0153rulea_ is the Lily of the Nile, the Lotus\nof ancient Egypt; but not the Sacred Bean, which was the _Nelumbium\nspeciosum_. (See LOTUS and NELUMBO).----According to German tradition,\nthe Undines often conceal themselves from mortal gaze under the form of\nNymph\u00e6as.----This beautiful Water-lily was deemed by the Frisians to\nhave a magical power. Dr. Halbertsma has stated that, when a boy, he\nremembers people were extremely careful in plucking and handling them;\nfor if anyone fell with such a flower in his possession, he became\nimmediately subject to fits.----The Wallachians have a superstition\nthat every flower has a soul, and that the Water-lily is the sinless\nand scentless flower of the lake, which blossoms at the gates of\nParadise to judge the rest, and that she will enquire strictly what\nthey have done with their odours.\n\n=OAK.=--Rapin tells us that among the ancients there were many\nconjectural reports as to the origin of the Oak, and the country which\nfirst knew the sacred tree: but the popular tradition which met with\nmost credence, he considers, was as follows:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Jupiter the world\u2019s foundation laid,\n  Great earth-born giants heaven did invade;\n  And Jove himself--when these he did subdue--\n  His lightning on the factious brethren threw.\n  Tellus her sons\u2019 misfortunes does deplore,\n  And while she cherishes the yet-warm gore\n  Of Rh\u0153cus, from his monstrous body grows\n  A vaster trunk, and from his breast arose\n  A harden\u2019d Oak; his shoulders are the same,\n  And Oak his high exalted head became.\n  His hundred arms, which lately through the air\n  Were spread, now to as many boughs repair.\n  A sevenfold bark his now stiff trunk does bind;\n  And where the giant stood a tree we find.\n  The earth to Jove straight consecrates this tree,\n  Appeasing so his injured deity.\n  Thus Oaks grew sacred, in whose shelter plac\u2019d,\n  The first good men enjoy\u2019d their Acorn feast.\u201d\n\nTo do full justice to the legendary lore connected with the Oak, it\nwould be necessary to devote a volume to the subject: the largest,\nstrongest, and as some say, the most useful of the trees of Europe, it\nhas been generally recognised as the king of the forest,\n\n  \u201cLord of the woods, the long-surviving Oak.\u201d\n\nAn emblem of majesty and strength, the Oak has been revered as a symbol\nof God by almost all the nations of heathendom, and by the Jewish\npatriarchs. It was underneath the Oaks of Mamre that Abraham dwelt a\nlong time, and there he erected an altar to the Lord, and there he\nreceived the three angels. It was underneath an Oak that Jacob hid the\nidols of his children, for this tree was held sacred and inviolable\n(Gen. xxxv., 2-4). Under the \u201cOak of weeping,\u201d the venerable Deborah,\nRebekah\u2019s nurse, was interred. The messenger of the Lord that appeared\nto Gideon sat beneath an Oak; and it was a branch of one of these\ntrees that caught the flowing hair of Absalom, and so caused the death\nof King David\u2019s beloved son. The Oaks of Bashan are several times\nmentioned in the Bible, and in the sacred volume we are informed that\nthe Israelites worshipped and offered sacrifices beneath the shadow of\nOaks which they considered as sacred (Hosea iv., 13; Ezekiel vi., 13;\nIsaiah i., 29).\n\nThe ancient Greeks attributed the deluge of B\u0153otia to the quarrels\nbetween Jupiter and Juno. After the rain had ceased and the water\nsubsided, an oaken statue became visible, erected, it is supposed,\nas a symbol of the peace concluded between the king of the gods and\nhis consort. The Oak was thought by the Greeks to have been the first\ntree that grew on the earth, and to have yielded for man Acorns and\nhoney, to ensure nourishment and fecundity. They called it, indeed,\nthe mother-tree, and they regarded it as a tree from which the human\nrace had originally sprung--a belief, shared by the Romans, for we find\nVirgil speaking\n\n  \u201cOf nymphs and fauns, and savage men, who took\n  Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn Oak.\u201d\n\nAcorns were the first food of man, and there is an old Greek proverb\nin which a man\u2019s age and experience are expressed by saying that he\nhad eaten of Jove\u2019s Acorns. Some of the classic authors speak of the\nfatness of the earliest inhabitants of Greece and Southern Europe,\nwho, living in the primeval forests, were supported almost wholly upon\nthe fruit of the Oak; these primitive people were called _Balanophagi_\n(eaters of Acorns).\n\nHomer mentions people entering into compacts under Oaks as places of\nsecurity, for the tree was highly reverenced by the Greeks, and held a\nprominent place in their religious and other ceremonies. The Arcadians\nbelieved that by stirring with an Oak-branch the waters of a fountain\nnear a temple of Jupiter, on Mount Lycius, rain could be caused to\nfall. The Fates and Hecate were crowned with Oak-leaves; and a chaplet\nof Oak adorned the brow of the Dodon\u00e6an Jove.\n\nThe Pelasgic oracle of Jupiter, or Zeus, at Dodona, was situated at\nthe foot of Mount Tamarus, in a wood of Oaks, and the answers were\ngiven by an aged woman, called Pelias: and as _pelias_, in the Attic\ndialect, means dove, the fable arose that the doves prophesied in the\nOak groves of Dodona. Respecting the origin of this oracle, Herodotus\nnarrates that two priestesses of Egyptian Thebes were carried away by\nPh\u0153nician merchants: one of these was conveyed to Libya, where she\nfounded the oracle of Jupiter Ammon; the other to Greece. The latter\nremained in the Dodon\u00e6an wood, which was much frequented on account\nof the Acorns. There she had a temple built at the foot of an Oak in\nhonour of Jupiter, whose priestess she had been in Thebes, and here\nafterwards the oracle was founded. This far-spreading speaking Oak was\na lofty and beautiful tree, with evergreen leaves and sweet edible\nAcorns (the first sustenance of mankind). The Pelasgi regarded this\ntree as the tree of life. In it the god was supposed to reside, and the\nrustling of its leaves and the voices of birds showed his presence.\nWhen the questioners entered, the Oak rustled, and the Peliades\nsaid, \u201cThus speaks Zeus.\u201d Incense was burned beneath the tree, and\nsacred doves continually inhabited it; and at its foot a cold spring\ngushed, as it were, from its roots, and from its murmur the inspired\npriestesses prophesied. The ship Argo having been built with the wood\nof trees felled in the Dodon\u00e6an grove, one of its beams was endowed\nwith prophetic or oracular power, and counselled the hardy voyagers.\nSocrates swore by the Oak, the sacred tree of the oracles, and\nconsequently the tree of knowledge.\n\nThe Romans regarded the Oak as sacred, and the chosen tree of Jupiter,\nwho was sheltered by it at his birth. Thus Lucan mentions \u201cJove\u2019s\nDodon\u00e6an tree,\u201d and Ovid, in alluding to the primitive food of man,\nspeaks of Acorns dropping from the tree of Jove. The Oak, says Virgil,\nis\n\n                  \u201cJove\u2019s own tree\n  That holds the worlds in awful sovereignty.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  For length of ages lasts his happy reign,\n  And lives of mortal men contend in vain;\n  Full in the midst of his own strength he stands,\n  Stretching his brawny arms and leafy hands;\n  His shade protects the plains, his head the hills commands.\u201d\n\nWe have seen how Acorns formed the earliest food of mankind, and in\nancient Rome the substitution of Corn was attributed to the bounty of\nCeres, who, through the instrumentality of Triptolemus, taught the\ninhabitants of the earth its use and cultivation.\n\n  \u201cThe Oak, whose Acorns were our food before\n  That Ceres\u2019 seed of mortal man was known,\n  Which first Triptoleme taught how to be sown.\u201d--_Spenser._\n\nTo commemorate this gift, Oak was worn in the festivals in honour of\nCeres, as also by the husbandmen in general at the commencement of\nharvest. In the Eleusinian mysteries, Oaken chaplets were worn.\n\n  \u201cThen crowned with Oaken chaplets, marched the priest\n  Of Eleusinian Ceres, and with boughs\n  Of Oak were overshadowed in the feast\n  The teeming basket and the mystic vase.\u201d--_Tighe._\n\nA Roman who saved the life of another was adjudged a crown of\nOak-leaves: thus Lucan writes:--\n\n  \u201cStraight L\u00e6lius from amidst the rest stood forth--\n  An old centurion, of distinguished worth;\n  The Oaken wreath his hardy temples wore,\n  Mark of a citizen preserved he bore.\u201d\n\nThis civic crown of Oak conferred many notable tokens of honour upon\nits possessor, who was exempted from all civil burdens, and enjoyed\nmany rights. At Roman weddings, boughs of Oak were carried during the\nceremonies as emblems of fecundity.\n\n  \u201cWith boughs of Oak was graced the nuptial train;\n  And Hecate (whose triple form surveys\n  And guards from rapine the nocturnal path)\n  Entwined with boughs of Oak her spiral snakes.\u201d--_Tighe._\n\nLike the Greeks and Romans, the Scandinavians, in their mythology,\ntraced the origin of mankind from either the Ash or the Oak. By\nthe Teutons and Celts the Oak was invested with a mystical sacred\ncharacter, and it was connected with the worship of their god Teutates.\nAmong the German people, who consecrated the Oak to the god Thunar,\nthe cultus of the sacred tree lingered for a long time, even after\nBoniface, the apostle of the Germans, at Geismar, on the Weser, had\ncaused the Oak consecrated to the god of thunder to be uprooted. After\nthe establishment of Christianity, the Oak was long supposed to be the\nabiding-place of the terrible Northern god, and was, consequently,\nregarded with superstitious awe. Bishop Otho, of Bamberg, in the\nyear 1128, found at Stettin pagan temples, situate near an Oak and a\nfountain, which had been objects of worship, and were still regarded\nwith superstitious awe, as being consecrated to a god. As the good\nbishop could not induce the people to cut down these sacred Oaks, he\npersuaded them that they were inhabited by evil spirits and demons;\nand, in course of time, the people who before had prostrated themselves\nbefore the trees, shunned them in superstitious dread and terror.\n\nThe ancient Britons dedicated the Oak to Taranis, their god of thunder;\nand the Celts, under the form of an Oak, are by some authorities\nstated to have worshipped Baal, the god of fire. On the occasion of\nan _auto-da-f\u00e9_, we are told that fagots of \u201cgrey\u201d Oak were always\nselected. The festival of Baal was kept at Yule (Christmas); and on\nthe anniversary, the Druids are said to have ordained that every fire\nshould be extinguished, and then re-lighted with the sacred fire,\nwhich, in their sacerdotal character, they always kept burning. In\nthis rite, it is supposed, may be traced the origin of the Yule-log,\nthe kindling of which, at Christmas-time, is still kept up in England,\nthough in this country the log is often of Ash. Among the Germans,\nCzechs, Serbs, and Italians, however, the Yule-log is always of Oak.\n\nThe Mistletoe which grew on an Oak was regarded by the Druids as\nthe most holy; it was beneath the shade of venerated Oaks that\nthey performed their sacred rites; and when they offered up human\nsacrifices, the victims, in grim mockery, were crowned with Oak-leaves.\nThe baskets in which they were immolated were composed of Oaken twigs,\nand the brands with which the sacrificial fires were kindled were cut\nfrom Oak-trees. The priests scattered branches of the Oak upon the\naltars, and after the sacrifice fresh Oak-leaves were cast upon the\nblood-stained stones.\n\nAlluding to the human sacrifices which polluted the recesses of the\nDruidic groves of Oak, and caused them to be regarded with shuddering\nterror, Tighe says:--\n\n  \u201cSuch groves in night terrific wrapt the gods\n  Of Gaul, where fostering nymph dared never tread,\n  Nor sylvan deity; no bird here couched\n  Her wing; no beast here slumbered in his lair;\n  No zephyr woke the silence of the boughs;\n  Alone at eve the trembling Druid sought\n  The mystic oracle; alone entranced\n  Amid the sanctuary stood, whose foul\n  Expanse in horrors veiled a dreaded god.\u201d\n\nWhen an Oak died, the Druids stripped off its bark, and shaped it\nreverently into the form of a pillar, a pyramid, or a cross, and\nstill continued to worship it as an emblem of their god. In Anglesea,\nthe ancient Mona, are still dug up great trunks of Oak, relics of\nthe Druids\u2019 holy groves. The central Oak was the peculiar object of\nveneration. The poet relates how men of old,\n\n      \u201cWhen through the woods the Northern blast\n  Howled harsh appeased with horrid cries and blood\n  The Scythian Taranis; or bowed around\n  The central Oak of Mona\u2019s dismal shade.\u201d\n\nThe Druids it is believed revered the form of the cross. It is stated\nto have been their custom to seek studiously for a large and handsome\nOak-tree, growing up with two principal arms in the form of a cross\nbeside the main stem. If the two horizontal arms were not sufficiently\nadapted to the figure, they fastened a crossbeam to it. Then they\nconsecrated it by cutting upon the right branch the word _Hesus_, upon\nthe middle stem _Taranis_, and upon the left branch _Belenus_, and over\nthem the word _Thau_. The tree thus inscribed was deemed peculiarly\nsacred, and to it they directed their faces when offering prayer.\n\nIt was beneath the shade of the Oak that Druidic criminal trials were\nheld--the judge and jury being seated under the branches, and the\nprisoner placed in a circle traced by the wand of the chief Druid. With\nthe Saxons, the Oak retained its sacred character, and their national\nmeetings were held beneath its shelter. It was below the Oaks of\nDartmoor that they held their conference with the Britons, whose land\nthey were invading.\n\nIn Great Britain, the Oak remained an object of veneration long after\nthe establishment of Christianity. It was under an aged Oak that St.\nBrigid of Ireland established her retreat for holy women, whence called\nKildara, or cell of the Oak. Here had been burning for many centuries\nthe sacred fire of the Druids, but by the piety of St. Brigid the light\nof Christianity was henceforth to emit its flame from beneath\n\n  \u201cThe Oak of St. Bride, which demon nor Dane,\n  Nor Saxon, nor Dutchman could rend from her fane.\u201d\n\nMany of the Druidical sacred Oaks were utilised by the early preachers\nof the Christian faith, who from beneath their boughs preached the\ngospel of Christ to the pagan inhabitants. Hence these trees became\nnoted throughout the country as Gospel Oaks, a name which still\nappertains to many ancient trees existing at the present time in\nEngland. It is right to say, however, that other authorities consider\nthe origin of the name to have been the custom of reading the Gospel\nof the day at a certain tree, when the priest went round the fields to\nbless the crops.\n\nThe Sclavonians worshipped Oaks, which they enclosed in a consecrated\ncourt. This spot was the sanctuary of all the country, and had its\npriest, its festivals, and its sacrifices. The inner sanctuary,\nwhere grew the sacred Oak, was reserved especially for the priests,\nsacrificers, and people in danger of their life, who had sought of the\npriests an asylum. It is said that the ancient Russians, upon arriving\nat the Isle of St. George, offered up sacrifices beneath a great Oak,\nbefore which the people and priests chanted a _Te Deum_. After the\nceremony, the priest distributed the branches of the Oak among the\npeople.\n\nIt is curious to note how the old Grecian belief in the sacred and\nsupernatural character of the Oak has lingered in Italy. Prof. de\nGubernatis tells us that in the Campagna of Rome, about seventeen\nyears ago, a young shepherdess, during a storm, sought shelter under\nan Oak, and prayed to the Madonna. Whilst she prayed, a gracious lady\nappeared before her, and, thanks to her intercession, no rain fell on\nthe Oak, and the girl was enabled to reach home without being wetted by\na single drop. Everyone saw it was a miracle; the cur\u00e9 examined her,\nand from his representations the young girl was received into a convent\nat Rome, where she probably is preparing herself for canonisation.\nUnder similar circumstances, two centuries ago, a Tuscan shepherdess,\nGiovanna of Signa, was canonised. In the district of Signa, near\nGinestra, the villagers still show a sacred Oak, which people kneel\nto and adore. The story runs that one day the shepherdess Giovanna,\nsurprised by a storm, called around her the shepherds and their flocks,\nand stuck her shepherdess\u2019s crook into the ground; when, wondrous to\nrelate, at the same instant shot forth an Oak, which sheltered beneath\nits branches shepherds and sheep. No one was wetted by the rain. On\naccount of this miracle, Giovanna was made a saint, and near the sacred\nOak a little chapel was erected to the Virgin. Strange to say, the tree\nthrows down anyone climbing into its branches to cut boughs; but people\nare permitted to pluck sprays, which are believed to guard themselves\nand their houses from the effects of storms, provided that the names of\nJesus and Mary are invoked with certain ceremonies.\n\nAmong the Bolognese, who inhabit a district once occupied by the\nCelts, and consequently Druidic, the sacred character of Oak-trees was\nlong acknowledged. In the fourteenth century, there stood in Bologna\nan ancient Oak, which was regarded with the greatest reverence, and\nbeneath its boughs all important gatherings of the people took place.\nIn their religious processions the children still carry garlands of\nthe Oak and Olive. In the country districts, images of the Virgin are\noften suspended from Oak-trees, and these effigies are called after\nthe trees, the little Madonnas of the Oak. A legend of Bologna relates\nthat in a chapel an image of the Virgin had long been neglected, and\noverlooked, till, one day, a pious shepherd took it away, and placed it\nin the trunk of a Cork-tree (a species of Oak, the _Quercus Suber_).\nHenceforth he visited it daily, and to honour the Virgin played on the\nflute. The thief having been denounced, the shepherd was seized and\ncondemned to death; but during the night, through the intervention\nof the Madonna, the statue and the shepherd both returned to their\nfavourite tree, and notwithstanding subsequent efforts to remove them,\nthey again took up their place beneath its boughs. Then the people\nrecognised a miracle performed by the Virgin, and falling on their\nknees before the statue in the Oak, they asked pardon of the shepherd.\n\nThe time-honoured belief in the sacred and supernatural attributes of\nthe Oak have doubtless caused it to be regarded, even at the present\nday, as a tree which would vicariously bear the diseases of men. Thus,\nin England, Cross Oaks, which were trees planted at the juncture of\ncross-roads, were formerly resorted to by people suffering from ague,\nfor the purpose of transferring to them their malady: this they did\nby pegging a lock of their hair into one of the trees, and then, by a\nsudden wrench, transferring the lock from their heads to the Oak, and\nwith the lock the ague.\n\nIn Germany, there still exists a custom of creeping through an Oak\ncleft to cure hernia and other disorders. There was, near Wittstock, in\nAltmark, a bushy Oak, the branches of which had grown together again at\nsome distance from the stem, leaving open spaces between them. Whoever\ncrept through these spaces was freed from his malady, whatever it might\nbe, and many crutches lay about, which had been thrown away by visitors\nto the tree whose ailments had been cured. In Russia, a similar custom\nis extant, the favourite tree there being the _Quercus Ilex_.\n\nA belief that Oak-trees were the homes of Dryads, Hamadryads, spirits,\nelves, and fairies has existed since the days of the ancient Greeks.\nPindar speaks of a Hamadryad as \u201cdoomed to a term of existence coeval\nwith the Oak.\u201d Callimachus represents Melia \u201cdeeply sighing for her\ncoeval Oak,\u201d and tells us that\n\n  \u201cThe Dryads laugh when vernal showers return;\n  O\u2019er Autumn\u2019s fading leaves the Dryads mourn.\u201d\n\nPreston, in his translation of Apollonius, makes a Hamadryad plead in\nvain for her existence, threatened by the destruction of the Oak in\nwhich she dwelt:--\n\n  \u201cAs in the mountain, with repeated stroke,\n  The churlish fellow felled the stubborn Oak;\n  Impious, he scorned the Hamadryad\u2019s prayer,\n  And smote the tree coeval with the fair.\n  With streaming tears she pleads a suppliant strain\n  To that unfeeling churl, but pleads in vain.\n  \u2018Oh, rustic, stay, nor wound the hallowed rind,\n  For ages with that stem I live entwined.\u2019\u201d\n\nIn Germany, the holes in the trunks of Oaks are thought to be utilised\nby the elves inhabiting the trees as means of entry and exit; in our\nown country, Oaks have always been reputed as the trees in whose boughs\nelves delighted to find shelter. The fairies, too, were fond of dancing\naround Oaks: thus Tighe, apostrophising the monarch of the forest,\nexclaims:--\n\n        \u201cThe fairies from their nightly haunt,\n  In copse, or dell, or round the trunk revered\n  Of Herne\u2019s moon-silvered Oak, shall chase away\n  Each fog, each blight, and dedicate to peace\n  Thy classic shade.\u201d\n\nIn these lines allusion is made to a famous tree in Windsor Forest, one\nof a long series of celebrated Oaks--\u201clusty trees,\u201d which, as Robert\nTurner writes, England \u201cdid once so flourish with, that it was called\nDruina by some.\u201d One of these, known as the Cadenham Oak, in the New\nForest, is said, like the Glastonbury Thorn, to mark the birthday of\nour Lord by budding on Christmas Day. Another, renowned as the Royal\nOak, is reverenced as having been the hiding-place of Charles II.,\nafter the battle of Worcester. In this tree, not far from Boscobel\nHouse, the king, and his companion, Col. Careless, or Carless, resorted\nwhen they thought it no longer safe to remain in the house--the family\ngiving them victuals on a Nut-hook. From this tree Charles gathered\nsome Acorns, and set them himself in St. James\u2019s Park:--\n\n  \u201cBlest Charles then to an Oak his safety owes;\n    The Royal Oak, which now in songs shall live,\n  Until it reach to heaven with its boughs--\n    Boughs that for loyalty shall garlands give.\u201d\n\nIn many parts of England, Oak-branches are suspended over doorways, and\ngilded Oak-leaves and Oak-Apples are worn, on Royal Oak Day (May 29th),\nin celebration of King Charles\u2019s restoration, and his preservation in\nthe Boscobel Oak, which is still extant.\n\nSeven Oaks have given a name to a village in Kent; and Dean Stanley\nhas described a row of seven Oaks standing at a particular spot\nin Palestine to which the following curious legend is locally\nattached:--After Cain had murdered his brother, he was punished by\nbeing compelled to carry the dead body of Abel during the lengthened\nperiod of five hundred years, and then to bury it in this place. Upon\ndoing so, he planted his staff to mark the grave, and out of this staff\ngrew up the seven Oak trees.\n\nThe aged Oaks of Germany excited the wonder and respect of Tacitus,\nwho, speaking of one of the giants of the Hercynian forest, exclaims:\n\u201cIts majestic grandeur surpasses all belief; no axe has ever touched\nit; contemporary with the creation of the world, it is a symbol of\nimmortality.\u201d Sacred trees, or pillars formed of living trunks of\ntrees, many of which were Oaks, were to be found in ancient Germany,\ncalled _Irmenseule_. The world-tree of Romowe, the ancient sacred\ncentre of the Prussians, was an evergreen Oak. The Oak of St. Louis at\nVincennes, and the Oak of the Partisans at St. Ouen, are trees regarded\nwith reverence by the French.\n\nEvelyn considers that the wood used for our Saviour\u2019s cross was Oak;\nfounding his belief on the statements made by divers learned men who\nhad studied the subject, and \u201cupon accurate examination of the many\nfragments pretended to be parcels of it.\u201d The same author speaks of\n\u201cthe fatal pr\u00e6admonition of Oaks bearing strange leaves\u201d; and tells us\nthat sleeping under Oak-trees will cure paralysis, and recover those\nwhom the malign influence of the Walnut-tree has smitten. Paulus, a\nDanish physician, averred that one or two handfuls of small Oak-buttons\nmingled with Oats given to black horses will change them in a few days\nto a fine dapple-grey. Bacon says that there is an old tradition that\nif boughs of Oak be put into the earth, they will bring forth wild\nVines; he also remarks that in his day country people had \u201ca kind\nof prediction that if the Oake-apple, broken, be full of wormes, it\nis a signe of a pestilent yeare.\u201d It is said that when the Oak comes\nout before the Ash, it is a sign that there will be fine weather in\nharvest. The Kentish people have a saying:--\n\n  \u201cOak, smoke;\n  Ash squash.\u201d\n\nand that if the Oak comes out before the Ash, the summer will be hot;\nbut if after the Ash, that it will be wet. Authorities in dream lore\nstate that it is a very favourable omen to dream of an Oak-tree: if\ncovered with verdure, it signifies a long and happy life; if devoid of\nfoliage or withered, it betokens poverty in old age; to see many young\nOaks thriving foretells male children, who will reap distinction by\nbravery; Oaks bearing Acorns betoken great wealth; and a blasted Oak\nforebodes sudden death.\n\nAstrologers state that the Oak-tree is under the dominion of Jupiter.\n\n=OATS.=--Oats did not enjoy a good reputation among the ancient Romans,\nand Pliny writes of them:--_Primum omnium frumenti vitium Avena est._\nIn old English books, the Oat is called Haver or Hafer corn, and to\nthis day in Wales it is still called Hever. In Scandinavian mythology,\nthe \u201cHafer\u201d of the evil genius Loki is synonymous with Oats of the\nDevil, a term originally applied to all herbs hurtful to cattle.----The\nDanes call the plant _Polytrichum commune_ Loki\u2019s Oats; and in the\ntradition that the diabolic God of the North is wont mischievously to\nsow weeds among the good seed is probably to be found the origin of the\nEnglish saying, \u201cHe is sowing his wild Oats.\u201d----In the Ukraine, there\nis a tradition that on one occasion the Devil besought the Almighty to\nmake him a present. God responded: \u201cWhat is there that I can give you?\nI cannot part with the Rye, or the Barley, or the Millet: I must give\nyou the Oats.\u201d The Devil, well pleased, withdrew, crying, \u201cHurrah! the\nOats, the Oats, are mine!\u201d Then God inquired of St. Peter and St. Paul:\n\u201cWhat can I do, seeing that I have handed them over to him?\u201d \u201cVerily,\u201d\nsaid Paul, \u201cI will at once go and get them from him.\u201d \u201cHow will you\nmanage that?\u201d \u201cLeave that to me,\u201d replied Paul. \u201cVery well--go!\u201d St.\nPaul passed the Devil, and hid himself beneath a bridge. Presently\nthe Devil came along shouting \u201cOats! Oats!\u201d St. Paul commenced to\nshriek. The Devil stopped short. \u201cWhy have you thus frightened me?\u201d\nhe asked. \u201cGod has given me a plant, and now you have made me quite\nforget its name.\u201d \u201cWas it Rye?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d \u201cWheat?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cCould it have\nbeen the Sow-thistle?\u201d \u201cAh! that was it, that was it!\u201d exclaimed the\nDevil, and he ran off shouting, \u201cSow-thistle, Sow-thistle.\u201d----The\ncontortions of the Animal Oat (_Avena sterilis_) are very noticeable:\nthe strong beards, after the seeds have fallen off, are so sensible\nof alteration in the atmosphere, that they maintain an apparently\nspontaneous motion, resembling that of some grotesque insect. In olden\ntimes, conjurors and wizards predicted events and told fortunes by\nmeans of the awns of these Oats, which they caused to wriggle about by\nholding them in a damp hand, or breathing upon them. In these jugglers\u2019\nhands the Wild Oat became a magical plant, figuring at their will as\nthe leg of an enchanted spider, Egyptian fly, or some other wonderful\ninsect.----To dream of a field of ripe Oats just ready for the sickle\nis a most favourable omen, under all circumstances.\n\nOLD MAN.--See Southernwood.\n\n=OLEANDER.=--The banks of the Meles, the rivulet sacred to Homer,\nare in some parts thickly set with _Nerium Oleander_, a plant which\nbears a funereal and sinister character, and in Italy is considered\nas ill-omened and as bringing disgrace and misfortune. In Tuscany and\nSicily, it is customary to cover the dead with Oleander-blossoms,\nand in India chaplets of these flowers are placed on the brows of\nthe departed: the blossoms are also in that country much used in the\ndecoration of temples. The Hindus call the shrub the \u201cHorse-killer,\u201d\nfrom a notion that horses inadvertently eating of its foliage are\nkilled by it. The Italians bestow a similar name on the plant--_Ammazza\nl\u2019Asino_, Ass-bane. Gerarde remarks that the flowers and leaves prove\nfatal to many quadrupeds, and that sheep and goats drinking water\nwherein the leaves have fallen are sure to die. In England, the plant\nis known as the Rose Bay and Laurel Rose. In Tuscany, it is called\n_Mazza di San Giuseppe_ (St. Joseph\u2019s Staff), and there is a legend\nthat this staff commenced to blossom directly St. Joseph took it in his\nhands.\n\n=OLIVE.=--The legend runs, that in the days of Cecrops, king of Attica,\nthe two rival deities, Neptune and Minerva, strove for the worship\nof the Athenians. Each claimed priority of right: Neptune, by a salt\nspring, which his trident had opened in the rock of the Acropolis;\nMinerva, by pointing to the Olive-tree, which at her command had sprung\nfrom the soil. The gods in council decided that the latter was the\nearlier, as well as the more useful, gift; and so Minerva became the\ntutelary deity of the city, and the early Athenian rulers endeavoured\nto turn the attention of the citizens from warlike and seafaring\npursuits, to the cultivation of the soil and the peaceful arts. On the\ncoins of Attica, before the time of Pericles, an Olive-branch appeared\nwith the moon and owl. Goats were sacrificed to Minerva, because they\nwere thought to do special injury to the Olive-tree, and the goddess is\nstyled by Virgil _Ole\u00e6 inventrix_. There was a deeper meaning attached\nto this Attic legend, the realisation of which appears as far off as\nit was in the days of Cecrops: still the Olive-branch remains the\nemblem of that period of peace and plenty which the world still hopes\nfor.----The most sacred of the Athenian Olives grew in the temple of\nMinerva since the time of the dispute between Minerva and Neptune: it\nwas burnt by Xerxes with the temple; but it was stated to have shot up\nagain suddenly, after having been destroyed. The Athenians punished\nwith great severity those who damaged their venerated Olive, which to\nthem appears to have been emblematic of peace. It indicated liberty,\nhope, chastity, pity, and supplication; and special directions for\nthe mode of planting the sacred tree had place among the institutes\nof Solon. Pliny asserts that the identical Olive-tree, called up by\nMinerva, was standing in his time.----The Olive is frequently mentioned\nin the Bible, both in a literal and figurative manner. The dove sent\nforth by Noah from the Ark, brought back an Olive-leaf (probably from\nAssyria, a country famous for Olive-trees), which the bird probably\nselected because the leaves would continue green beneath the water.\nAs an emblem of peace, a garland of Olive was given to Judith when\nshe restored peace to the Israelites by the death of Holofernes. The\ntree is still with the Jew the emblem of peace and plenty, with an\nadded significance of holiness; and the association of it with the\nlast days of Christ has made it also sacred to sorrow.----As an emblem\nof peace and reconciliation, the Olive is figured on the tombs of the\nearly martyrs. As the attribute of peace, it is borne by the angel\nGabriel, and St. Agnes, and St. Pantaleon. By Romanists the Olive is\ndeemed a fitting emblem of the Virgin Mary, as the mother of Christ,\nwho brought peace on earth, and who was the Prince of Peace.----In\nregard to the Olive-trees of the Garden of Gethsemane, eight of which\nare still stated to exist, Dean Stanley says: \u201cIn spite of all the\ndoubts that can be raised against their antiquity, or the genuineness\nof their site, the eight aged Olive-trees, if only by their manifest\ndifference from all others on the mountain, have always struck even\nthe most indifferent observers. They are now, indeed, less striking\nin the modern garden enclosure, built round them by the Franciscans,\nthan when they stood free and unprotected on the rough hillside; but\nthey will remain so long as their already protracted life is spared,\nthe most venerable of their race on the surface of the earth. Their\ngnarled trunks and scanty foliage will always be regarded as the most\naffecting of the sacred memorials in or about Jerusalem.\u201d----According\nto the Jewish legend of Abimelech, the trees, once upon a time,\ndesiring a king, addressed themselves first of all to the Olive, who\nrefused the honours of royalty. The trees next in turn invited the\nFig, the Vine, and other trees to become their monarch, but they all\ndeclined. At last the crown was offered to the Oak, who accepted\nit.----Grecian mythologists relate that the club of Hercules, which was\nmade of Olive-wood, took root, and became a tree. In the Olympic games,\ninstituted by Hercules, the victor was rewarded with a crown of Olive.\nThe club of Polyphemus was the green trunk of an Olive-tree.----The\ncaps of the priests of Jupiter were surmounted with a twig of Olive.\nThe Olympian Jove is represented as wearing a wreath of Olives.\nHerodotus recounts that Xerxes, before his Grecian expedition,\ndreamed that he was crowned with an Olive wreath, the sprays of which\nturned towards the sun; but that a moment afterwards, this crown had\ndisappeared.----The Athenians went to consult the Delphic oracle,\nholding in their hands branches of Olive, and asking for a favourable\nresponse in the name and through the favour of the Olive-trees; and\nTigranes, when before Xerxes, reproached Mardonius with having carried\non a war against a people who, in their Olympian games, were content\nwith a crown of Olives as the reward of victory, and who fought not\nfor plunder and riches, but for love of country and glory.----There\nstood in the Forum of Megara a wild Olive, on which it became the\ncustom to hang the arms of local heroes. In course of time the bark of\nthe Olive grew over these arms, and they were forgotten. An oracle,\nhowever, had declared that when the tree had brought forth arms, its\ndestruction would take place. When the tree was cut down, the arms and\nhelmets alluded to were discovered; and it was seen that the oracle\nhad been fulfilled.----The Proven\u00e7aux, at harvest time, sing a curious\nsong, called the Reapers\u2019 Grace, the first part of which narrates how\nAdam and Eve were put into the Garden of Eden; Adam is forbidden to\neat of the fruit of life; he eats thereof, and the day of his death\nis foretold him. He will be buried under a Palm, Cypress, and Olive,\nand out of the wood of the Olive the cross was made.----According to a\nGerman tradition, from the tomb of Adam, the father of the human race,\nsprang an Olive: from this Olive was plucked the branch that the dove\nfrom the ark carried to Noah, the regenerator of the human race; and\nfrom the same Olive was made the cross of the Redeemer--the spiritual\nredeemer of the human race.----A tradition very general relates\nthat the cross was formed of the Olive, Palm, Cedar, and Cypress,\nrepresenting the four quarters of the globe.----In Central Europe, the\nOlive is everywhere regarded as the emblem of peace. It is planted in\nthe midst of fields to ensure a good harvest and to protect the crops\nfrom hail: and in Venetia a branch is placed on the chimney-piece\nduring thunder-storms as a preservative from lightning--a prayer\nbeing offered up at the same time to St. Barbara and St. Simon.----In\nsome parts of Italy, young girls employ an Olive-branch as a means of\ndivination. Having moistened a spray of Olive with their lips, they\nthrow it in the fire; if the leaf jumps three times or darts out of\nthe fire, they will find a husband; but if it burns without moving,\nit is a sure sign of celibacy. In Rome and Tuscany, the superstitious\npeasants imagine that no witch or sorcerer will enter a house where an\nOlive-branch that has been blessed is kept, and in order to ascertain\nwhether they are suffering from the dire effects of an Evil Eye,\nthey drop some Olive-oil in water, and from the appearance satisfy\nthemselves on the point.----To dream of Olive-trees or Olives is\nconsidered a good omen, denoting happiness, prosperity, and success,\nand a speedy marriage to the lover; but to dream of plucking Olives is\nunpropitious, announcing trouble and vexation. To dream of Olive-trees\nbearing Olives denotes peace, delight, concord, liberty, dignity, and\nfruition of your desires. To dream that you beat the Olives down is\nlucky for all but servants.\n\n=ONION.=--By the ancient Egyptians the Onion was regarded as a plant\npartaking of a sacred character and as a symbol of the Universe. With\nthem it was a common object of worship, and their veneration for this\nand other vegetable products is ridiculed by the satirist Juvenal--\n\n  \u201cHow Egypt, mad with superstition grown,\n  Makes gods of monsters, but too well is known:\n  \u2019Tis mortal sin an Onion to devour,\n  Each clove of Garlic hath a sacred power;\n  Religious nation sure, and blest abodes,\n  When every garden is o\u2019errun with gods!\u201d\n\nThe Onions of Egypt, which were of large size and exquisite flavour,\nwere remembered with regretful longings by the discontented Israelites\nin the wilderness; and although the priests of ancient Egypt were\nforbidden to partake of them, yet they were admitted among the\nofferings placed on the altars of the gods.----Mythologists relate\nthat the goddess Latona, having, during an indisposition, lost her\nappetite, regained it by eating an Onion, and thenceforth adopted this\nvegetable, which was accordingly consecrated to her.----The disciples\nof Pythagoras abstained from eating Onions, ostensibly because they\ngrew during the falling moon, but probably because, like Beans, they\nwere considered too stimulating in their effects. Among the Greeks,\nit would seem that the Onion was considered symbolic of generation,\nsince we find that at the nuptials of Iphicrates with the daughter of\nKing Cotys, he received, among other presents, a jar of snow, a jar\nof Lentils, and a jar of Onions.----It is thought that, as with the\nEgyptians, or with the English Druids, the Onion was an emblem of the\ndeity, and to this day it is a custom in some parts of England for\ngirls to divine by it. Barnaby Googe, in \u2018Ye Popish Kingdome,\u2019 tells\nus:--\n\n  \u201cIn these same days young wanton gyrles that meet for marriage be\n  Doe search to know the names of them that shall their husbands be;\n  Four Onyons, five, or eight they take, and make in every one\n  Such names as they do fancie most, and best to think upon.\n  Then nere the chimney them they set, and that same Onyon then\n  That firste doth sproute doth surely bear the name of their good man.\u201d\n\nIn olden times, country lasses used to resort to a method of divination\nwith an Onion named after St. Thomas: this they peeled and wrapped in a\nclean kerchief; then, placing it under their heads, they repeated the\nfollowing lines:--\n\n  \u201cGood St. Thomas, do me right,\n  And let my true-love come to-night,\n  That I may see him in the face,\n  And him in my fond arms embrace.\u201d\n\nIn the South of England this species of divination is still extant,\nbut the procedure is different. When the Onions are bought, the\npurchaser must take care to go in by one door of the shop and come out\nby another--a shop being selected that has two doors. These Onions,\nplaced under your pillow on St. Thomas\u2019s Eve, are sure to bring visions\nof your true-love, your future husband.----According to astrologers,\nthe Onion is under the dominion of Mars.----To dream of Onions is\nconsidered of evil augury, portending sickness and misfortune.\n\n  \u201cTo dream of eating Onions means\n  Much strife in thy domestic scenes;\n  Secrets found out or else betrayed,\n  And many falsehoods made and said.\u201d\n\n=ORANGE.=--Both Spenser and Milton held the opinion that the Orange\nis the veritable \u201cgolden Apple\u201d presented by Juno to Jupiter on the\nday of their nuptials; hence, perhaps, the association of the Orange\nwith marriage rites. This golden fruit grew only in the garden of\nthe Hesperides, situated near Mount Atlas in Africa, where they were\ncarefully tended by the three daughters of Hesperus--\u00c6gle, Arethusa,\nand Erythia--and guarded by an ever-sleeping dragon. It was one of\nthe labours of Hercules, to obtain some of these golden Apples. After\nslaying the dragon, he succeeded in plucking the auriferous fruit, and\ntook them to Eurystheus, but they were afterwards carried back to the\ngarden of the Hesperides by Minerva, as they could not be preserved\nelsewhere. Milton alludes to the Orange as a tree\n\n  \u201cWhose fruit, burnished with golden rind,\n  Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true,\n  If true, here only, and of delicious taste.\u201d\n\nThese, again, were the golden Apples given by Venus to the subtle\nHippomenes, and by means of which he cunningly contrived to wrest\nvictory in his race with the swift-footed Atalanta. Perhaps, also,\nSpenser\u2019s opinion is correct, and the Orange may be the fruit, the\nbestowal of which upon Venus was the origin of the Trojan war. Spenser\nstates his opinion in the following stanzas of his \u2018Fa\u00ebrie Queene\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cNext thereunto did grow a goodly tree,\n      With branches broad dispread and body great,\n    Cloth\u00e8d with leaves, that none the wood might see,\n  And laden all with fruit, as thick as thick might be.\n\n  \u201cThe fruit were golden Apples glistering bright,\n      That goodly was their glory to behold;\n    On earth no better grew, nor living wight\n      E\u2019er better saw, but they from hence[17] were sold;\n      For those which Hercules, with conquest bold,\n    Got from great Atlas\u2019 daughters, hence began,\n      And planted there, did bring forth fruit of gold,\n    And those with which th\u2019 Eub\u0153an young man wan [won]\n  Swift Atalanta, when, through craft, he her outran.\n\n  \u201cHere also sprang that goodly golden fruit\n      With which Acontius got his lover true,\n    Whom he had long time sought with fruitless suit;\n      Here eke that famous golden Apple grew,\n      The which among the gods false At\u00e9 threw,\n    For which th\u2019 Id\u00e6an ladies disagreed,\n      Till partial Paris deem\u2019d it Venus\u2019 due,\n    And had of her fair Helen for his meed,\n  That many noble Greeks and Trojans made to bleed.\u201d\n\n[17] The garden of Proserpina.\n\nAt Brighton, there exists a curious custom of bowling or throwing\nOranges along the high-road on Boxing-day. He whose Orange is hit by\nthat of another, forfeits the fruit to the successful hitter.----An\nAndalusian tradition, given by De Gubernatis, relates that the Virgin\nMary, journeying with the infant Jesus and with Joseph, came to the\nOrange-tree, which was guarded by an eagle, and begged of it one of\nthe Oranges for the holy child. The eagle miraculously fell asleep,\nand the Virgin thereupon plucked not one but three Oranges, one\nof which she gave to the infant Jesus, another to Joseph, and the\nthird she kept for herself. Then, and not till then, the eagle that\nguarded the Orange-tree awoke.----According to Evelyn, the first\nChina Orange-tree which reached Europe was sent as a present to\nthe old Conde Mellor, then Prime Minister to the King of Portugal.\nWriting in 1697, the Jesuit Le Comte states that \u201cthe first and\nunique Orange-tree, from which it is said all others have sprung, is\nstill preserved at Lisbon, in the house of Count St. Laurent.\u201d----In\nSicily, statues of the Madonna are decorated with branches of the\nOrange; at Avola, in Sicily, on Easter Sunday, two posts are set up,\nand decorated with Orange-boughs.----The Orange is one of those rare\ntrees which produce at the same time fruit, flowers, and foliage;\nhence it is in some countries considered as typifying great fulness,\nand has thus become connected with wedding ceremonies. The practice\nof wearing Orange-blossoms and wreaths by brides has been derived\nfrom the Saracens, amongst whom the Orange-flower was regarded as\nemblematic of a happy and prosperous marriage. In Crete, the bride and\nbridegroom are sprinkled with Orange-flower-water. In Sardinia, it is\ncustomary to attach Oranges to the horns of oxen which draw the nuptial\ncarriage.----To dream of Oranges would appear to be at all times a very\nunfavourable omen.\n\n=ORCHIS.=--From mythology we learn that the Orchis owes its origin to\nthe wanton son of the satyr Patellanus and the nymph Acolasia, who\npresided at the feasts celebrated in honour of Priapus. The headstrong\nOrchis, being present at the celebration of the feast of Bacchus,\nlaid violent hands on one of the priestesses of that god; and this\nsacrilegious conduct so incensed the Bacchanals against the youth,\nthat they forthwith set upon him, and in their fury literally tore\nhim in pieces. His father adjured the gods, but the only remedy he\ncould obtain was that his son\u2019s mangled corpse should be transformed\ninto a flower, which should ever after bear the name of Orchis, as a\nblot upon his memory.----Among the early Romans, the Orchis was often\ncalled Satyrion, because it was believed to be the food of the satyrs,\nand as such excited them to those excesses which were characteristic\nof the attendants of Bacchus. Hence, the Orchis-root not unnaturally\nbecame famous as a powerful stimulating medicine, and is so described\nby all herbalists from the time of Dioscorides.----A very old tradition\nexists that Orchids sprang from the seed of the thrush and the\nblackbird.----Bishop Fleetwood writes of these curious flowers that\nthey represent apes, birds, wasps, bees, flies, butterflies, gnats,\nspiders, grasshoppers, and other insects; \u201cbut the most curious sort\nis that which is called _Anthropophora_, because it represents a man\nor a woman very exactly.\u201d He further tells us \u201cthis flower, resembling\na man, appears in the beginning of Autumn; but that which represents\nwomen comes in May. These two Orchids were, in 1671, engraved by order\nof the _Academia Curiosorum Natur\u00e6_, and were described as _Orchis\nAnthropophorus Mas._, and _O. A. F\u0153mina_.\u201d----A tradition is attached\nto the English species, _Orchis mascula_, which usually has its leaves\nmarked with deep purple spots. It is said that these spots are the\nstains of the precious blood which flowed from our Lord\u2019s wounded body\non the cross at Calvary, as this species of Orchis is reported to\nhave grown there. In Cheshire, the plant is called Gethsemane.----The\nsweet-scented Orchis, _Gymnadenia conopsea_, is the Northern goddess\nFrigg\u2019s Grass.\n\n=ORPINE.=--On Midsummer Eve, Orpine (_Sedum Telephium_), Fennel,\nLilies, and Hypericum used formerly to be hung over doors and windows.\nThe plant is commonly called \u2018Midsummer Men\u2019 and \u2018Livelong,\u2019 from a\ncustom of country lasses to try their lovers\u2019 fidelity with it on\nMidsummer Eve: this they do by setting up two plants of Orpine--one\nrepresenting themselves, and another their lovers--upon a slate\nor trencher, and afterwards judging of the state of their lover\u2019s\naffections by his plant living and turning to their own, or not. Wives,\nalso, place over their heads the Orpine-plant, and by the bending of\nthe leaves to the right or to the left divine whether husbands are true\nor false. (See LIVELONG.)\n\n=OSMUND ROYAL.=--The stately flowering Fern _Osmunda Regalis_ is said\nto derive its name from the following legend:--A waterman, named\nOsmund, once dwelt on the banks of Loch Fyne, with his wife and\ndaughter. One day a band of fugitives, bursting into his cottage,\nwarned Osmund that the cruel Danes were fast approaching the ferry.\nOsmund heard them with fear; he trembled for those he held dearer\nthan life. Suddenly the shouts of furious men roused him to action.\nSnatching up his oars, he rowed his trembling wife and child to a small\nisland covered with this beautiful Fern; and helping them to land, he\nbade them lie down beneath the shady foliage for protection. Scarcely\nhad the ferryman returned to his cottage, ere a company of fierce\nDanes rushed in, but knowing that he could be of service to them, they\ndid him no harm. During the day and night, Osmund was occupied in\nferrying the troops across the lake. When the last company had landed,\nOsmund kneeled beside the bank, and returned thanks to Heaven for the\npreservation of his wife and child. Often in after years did he speak\nof that day\u2019s peril; and his daughter called the Fern by her father\u2019s\nname. Gerarde, in describing the stem of the _Osmunda_, which, on being\ncut, exhibits a white centre, calls this portion of the Fern the \u201cheart\nof Osmund, the waterman,\u201d probably in allusion to the above tradition.\n\nOUR LADY\u2019S PLANTS.--See Lady\u2019s Plants.\n\nOX-EYE.--See Moon Daisy.\n\n=PALASA.=--Palasa is a Sanscrit word, meaning \u201cleaf,\u201d but in course\nof time it became applied to the _Butea frondosa_ as well as the name\nParna, which also signifies a leaf. The modern Indian name of the\ntree is Dhak. The Palasa is in India a sacred tree, and has a special\ncultus; as such, it is held to be imbued with the immortalising Soma,\nthe beverage of the gods. According to the Vedas, it owed its origin to\na feather dropped by a falcon who, when the gods were pining for the\nprecious Soma fluid, succeeded in stealing some from the demons who\nhad charge of it. In flying off with its prize, the falcon was wounded\nby an arrow shot by one of the demons, which wounded it and caused a\nfeather impregnated with the divine fluid to fall to earth, where it\ntook root and became a Palasa-tree (called also Parna), which has a\nred sap and scarlet blossoms--emblems of the sacred fire. The falcon\nwas a transformed god--some say Indra--hence the tree which sprang\nfrom the god-bird\u2019s feather was in its nature divine.----The Palasa\nwas much employed by the Hindus in religious ceremonies, particularly\nin one connected with the blessing of calves to ensure them proving\ngood milkers. To this end, at the time of the sacrifice offered in the\nnew moon (the season of increase), the priest, on behalf of the Hindu\nfarmer, selected a Palasa-branch that grew on the north-east, north,\nor east side of the tree, and cut it off, saying, \u201cFor strength cut\nI thee.\u201d Then, having stripped off the leaves, he struck both calves\nand dams with it, blessing the latter and bidding them be good milkers\nand breeders, and profitable animals to their masters. This done, he\nstuck up the Palasa rod eastward of the holy fire, and bade it protect\nthe cattle. The object in thus touching the cattle was that the divine\nSoma contained in the rod might pass into and enrich the udders of the\nbeasts. The Palasa is triple-leaved, and hence was deemed to typify,\nlike the trident, the forked lightning, an appropriate attribute,\ninasmuch as it originally sprang from a god of the lightning. In this\nrespect, it resembled the rod of Mercury (a fire-god), the Sami, and\nthe Rowan rod.----The staff of the Brahman ought to be made of Palasa\nwood. (See DHAK.)\n\n=PALM.=--The Palm-tree is symbolic of victory, of riches, and of\ngeneration. It was considered by the ancients also an emblem of light,\nand was held sacred to Apollo. The Palm of Delos was supposed to have\nexisted from the time of the god Apollo himself. Among the Greeks,\nthere existed a legend that the Palm, like the Olive, was brought\ninto Greece by Hercules, on his return from the infernal regions. The\nOrphics venerated the Palm as an immortal tree, which never grew old;\nhence, as a symbol of immortality, and especially of the immortality of\nglory, it was associated with the goddess Victoria, called also _Dea\nPalmaris_.----In India, as amongst the Arabs, the Palm is considered\na sacred tree.----According to an Indian legend, the Palm of the Lake\nof Taroba, in Central India, was only visible during the day; in the\nevening it re-entered the earth. It is related that a rash pilgrim\nclimbed one morning to the top of the Palm, but the tree grew to such\na height above the earth\u2019s surface, that the pilgrim was scorched to\ndeath by the sun\u2019s rays, and the Palm itself was reduced to tinder. On\nthe spot where the miraculous Palm is said to have once grown stands\nthe idol of the Geni of the Lake, called Taroba.----Christian legend\nhas associated the Palm with the history of Jesus. According to the\nApocryphal Gospel, the Virgin Mary, whilst journeying, became fatigued\nand oppressed with the great heat; in passing by a great desert, she\nsaw a large and beautiful Palm-tree, beneath which she wished to seek\nrest and shelter; so she asked Joseph to drive the ass upon which she\nwas seated towards the tree. When she reached the foot of the tree,\nshe dismounted, and, looking up, noticed that the tree was laden with\nfruit. Then she said to Joseph: \u201cI wish to have some of the fruit of\nthis tree, for I am hungry.\u201d To this, Joseph replied: \u201cMary, I marvel\nthat you should desire to eat of this fruit.\u201d Then Jesus Christ, who\nwas seated in his mother\u2019s lap, ordered the Palm to bend down, so that\nhis mother might partake of its fruit at pleasure. And forthwith the\ntree bent down to the Virgin Mary, and she partook of its fruit, and\nstill the Palm remained bent downwards. Then, Jesus perceiving this,\nordered the Palm to resume its natural position, and it immediately\ndid so. This legend has been widely diffused in Italy and elsewhere,\nsometimes with the following addendum: \u201cJesus, after this act of\ndevotion on the part of the Palm, gave the tree his benediction, chose\nit as the symbol of eternal salvation for the dying, and declared that\nhe would make his triumphant entry into Jerusalem with a Palm in his\nhand.\u201d----The Palm was early assumed by the Christian Church as the\nuniversal symbol of martyrdom, in accordance with Revelation vii., 9:\n\u201cAnd after this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude stood before the\nthrone, clothed with white robes, and with Palms in their hands.... And\nhe said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation.\u201d\nHence, in early Italian paintings of the saints, as well as on the\nsculptured effigies of Christian heroes, the Palm is represented as\nborne by those who suffered martyrdom; and, in some instances, by\nthose conspicuous for their victory over pain and temptation.----In\nold religious paintings, St. Christopher (who lived in the middle of\nthe fourth century) is represented as a man of Herculean proportions,\nwho uses, as a supporting staff, an entire Palm-tree with leaves\nand branches. The legend is, that having, when still unconverted,\nentreated a hermit to show him Christ, the holy man admonished him\nthat he must do some good and acceptable work, and recommended him to\ngo to the banks of a deep and swollen river, and by his great strength\nassist travellers to cross over it. Christopher readily undertook the\ntask, and went and dwelt by the side of the river. Having rooted up a\nPalm-tree, he used it as a staff to guide and support his steps, and\naided all who were overcome by the stream, and carried the weak on his\nshoulders across it. After he had spent many days at this toil, he,\none night, whilst lying resting in his hut, heard a voice calling him\nfrom the shore. He arose and looked out, but saw nothing. So he lay\ndown again, and the same thing occurred to him a second and third time.\nThen he took his lantern and searched about the river bank, and at last\ndiscovered a little child, who plaintively said to him: \u201cChristopher,\ncarry me over this night.\u201d Thereupon the stalwart young man lifted the\nlittle child on his shoulders, and grasping his Palm-staff, entered\nthe stream. As he struggled across, the waters kept rising higher and\nhigher; the waves roared, and beat against him, and the winds blew.\nThe infant on his shoulder became heavier and still heavier, till\nChristopher felt that he must sink under the excessive weight, and\nbegan to feel afraid: nevertheless, taking fresh courage, and staying\nhis tottering steps with his Palm-staff, he at length reached the\nopposite bank. Gently placing the child down, he looked at him with\nastonishment, and asked, \u201cWho art thou, child, that hast placed me in\nsuch extreme peril? Had I carried the whole world on my shoulders, the\nburthen had not been heavier.\u201d Then the child replied: \u201cWonder not,\nChristopher, for thou hast not only borne the world, but Him who made\nthe world, upon thy shoulders. Me wouldst thou serve in this thy work\nof charity; and, behold, I have accepted thy service; and in testimony\nthat I have accepted thy service and thee, plant thy staff in the\nground, and it shall put forth leaves and fruit.\u201d Christopher did so,\nand the dry Palm-staff flourished as a Palm-tree in the season, and was\ncovered with clusters of Dates. But the miraculous child had vanished.\nThen Christopher fell on his face, and confessed and worshipped\nChrist.----According to the legend of the death of the Virgin Mary, she\nwas, one day, filled with an inexpressible longing to behold her Son\nagain, and whilst weeping, an angel suddenly appeared, and said: \u201cHail,\nO Mary! I bring thee here a branch of Palm, gathered in Paradise;\ncommand that it be carried before thy bier in the day of thy death;\nfor in three days thy soul shall leave thy body, and thou shalt enter\ninto Paradise, where thy Son awaits thy coming.\u201d After conversing with\nthe Holy Mother, the angel departed into heaven, and the Palm-branch\nwhich he had left behind him shed light from every leaf, and sparkled\nas the stars of the morning. At the same instant, the apostles, who\nwere dispersed in various parts of the world, were miraculously caught\nup and deposited at Mary\u2019s door. Then, having thanked the Lord, she\nplaced in the hands of St. John the shining Palm, and desired him\nto bear it before her at the time of the burial--an office which he\nfaithfully discharged.----Some authorities mention the Palm as one of\nthe four trees which furnished the wood of which the Redeemer\u2019s Cross\nwas composed; this notion is derived from Canticles vii., 8: \u201cI will go\nup to the Palm-tree,\u201d &c. Hence the old rhyme:--\n\n  \u201cNailed were His feet to Cedar, to Palm His hands--\n  Cypress His body bore, title on Olive stands.\u201d\n\nThe praises of the Palm have been sung by Hebrew, Indian, Persian, and\nArabian poets of all ages. According to Strabo, a Persian hymn, but\naccording to Plutarch a Babylonian hymn, records the three hundred and\nsixty benefits conferred on mankind by this noble tree; whilst a poem\nin the Tamil language, although enumerating eight hundred and one uses\nof the Palmyra Palm, does not exhaust the catalogue.----In the Indian\n_Vishnu Pur\u00e2na_, the fruitfulness of the Date Palm is alluded to. The\nyouthful Bala R\u00e2ma slays the monster Dhenuka, and casts the carcase at\nthe foot of a Date Palm: then the Dates fell upon him just as rain,\nbeaten by the winds, patters down on the earth.----In India, the Palm\nhas given rise to a proverb on account of the facility with which it\ntakes root: the natives say of a vile and despised enemy, that he\ntakes root as a Palm.----To dream of a Palm-tree is a very good omen,\nparticularly if it is in full blossom, in which case it predicts much\nsuccess and good fortune.\n\n=PANSY.=--The Pansy (_Viola tricolor_) derives its name from a\ncorruption of the French word _pens\u00e9es_, thoughts: thus poor Ophelia\nsays:--\n\n              \u201cPray you love, remember,\n  And there\u2019s Pansies,--that\u2019s for thoughts.\u201d--_Shakspeare._\n\nSpenser designated the flower \u201cthe pretty Pawnce;\u201d Milton spoke of it\nas the \u201cPansy freak\u2019d with jet;\u201d and Drayton sings:--\n\n  \u201cThe pretty Pansy then I\u2019ll tye,\n    Like stones some chain enchasing;\n  The next to them, their near ally,\n    The purple Violet placing.\u201d\n\nRapin writes of the flower as _Flos Jovis_--the flower of Jove:--\n\n  \u201cWith all the beauties in the valleys bred,\n  Spearmint, that\u2019s born with Myrtle crowns to wed.\n  And Jove\u2019s own flower, in which three colours meet,\n  To rival Violets, though without their sweet.\u201d\n\nIn addition to this grandiose title, the little flower rejoices in\na multiplicity of epithets bestowed on it by rural admirers. It is\nHeart\u2019s-ease, Forget-me-not, Herb Trinity, Three-Faces-under-a-Hood,\nLove-and-Idle, Love-in-idleness, Live-in-Idleness, Call-me-to-you,\nCuddle-me-to-you, Jump-up-and-kiss-me, Kiss-me-ere-I-Rise,\nKiss-me-at-the-Garden-Gate, Tittle-my-Fancy, Pink-of-my-John, and\nFlamy, because its colours are seen in the flame of wood. In the\nNorth-east of Scotland, and in Scandinavia, the flower is with a spice\nof irony called Step-mother. In \u2018A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u2019 Shakspeare\ngives the Heart\u2019s-ease magical qualities. Oberon bids Puck procure for\nhim \u201ca little western flower\u201d on which Cupid\u2019s dart had fallen, and\nwhich maidens called \u201cLove-in-Idleness.\u201d Says the fairy king:--\n\n  \u201cFetch me that flower--the herb I showed thee once;\n  The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid,\n  Will make or man or woman madly dote\n  Upon the next live creature that it sees.\u201d\n\nThe poet Herrick tells us, in regard to the origin of these favourite\nflowers, that--\n\n  \u201cFrolick virgins once there were,\n  Over-loving, living here.\n  Being here their ends denied,\n  Ran for sweethearts mad, and died.\n  Love, in pity of their tears,\n  And their loss in blooming years,\n  For their restless here-spent hours,\n  Gave them Heart\u2019s-ease turned to flowers.\u201d\n\nThe Pansy was the accidental cause of Bertram, the first American\nbotanist, devoting himself to the study of botany. The stamens and\npistil of this flower have something grotesque in their appearance\nwhen disclosed, resembling to a fanciful mind an animal with arms, and\na head projecting and stooping forward. Bertram, who was originally\na farmer, while superintending his servants in the field, and giving\nthem directions, gathered a Pansy that was growing at his feet, and\nthoughtlessly pulled off its petals one after another. Struck with\nthe stamens and pistil, Bertram conveyed it home, that he might\nexamine it more carefully. Its examination created in him that thirst\nfor the knowledge of the construction and habits of plants which\nafterwards rendered him so famous, and won for him the friendship of\nLinn\u00e6us.----The Heart\u2019s-ease is said to be sacred to St. Valentine. As\nthe _Herba Trinitatis_, or Herb Trinity, it is the special flower of\nTrinity Sunday.----It is considered to be a herb of Saturn.\n\n=PAPYRUS.=--Plutarch tells us that the vessel on which the Egyptian\ngoddess Isis embarked on her voyage to search for the remains of\nOsiris, was constructed of the Reeds of the Papyrus (_Papyrus\nantiquorum_), and that the crocodiles, out of respect and fear of\nthe goddess, dared not approach the bark.----The Papyrus is the Rush\ndescribed in the Hebrew Scriptures by the word _G\u00f4me_, and in an ark\nof _G\u00f4me_ the mother of the infant Moses put her babe, and laid it\nin the Flags by the brink of the river Nile. The ancient Egyptians\nplaited the stems of the Papyrus not only into little boats, but into\nsails, mats, and sandals. The fabrication in particular of little\nboats appears to have been practised by them to an immense extent,\nand to have commenced in the very earliest days of the nation. M. de\nCastelnau says that the Reed-boats still in use amongst the Peruvians\nexactly resemble the pictured representations of the Egyptian ones, as\npreserved on the walls of the tomb of Rameses III. at Thebes. Bundles\nof Papyrus-stems furnished models for the shafts of some of the pillars\nof the ancient Egyptian temples, and the bases of these were ornamented\nwith representations of the sheaths that encircle the foot of the\nflower-stalk. The Papyrus-plant supplied the material of which the\nfamous paper, both rough and fine, was manufactured in ancient times.\nPapyrus paper made 2000 years B.C., or anterior to the time of Abraham,\nis still in existence. It was an article of commerce long before the\ntime of Herodotus, and it remained in use till the seventh century.\nThis Papyrus paper was prepared from the white pith of the stoutest\nstems of the Reeds which grew in great abundance in the pools caused by\nthe overflowing of the Nile.----Plutarch relates, that when Agesilaus\nvisited Egypt, he was so delighted with the chaplets of Papyrus sent\nhim by the king, that he took some home when he returned to Sparta.\n\n=PARSLEY.=--Hercules is said to have selected Parsley to form the first\ngarlands he wore. The Greeks held Parsley (_Petroselinum_) in great\nreputation. A crown of dried and withered Parsley was given to the\nvictor at the Isthmian games; and one of green Parsley to the conqueror\nat the Nemean games, in memory of the death of Archemorus, the infant\nson of Lycurgus, who, laid down by his nurse on a sprig of Parsley, was\nkilled by a serpent.----A branch of Laurel and a crown of Parsley were\ngiven to the god of banquets. At Greek banquets the guests wore crowns\nof Parsley, under the belief that the herb created quiet and promoted\nan appetite.----Greek gardens were often bordered by Parsley and Rue;\nhence arose the saying, when an undertaking was in contemplation,\nbut not really commenced: \u201cOh, we are only at the Parsley and Rue!\u201d\nParsley, again, was in great request for the purpose of decorating\ngraves; and the Greeks were fond of strewing sprigs of the herb over\nthe bodies of the dead. A despairing lover cries:--\n\n  \u201cGarlands that o\u2019er thy doors I hung,\n    Hang withered now and crumble fast;\n  Whilst Parsley on thy fair form flung,\n    Now tells my heart that all is past!\u201d\n\nFrom these funereal associations the herb acquired an ominous\nsignificance; and \u201cto be in need of Parsley\u201d was a proverbial\nexpression meaning to be on the point of death. Plutarch tells of a\npanic created in a Greek force marching against the enemy by their\nsuddenly meeting some mules laden with Parsley, which the soldiery\nlooked upon as an ill omen. In our own country, to this day, there is\nan old saying among the people of Surrey and Middlesex, that \u201cWhere\nParsley\u2019s grown in the garden, there\u2019ll be a death before the year\u2019s\nout.\u201d----There are several other English superstitions connected with\nParsley. Children are often told that newly-born infants have been\nfound in a Parsley bed. The seed of this herb is apt to come up only\npartially, according as the Devil takes his tithe of it. If, after\nhaving bruised some sprigs of Parsley in her hands, the housewife\nshould attempt to raise her glasses, they will generally snap, and\nsuddenly break. In some parts of Devonshire, the belief is widely\nspread that to transplant Parsley is an offence to the spirit who is\nsupposed to preside over Parsley beds, entailing sure punishment either\non the offender himself or some members of his family within a year.\nThe peasants of South Hampshire will on no account give away Parsley,\nfor fear of misfortune befalling them; and in Suffolk there is an old\nbelief that to ensure the herb coming up \u201cdouble,\u201d Parsley-seed must be\nsown on Good Friday.----In the Southern States of America, the negroes\nconsider it unlucky to transplant Parsley from an old home to a new\none.----To dream of cutting Parsley is said to indicate a cross in\nlove; to dream of eating it foretels good news.----The herb is held to\nbe under Mercury.\n\n=PASQUE-FLOWER.=--The _Anemone Pulsatilla_ is the Paschal or\nPasque-flower, especially dedicated to the Church\u2019s Easter festival,\nThe petals of the flower yield a rich green colour, which in olden\ntimes was used for the purpose of staining the eggs to be presented,\naccording to custom, as Easter gifts. (See ANEMONE.)\n\n=PASSION-FLOWER.=--The Passion-flower (_Passiflora c\u0153rulea_) is a\nwild flower of the South American forests, and it is said that the\nSpaniards, when they first saw the lovely bloom of this plant, as it\nhung in rich festoons from the branches of the forest trees, regarded\nthe magnificent blossom as a token that the Indians should be converted\nto Christianity, as they saw in its several parts the emblems of the\nPassion of our Lord.----In the year 1610, Jacomo Bosio, the author of\nan exhaustive treatise on the Cross of Calvary, was busily engaged\non this work when there arrived in Rome an Augustinian friar, named\nEmmanuel de Villegas, a Mexican by birth. He brought with him, and\nshowed to Bosio, the drawing of a flower so \u201cstupendously marvellous,\u201d\nthat he hesitated making any mention of it in his book. However, some\nother drawings and descriptions were sent to him by inhabitants of\nNew Spain, and certain Mexican Jesuits, sojourning at Rome, confirmed\nall the astonishing reports of this floral marvel; moreover, some\nDominicans at Bologna engraved and published a drawing of it,\naccompanied by poems and descriptive essays. Bosio therefore conceived\nit to be his duty to present the _Flos Passionis_ to the world as the\nmost wondrous example of the _Croce trionfante_ discovered in forest or\nfield. The flower represents, he tells us, not so directly the Cross\nof our Lord, as the past mysteries of the Passion. It is a native of\nthe Indies, of Peru, and of New Spain, where the Spaniards call it\n\u201cthe Flower of the Five Wounds,\u201d and it had clearly been designed by\nthe great Creator that it might, in due time, assist in the conversion\nof the heathen among whom it grows. Alluding to the bell-like shape\nassumed by the flower during the greater part of its existence (_i.e._,\nwhilst it is expanding and fading), Bosio remarks: \u201cAnd it may well be\nthat, in His infinite wisdom, it pleased him to create it thus shut up\nand protected, as though to indicate that the wonderful mysteries of\nthe Cross and of his Passion were to remain hidden from the heathen\npeople of those countries until the time preordained by His Highest\nMajesty.\u201d----The figure given of the Passion-flower in Bosio\u2019s work\nshows the crown of thorns twisted and plaited, the three nails, and\nthe column of the flagellation just as they appear on ecclesiastical\nbanners, &c. \u201cThe upper petals,\u201d writes Bosio in his description, \u201care\ntawny in Peru, but in New Spain they are white, tinged with rose. The\nfilaments above resemble a blood-coloured fringe, as though suggesting\nthe scourge with which our blessed Lord was tormented. The column\nrises in the middle. The nails are above it; the crown of thorns\nencircles the column; and close in the centre of the flower from which\nthe column rises is a portion of a yellow colour, about the size of a\nreale, in which are five spots or stains of the hue of blood, evidently\nsetting forth the five wounds received by our Lord on the Cross. The\ncolour of the column, the crown, and the nails is a clear green. The\ncrown itself is surrounded by a kind of veil, or very fine hair, of a\nviolet colour, the filaments of which number seventy-two, answering to\nthe number of thorns with which, according to tradition, our Lord\u2019s\ncrown was set; and the leaves of the plant, abundant and beautiful,\nare shaped like the head of a lance or pike, referring, no doubt, to\nthat which pierced the side of our Saviour, whilst they are marked\nbeneath with round spots, signifying the thirty pieces of silver.\u201d\nSuch is Bosio\u2019s description of what he designates the \u201cstupendous\nflower,\u201d and the stir which his writings caused among the botanists\nand theologians of Italy soon brought about the introduction of the\nplant itself, which, before the year 1625, had established itself\nand blossomed in the garden of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, at Rome.\nAldinus, who was both the Cardinal\u2019s physician and the controller\nof his garden, has left his description of the Passion-flower, and\nsays of it:--\u201cThis is the famous plant sung by poets and celebrated\nby orators, the plant reasoned about by philosophers with the utmost\nsubtlety, praised by physicians for its marvellous virtues, sought for\neagerly by the sick, wondered at by theologians, and venerated by\nall pious Christians.\u201d In his description of the flower Aldinus sets\nforth \u201cwhat theologians may really find in it.\u201d He says: \u201cThe nails\non the top are represented so exactly, that nothing more perfect can\nbe imagined.... In the open flower they are twisted and marked with\ndark blood-like spots, as if they had been already removed from the\nCross. The small undeveloped seed-vessels may be compared to the sponge\nfull of vinegar offered to our Lord. The star-form of the half-opened\nflower may represent the star of the Wise Men; but the five petals,\nfully opened, the five wounds. The base of the ovary is the column of\nthe flagellation. The filaments represent the scourges spotted with\nblood, and the purple circle on them is the crown of thorns, blood\ncovered. The white petals symbolise the purity and brightness of Our\nLord, and His white robe. The _corniculata folia_, the sub-petals,\nwhite inside and green without, figure hope and purity, and are sharply\npointed, as if to indicate the ready eagerness with which each one of\nthe faithful should embrace and consider the mysteries of the Passion.\nThe leaves of the whole plant are set on singly, for there is one God,\nbut are triply divided, for there are Three Persons. The plant itself\nwould climb toward heaven, but cannot do so without support. So the\nChristian, whose nature is to climb, demands constant assistance. Cut\ndown, it readily springs up again; and whoever holds the mysteries\nof the Passion in his heart cannot be hurt by the evil world. Its\nfruit is sweet and delicate, and the Passion of our Lord brings sweet\nand delectable fruit to us.\u201d In his \u2018_Paradisus Terrestris_,\u2019 John\nParkinson, writing in 1629, speaks of the \u201cVirgin Climer,\u201d as \u201ca brave\nand too-much-desired plant,\u201d with flowers which \u201cmake a tripartite shew\nof colours most delightfull,\u201d and are \u201cof a comfortable sweet sent,\nvery acceptable.\u201d----The plant\u2019s native Indian name was _Maracot_; from\nthe likeness of the fruit to a small Pomegranate, it was sometimes\ncalled _Granadilla_; the Mexican Jesuits named it _Flor de las cinca\nllagas_; but in Italy, it was usually known as _Fior della Passione_,\nthe name which it has retained throughout Europe.\n\n[Illustration: TO FACE PAGE 487.]\n\nThe Granadilla, or Passion Flower.\n\n_From Zahn\u2019s \u2018Specul\u00e6 Physico-Mathematico-Historic\u00e6.\u2019_]\n\n=PAULOWNIA.=--The noble hardy tree, _Paulownia imperialis_, was so\nnamed in 1840 in honour of the Hereditary Princess of the Netherlands,\na daughter of the Emperor of Russia. The Paulownias are famous\nthroughout Japan for the hardness and beauty of their wood: they attain\na height of about thirty feet, and produce dark lilac flowers, which\nare borne in three spikes upon a tri-lobed sinuous leaf. These flowers,\nwhich resemble the blossom of the Catalpa, constitute one of the crests\nof the Mikado of Japan.\n\n=PAVETTA INDICA.=--A race of Malays, called the Aruans, when burying\ntheir dead, carry the body into the forest, and hoist it upon the\nsummit of four posts. A tree, usually the _Pavetta Indica_, is then\nplanted near it, and at this final ceremony none but nude females are\nallowed to be present.\n\n=PEA.=--The priests of ancient Egypt were not allowed to partake of\nPeas.----The Pea, like most trailing and climbing plants, has always\ntraditionally been connected with celestial fire. According to a\nmedi\u00e6val legend, the ancient Midsummer or St. John\u2019s Day fires were\nkindled at the season of the Summer solstice for the purpose of scaring\naway pestilential dragons; and these dragons carried Peas in their\nflight, which they cast down in such quantities as to fill up the\nwells, and their smell was so foul that the cattle refused to eat them:\nthese Peas represent lightning, and their smell is the sulphurous fume\nthat clings to everything struck by it. The ancient German Zwergs, who\nare dwarfs closely connected with the thunder-god Thor, and who forged\nfor him his lightning hammer, are exceedingly fond of Peas, and often\nplunder the Pea-fields. Peas were consecrated to Thor himself, and to\nthis day in Berlin Peas with Saurkraut are a standing dish on Thor\u2019s\nDay (Thursday). The Pea was the favourite vegetable of Thor himself,\nand St. Nicholas, who in some countries has replaced him, is sometimes\nrepresented as being clad in Peas-straws. In the North of England,\nif a lass\u2019s lover has proved unfaithful to her, she is, by way of\nconsolation, rubbed with Peas-straw by neighbouring lads. A Scottish\nballad says:--\n\n  \u201cIf you meet a bonnie lassie\n    Gie her a kiss, and let her gae;\n  If you meet a dirty hussey,\n    Fie, gae rub her o\u2019er wi\u2019 strae!\u201d\n\nSimilarly when a Cambrian youth has been jilted, and his sweetheart\nmarries a rival, the same operation is performed upon him, as a solace,\nby the village lasses. In the North of England, Carling Sunday (the\nfourth in Lent) is universally celebrated by feasts of Peas and butter.\nThe use of Peas in divination concerning love affairs probably arises\nfrom the fact that they are sacred to the patron of marriage. In\nBohemia, the girls go into a Pea-field, and there make a garland of\nfive or seven kinds of flowers, all of different hues. This garland\nthey use as a pillow, lying down with their right ear upon it, and then\nthey hear a voice from underground, which tells them what manner of\nman they will have for a husband. A curious custom, known as \u201cPeascod\nwooing,\u201d was formerly extant in many country places; it was performed,\naccording to Brand, by selecting one growing on the stem, snatching it\naway quickly, and if the good omen of the Peas remaining in the husk\nwas preserved, then presenting it to the chosen lady. A girl shelling\nPeas will, if she should chance to find a pod containing nine, place it\non the lintel of the kitchen door, and the first single man who enters\nis considered to be marked out for her future husband. Gay alludes to\nthis custom in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cAs Peascod once I plucked, I chanced to see\n  One that was closely filled with three times three;\n  Which, when I cropped, I safely home conveyed,\n  And o\u2019er the door the spell in secret laid.\n  The latch moved up, when who should first come in,\n  But in his proper person--Lubberkin.\u201d\n\nThe village girls in Hertfordshire lay the pod with nine Peas under a\ngate, and believe they will have for husband the man who first passes\nthrough, or, at any rate, one whose Christian name and surname have\nthe same initials as his.----It is always considered a good augury to\ndream of Peas.----In Suffolk, there is a legend that the _Lathyrus\nMaritimus_, or Everlasting Pea of the sea-side, sprang up on the coast\nthere for the first time in a season when greatly needed; and Fuller\nsays of this particular Pea that \u201cin a general dearth all over England,\nplenty of Peas did grow on the sea-shore, near Dunmow, in Suffolk,\nnever set or sown by human industry, which, being gathered in a full\nripeness, much abated the high price in the markets, and preserved many\nhungry families from perishing.\u201d\n\n=PEACH.=--There is an old tradition that the falling of the leaves of\na Peach-tree betoken a murrain.----There is a superstitious belief\nin Sicily, that anyone afflicted with go\u00eetre, who on the night of\nSt. John, or of the Ascension, eats a Peach, will be cured, provided\nonly that the Peach-tree dies at the same time; the idea being that\nthe tree, in dying, takes the go\u00eetre away with it, and so delivers\nthe sufferer from the affliction. In Italy, as a charm to cure warts,\nPeach-leaves are carefully buried in the earth, so that as they perish\nthe wart may disappear.----To dream of Peaches in season denotes\ncontent, health, and pleasure.\n\n=PEAR.=--Among the ancients, the Pear was specially consecrated to\nVenus. Columella knew a species called _Pyrus Venerea_, the Pear of\nLove. The Scots claim that \u201cfair Avalon,\u201d the Celtic \u201cIsle of the\nBlest,\u201d is an island in Loch Awe, Argyleshire; and the Gaelic legend\nchanges the mystical Apples into the berries of the _Pyrus cordata_,\na species of wild Pear, found both in the island of Loch Awe, and in\nAiguilon.----On the Continent, there is a belief that orchards are\ninfested by malignant spirits, which attack the fruit-trees, and in\nthe D\u00e9partement de l\u2019Orne, to drive away the demons which attack Pears\nand Apples, the peasants burn the Moss on the trunk and branches,\nsinging the while an appropriate rhyme or incantation. In Aargau,\nSwitzerland, when a boy is born, they plant an Apple-tree; when a girl,\na Pear.----To dream of ripe Pears betokens riches and happiness; if\nunripe, adversity; if baked, great success in business; to a woman a\ndream of Pears denotes that she will marry above her in rank.\n\n=PEEPUL.=--The _Ficus religiosa_, the _Asvattha_ or _Pippala_ of the\nHindus, is a tree held in the highest sanctity by the Buddhists, near\nwhose temples it is always found. It is this tree--the Bodhidruma,\nthe Tree of Wisdom--under which Buddha sat absorbed in a species of\nintellectual ecstacy, and which his followers regard as the tree of\ncreation, life, wisdom, and preparation for Paradise, as well as\nthe yielder of ambrosia and rain. From ancient Vedic tradition the\nBuddhists have inherited the worship of this sacred tree: they say\nthat at the hour of Buddha\u2019s nativity, whilst around Kapilavastu\nsuddenly arose magnificent woods, an enormous Asvattha, or Bo-tree,\nsprang from the very centre of the universe.----Hiouen-thsang, the\nChinese pilgrim, professed to have found the Bodhidruma, or some tree\nthat passed for it, twelve hundred years after Buddha\u2019s death, at a\nspot near Gaya Proper, in Bahar, where still may be seen an old temple\nand ruins.----De Gubernatis tells us that there is represented in the\n_K\u00e2thaka Upanishad_ a heavenly cosmogonic Asvattha under precisely\nthe same form as the Indian Bo-tree. \u201cThe eternal Asvattha, it is\nsaid, has its roots above, its branches below; it is called the Germ,\nBrahma, Ambrosia; beneath it all the worlds repose, above it nothing\nexists.\u201d With its wood and that of the _Acacia Suma_ (_Sami_) the\nsacred fire is lighted--the Asvattha representing the male, the _Sami_\nthe female. The Asvattha, in rubbing the Sami, engenders the fire, and\nthus becomes an emblem of generation. From its heavenly origin and from\nits maintaining the fire of purification, the Bo-tree is credited with\nmarvellous medicinal properties. Into a vase made of Asvattha-wood\nthe priests pour the divine drink Soma.----In the _Atharvaveda_,\nsays De Gubernatis, we are told that the Asvattha grows in the third\nheaven, and produces the Ambrosia under the name of Kushtha, or flower\nof the Amrita. He who eats the ambrosial food becomes intelligent.\nThe cosmogonic tree of the Vedas is also the Tree of Intelligence,\nhence Buddha, the apostle of intelligence, sought refuge beneath its\nshade.----In a book of travels by two Chinese Buddhist pilgrims,\ntranslated by Mr. Beal, we find it stated that the only spot indicated\nby the gods as propitious to the acquirement of supreme wisdom is\nbeneath the tree Peito, which the translator identifies with the\nPeepul, Bo-Tree, or _Ficus religiosa_. In the same narrative we learn\nthat the gods constructed from the tree _Sal_ (_Shorea robusta_) to the\ntree Bo a splendid road, three thousand cubits wide. The young Prince\nBuddha traverses the road during the night, surrounded by the Devas,\nthe N\u00e2gas, and other divine beings. Under the tree Peito Buddha walked\nfrom east to west, and was worshipped by the gods for the space of\nseven days; after that the gods constructed, north-west of the tree, a\npalace of gold, where Buddha stayed for seven days. Then he repaired to\nthe lake Mukhalinda, where he sought the shadow of the tree Midella.\nThen the rain fell for seven days, and so the N\u00e2ga Mukhalinda came\nforth from the lake and sheltered Buddha with his hood. As showing\nthe extreme fondness of Buddha for the Bo-tree, it is related by\nthe Chinese that at the commencement of his conversion, he withdrew\nhabitually beneath the tree Peito to meditate and fast. The Queen\nbecame exceedingly uneasy, and, in the hope of bringing back Buddha\nto his home, she gave orders for the Peito to be cut down. But at\nthe sight of his beloved Bo-tree razed to the earth, so bitter became\nthe grief of the seer, that he fell in a swoon to the ground. They\nsprinkled him with water, and when, after considerable trouble, he was\nrestored to consciousness, he sprinkled on the roots one hundred jars\nfull of milk; then prostrating himself with his face to the earth, he\npronounced this vow:--\u201cIf the tree does not revive, I shall never arise\nagain.\u201d The tree at the same moment shot forth branches, and little\nby little raised itself until it attained its present height, which\nis about 120 feet. The number of Bo-trees which have become objects\nof veneration among the Hindus, and especially the Buddhists, is\ninfinite, and the worship of the sacred Bodhidruma is still extant in\nIndia.----The Bo-tree is also specially consecrated to Vishnu, who is\noften portrayed as seated on its heart-shaped and pointed leaves. It is\nrepresented in the Vedas as being frequented by various birds, who eat\nits sweet Figs.----In the sacred city of Anur\u00e2dhapura, in Ceylon, is a\nBo-tree, which is supposed to be one of the oldest trees in existence,\nand its age is not merely legendary, but substantiated by authentic\nrecords. Kings have dedicated their dominions to it, in testimony of\ntheir belief that it sprang from a branch of the identical tree under\nwhich Buddha reclined for seven years whilst undergoing his apotheosis.\nThe precious branch was taken to Ceylon by the king Asoka, and the tree\nof which it was the parent was planted by the king Tissa, in the year\n288 B.C. When planting it Tissa prophesied that it should flourish\neternally, and that it should be an evergreen. It is too sacred to be\ntouched by a knife, but the leaves, as they fall, are eagerly gathered\nand treasured by Buddhist pilgrims.----In Java, the Bo-tree is also\nheld sacred, and a species of Mistletoe which grows on its branches is\nsupposed to afford much gratification to the shades of the departed\nwhich revisit earth. The Buddhists of Thibet call the sacred Bo-tree\nthe bridge of safety--the bridge by which mortals pass from the shores\nof the world to the shores of the immortal land.\n\n=PENNYROYAL.=--The Pennyroyal (_Mentha Pulegium_) used formerly to\nbe called Puliol Royal, and derived its name from the Latin word\n_pulices_, fleas--insects it was thought to be specially efficacious\nin destroying. In most of the Western Counties the plant is known as\nOrgan-herb, and is much prized by old-women herbalists as a blood\npurifier. According to an ancient recipe, Organ broth was used in\nwitchcraft to make people see double.----In Sicily, children put\nPennyroyal in their cots on Christmas Day, under the belief that at\nthe exact hour and minute when the infant Jesus was born this plant\nputs forth its blossom. The same wonder is repeated on Midsummer\nNight. In Sicily, also, Pennyroyal is given to husbands and wives who\nquarrel.----According to astrologers, Pennyroyal is a herb of Venus.\n\n=PEONY.=--The Peony, or healing plant (_P\u00e6onia_), commemorates the\nHomeric god P\u00e6on, the first physician of the gods, who healed the\ndivinities Ares and Hades of their wounds. Tradition asserts that the\nPeony is the floral descendant of P\u00e6on, who was a pupil of the great\n\u00c6sculapius. P\u00e6on first received the flower on Mount Olympus, from\nthe hands of the mother of Apollo, and by its means he cured Pluto\nof a wound he had received from Hercules; but this cure created so\nmuch jealousy in the breast of \u00c6sculapius, that he secretly caused\nthe death of P\u00e6on. Pluto, however, retained a grateful sense of his\nservice, and so transformed his body into the flower which to-day bears\nhis name.----Rapin has a totally different tale to tell as to the\norigin of the blooming Peony, although from what source he derived his\ninformation we are unable to discover. According to the French poet,\nP\u00e6onia is a nymph whose crimson hue is not the blush of modesty, but\nthe tell-tale witness of the sin of a shepherdess of Alcinous, King\nof Ph\u00e6acia, who seems to have been unable to withstand the amorous\nadvances of the Sun-god.----In the emblematic language of flowers, the\nPeony is the representative of bashful shame.----Speaking of the Peony,\nRapin says:--\n\n  \u201cErect in all her crimson pomp you\u2019ll see\n  With bushy leaves the graceful Piony,\n  Whose blushes might the praise of virtue claim,\n  But her vile scent betrays they rise from shame.\n  Happy her form, and innocent her red,\n  If, while Alcinous\u2019 bleating flock she fed,\n  An heavenly lover had not sought her bed;\n  \u2019Twas Ph\u0153bus\u2019 crime, who to his arms allured\n  A maid from all mankind by pride secured.\u201d\n\nThe ancient Greeks held the Peony in great repute, believing its origin\nto have been divine. It was thought to have been an emanation from the\nmoon, and that the flower shone during the night, chased away evil\nspirits, and protected the dwellings of those who cultivated it. Hence,\nin later days, it came to be ranked as a miraculous plant; and it was\nthought that evil spirits would shun the spot where it was planted, and\nthat even a small piece of the root, worn round the neck as an amulet,\nwould protect the wearer from all kinds of enchantment. To this day, in\nSussex, necklaces of beads turned from the Peony-root are worn by young\nchildren, to prevent convulsions and assist them in teething. Apuleius\nstates that the Peony is a powerful remedy for insanity. Lord Bacon\ntells us, in his \u2018Natural History,\u2019 that \u201cit hath beene long received,\nand confirmed by divers trialls, that the root of the male Piony dried,\ntied to the necke, doth help the falling sicknesse, and likewise the\nincubus, which we call the Mare. The cause of both these diseases,\nand especially of the epilepsie from the stomach, is the grossenesse\nof the vapours, which rise and enter into the cells of the braine;\nand therefore the working is by extreme and subtill alternation,\nwhich that simple hath.\u201d----In Germany, the Peony is the Pentecostal\nRose.----Astrologers say that both male and female Peonies are herbs of\nthe Sun, and under the Lion.\n\n=PERIWINKLE.=--In France, the Periwinkle is considered the emblem of\nthe pleasures of memory and sincere friendship, probably in allusion\nto Rousseau\u2019s recollection of his friend Madame de Warens, occasioned,\nafter a lapse of thirty years, by the sight of the Periwinkle in\nflower, which they had once admired together.----In Italy, garlands of\nPeriwinkle are placed upon the biers of deceased children, for which\nreason the plant has acquired the name of the Flower of Death; but\nin Germany it becomes the symbol of immortality.----Culpeper, in his\n\u2018Herbal,\u2019 says that the Periwinkle is owned by Venus, and that the\nleaves eaten together by man and wife, cause love between them.\n\n=PESTILENCE WEED.=--The Butterbur Coltsfoot (_Tussilago Petasites_)\nobtained the name of Pestilence Weed from its having in olden times\nbeen held in great repute as a sovereign remedy for the plague and\npestilent fever.\n\n=PHYTOLACCA.=--A species of _Phytolacca_ found by M. L\u00e9vy in Nicaragua\nin 1876, and named by him _P. electrica_, may well be called the\nelectrifying plant. The discoverer, when gathering a branch,\nexperienced a veritable electric shock. Experimenting with a compass,\nhe found the needle was agitated at a distance of eight paces, and\nbecame more so the nearer he approached; the action changing to a rapid\ngyratory motion when he finally placed the compass in the midst of the\nshrub. There was nothing in the soil to account for what may be termed\nthe \u201cshocking\u201d proclivities of the shrub, which are slight in the\nnight-time, becoming gradually intensified until about two o\u2019clock p.m.\nIn stormy weather, the intensity of action is increased, and the plant\npresents a withered appearance until the fall of rain. Neither insect\nnor bird was seen by M. L\u00e9vy to approach this terrible shrub.\n\nPICK-PURSE, or PICK-POCKET.--(See Shepherd\u2019s Purse).\n\n=PIMPERNEL.=--The scarlet Pimpernel (_Anagallis arvensis_) is well\nknown as the Poor Man\u2019s Weather-glass, or Shepherd\u2019s Barometer; both\nnames having been given on account of the plant invariably closing its\npetals before and during rain. Darwin alludes to this peculiarity of\nthe Pimpernel in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cClosed is the pink-eyed Pimpernel;\n  In fiery red the sun doth rise,\n  Then wades through clouds to mount the skies;\n  \u2019Twill surely rain--we see\u2019t with sorrow,\n  No working in the fields to-morrow.\u201d\n\nBesides being a barometrical, the Pimpernel is a horological, plant,\nopening its petals about 7 a.m., and closing them about 2 p.m. The\nplant was also considered a surgical plant, inasmuch as the old\nherbalists ascribed to it the power of drawing out arrows which were\nembedded in the flesh, as well as thorns and splinters, or \u201cother such\nlike things.\u201d The bruised leaves were believed to cure persons bitten\nby mad dogs, and the juices of the plant were considered efficacious\nin complaints of the eyes, and in hypochondriacal cases. Its manifold\nvirtues have passed into a proverb:--\n\n  \u201cNo ear hath heard, no tongue can tell,\n  The virtues of the Pimpernell.\u201d\n\nPliny records that sheep avoided the blue, and ate the scarlet,\nPimpernel, and that if, by mistake, they ate the blue, they immediately\nsought for a plant which is now unknown. In Dyer\u2019s \u2018English Folk Lore,\u2019\nit is stated that, according to a MS. on magic, preserved in the\nChetham Library, Manchester, \u201cthe herb Pimpernell is good to prevent\nwitchcraft, as Mother Bumby doth affirme.\u201d The following lines may be\nused when it is gathered:--\n\n  \u201cHerbe Pimpernell, I have thee found,\n  Growing upon Christ Jesus\u2019 ground:\n  The same guift the Lord Jesus gave unto thee,\n  When He shed His blood on the tree.\n  Arise up, Pimpernel, and goe with me,\n  And God blesse me,\n  And all that shall were thee. Amen.\u201d\n\n\u201cSaying this fifteen dayes together, twice a day, morning earlye\nfasting, and in the evening full.\u201d----Pimpernel is considered to be a\nherb of the Sun.\n\n=PINE.=--The Pine was called the tree of Cybele (or Rhea), the mother\nof the gods. She was passionately fond of Atys, a Phrygian shepherd,\nand entrusted him with the care of her temple, under a vow that he\nshould always live in celibacy. This vow, however, Atys violated by\nan amour with the nymph Sangaris, upon which he became delirious, and\nmutilated himself with a sharp stone. Then, as he was about to lay\nviolent hands upon himself, Cybele transformed him into a Pine-tree.\nOvid records that--\n\n  \u201cTo Rhea grateful still the Pine remains,\n  For Atys still some favour she retains;\n  He once in human shape her breast had warmed,\n  And now is cherished to a tree transformed.\u201d\n\nRapin considers the Pine to have been regarded by the ancients as a\nsacred tree. He says--\n\n  \u201cOld Cybele changed her Atys to a Pine,\n  Which, sacred there to her, was held divine.\u201d\n\nAfter the metamorphosis of Atys into the Pine, Cybele sought refuge\nbeneath the tree\u2019s branches, and sat mourning there the loss of her\nfaithless lover, until Jupiter promised that the Pine should remain\never green. It was tied to a Pine-tree, that Marsyas, the Phrygian\nflute-player, met his death. He became enamoured of Cybele, and\njourneyed with her as far as Nysa. Here\n\n  \u201cHe Ph\u0153bus\u2019 self, the harmonious god, defied,\n  And urged to have their skill in music tried.\n  Ph\u0153bus accepts the challenge, but decreed,\n  The boaster vanquished should alive be flayed;\n  And Marsyas vanquished (so the poet sung)\n  Was flayed alive, and on a Pine-tree hung.\u201d--_Rapin._\n\nThe Pine was dedicated to Bacchus, and at the Dionysian festivals the\nvotaries sometimes wore garlands of its foliage: its cone is frequently\nrepresented surmounting the god\u2019s thyrsus, possibly as being symbolic\nof fecundity and reproduction. The connection of the Pine with Bacchus\nis still maintained by the Greeks, who place the cones in their wine\nvats, to preserve and flavour the wine by means of the resin. The\nPine-cone was considered a symbol of the heart of Zagr\u00e6us, who was\ndestroyed by the Titans, and whose ashes were given to Semele, the\nmother of Bacchus.----We find the Pine also dedicated to Pan, because\nPitys, one of the many nymphs whom he loved, was changed into that\ntree, to escape the importunities of Boreas.----The wood of the Pine\nwas employed in the construction of the first boats: hence the tree was\nalso sacred to the sea-god Neptune.----Ovid introduces Pan as \u201ccrowned\nwith a pointed leaf of Pine-leaf,\u201d in reference to the sharpness of its\nnarrow leaves. The length and straightness of its trunk, and freedom\nfrom branches, rendered it a suitable walking staff for the giant\nPolyphemus (\u00c6n. iii.); and Turnus (from the resinous nature of this\ntree) is represented as raising a flaming brand of Pine-wood to set on\nfire the ships of the Trojans.----In Assyrian monuments, we find the\nPine-cone offered to the god guarding life.----According to a Roman\nlegend, two lovers who had died of love and were buried in the same\ncemetery, were changed, the one into a Pine, the other into a Vine,\nand were thus enabled to continue their fond embraces.----Prof. De\nGubernatis remarks that, despite the legend of St. Martin, written by\nSulpicius, who represented the Pine as a diabolic tree, Christianity\nitself has consecrated it. The town of Augsburg, which has for its\nbadge a Pine-cone, is under the protection of St. Afra. In Sicily,\nthey believe that the form of a hand is to be seen in the interior of\nthe fruit--the hand of Jesus blessing the Pine which had saved Him\nduring the flight into Egypt by screening Him and His mother from\nHerod\u2019s soldiers.----At Ahorn, near Coburg, a frightful wind sent\nby a sorceress had bent the church steeple, which thus became an\nobject of derision to the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. A\nshepherd, to save his village from such a standing reproach, attached\na short rope to a Pine, which the inhabitants still pointed out in\nNork\u2019s time, and by dint of invocations and magical imprecations\nsucceeded in straightening the steeple. Nork adds that in the year\n1300, at Krain, near a convent, a statue of the Madonna, concealed in\nthe trunk of a Pine, miraculously made itself heard by a priest: on\nthat account a church has been erected in honour of the Virgin, in\nthe immediate vicinity.----King Cr\u0153sus threatened the inhabitants of\nLampsacus that the destruction of their town should be as complete as\na felled Pine, which, once cut down, never sprouts out again. The\ncomparison was particularly apt, inasmuch as the town of Lampsachus was\nreputed to have been formerly called Pityusa--\u201cthe place planted with\nPines.\u201d----In a Pompeian design, we find a rural Cupid with a crown of\nPine. Ovid crowns the Fauns with Pine. Virgil calls the Pine _Pronuba_,\nbecause the torches used at weddings were made of Pine-wood.----In\nthe hymn of Callimachus to Diana, virgins are represented as wearing\nchaplets of Pine.----The Pine-cone unopened symbolised virginity.----In\nPodolia, in Little Russia, the bride-cake is ornamented with sprigs\nof Pine.----In Japan, the Pine has become a symbol of constancy and\nconjugal fidelity, because it is always verdant, even beneath the\nsnow.----The Pine is a funereal tree, and, as is the case with all\nothers of its class, it symbolises immortality and generation. Like the\nCypress and the Fir, on account of the durability of its wood and its\nevergreen foliage, it represents the perpetuity of life,--a symbol that\nappears singularly in keeping with the funereal rites of a people who\nbelieved in the immortality of the soul.----In Russia, when the coffin\nis being carried to the cemetery, it is covered with branches of Pine\nor Fir.----The Fijian believes that, after death, the spirit, with\nhis war-club and a whale\u2019s tooth, journeys to the world\u2019s end: there\ngrows the sacred Pine, and at it the spirit hurls his whale\u2019s tooth.\nIf he strikes it, he proceeds on his way rejoicing, but if he misses\nhis mark, his further progress is stopped.----Crowns of Pine were worn\nby victors at the Isthmian games.----The Pine was one of the trees\nordered to be used by the Jews in erecting their tents at the Feast of\nthe Tabernacles.----According to tradition, the Pine seen in a dream\nportends dissolution.\n\n=PINK.=--The Pink (_Dianthus_) has been said to derive its name from\nthe Dutch word _Pinkster_--Whitsuntide--the season at which a species\ncalled of old the Whitsuntide Gilliflower, is in flower. In Bologna,\nhowever, the flower is held sacred to St. Peter, who is believed\nto have been partial to it above all others; the 29th of June is\nthere considered to be the day of Pinks.----In an old work quoted by\nAlphonse Karr, the author recommends the water distilled from Pinks\nas an excellent remedy against epilepsy, and adds: \u201cbut if a conserve\nbe composed of it, it is the life and delight of the human race.\u201d A\nvinegar made of Pinks was formerly prized for its efficacy against the\nplague.\n\nPIXIE-STOOL.--See Toadstool.\n\n=PLANE.=--The Plane-tree (_Platanus orientalis_) was specially\nvenerated in Greece. In the school of Plato, the philosophers\nused to walk and converse under the shadow of these delightful\ntrees.----Pausanias mentions a Plane tree of extraordinary size and\nbeauty in Arcadia, supposed to have been planted by Menelaus thirteen\nhundred years before.----The Plane was held sacred to Helen, the wife\nof Menelaus.----Evelyn gives an account of the passion conceived by\nXerxes for a Plane-tree. Whilst marching through Lydia, he is said\nto have stopped his vast army of 1,700,000 soldiers, that he might\nadmire the beauty of one of these trees, and became so enamoured of\nit, that, spoiling both himself, his concubines, and great persons, of\nall their jewels, he covered it with gold, gems, necklaces, scarfs,\nbracelets, and infinite riches. For some days, neither the concerns of\nhis portentous army, nor the objects of his expedition, could divert\nhis thoughts from the stately tree, and when at length he was forced to\nleave it, he caused the figure of it to be stamped on a medal of gold,\nwhich he continually wore about him.----In Greece, when lovers are\nobliged to separate, they exchange, as a gage of fidelity, the halves\nof a leaf of the Plane. When they meet again, each one produces the\nhalf-leaf, and they then fit them together.\n\n=PLANTAIN.=--According to Grimm, the Plantain or Waybread (like the\nEndive or Succory--the German _Wegewarte_) is said to have been once\na maiden, who, worn out with constantly watching the roadway for her\nlover, was changed into a plant, that still clings to a position by the\nwayside. In Devonshire, they say that once in seven years it becomes\na bird--either the cuckoo or its helpmate, known as the \u201cdinnick,\u201d\nwhich is said to follow the cuckoo wherever it goes.----In Aargau,\nthe Plantain is called _Irrwurzel_, and the peasantry there ascribe\nto it the power of disordering the wits.----The Greeks called the\nplant \u201cLamb\u2019s-tongue,\u201d and no less a personage than Alexander the\nGreat ascribed to it magical properties, and asserted that its root\nwas marvellously potent in the cure of headaches. According to Macer\nFloridus, a root suspended round the neck prevented scrofula; and\nDioscorides affirmed that the water derived from three roots cured the\ntertian, and from four the quartan ague.----In England, the Plantain\nor Waybread has always had a high reputation as a vulnerary. Chaucer\nnotices it as an application to wounds, and Shakspeare makes Romeo,\nwhen referring to a broken shin, say, \u201cYour Plantain-leaf is excellent\nfor that.\u201d Clare, in his \u2018Shepherd\u2019s Calendar,\u2019 recounts the following\nrustic divination common among the Midland country-folk:--\n\n  \u201cOr, trying simple charms and spells,\n  Which rural superstition tells,\n  They pull the little blossom threads\n  From out the Knotweed\u2019s button heads,\n  And put the husk, with many a smile,\n  In their white bosoms for awhile.\n  Then, if they guess aright the swain,\n  Their love\u2019s sweet fancies try to gain,\n  \u2019Tis said that ere it lies an hour,\n  \u2019Twill blossom with a second flower,\n  And from the bosom\u2019s handkerchief,\n  Bloom as it ne\u2019er had lost a leaf.\u201d\n\nIn Henderson\u2019s \u2018Folk Lore of the Northern Counties\u2019 is an account of a\ncurious rustic divination practised in Berwickshire by means of kemps\nor spikes of the Ribwort Plantain. Two spikes--one to represent the\nlad, the other the lass--are plucked when in full bloom, and after all\nthe blossom has been carefully removed, the kemps should be wrapped\nin a Dock-leaf and laid under a stone. If the spikes shall have again\nblossomed when visited the next morning, the popular belief is that\nthere will be \u201cAye love between them twae.\u201d----Plantain is held by\nastrologers to be under the rule of Venus.\n\n=PLUM.=--The Japanese, once a year, hold a popular festival in honour\nof the Plum-tree.----To dream of Plums is said to augur but little\ngood to the dreamer: they are the forerunners of ill-health, and\nprognosticate losses, infidelity, and sickness, and much vexation in\nthe married state.\n\n=POLYPODIUM.=--According to a German tradition, the _Polypodium\nvulgare_ sprang from the milk that the goddess Freyja, and after her\nthe Virgin Mary, let fall on the earth.\n\n=POMEGRANATE.=--The fruit of the Pomegranate has always been highly\nprized in the East. Rapin says of it:--\n\n  \u201cSucceeding fruit attend the blossoms\u2019 fall,\n  Each represents a crown upon a ball;\n  A thousand seeds with Tyrian scarlet dyed,\n  And ranged by nature\u2019s art in cells they hide.\u201d\n\nThe Pomegranate was one of the plants assigned to Bacchus, and the\norigin of the tree is said to be due to a nameless nymph, beloved by\nBacchus, to whom a priest had foretold that she should wear a crown.\nBacchus kept the letter, but not the spirit of this prophecy, for,\ninstead of espousing the betrayed maiden, he transformed her into a\nPomegranate-tree, and twisted up the calyx of the blossom into the\ncrown-like form it has ever since retained. Rapin relates the story as\nfollows:--\n\n  \u201cThe story\u2019s short how first this fruit obtained\n  A graceful crown, and was with purple stained.\n  A royal nymph there was of Tyrian race,\n  A Moor, indeed, but formed with every grace,\n  Her native colour knew; yet fate denied\n  Indulgence equal to her beauty\u2019s pride.\n  Filled with ambitious thoughts she pressed to know\n  What gifts the gods would on her charms bestow.\n  Ravished she heard the ambiguous priest declare\n  She should a crown and purple garments wear;\n  Fancied that hence a kingdom must arise,\n  Deceived by words and flattering prophecies.\n  For when the god of wine in triumph came,\n  Laden with Indian spoils to court the dame,\n  He soon beguiled her with a husband\u2019s name.\n  Baulked of her hopes, her virgin honour stained,\n  By favour of her god at last she gained\n  To be transformed to this imperial plant--\n  The only honour which the prophet meant.\u201d\n\nOppian gives another legend as to the origin of the Pomegranate,\naccording to which, a man having lost his first wife, became enamoured\nof his daughter Side (Greek for Pomegranate-tree): to escape his cruel\npersecution, the unfortunate young girl killed herself; but the gods,\ncompassionating her, metamorphosed Side into the Pomegranate-tree,\nand her unnatural father into a sparrow-hawk: so, according to\nOppian, the sparrow-hawk will never alight upon the Pomegranate, but\nalways persistently shuns the tree.----According to M. Lenormant,\nthe Pomegranate sprang from the blood of Adgestis. The name Rimmon\n(Pomegranate) was that given in certain parts of Syria, near Damascus,\nto the young god, who died but to spring into a new life--reminding\none of the story of Adonis.----The great number of seeds which the\nfruit of the Pomegranate contains has caused it to become the symbol of\nfecundity, generation, and wealth. Probably on this account the plant\nwas sacred to Juno, the patroness of marriage and riches. In the Isle\nof Eub\u0153a, there was formerly a statue of this goddess, holding in one\nhand a sceptre, and in the other a Pomegranate. Prof. De Gubernatis\nsuggests that the uterine form of the opened Pomegranate is the reason\nwhy Pausanias, after having said that Juno held a Pomegranate in\nher hand, adds, that she did not wish to divulge the mystery which\nappertained to this symbolic fruit. This is also the reason why\n(according to Cicero) Proserpine did not wish to leave the infernal\nregions without having eaten the Pomegranate which she plucked from a\ntree growing in the Elysian Fields. Ceres, inconsolable for the loss\nof her daughter, had begged Jupiter to release her from the power of\nPluto. Jupiter decreed that if Proserpine had not tasted any food in\nthe infernal regions, she might be restored to her mother; but, as Ovid\ntells us, by an unfortunate mischance,\n\n  \u201cAs in the garden\u2019s shady walk she strayed,\n  A fair Pomegranate charmed the simple maid,\n  Hung in her way, and tempting her to taste,\n  She plucked the fruit and took a short repast.\n  Seven times, a seed at once, she eat the food:\n  The fact Asculaphus had only viewed.\n  He saw what passed, and, by discovering all,\n  Detained the ravished nymph in cruel thrall.\u201d\n\nCeres, enraged, would not permit the earth to yield any fruits till\nher daughter was restored to her, and Jupiter at last decided that\nProserpine should spend six months of the year with her mother, but\nas she had partaken of the Stygian Pomegranate, she was to stay the\nother six months with Pluto.----A legend states that from having been\nplanted on the grave of King Eteocles, the fruit of the Pomegranate\nhas ever since exuded blood. Another account relates that the blood\nof the Pomegranate had its origin in the life-blood of the suicide\nMen\u0153ceus. On account of this blood which seems to flow from its fruit,\nthe Pomegranate has acquired a somewhat sinister signification.\nAs a rule, however, the sanguineous juice and innumerable seeds\nof the Pomegranate are considered a happy augury of fecundity and\nabundance.----There is a tradition that the fruit of the Tree of Life\npresented by Eve to Adam was the Pomegranate. It is also the opinion\nof some, that Paris adjudged a Pomegranate to Venus, and not an\nApple; and that nearly always where the latter fruit is alluded to in\nlegends or popular customs relating to marriage, the Pomegranate is\nmeant.----In Turkey, the bride throws a Pomegranate on the ground, and\nfrom the number of seeds which exude from the broken fruit judges of\nthe extent of her future family.----In Dalmatia, it is the custom for\na young man, when asking the hand of his bride from her parents, to\nspeak figuratively, and so he vows to transplant into his own garden\nthe beautiful red flowers of the Pomegranate which are then flourishing\nin the paternal parterre.----In Sicily, they use a branch of the\nPomegranate-tree as a divining-rod to discover hidden treasures: it is\nreported to be unfailing provided that it is manipulated by an expert\nor by some one who knows the mystical formulary.----Many references\nto the Pomegranate are to be found in the Bible, where it is usually\nassociated with the idea of fruitfulness. Moses described the promised\nland as a land of Wheat and Barley, and Vines, and Fig-trees, and\nPomegranates; a land of oil-Olive and honey. Solomon speaks of \u201can\norchard of Pomegranates with pleasant fruits.\u201d It was used to flavour\nwine and meats, and a wine was made from its juice: \u201cI would cause thee\nto drink of spiced wine of the juice of my Pomegranate\u201d (Canticles\nviii., 2). The Jews employed the fruit in their religious ceremonials.\nThe capitals of the pillars in the Temple of Jerusalem were covered\nwith carved Pomegranates. On the hem of Aaron\u2019s sacred robe were\nembroidered, in blue, in purple, and in scarlet, Pomegranates,\nalternating with golden bells. A similar adornment of the fringes of\ntheir robes was affected by the ancient Kings of Persia, who united\nin their own person the regal and sacerdotal offices.----In Christian\nart, the Pomegranate depicted as bursting open, and the seeds visible,\nwas an emblem of the future--of hope in immortality. St. Catherine,\nas the mystical _Sposa_ of Christ, is sometimes represented with a\nPomegranate in her hand; and the infant Saviour is often depicted\nholding this fruit and presenting it to the Virgin.----Moore speaks\nof the \u201ccharmed leaf of pure Pomegranate,\u201d in allusion to the Persian\nidea as to its purifying attributes. In the ceremonies of the Ghebers\n(fire-worshippers) round their sacred fire, the Darvo gives them water\nto drink and Pomegranate-leaf to chew in their mouth, to cleanse them\nfrom inward uncleanness.----The Pomegranate was the device of Henry\nIV., who took it from the Moorish kings of Grenada, with the motto,\n\u201cSour, yet sweet.\u201d The crown-like shape of its calyx probably induced\nAnne of Austria to adopt it, with the motto, \u201cMy worth is not in my\ncrown.\u201d The Pomegranate was the emblem of Katherine of Arragon, and\nin one of the masques held in honour of her marriage with our Henry\nVIII., a bank of Roses and Pomegranates typified the union of England\nand Spain. Her daughter, Queen Mary, took the Pomegranate and white and\nred Roses.----Parkinson tells us that from the rind of the Pomegranate\nis made writing-ink \u201cwhich is durable to the world\u2019s end.\u201d----The\nAthenian matrons, during the Thesmophoria (festivals in honour of\nCeres), were expressly forbidden to eat Pomegranates.----To dream\nof Pomegranates is a fortunate augury, foretelling good fortune and\nsuccess; to the lover such a dream implies a faithful and accomplished\nsweetheart, and to the married an increase of riches and children, and\ngreat success in trade.\n\nPOOR MAN\u2019S PARMACETTY.--See Shepherd\u2019s Purse.\n\n=POPLAR.=--In allusion to the reputed origin of this tree, Ren\u00e9 Rapin,\nin his poem on Gardens, says:--\n\n  \u201cNor must the Heliads\u2019 fate in silence pass,\n  Whose sorrow first produced the Poplar race;\n  Their tears, while at a brother\u2019s grave they mourn,\n  To golden drops of fragrant Amber turn.\u201d\n\nThe Heliades, sisters of the rash Pha\u00ebthon (who had yoked the horses\nto the chariot of the Sun before his fatal drive), on finding his tomb\nupon the banks of the river Po, became distracted with grief, and\nfor four days and nights kept mournful watch with their disconsolate\nmother around the grave. Tired out with their exhausting vigil, they\nendeavoured at length to obtain some repose for their weary limbs, when\nto their dismay they found them rooted to the ground. The gods, pitying\ntheir intense grief, had changed the seven sisters into Poplars, and\ntheir tears into Amber. Ovid thus narrates the incident:--\n\n  \u201cEach nymph in wild affliction, as she grieves,\n  Would rend her hair, but fills her hand with leaves;\n  One sees her limbs transformed, another views\n  Her arms shot out and branching into boughs,\n  And now their legs, and breasts, and bodies stood\n  Crusted with bark and hardening into wood.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n                      Then the bark increased,\n  Closed in their faces, and their words suppressed.\n      The new-made trees in tears of Amber run,\n  Which, hardened into value by the sun,\n  Distil for ever on the streams below;\n  The limpid streams their radiant treasure show,\n  Mixed in the sand; whence the rich drops conveyed\n  Shine in the dress of the bright Latian maid.\u201d--_Addison._\n\nThe species of Poplar into which the Heliades were transformed was the\nBlack Poplar (_Populus nigra_). This Poplar was consecrated to the\ngoddess Proserpine. The White Poplar was considered to be an antidote\nto the bite of a serpent, and was dedicated to Hercules, who sometimes\nwore a crown of Poplar-leaves. When the demi-god destroyed Cacus in a\ncavern on Mount Aventine, which was covered with Poplars, he bound a\nbranch of one round his brow in token of his victory. On his return\nfrom Hades, he wore a crown of Poplar-leaves, the outer portions of\nwhich were turned black by the smoke of the infernal regions, whilst\nthe inner surface was blanched by the perspiration from the hero\u2019s\nbrow. At all ceremonies and sacrifices to Hercules, his worshippers\nwore garlands of Poplar-leaves, as did those who had triumphed\nin battle, in commemoration of the demi-god\u2019s victory. Groves of\nPoplar-trees were frequently planted and dedicated to Hercules.----The\nWhite Poplar was also dedicated to Time, because its leaves were\nconstantly in motion, and, being dark on one side and light on the\nother, they were emblematic of night and day.----Of the wood of this\ntree the Romans made bucklers, on account of its lightness, and covered\nthem with ox-hides: hence, Pliny says, _Populus apta scutis_.----The\nprophet Hosea is thought to have referred to the White Poplar when\nhe accused the Children of Israel of sacrificing and burning incense\nunder Poplars \u201cbecause the shadow thereof is good\u201d (Hosea iv.)----The\nsimilarity of sound, in Latin and French, between the words for\n\u201cPoplar\u201d and \u201cPeople\u201d seems to be the reason which has led to the\ntree being regarded as a republican emblem. In the French Revolution\nof 1848, Poplars were transplanted from gardens, and set up in the\nsquares of Paris, where they were glorified as Trees of Liberty, and\nhung with wreaths of Everlasting Flowers. Napoleon III. had them all\nuprooted and burnt.----Under the head of ASPEN will be found several\nlegends respecting the quivering foliage of the _Populus tremula_--the\n\u201cQuiggen-epsy\u201d of the good folk of Ulster. Mrs. Hemans, in her \u2018Wood\nWalk,\u2019 thus alludes to one of these old traditions, in which the Cross\nof Christ is represented as having been made of the wood of this\nspecies of Poplar:--\n\n  \u201cFATHER.--Hast thou heard, my boy,\n  The peasant\u2019s legend of that quivering tree?\n\n  \u201cCHILD.--No, father; doth he say the fairies dance\n  Amidst its branches?\n\n  \u201cFATHER.--Oh! a cause more deep,\n  More solemn far, the rustic doth assign\n    To the strange restlessness of those wan leaves.\n  The Cross he deems--the blessed Cross, whereon\n  The meek Redeemer bow\u2019d His head to death--\n  Was formed of Aspen wood; and since that hour\n    Through all its race the pale tree hath sent down\n  A thrilling consciousness, a secret awe\n    Making them tremulous, when not a breeze\n  Disturbs the airy Thistle-down, or shakes\n    The light lines from the shining gossamer.\u201d\n\nAmong the Highlanders, there is a tradition that the Cross of Christ\nwas made of the wood of the White Poplar, and throughout Christendom\nthere is a belief that the tree trembles and shivers mystically in\nsympathy with the ancestral tree which became accursed.----The Greeks\nregarded the Poplar as a funereal tree. In the funeral games at\nRhodes, the victor was crowned with Poplar leaves consecrated to the\nManes.----Like several other funereal trees, the Poplar has become a\nsymbol of generation. Thus, in Bologna, at the birth of a girl, the\nparents, if able, will plant one thousand Poplar-trees, which they\nreligiously tend till the maiden marries, when they are cut down,\nand the price given as a marriage portion to the bride. Alphonse\nKarr says that a similar custom exists in certain northern countries\namong the better class of farmers.----In Sicily, and especially at\nMonterosso, near Modica, on Midsummer Eve, the people fell the highest\nPoplar, and with shouts, drag it through the village. Numbers of the\nvillagers mount the trunk during its progress, beating a drum. Around\nthis great Poplar, symbolising the greatest solar ascension and the\ndecline which follows it, the crowd dance and sing an appropriate\nrefrain.----Astrologers state that the Poplar is under the dominion of\nSaturn.\n\n=POPPY.=--The origin of the Poppy (_Papaver_) was attributed by the\nancient Greeks to Ceres, who, despairing of regaining her daughter\nProserpine, carried off by Pluto, created the flower, in order that\nby partaking of it she might obtain sleep, and thus forget her great\ngrief. Browne thus speaks of this legend:--\n\n  \u201cSleep-bringing Poppy, by the plowman late,\n  Not without cause to Ceres consecrate.\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  Fairest Proserpine was rapt away,\n  And she in plaints the night, in tears the day,\n  Had long time spent: when no high power could give her\n  Any redresse, the Poppy did relieve her:\n  For eating of the seeds, they sleep procured,\n  And so beguiled those griefs she long endured.\u201d\n\nThe ancients considered the _Papaver Rh\u00e6a_, or Corn-Rose, so necessary\nfor the prosperity of their Corn, that the seeds of this Poppy were\noffered up in the sacred rites of Ceres, whose garland was formed\nwith Barley or bearded Wheat interwoven with Poppies. The goddess is\nsometimes depicted holding Poppies in her hand. The somniferous and\nquieting effects of the Poppy, which were well known to the Greeks,\nprobably led them to represent the deities Hypnos (Sleep), Thanatos\n(Death), and Nyx (Night), either as crowned with Poppies, or holding\nPoppies in their hands.----Rapin, speaking of the effects of the Poppy\nas a narcotic, says:--\n\n  \u201cThe powerful seeds, when pressed, afford a juice.\n  In med\u2019cine famous, and of sovereign use,\n  Whether in tedious nights it charm to rest,\n  Or bind the stubborn cough and ease the lab\u2019ring breast.\u201d\n\nIt was customary with the Romans, to offer Poppies to the dead,\nespecially to those whose names they were desirous of appeasing.\nVirgil, in his \u2018Georgics,\u2019 calls the flower the Lethean Poppy, and\ndirects it to be offered as a funeral rite to Orpheus. The Grecian\nyouths and maidens were wont to prove the sincerity of their lovers\nby placing in the hollow of the palm of the left hand a petal or\nflower-leaf of the Poppy, which, on being struck with the other hand,\nwas broken with a sharp sound: this denoted true attachment; but if the\nleaf failed to snap, unfaithfulness. From Greece, this usage passed to\nRome, and finally to modern Italy, where, as well as in Switzerland, it\nis still extant.\n\n  \u201cBy a prophetic Poppy leaf I found\n  Your changed affection, for it gave no sound,\n  Though in my hand struck hollow as it lay,\n  But quickly withered like your love away.\u201d--_Theocritus._\n\nA superstitious belief exists that the red Poppies which followed the\nploughing of the field of Waterloo after Wellington\u2019s victory sprang\nfrom the blood of the troops who fell during the battle.----According\nto a Bengali legend, the origin of Opium was as follows:--There once\nlived on the banks of the holy river Ganga a Rishi, or sage, in whose\nhut, made of Palm-leaves, there was a mouse, which became a favourite\nwith the seer, and was endowed by him with the gift of speech. After\nawhile, the mouse, having been frightened by a cat, at his earnest\nsolicitation, was changed by the Rishi into a cat; then, alarmed by\ndogs, into a dog; then into an ape; then into a boar; then into an\nelephant; and finally, being still discontented with its lot, into a\nbeautiful maiden, to whom the holy sage gave the name of Postomani,\nor the Poppy-seed lady. One day, whilst tending her plants, the king\napproached the Rishi\u2019s cottage, and was invited to rest and refresh\nhimself by Postomani, who offered him some delicious fruit. The King,\nhowever, struck by the girl\u2019s beauty, refused to eat until she had told\nhim her parentage. Postomani, to deceive the king, told him she was a\nprincess whom the Rishi had found in the woods and had brought up. The\nupshot was that the king made love to the girl, and they were married\nby the holy sage. She was treated as the favourite queen, and was very\nhappy; but one day, whilst standing by a well, she turned giddy, fell\ninto the water, and died. The Rishi then appeared before the king, and\nbegged him not to give way to consuming grief, assuring him that the\nlate queen was not of royal blood. Said he: \u201cShe was born a mouse,\nand, according to her own wish, I changed her successively into a cat,\na dog, a boar, an elephant, and a lovely girl. Let her body remain\nin the well; fill up the well with earth. Out of her flesh and bones\nwill grow a tree, which shall be called after her Posto, that is, the\nPoppy-tree. From this tree will be obtained a drug called Opium, which\nwill be celebrated through all ages, and which will be either swallowed\nor smoked as a wondrous narcotic till the end of time. The Opium\nswallower or smoker will have one quality of each of the animals to\nwhich Postomani was transformed. He will be mischievous like a mouse,\nfond of milk like a cat, quarrelsome like a dog, filthy like an ape,\nsavage like a boar, and high-tempered like a queen.\u201d----According to\nastrologers, the Poppy is a flower of the Moon.\n\n=POTATO.=--Although introduced into Europe as late as 1584, the Potato\n(_Solanum tuberosum_) has been made the subject of several popular\nsuperstitions. In Birmingham and many other districts, it is believed\nthat a Potato carried in the trousers pocket is a sure charm against\nrheumatism so long as the tuber is kept there; and the Dutch believed\nthat a Potato begged or stolen is a preservation against the same\nmalady.----In Germany, they take precautions against the Potato demon\nor wolf (_Kartoffelwolf_): after the last Potatoes have been dug up,\nthe peasants dress up a puppet which they call _Erdapfelmann_, and\ncarry the figure in procession to the house of their master, where\nthey recite a doggrel verse. A luminosity, powerful enough to enable a\nbystander to read by, issues from the common Potato when in a state of\nputrefaction; this was particularly remarked by an officer on guard at\nStrasburg, who thought the barracks were on fire in consequence of the\nlight that was emitted from a cellar full of Potatoes.\n\nPRICK MADAM.--See Stonecrop.\n\nPRIEST\u2019S PINTLE.--See Arum.\n\n=PRIMROSE.=--Anciently the Primrose was called _Paralisos_, after the\nname of a handsome stripling, the son of Priapus and Flora, who died\nof grief for the loss of his betrothed Melicerta, but was snatched\nfrom the jaws of death by his parents, and metamorphosed into \u201cthe\nrathe Primrose that forsaken dies.\u201d----The name Primrose anciently\nappertained to the Daisy, and is written by Chaucer Primerole, from the\nold French _Primeverole_, the first Spring flower; Primerole became\nchanged to Primrolles, and then to Primrose, the first Rose of Spring;\nand it was not until the sixteenth century that it attached itself\nto the flower which now bears its name.----In Worcestershire, it is\nregarded as exceedingly unlucky in Spring-time to take less than a\nhandful of Primroses or Violets into a farmer\u2019s house, as a disregard\nof this rule is popularly believed to invite destruction of the good\nwife\u2019s brood of ducklings and chickens.----In East Norfolk, it is\nthought that if a less number of Primroses than thirteen be brought\ninto a house on the first occasion of introducing any, so many eggs\nonly will each goose hatch that season.----Henderson, in his \u2018Folk-lore\nof the Northern Counties,\u2019 gives the following superstitious custom:\n\u201cLet a youth or maiden pull from its stalk the flower, and after\ncutting off the tops of the stamens with a pair of scissors, lay it in\na secret place where no human eye can see it. Let him think through\nthe day and dream through the night of his sweetheart; and then, upon\nlooking at it the next day, if he find the stamens shot out to their\nformer height, success will attend him in love; if not, he can only\nexpect disappointment.\u201d----Browne tells us--\n\n  \u201cThe Primrose, when with six leaves gotten grace,\n  Maids as a true-love in their bosoms place.\u201d\n\nShakspeare makes it a funeral flower for youth:--\n\n            \u201cWith fairest flowers\n  Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele,\n  I\u2019ll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack\n  The flower that\u2019s like thy face, pale Primrose.\u201d\n\nIn recent times, the Primrose has become associated with the memory\nof Lord Beaconsfield, and a society called the \u201cPrimrose League\u201d\nhas been formed, having for its object the dissemination of those\nconstitutional principles which were so dear to the late Earl.----In\nGermany, the Primrose is called the _Schl\u00fcsselblume_, or Key-flower,\nin reference to the numerous legends of a flower opening the locks of\ndoors to treasure-caves, &c.; resembling in its magical functions the\nRussian _Rasrivtrava_, the _Eisenkraut_ (Vervain), the Fern, Mistletoe,\nHazel, Springwort, and Moonwort.----The goddess Bertha is supposed to\nentice children to enter her enchanted halls by offering them beautiful\nPrimroses.----Astrologers claim the Primrose as a herb of Venus.\n\nPROCESSION FLOWER.--See Milkwort.\n\n=PTERIS ESCULENTA.=--The New Zealand _tohunga_, or priest, professes\nthe following rite to be a cure for headache. The officiant pulls out\ntwo stalks of the _Pteris esculenta_, from which the fibres of the root\nmust be removed; and beating them together over the patient\u2019s head, he\noffers a prayer to Atua.\n\nPUCK-FIST.--See Toadstool.\n\n=PULSATILLA.=--In the Ukraine, the _Pulsatilla patens_ is called\nSontrava, the Dream-plant. It is believed by the people of the country\nthat the flowers of this plant, which blossoms in the month of April,\nif placed between the pillow and the bed, will cause the sleeper to\ndream of what will undoubtedly be accomplished.\n\n=PUMPKIN.=--Among the East Indians, there is a legend that there once\nexisted a mighty man named Ia\u00efa, whose only son died. The father wished\nto bury him, but did not know where. So he placed him in an enormous\nPumpkin, which he conveyed to the foot of a mountain, not far from his\nhabitation. Impelled by his love for the departed one, he one day had\nthe curiosity to revisit the spot, and, desirous of once again seeing\nhis son, he opened the Pumpkin. Immediately whales and other immense\nfish jumped out. Ia\u00efa, affrighted, returned home, and told what he had\nseen to his neighbours, adding that the Pumpkin appeared to be filled\nwith water and quantities of fish. Four brothers who had been born\nat one time rushed off in haste to the spot indicated, in order to\nsecure the fish for food. Ia\u00efa followed, to prevent them from injuring\nthe Pumpkin. The brothers, who had succeeded in lifting the gigantic\nvegetable, were frightened at seeing Ia\u00efa approach, and let fall the\nPumpkin, which was, in consequence, cracked in several places. From\nthe fissures thus made poured forth such a volume of water, that the\nwhole earth was inundated: and from this circumstance the oceans were\nformed.----The Chinese honour the Pumpkin or Gourd as the emperor of\nvegetables. The vegetable was considered by the ancients to be an\nemblem of abundance, fecundity, prosperity, and good health. To dream\nof Pumpkins, however, is considered a very bad omen.\n\nPURIFICATION FLOWER.--See Snowdrop.\n\n=PURSLANE.=--Purslane (_Portulaca_), strewn about a bed, used\nin olden times to be considered a sure protection against evil\nspirits.----Astrologers classify it among the herbs of the Moon.\n\n=QUINCE.=--The fruit of the Quince-tree (_Cydonia_) was consecrated\nto Venus, and was looked upon by Grecian lovers as a love token.\nAccording to Athen\u00e6us, the chariot of the goddess of Love was not only\nfilled with Myrtles and Roses, but also with Quinces, and in many\nancient effigies of the goddess, she is represented with a Quince\nin her hand. By a decree of Solon, which gave to an ancient popular\ncustom the countenance of the law, a Grecian bride, before seeking the\nnuptial couch, had to eat a Quince.----The Greeks called the Quince\n_Chrysomelon_, or Golden Apple; hence it is not surprising to find it\nasserted that the golden fruit of the Hesperides were Quinces, and that\nthese tempted Hercules to attack the guardian dragon. In confirmation\nof this opinion, a statue of the demi-god holding a Quince in his hand\nas a trophy is referred to. It is also alleged that it was by means\nof Quinces given to him by Venus, that Hippomenes beguiled Atalanta\nduring his race with her, and so won it.----It was by means of a Quince\nthat Acontius won his bride: this youth, when at Delos, to attend the\nsacrifices of Diana, fell in love with the beautiful Cydippe: fearing\nto demand her hand, on account of his obscure origin, the crafty\nlover threw into the Temple of Diana, whilst Cydippe was performing\nher devotions, a Quince, with this inscription:--\u201cI swear, by the\ndivinity of Diana, to become the wife of Acontius.\u201d The young girl,\nhaving picked up the Quince, read aloud the inscription, and, being\ncompelled by the oath she had thus inadvertently taken in the sacred\npresence of the goddess, she obtained her parents\u2019 consent to marry\nthe quick-witted Acontius.----Turner, in his \u2018Brittish Physician,\u2019\nsays that the juice of raw Quince is accounted an antidote against\ndeadly poison.----To dream of Quinces is stated to be favourable to the\ndreamer, denoting speedy release from troubles, sickness, &c.\n\n=QUICKEN-TREE.=--The Mountain Ash, Wild Service, or Rowan-tree (_Pyrus\naucuparia_), is also known by the names of the Quicken or Quick-beam,\nWitchen or Wicken, appellations which, from the Rowan-tree having been\nlong regarded as a preservative against witchcraft, some writers have\nerroneously connected with the Anglo-Saxon word _wicce_, a witch.\nEvelyn calls this tree the Quick-beam, and says that in Wales it is\nplanted in every churchyard, and that \u201con a certain day in the year\neverybody religiously wears a cross made of the wood, and it is reputed\nto be a preservative against fascination and evil spirits, whence\nperhaps we call it _Witchen_; the boughs being stuck about the house,\nor the wood used for walking-staves.\u201d (See ROWAN).\n\n=RADISH.=--The Germans have given to a species of wild Radish bearing\nblue flowers the name of _Hederich_, and they have an old superstition\nthat whoever wears a crown composed of Hederich is enabled to detect\nwitches. A wreath of Hederich is sometimes placed on cows before\nleaving their stalls to be milked, in order to protect them from the\neffect of the Evil Eye.----In England, to dream of Radishes signifies\nthe discovery of secrets, domestic quarrels, and misfortune.----In\nGermany, they call a certain evil spirit, or Geni of the mountain,\n_R\u00fcbezahl_, the Counter of Radishes; and the legend relates that on\none occasion this Geni took advantage of the absence of her lover to\npay his odious addresses to a young princess, whom he kept confined\nin her castle. As the princess expressed a desire for companions, the\nGeni gathered some Radishes, which she touched with a magic wand, and\nchanged into young girls, who, however, only remained young so long\nas the Radishes retained their juice. Then the Geni gave her some\nfresh Radishes, one of which, on being touched with the magic wand,\nbecame a bee. The princess, who was jealously guarded by the Geni,\nsent off the bee as a messenger to her lover, to inform him that she\nwas in the Geni\u2019s power. The bee did not return. She touched a second,\nwhich became a cricket, and despatched it in search of her lover. The\ncricket never returned. Then the princess desired the Geni to count\nthe Radishes, and he, to please her, did so. Whilst so occupied, the\nprincess touched one of the Radishes with her wand, and it became a\nhorse. In an instant, she sprang on its back, and rode away at full\nspeed; and fortunately meeting her lover, they both escaped together.\n\n=RAGGED ROBIN.=--The Ragged Robin, Cuckoo Flower, Meadow Campion, or\nMeadow Pink (_Lychnis Flos cuculi_) owes the first of these names to\nthe finely-cut but ragged appearance of its petals. It is dedicated to\nSt. Barnabas.\n\n=RAG-WEED.=--The large Rag-weed (_Senecio Jacob\u00e6a_) has a traditional\nreputation of having been employed by witches as horses when they\ntook their midnight rides.----To the south of the famed Logan Rock\non the Cornish coast is a high peak of granite known as the Castle\nPeak, which is locally reputed to have been for ages the midnight\nrendezvous for witches; and thither, according to tradition, witches\nwere constantly seen flying on moonlight nights, mounted on the stems\nof the Rag-weed, and carrying with them the things necessary to make\ntheir charms potent and strong. The Rag-weeds or worts were also called\nStagger-worts because they were found effectual to cure the staggers\nin horses. Hence these plants were dedicated to St. James, the patron\nof horses, and are still known as St. James\u2019s Worts; they also blossom\nabout this great warrior and pilgrim saint\u2019s day, July 25th. This\nconnection of the plant with horses probably explains the tradition of\nits having been employed as the witches\u2019 steed.\n\nRAMP.--See Arum.\n\n=RAMPION.=--The Rampion (_Campanula Rapunculus_) was considered by\nthe ancients as a funereal vegetable or root. In the temple of Apollo\nat Delphi, the esculent roots of the Rampion were highly esteemed\nas appropriate food, and were carried on golden plates. Among the\nItalians, there exists an old superstition that the possession of a\nRampion engenders among children a quarrelsome disposition, and excites\ntheir anger to such a degree, that unless checked, murder would result.\nHence, in ancient dream-books, a dream in which the Rampion is seen is\ninterpreted as a sure sign of an impending quarrel.\n\n=RANUNCULUS.=--The name Ranunculus (which is the diminutive of _rana_,\na frog) was applied by the Latins to this species of plants because\nthey were observed to grow in places frequented by frogs.----Rapin\ntells us that the flower was originally a young Libyan noted for his\nsweet voice:--\n\n  \u201cRanunculus, who with melodious strains\n  Once charmed the ravished nymphs on Libyan plains,\n  Now boasts through verdant fields his rich attire,\n  Whose love-sick look betrays a secret fire;\n  Himself his song beguiled and seized his mind\n  With pleasing flames for other hearts designed.\u201d\n\nThe Latin herbalists also called the plant _Strumea_, because it was\nused as a remedy for a complaint similar to the King\u2019s-evil, termed\n_Strum\u00e6_. With one of the species of Ranunculus the ancients were wont\nto poison the points of their arrows.----The Buttercup, also known\nas King\u2019s Cup, Gold Cup, Gold Knobs, Leopard\u2019s Foot, and Cuckoo-bud,\nbelongs to the Ranunculus family.----The Crowfoot or Crowflower\n(the _Coronopus_ of Dioscorides) is also a Ranunculus: this plant\npossesses the power of raising blisters on the skin, and is employed\nby mendicants to raise wounds on their limbs, in order to excite\nsympathy. Cattle generally refuse the acrid Crowfoot (_R. acris_), but\nif they perchance eat it, it will blister their mouths. The Illyrian\nCrowfoot (_R. Illyricus_), Gerarde tells us, is thought to be the\n_Gelotophyllis_ mentioned by Pliny (Book xxiv.), \u201cwhich being drunk,\nsaith he, with wine and Myrrhe, causeth a man to see divers strange\nsights, and not to cease laughing till he hath drunk Pine-apple kernels\nwith Pepper in wine of the Date-tree (I think he would have said until\nhe be dead), because the nature of laughing Crowfoot is thought to\nkill laughing, but without doubt the thing is clean contrary, for\nit causeth such convulsions, crampe, and wringings of the mouth and\njaws, that it hath seemed to some that the parties have died laughing,\nwhereas, in truth, they have died in great torment.\u201d----The Double\nCrowfoot, or Bachelor\u2019s Buttons, used formerly to be called St.\nAnthony\u2019s Turnip, because of its round bulbous root: this root was\nreputed to be very efficacious in curing the plague, if applied to the\npart affected. According to Apuleius, it was a sure cure for lunacy,\nif hung round the neck of the patient, in a linen cloth, \u201cin the wane\nof the Moon, when the sign shall be in the first degree of Taurus or\nScorpio.\u201d----The Persian Ranunculus is the Ranunculus of the garden.\nThe Turks cultivated it under the name of _Tarobolos Catamarlale_,\nfor several ages before it was known in other parts of Europe. Their\naccount of its introduction is, that a Vizier, named Cara Mustapha,\nfirst noticed among the herbage of the fields this hitherto neglected\nflower, and decorated the garden of the Seraglio with it. The flower\nattracted the notice of the Sultan, upon which he caused it to be\nbrought from all parts of the East where varieties could be found.\nThis collection of Ranunculus flowers was carefully preserved in the\nSeraglio gardens alone, and only through bribery did at last some few\nroots find their way into other parts of Europe.----Astrologers hold\nthe Ranunculus to be under the rule of Mars.\n\n_RASRIVTRAVA._--The Rasrivtrava is the Russian name of a plant which\nhas magical powers, enabling it to fracture chains and break open\nlocks,--properties which appertain also to the _Primula veris_ or Key\nof the Spring, to the _Eisenkraut_ or Vervain, the Mistletoe, the\nLunary or Moonwort, the Springwort, the Fern, and the Hazel. The word\n_Rasrivtrava_ means literally the \u201cPlant that Opens.\u201d\n\n=RASPBERRY.=--Formerly the Raspberry was very generally known as the\nHindberry; and this name is still retained in some counties.----It is\nthought that to dream of Raspberries betokens success, happiness in\nmarriage, fidelity in a sweetheart, and good news from abroad.\n\n=REED.=--King Midas is said to have expressed the opinion that the\nReed-pipes of the god Pan produced better music than the lyre of\nApollo. The offended god in consequence changed the king\u2019s ears to\nthose of an ass. Midas concealed his deformity as long as he was able;\nbut at length a barber discovered his secret, and being unable to keep\nit, and at the same time dreading the king\u2019s resentment, he dug a hole\nin the earth, and after whispering therein, \u201cKing Midas has the ears\nof an ass,\u201d he covered up the hole, and in it, as he hoped, the words\ndivulging the secret. But on that spot grew a number of Reeds, and\nwhen they were agitated by the wind, instead of merely rustling, they\nrepeated the buried words--\u201cKing Midas has the ears of an ass.\u201d--Cato\ntells us the Roman country folks, when they had broken an arm or a leg,\nsplit a Reed, and applied it, with certain precautions, to the wounded\npart, accompanying the operation with a rustic incantation, such as the\nfollowing:--\n\n  \u201c_Huat, hanat huat,\n  Ista pista sista,\n  Damiabo damnaustra._\u201d\n\nA Devonshire charm for the thrush is:--Take three Reeds from any\nrunning stream, and pass them separately through the mouth of the\ninfant; then plunge the Reeds again into the stream, and as the current\nbears them away, so will the thrush depart from the child.----From the\nReed (_Calamus_) the first pen was invented, and of Reeds arrows were\nmade. The root of _Calamus aromaticus_ was highly esteemed in eastern\ncountries: thus we read in Gerarde\u2019s \u2018Herbal,\u2019 that \u201cthe Turks at\nConstantinople take it fasting, in the morning, against the contagion\nof the corrupt aire; and the Tartars have it in such esteeme, that\nthey will not drinke water unlesse they have first steeped some of\nthe root therein.\u201d----In the Ukraine, is current a version of the\ntradition alluded to under the head of OATS. In this version, the Reed\nbelongs to the Devil, and has, in fact, been his habitation since\nthe days of Jesus Christ. One day, having met the Saviour, he prayed\nHim to give to him as his portion the Oats and Buckwheat, because,\nafter having assisted the Almighty to create the world, he had never\nreceived for himself any consideration. The Saviour consented, and\nthe Devil was so delighted, that he skipped off without even thanking\nhis benefactor. The wolf met him, and seeing him so elated, asked him\nwhy he was jumping and skipping about? This question confused the\nDevil, who, instead of replying \u201cbecause God has given me the Oats and\nBuckwheat,\u201d said: \u201cI am skipping because God has given me the Reed and\nthe Sow-thistle.\u201d From that time, it is said, the Devil never could\nrecollect the present that God had made him, but always imagined that\nit was the Reed and the Sow-thistle.----According to English dream\noracles, for the slumberer to see Reeds betokens mischief between him\nand his friends.\n\n=REED-MACE.=--The Bulrush, or Cat\u2019s-Tail (_Typha latifolia_), has\nacquired the name of Reed-Mace from the fact that Rubens and the early\nItalian painters, in their _Ecce Homo_ pictures, depict the Saviour as\nholding in His hands this Reed as a mace or sceptre. The Reed-Mace is,\non certain days, put by Catholics into the hands of statues of Christ.\n\nRESURRECTION-FLOWER.--See Rose of Jericho.\n\n=RHAMNUS.=--The _Rhamnus Spina Christi_, or Syrian Christ\u2019s Thorn, has\nacquired that name because it is supposed by many to have supplied the\ncrown of Thorns at our Saviour\u2019s crucifixion. An English species,\n_Rhamnus Paliurus_, is also called by Miller _Spina Christi_. (See\nTHORN and BUCKTHORN.)\n\n=RICE.=--Among Orientals, Rice is esteemed the symbol of life,\ngeneration, and abundance. The Dyaks of Borneo and the Karens of\nBurmah look upon it as a divinity, and address prayers to it to ensure\na good harvest. In Siam, Rice and honey are offered to trees before\nthey are felled.----Rice plays an important part in the marriage\nceremonies of India. At the altar, the bride is three times approached\nby her friends, who on each occasion place Rice in her hands. They\nalso scatter Rice on the head of the bridegroom. On the last day of\nthe nuptial ceremonies, the bride and bridegroom together offer the\nsacrifice of Soma, during which they throw in the fire Rice moistened\nwith butter. The Brahmans, when performing the marriage rites, after\nhaving recited a variety of prayers, consecrate the union of the\ncouple by throwing a handful of Saffron mixed with the flour of Rice\non their shoulders. Offerings of Rice and Saffron are made by married\nwomen in India to obtain healthy children, and to procure from the\ndivinity exemption from the maladies of their sex. On the birth of a\nson, the Brahman father, after having banished the females from the\napartment, takes the infant and places on its head Rice coloured red:\nthis is done in order to avert the Evil Eye. Another method is to\nenvelope small portions of Rice in cloths marked with the names of\nwomen suspected of being witches, and to place the whole in a nest of\nwhite ants. Should the ants devour the Rice in any of these mystic\nbundles, the charge of sorcery is thereby established against the woman\nwhose name it bears. Young girls desirous of husbands offer dressed\nRice to the gods. At the consecration of a Brahmanic disciple, the\nfather of the candidate carries in his hands a cup filled with Rice,\nand the assistants, after the bath, cover the candidate with Rice. Rice\nis employed in many of the Hindu sacrifices and religious ceremonies,\nand is regarded as sacred: no one would touch it without having first\nmade his ablutions. At the time of sowing it, certain ceremonies are\nsolemnly observed.----In China, during the Spring Festival of the\nFire, the priests of Tao march round the brasier, carrying a basket\nfilled with Rice and salt, of which from time to time they cast a\nhandful into the fire, to conjure the flame and to obtain an abundant\nharvest.----A Japanese legend relates that in ancient times the Bonzes\n(priests) of Nikko, like the other natives, lived solely on herbs and\nroots, not knowing any other kind of nourishment. One day, however, a\nBonze observed a mouse hiding some Rice and other grains in a corner.\nHe could not understand where the mouse could have obtained it, so he\nset a trap, and having caught the little creature, he tied to one of\nits hind legs a silken thread; and then, holding the other end of the\nthread in his hand, he set the mouse free, and determined to follow\nwherever it should run. The mouse led the priest into a remote and\nunknown land, where Rice grew in abundance. The Bonze learnt how\nto cultivate it, and speedily introduced it into his own country,\nwhere it proved such a blessing, that the inhabitants worshipped the\nmouse as a god, under the name of Daikoku-sama. From that day the\nmouse has been held sacred by the Japanese poor, and its effigy is\nfound suspended in many of their houses as a fetish.----Among the\nArabs, Rice is considered as a sacred food, and tradition runs that\nit first sprang from a drop of perspiration which fell from Mahomet\nin Paradise. Another tradition current among the Arabs is, that the\nnational dish, composed of a mixture of Rice with other ingredients,\nand called Kuskussu, was revealed to Mahomet by the angel Gabriel\nhimself.----The Bushmen of Central Africa have the following legend\nconcerning Rice:--A pretty woman having eaten a certain Bushman-rice,\ncalled \u201cant\u2019s-egg,\u201d became transformed into a lioness; but after the\nspell was broken by reason of her little sister and her brothers also\neating this particular Rice, she regained her original form, and from\nthat day detested the Bushman-rice. This beautiful woman is supposed to\nhave been the wife of the star called Heart of the Dawn.----In England,\nthe Oriental practice of employing Rice at wedding festivities has\nof late become very general; and it is customary for showers of Rice\nto be thrown after the bride and bridegroom, as the happy pair quit\nthe bride\u2019s home; this is thought to promote their success and future\nhappiness.----According to a work on the subject, to dream of eating\nRice denotes abundance of instruction.\n\n=ROCKET.=--This is a name given to several different plants the most\nnoted of which are the London Rocket (_Sisymbrium Irio_) and the\nDame\u2019s, or Garden Rocket (_Hesperis matronalis_). The former plant is\nsaid to have first appeared in the metropolis in the Spring succeeding\nthe Great Fire of London, when young Rockets were seen everywhere\nspringing up among the ruins, where they increased so marvellously,\nthat in the Summer the enormous crop crowding over the surface of\nLondon created the greatest astonishment and wonder.----The Garden\nRocket (_Hesperis_) boasts of many other old-fashioned names:--Dame\u2019s\nViolet, Damask Violet, Queen\u2019s Gilliflower, Rogue\u2019s Gilliflower,\nWinter Gilliflower, and Close Sciences (originally Close Sciney).\nIt is the _Cassolette_ (smelling-bottle), _Julienne_, and _la\nJuliana_ of the French; and the _Bella Giulia_ and _Giuliana_ of the\nItalians.----According to Pliny, as quoted by Gerarde, \u201cwhosoever\ntaketh the seed of Rocket before he be whipt, shall be so hardened\nthat he shall easily endure the paines.\u201d Turner remarks that all sorts\nof Rockets, but especially the seed, quicken nature and excite the\npassions; the seed he recommends as efficacious \u201cagainst the bitings\nof the shrew-mouse and other venomous beasts.\u201d Moreover, if mixed\nwith vinegar, it is stated to remove freckles and pimples from the\nface.----Rocket is held to be under the dominion of Mars.\n\nROGATION-FLOWER.--See Gang-Flower and Milkwort.\n\nROOT OF THE HOLY GHOST.--See Angelica.\n\n=ROSE.=--It is worthy of notice how little the name of the Rose\nvaries amongst different nations. The Greeks call it _Rodon_, the\nLatins _Rosa_ (a form adhered to by Italians, Russians, Spaniards,\nand Portuguese), the English, French, Germans, and Danes, _Rose_, the\nPoles _Roza_, the Dutch _Roos_, and the Swedes _Ros_. Roses embellish\nthe whole earth, and are natives of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America;\nNature having apparently, in this generous distribution, designed to\noffer these flowers to all people, as the type of grace and beauty. The\norigin of the queen of flowers is told us by the Jesuit poet Rapin,\naccording to whose verse--\n\n  \u201cShe was a Grecian born, gave Corinth laws,\n  And fame proclaimed her worth with such applause,\n  That youthful rivals for her favour strove,\n  And high-born kings were suppliants for her love.\u201d\n\nOf her numerous suitors, Brias, Orcas, and Halesus, a warrior, were the\nprincipal. Provoked at their importunities, she haughtily bade them\n\u201cfrom arms and not entreaties seek a bride;\u201d and then, to rid herself\nof them, she entered the temple of Apollo and Diana with her father and\npeople. The lovers, not to be denied, combined in an attack upon the\ntemple gates, and the excitement of the combat so enhanced the maiden\u2019s\nbeauty, that the people shouted, \u201cLet Rhodanthe be a goddess, and let\nthe image of Diana give place to her!\u201d Rhodanthe being therefore placed\nupon the shrine, Ph\u0153bus, Diana\u2019s brother, became so incensed at the\ninsult to his sister, that he turned his scorching rays against the\nwould-be goddess, who bitterly repented that she had ever appeared a\ndeity; for--\n\n  \u201cFast in the shrine her foot takes hold and cleaves,\n  Her arms stretch\u2019d out are cover\u2019d o\u2019er with leaves;\n  Tho\u2019 chang\u2019d into a flower, her pomp remains,\n  And lovely still, and still a queen she reigns.\n  The crowd for their offence this doom abide.\n  Shrunk into thorns to guard her beauty\u2019s pride.\u201d\n\nHer too ardent lovers were transformed respectively into a worm, a\ndrone, and a butterfly.\n\nThis account bears a general resemblance to the legend recounted by Sir\nJohn Maundevile, who visited Bethlehem in the fourteenth century, and\nfound there the field Floridus, wherein, he tells us, a fair maiden\nwho had been unjustly accused of wrong was doomed to be burned; and,\nafter praying devoutly to God that, inasmuch as she was not guilty, He\nwould help her, and make her innocence known to all men, \u201cshe entered\nthe fire, and immediately the fire was extinguished, and the faggots\nthat were burning became red Rose-bushes full of Roses, and those that\nremained unkindled became white Rose-bushes; and these were the first\nRose-trees and Roses, both white and red, that ever any man saw.\u201d\n\u201cThus,\u201d concludes Sir John, \u201cwas this mayden saved be the grace of\nGod. And therfore is that feld clept the Feld of God florysscht: for it\nwas fulle of Roses.\u201d Southey, in his poem on the Rose, has commemorated\nthis old story in the following lines:--\n\n                              \u201cThe stake\n  Branches and buds, and spreading its green leaves,\n  Embowers and canopies the fair maid,\n  Who there stands glorified; and Roses, then\n  First seen on earth since Paradise was lost,\n  Profusely blossom round her, white and red.\n  In all their rich variety of hues.\u201d\n\nAccording to a Roumanian tradition, the Rose was originally a young and\nbeauteous princess, who, while bathing in the sea, so dazzled the Sun\nwith the radiance of her loveliness, that he stood still to gaze upon\nher, and covered her with kisses. Then for three days he forgot his\nduty, and obstructed the progress of night. Since that day the Lord of\nthe Universe has changed the princess into a Rose, and this is why the\nRose always hangs her head and blushes when the Sun gazes on her.\n\nAnacreon gives the following poetic account of the origin of the Rose,\nconnecting it with the goddess of love and beauty:--\n\n  \u201cOh! whence could such a plant have sprung?\n  Attend, for thus the tale is sung:\n  When, humid from the silvery stream,\n  Effusing beauty\u2019s warmest beam,\n  Venus appeared, in flushing hues,\n  Mellowed by ocean\u2019s briny dews;\n  When, in the starry courts above,\n  The pregnant brain of mighty Jove\n  Disclosed the nymph of azure glance,\n  The nymph who shakes the martial lance;\n  Then, then, in strange eventful hour,\n  The earth produced an infant flower,\n  Which sprung with blushing tinctures drest,\n  And wantoned o\u2019er its parent\u2019s breast.\n  The gods beheld this brilliant birth,\n  And hailed the Rose, the boon of earth.\u201d--_Moore._\n\nBion describes the Rose as springing from the blood of the slain\nAdonis; and the Mahometans have a legend that it was produced from a\ndrop of perspiration which fell from the brow of Mahomet.\n\nRelative to the colour of the Rose, we find a number of stories left us\nby the ancients. Catullus tells us, that the Rose is red from blushing\nfor the wound it inflicted on the foot of Venus as she hastened to the\nassistance of Adonis; Claudian, when Venus plucks a Rose, says it is\nin remembrance of Adonis; an ancient epigram mentions her wishing to\ndefend Adonis from Mars, when\n\n  \u201cHer step she fixes on the cruel thorns;\n  And with her blood the pallid Rose adorns.\u201d\n\nAnacreon tells us that the flower was dyed with nectar by the gods:--\n\n  \u201cWith nectar drops, a ruby tide,\n  The sweetly orient buds they dyed\n  And bade them bloom--the flowers divine\n  Of Him who sheds the teeming Vine.\u201d--_Moore._\n\nStill another legend is to the effect that Cupid, whilst leading a\ndance in heaven, stumbled and overset a bowl of nectar, which, falling\nupon the earth, stained the Rose.\n\nThe Rose--the flower of love, poetry, and beauty--was specially\ndedicated to Venus, who is sometimes represented crowned with Roses,\nand sometimes with a sceptre terminated with that flower. One of the\nThree Graces--the attendants of Venus--usually carried a Rose in her\nhand. Cupid is often depicted crowned with Roses, and the chaplet of\nHymen consisted generally of Marjoram or Roses, which latter flowers\nwere used in his feasts. The Thracians crowned Bacchus (Sabazius) with\nRoses, and, in the vicinity of Pang\u00e6us, held a feast called _Rosalia_.\nIn the procession of the Corybantes, the goddess Cybele was pelted with\nwhite Roses.\n\nThe Rose was a domestic flower sedulously cultivated by the ancients,\nbut especially by the Romans. It is said to have early flourished\nat Rhodes, and possibly gave its name to that island. The Roses of\nCampania, Miletus, Pr\u00e6neste, Malta, Cyrene, and Sybaris were all\nnoted; but especially celebrated were those of P\u00e6stum: to this day the\ninsignia of P\u00e6stum--a Syren holding a Rose--remains sculptured on the\nruined arch of one of its gates.\n\nAmong the ancients, it was customary to crown brides and bridegrooms\nwith a chaplet of red and white Roses. The Roman bride was decorated\nwith a wreath of Roses and Myrtle. The shrines of the gods and of\nillustrious men in Rome were surmounted with wreaths of Roses. The\ntriumphal arches were adorned with these flowers, and garlands of Roses\nwere thrown into the chariots. At the public games, wreaths of Roses\nwere presented to the senators, and sometimes to the performers and\nspectators. At the private entertainments of the ancients, the guests\nwore wreaths of blooming Roses. The Romans thought to impart additional\nrelish to their feasts by the aid of the fragrance of the Rose. Pacutus\nrelates that \u201ceven in the time of the Republic, people were not\nsatisfied unless the cup of Falernian wine were swimming with Roses.\u201d\nThe Spartan soldiers, after the battle of Cirrha, were so fastidious as\nto refuse wine that was not perfumed with Roses. At the famed regatta\nof Bai\u00e6, the whole surface of the Lucrine Lake used to be strewn with\nthese flowers. At some of his banquets, Nero caused showers of Roses\nto be rained down upon his guests from apertures in the ceiling.\nHeliogabalus carried this practice to such an absurd extent, as to\ncause the suffocation of some of his guests, who could not extricate\nthemselves from the heap of flowers. Cleopatra, in the entertainment\nshe gave in honour of Antony, spent an immense sum in Roses, with which\nshe had the floor of the banqueting chamber covered to the depth of an\nell, and over the flowers a thin net was drawn. The Romans were at\ngreat expense to procure Roses in the Winter. Suetonius affirms that\nNero spent upwards of four million sesterces (about \u00a330,000) for Roses,\nat one supper. Horace, alluding to this custom, says: \u201cSeek not for\nlate-blowing Roses; I ask no other crown than simple Myrtle.\u201d In those\ndays, Rose-wine was celebrated, and we learn that Heliogabalus was wont\nto indulge largely in this drink, and bathed himself in it. He even\ncaused a large swimming-bath to be filled with the costly liquid.\n\nMilto, a fair young maiden, of obscure birth, was wont to deposit every\nmorning garlands of fresh flowers in the temple of Venus, as she was\ntoo poor to make costlier offerings. Her rare beauty was once in danger\nof being destroyed by a tumour which grew on her chin, but in a dream\nshe one night beheld the goddess, who told her to apply to it some of\nthe Roses from her altar. Milto obeyed; the tumour soon disappeared,\nand she grew more lovely than ever; eventually attracting the notice of\nthe younger Cyrus, whose favourite wife she became. From that time the\nmedicinal properties of the Rose met with general recognition, and the\nflower formed the basis of many lotions.\n\nIn classical times, the Rose was regarded as the emblem of joy, and\nComus, the god of feasting, is represented as wearing a garland of\nbedewed Roses. As, during the intoxication of mirth, the mouth is apt\nto run over when the heart is full, the ancients feigned that Cupid\npresented a Rose to Harpocrates, the grave god of silence, as a bribe\nnot to betray the amours of Venus. The flower thus became a symbol of\nsecrecy and silence, and as such, a Rose was formerly suspended over\nthe guest table, that the sight of it might remind the guests that the\nconversation should not be repeated elsewhere. More recently, a Rose\nwas painted on the ceiling of dining-rooms, and in our own time the\nplaster ornament in the centre of the ceiling is still called a Rose.\nThis custom gave rise to the saying \u201cUnder the Rose\u201d--an injunction of\nsecrecy. Hence it fell out that the Jacobins adopted the white Rose as\na political symbol of the Pretender, since his adherents were compelled\nto help him \u201cunder the Rose.\u201d\n\nThe Rose held an important place in early ecclesiastical history. As\nan emblem of love and beauty, the queen of flowers was especially\ndedicated by the Romish Church to the Virgin Mary: she is the Rose\nof Sharon, the Mystic Rose (_Rosa mystica_), as well as the Lily of\nthe Valley. In old Italian paintings of the Madonna, a plantation,\ngarden, or hedge of Roses is often introduced, enclosing the principal\nfigure. In medi\u00e6val days, the Rose had a Sunday of its own at Rome,\nand the reigning Pope officiated at the ceremony of the blessing of\nthe Golden Rose upon Mid-Lent Sunday. A Golden Rose is, even in our\nown enlightened times, annually blessed by the Pope and sent as a mark\nof signal pontifical favour to some royal personage. Ecclesiastical\ntradition affirms that Roses and Lilies were found in the tomb of the\nVirgin Mary after her assumption into heaven, and Roses were conveyed\nby St. Dorothy, at the instance of Theophilus, from the heavenly\ngarden. Roses replaced the alms of Elizabeth of Hungary, when her apron\nwas rudely torn from her grasp by those who shared not her charitable\nzeal for the poor. A legend of the twelfth century, quoted in a German\nwork by Wolf, relates how Iosbert, a pious monk, having fallen dead,\nwhilst worshipping at a shrine of the Virgin Mary (in honour of whom he\nhad been accustomed to recite five psalms every day), there sprang from\nhis mouth, from his eyes, and from his ears, five Roses. The bishop, on\nhis arrival, plucked one of the miraculous flowers, and solemnly placed\nit upon the altar. No sooner had he done so, however, than the other\nfour Roses instantly faded away. In old paintings of the saints, Roses\nare sometimes introduced in allusion to the saint\u2019s name. St. Rosalia,\nof Palermo, St. Rosa di Viterbo, St. Rosa di Lima, all wear the crown\nof Roses, or it is presented by an angel. The last-named saint, who is\nthe patroness of America, was canonised by Clement X. According to the\nPeruvian legend, the pope, when entreated to canonise her, absolutely\nrefused, exclaiming: \u201cIndian and saint! as likely as that it should\nrain Roses!\u201d whereupon a miraculous shower of Roses began to fall in\nthe Vatican, and ceased not until the incredulous pontiff acknowledged\nhimself convinced of her sanctity. A legend of St. Francis of Assisi\nrelates that as the saint was one day shivering in his cell, in the\ndepth of Winter, a demon whispered in his ear suggestions of ease and\nluxury. He repelled the temptations by going out and rolling himself in\nthe snow on a heap of Thorns. From the Thorns sprinkled with his blood\nsprang Roses of Paradise, which he piously offered up to Christ and the\nMadonna.\n\nThe Rosary was introduced by St. Dominick, in commemoration of his\nhaving been shown a chaplet of Roses by the blessed Virgin. It\nconsisted formerly of a string of beads made of Rose-leaves tightly\npressed into round moulds, when real Roses were not strung together.\nThe use of a chaplet of beads as a minute of the number of prayers\nrecited is of Eastern origin, and dates from the time of the Egyptian\nanchorites. Beads were also used by the Benedictines, and are to this\nday in use among Mahometan devotees. St. Dominick invented a novel\narrangement of the chaplet, and dedicated it to the honour and glory of\nthe Virgin Mary. A complete Rosary consists of fifteen large and 150\nsmall beads, the former representing the number of _Paternosters_, the\nlatter the number of _Ave-Marias_. The Indian Buddhists use a Rosary\nof 99 beads: the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists one of 108 beads,\ncorresponding to the daily prayers offered against the 108 possible\nsins.\n\nIn the sixth century, St. M\u00e9dard, Bishop of Noyon, France, instituted a\nfestival at Salency, his birth-place, for adjudging a prize to the girl\nwho should be acknowledged the most amiable, modest, and beautiful.\nThe prize consisted of a simple crown of Roses, and the founder of\nthe festival had the gratification of crowning his own sister as the\nfirst Rose Queen of Salency, in which obscure village this pleasant\ninstitution still exists. At the present time, however, the _Rosi\u00e8re_\nhas a douceur of three hundred francs presented to her. Of late years\nthe institution of the _Rosi\u00e8re_ has been introduced into this country\nby a Roman Catholic priest who labours in the east of London. The\nAcademy of Floral Games at Toulouse, founded in 1322, and still in\nexistence, was wont to give a Rose as a prize for the best poem. From\n1288 to 1589 the French dukes and peers of all degrees were obliged\nin the Spring which followed their nomination to present a tribute of\nRoses to Parliament.\n\nThe association of the flower with our own country dates from a very\nearly period; and we find Pliny doubting whether the name Albion\nreferred to the white cliffs of our island or the white Roses which\ngrew there in abundance. In Edward the Third\u2019s reign a gold coin was\nstruck called the \u201cRose noble,\u201d which bore the figure of a Rose on one\nof its faces. As the badge of the rival houses of York and Lancaster,\nthe flower became celebrated in English history--the White Rose being\nthe hereditary cognisance of the house of York, and the Red Rose that\nof Lancaster. Shakspeare (in Henry VI.) represents the feud between the\ntwo houses as having originated in the Temple Gardens, where after a\nfierce altercation, Warwick addresses Plantagenet thus:--\n\n          \u201cIn signal of my love to thee,\n  Will I upon thy party wear this Rose:\n  And here I prophesy, this brawl to-day,\n  Grown to this faction in the Temple Garden,\n  Shall send, between the Red Rose and the White\n  A thousands souls to death and deadly night.\u201d\n\nLike the Gilliflower, the Rose was occasionally taken as a quit-rent;\nthus we find in 1576 that the then Bishop of Ely granted to Sir\nChristopher Hatton the greater portion of Ely House, Holborn, for\na term of twenty-one years, on consideration of the tenant paying\nannually a red Rose for the garden and gate-house, and giving the\nBishop free access to the gardens, with the right of gathering twenty\nbushels of Roses every year.\n\nIn the East, the Rose is an object of peculiar esteem. The Oriental\npoets have united the beauteous Rose with the melodious nightingale;\nand the flower is fabled to have burst forth from its bud at the song\nof the warbler of the night. The poet Jami says--\u201cYou may place a\nhandful of fragrant herbs and flowers before the nightingale; yet he\nwishes not in his constant heart for more than the sweet breath of his\nbeloved Rose.\u201d\n\n          \u201cThough rich the spot\n  With every flower this earth has got,\n  What is it to the nightingale,\n  If there his darling Rose is not?\u201d--_Moore._\n\nPersia is the veritable land of Roses: nowhere does the queen of\nflowers reign in such glorious majesty. Zoroaster himself, the apostle\nof the Persians, and the introducer of the worship of the sacred fire,\nis connected in a legend with the Rose. An astrologer having predicted\nthe birth of a child who would dethrone the King of Babylon, the\nmonarch at once gave orders for the assassination of all women who\nwere about to become mothers. Thousands were slain; but one gave birth\nsecretly to the future prophet. This having come to the King\u2019s ear,\nhe sent for the child, and tried to kill him with his own hand, but\nhis arm was withered on the spot. Alarmed, and furious with rage, he\nhad the babe placed on a lighted stake, but the burning pile changed\ninto a bed of Roses, on which the little one lay quietly sleeping.\nSome persons present saved a portion of the fire, which has been kept\nup to the present day in memory of this great miracle. The king made\ntwo other attempts to destroy Zoroaster, but his temerity was punished\nmiraculously by a gnat, which entered his ear and caused his death. A\nfestival is held in Persia, called the Feast of the Roses, which lasts\nthe whole time they are in bloom.\n\n  \u201cAnd all is ecstacy, for now\n  The valley holds its feast of Roses;\n  That joyous time, when pleasures pour,\n  Profusely round, and in their shower\n  Hearts open, like the season\u2019s Rose,--\n  The flowret of a hundred leaves,\n  Expanding while the dew-fall flows,\n  And every leaf its balm receives!\u201d--_Moore\u2019s \u2018Lalla Rookh.\u2019_\n\nPelting with Roses is still common in Persia during the time of the\nblooming of the flowers. A band of young musicians repair to the places\nof public entertainment to amuse the guests, and on their way through\nthe streets they pelt the passengers whom they meet with Roses. The\nPersians regard the _Rosa centifolia_ as the flower of an archangel.\nZoroaster affirmed that the Rose was free from thorns until the\nentrance into the world of Ahrimanes (the evil spirit).\n\nThe \u201cbed of Roses\u201d is not altogether a poetic fiction. In ancient\ndays, the Sybarites used to sleep upon mattresses that were stuffed\nwith Rose-leaves. A similar luxury was afterwards indulged in, both in\nGreece and Rome. Men would sit at their meals upon cushions, and sleep\nby night on beds of Roses. The tyrant Dionysius had couches stuffed\nwith Roses, on which he lounged at his revels. Verres used to travel on\na litter reclining on a mattress stuffed with Roses. He wore, moreover,\ngarlands of Roses round his head and neck, and had Rose-leaves\nintertwined in a thin net, which was drawn over the litter. It was a\nfavourite luxury of Antiochus to sleep in a tent of gold and silver on\na mattress stuffed with Roses.\n\nThe Indians have a tradition respecting the discovery of the mode of\npreparing the far-famed Attar of Roses, a perfume perhaps unrivalled\nin its refreshing qualities. To gratify the voluptuous Jehanghir,\nhis favourite sultana is said to have had the royal bath in the\npalace garden filled with Rose-water. The action of the sun speedily\nconcentrated the oleaginous particles floating on the surface, and\nthe careful attendant, fearing lest the Rose-water should have become\ncorrupt, hastened to skim it in order to remove the oily flakes. The\nglobules burst whilst this operation was being performed, and emitted\nsuch an exquisite odour, that the idea of preparing the delicious\nattar was at once suggested. Avicenna, an Arabian doctor of the tenth\ncentury, was the first to extract from Roses their fragrant perfume by\ndistillation. He selected the _Rosa centifolia_ for his experiments,\nand succeeded in producing the delicious liquid known as Rose-water,\nwhich is held in such repute in the East, that when a stranger enters a\nhouse, it is considered a mark of distinction and welcome to sprinkle\nhim over with Rose-water. When Saladin entered Jerusalem in 1187, he\nhad the floor and walls of Omar\u2019s mosque entirely washed with this\ndelicate perfume.\n\nAt all times, in all countries, Roses have been employed for planting\nand strewing upon graves. The dying Antony begged Cleopatra to scatter\nperfumes on his tomb and cover it with Roses; and both Greeks and\nRomans were desirous of having their graves bedecked every year with\nthe fragrant flowers. So religiously did they observe the practice of\nplanting Roses round graves, that they annexed codicils to their wills,\nas appears by an old inscription at Ravenna, and another at Milan, by\nwhich Roses are ordered to be yearly strewed upon the graves. In the\nGerman portions of Switzerland, churchyards are called \u201cRose gardens.\u201d\nA Rose is sculptured on the tombs of maidens in Turkey. In Poland, the\ncoffins of little children are covered with Roses, and Roses are thrown\nfrom the windows as the funeral procession passes along the streets.\nIn the South of England, a chaplet of white Roses is borne before the\ncorpse of a maiden, by a young girl of the same age as the deceased,\nand afterwards hung up over her accustomed seat in church. In South\nWales, and in many parts of England, it was formerly customary to strew\nRoses and plant Rose-trees on graves, and, indeed, the custom is still\nextant. Camden says that at Ockley, in Surrey, the custom of planting\nRose-trees on graves had been observed \u201ctime out of mind.\u201d\n\nThe Rose is one of the plants used for love divinations on Midsummer\nEve. In Cornwall, Devon, and other counties, if a young lady will, on\nMidsummer Eve, walk backwards into the garden, and pluck a Rose, she\nis reputed to have the means of knowing who is to be her husband. The\nRose must be cautiously sewn up in a paper bag, and put aside in a dark\ndrawer, there to remain until Christmas morning, when the bag must be\ncarefully opened in silence, and the Rose placed by the lady in her\nbosom. Thus she must wear it to church. Some young man will either\nask her for the Rose or take it from her without asking; and that\nyoung man is destined eventually to become the lady\u2019s husband. Herrick\nprobably refers to this charm in the \u2018Hesperides,\u2019 when, in allusion to\na bride, he says:--\n\n  \u201cShe must no more a-maying,\n  Or by Rosebuds divine\n  Who\u2019ll be her Valentine.\u201d\n\nThere is a curious old divination rite to be employed on the 27th\nof June, according to which maidens are enjoined on that morning to\ngather secretly a full-blown Rose, between three and four o\u2019clock. The\nflower is then to be held for about five minutes over the smoke of a\nchafing-dish containing some brimstone and charcoal; then, before the\nRose gets cool, it is to be placed on a sheet of paper, on which is\ninscribed the maiden\u2019s name and that of the swain she loves, together\nwith the date of the year, and the name of the morning star. This\npaper, having been folded and thrice sealed, is to be buried at the\nfoot of the Rose-tree from which the flower was plucked, and allowed\nto remain there until the 6th of July, when it is to be taken up,\nand placed beneath the maiden\u2019s pillow, with the result that, before\nmorning, she will, in a dream, have her fate revealed. The Rose is\nutilised as a love-charm in Thuringia; there a maid who has several\nlovers will name a Rose-leaf after each, and then scatter them upon the\nwater; that which sinks the last representing her future husband.\n\nIt was a common belief formerly, that when Roses or Violets flourished\nin Autumn, there would be a plague or some pestiferous disease during\nthe ensuing year. Lord Bacon points out that a profusion of Roses in\ntheir season predicts a severe Winter, and the belief is still extant.\n\n  \u201cThe Thorns and Briars, vermilion hue,\n    Now full of Hips and Haws are seen;\n  If village prophecies be true,\n    They prove that Winter will be keen.\u201d\n\nA writer in the _Gardener\u2019s Chronicle_ tells us, that \u201cin some parts of\nGermany it is customary to throw Rose-leaves on a coal-fire as a means\nof ensuring good luck. In Germany, as well as in France and Italy, it\nis believed that if a drop of one\u2019s blood be buried under a Rose-tree,\nit will ensure rosy cheeks. The Rose is also associated in Westphalia\nwith a charm against nose-bleeding and other h\u00e6morrhages. This charm\nconsists in the repetition of the words: \u2018In Christ\u2019s Garden stand\nthree Roses, one for the good God, the other for God\u2019s blood, the third\nfor the angel Gabriel: blood, I pray you, cease to flow.\u2019 In Suabia,\nit is somewhat different: \u2018On our Lord\u2019s grave spring three Roses; the\nfirst is Hope, the second is Patience, the third is the will of God:\nblood, I pray you be still.\u2019\u201d\n\nStrangely enough, the Rose has the reputation of being a death portent.\nIn England, it is on that account deemed very unlucky to scatter the\nleaves of a red Rose on the ground. In Italy, this flower is deemed an\nemblem of an early death; and it is thought an evil omen if its leaves\nperchance fall to the ground. In Ireland, there is a legend of a sick\nman who saw a Rose pass across the panes of the window of his room: it\nwas a death warning, and the man died. Roses not only act as portents\nof death, but in some cases they spring up as memorials of the dead.\nThus, at Roncevalles, where Roland and the _douze pairs_ stained the\nsoil with their blood, Roses are popularly believed to have sprung up:--\n\n  \u201cWhen Roland brave and Olivier,\n  And every paladin and peer,\n  On Roncevalles died.\u201d\n\nAnd again, in our own country, a tradition relates that after the\nbattle of Towton, there sprang up in the field where the Yorkists and\nLancastrians fell, a peculiar kind of wild Rose, only there to be\nfound, and which will not bear being transplanted from \u201cthe bloody\nmeadow.\u201d\n\n  \u201cThere still wild Roses growing,\n    Frail tokens of the fray;\n  And the hedgerow green bears witness\n    Of Towton field that day.\u201d\n\nA white Provins Rose was the emblem of the Stuarts upon the accession\nof the Duke of York to the throne of England as James II. It was\nsaid to come into flower on the 10th of June, a day interesting to\nJacobites, as being the birthday of the Chevalier St. George.\n\n  \u201cOf all the days that\u2019s in the year,\n  The tenth of June I love most dear,\n  When sweet White Roses do appear,\n  For the sake of James the Rover.\u201d\n\nUnder the title of _Roisin dubh_, the \u201cLittle Black Rose,\u201d we find\nIreland symbolised in a song composed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.\n\n  \u201cThere\u2019s no flower that e\u2019er bloomed can my Rose excel,\n  There\u2019s no tongue that e\u2019er moved half my love can tell.\n  Had I strength, had I skill the wide world to subdue,\n  Oh, the queen of that wide world should be Roisin dubh!\u201d\n\nDream oracles tell us that nothing can be more favourable than to\ndream of Roses, as they are certain emblems of happiness, prosperity,\nand long life. To a lover, they foretell he will marry the object of\nhis choice, and that happiness and joy will result from the union.\nTo the farmer and sailor, the appearance of these flowers in a dream\nis said to predict great prosperity and ultimate independence. To\ndream of withered Roses, however, is ominous of decay of fortune and\ndisappointment.\n\nAstrologers state that red Roses are under the government of Jupiter,\nDamask Roses under Venus, and white Roses under the rule of the Moon.\n\n=ROSE-BRIAR.=--The Rose-briar, or _Rosa canina_, according to\ntradition, is the plant from which was formed the crown of Thorns\nplaced on our Saviour\u2019s brow at the Crucifixion. It has attached to\nit the legend that when the sacred drops of blood trickling from the\nwounded Saviour fell to the ground, they blossomed into Roses.\n\n  \u201cMen saw the Thorns on Jesus\u2019 brow,\n  But angels saw the Roses.\u201d\n\nThe Wild, or Dog, Rose, it has also been supposed, composed the thicket\nin which Abraham caught the ram, as well as the bush in the midst of\nwhich the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, and\nfrom which God addressed him. It is probably the plant alluded to in\nthe prophecy of Isaiah concerning the desolation of Jerusalem (v.,\n6): \u201cI will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or digged; but there\nshall come up Briars and Thorns.\u201d Chandler tells us that he saw no\nother tree nor shrub within the walls of the Holy City when he visited\nit.----The Rose-briar is connected with an incident in the life of St.\nBenedict. This godly man, in his early life, lived for three years a\nsolitary existence among the rocks of Subiaco, a wilderness forty miles\nfrom Rome. During this time he underwent many temptations, and on one\noccasion was so disturbed by the recollection of a beautiful woman whom\nhe had seen in Rome, that he was well-nigh quitting his retreat and\nreturning to the city. He felt, however, that the temptation proceeded\nfrom the devil, and, tormented by his distracting desires, he rushed\nfrom his cave, and flinging himself into a thicket of Briars, he rolled\nhimself in them until the blood flowed freely from his lacerated flesh;\nthen the fiends left him, and he was never again assailed by the same\ntemptation. In the garden of the monastery at Subiaco they show the\nRose-bushes which have been propagated from those very briars.\n\n=ROSEMARY.=--_Rosmarinus_, the botanical name of Rosemary, signifies\nthe \u201cdew of the sea,\u201d and has been applied to the plant on account of\nits fondness for the sea-shore. Formerly it was called _Rosmarinus\ncoronarius_ because of its use in chaplets and garlands, with which\nthe principal guests at feasts were crowned. In place of more costly\nincense, the ancients often employed Rosemary in their religious\nceremonies, and especially at funeral rites. The Romans ornamented\ntheir Lares, or household gods, with this plant, and at the Palilia,\nor festival held in honour of Pales, the purification of the flocks\nwas made with the smoke of Rosemary. But the plant is essentially\nfunereal in its character: its aroma serves to preserve the corpse of\nthe departed, and its leaves, ever green, symbolise immortality: hence,\nlike the Asphodel and Mallow, it was frequently planted near tombs:--\n\n    \u201cCome funeral flower! who lov\u2019st to dwell,\n  With the pale corse in lonely tomb,\n  And throw across the desert gloom\n    A sweet decaying smell.\u201d--_Kirke White._\n\nIn the Northern counties, mourners at funerals often carry a branch\nof Rosemary, and it is still customary in some rural districts to\ndistribute sprigs of the plant at funerals, in order that those\nattending may cast them into the grave. Gay refers to this custom in\nhis \u2018Shepherd\u2019s Week\u2019:--\n\n  \u201cSprigg\u2019d Rosemary the lads and lasses bore,\n  While dismally the parson walked before.\n  Upon her grave the Rosemary they threw,\n  The Daisy, Butter-flower, and Endive blue.\u201d\n\nSprigs of Rosemary were, however, in olden times, worn at weddings, as\nwell as at funerals. Herrick says:--\n\n  \u201cGrow for two ends, it matters not at all,\n  Be\u2019t for my bridal or my burial.\u201d\n\nShakspeare and others of our old poets make frequent mention of\nRosemary as an emblem of remembrance, and as being worn at weddings,\npossibly to signify the fidelity of the lovers. Thus Ophelia says:--\n\n  \u201cThere\u2019s Rosemary for you, that\u2019s for remembrance;\n      pray you, love, remember.\u201d\n\nSprigs of Rosemary mingled in the coronal which bound the hair of the\nunfortunate Anne of Cleves on the occasion of her nuptials with King\nHenry VIII. In olden times, Rosemary garlanded the wassail bowl, and at\nChristmas the dish of roast beef, decked with Rosemary and Bays, was\nushered in with the carol beginning--\n\n  \u201cThe boar\u2019s head in hand bring I,\n  With garlands gay and Rosemary.\u201d\n\nThe silvery foliage of this favourite plant mingled well with the\nHolly, Mistletoe, and Bays employed in decking rooms, &c., at\nChristmas-tide--a custom which may perhaps be accounted for by a\nSpanish tradition that the Rosemary (like the Juniper in other legends)\nafforded shelter and protection to the Virgin Mary during her flight\nwith the infant Saviour into Egypt. The plant is said to flower on\nthe day of the Passion of our Lord because the Virgin Mary spread on\na shrub of Rosemary the under linen and little frocks of the infant\nJesus; and according to tradition, it brings happiness on those\nfamilies who employ it in perfuming the house on Christmas night.----In\nGermany, there exists a curious custom of demanding presents from\nwomen on Good Friday, at the same time striking them with a branch of\nRosemary or Fir.----It is a common saying in Sicily, that Rosemary is\nthe favourite plant of the fairies, and that the young fairies, under\nthe guise of snakes, lie concealed under its branches.----In the rural\ndistricts of Portugal, it is called _Alecrim_, a word of Scandinavian\norigin (_Ellegrim_), signifying Elfin-plant.----Rosemary occupied\na prominent place in monastic gardens, on account of its curative\nproperties, and in Queen Elizabeth\u2019s time, its silvery foliage grew\nall over the walls of the gardens at Hampton Court. Now-a-days the\nplant is rarely seen out of the kitchen garden, and indeed a common\nsaying has arisen that \u201cRosemary only grows where the mistress is\nmaster.\u201d The plant was formerly held in high estimation as a \u201ccomforter\nof the brain,\u201d and a strengthener of the memory. In England, Rosemary\nworn about the body is said to strengthen the memory, and to afford\nsuccessful assistance to the wearer in anything he may undertake.----In\nan ancient Italian recipe, the flowers of Rosemary, Rue, Sage,\nMarjoram, Fennel, Quince, &c., are recommended for the preservation of\nyouth. In Bologna, there is an old belief that the flowers of Rosemary,\nif placed in contact with the skin, and especially, with the heart,\ngive gaiety and sprightliness. Spirit of wine distilled from Rosemary\nproduces the true Hungary water. By many persons Rosemary is used as\ntea for headaches and nervous disorders.----An Italian legend, given\nin the _Mythologie des Plantes_, tells that a certain queen, who was\nchildless, one day, whilst walking in the palace gardens, was troubled\nwith a feeling of envy whilst contemplating a vigorous Rosemary-bush,\nbecause of its numerous branches and offshoots. Strange to relate, she\nafterwards gave birth to a Rosemary-bush, which she planted in a pot\nand carefully supplied with milk four times a day. The king of Spain,\nnephew of the queen, having stolen this pot of Rosemary, sustained\nit with goat\u2019s milk. One day, whilst playing on the flute, he saw to\nhis astonishment a beautiful princess emerge from the Rosemary-bush.\nCaptivated by her beauty, he fell desperately in love with this strange\nvisitor; but being obliged to depart to fight for his country, he\ncommended the Rosemary-bush to the special care of his head gardener.\nIn his absence, his sisters one day amused themselves by playing on the\nking\u2019s flute, and forthwith the beautiful princess emerged once more\nfrom the Rosemary. The king\u2019s sisters, tormented by jealousy, struck\nher; the princess forthwith vanished, the Rosemary began to droop,\nand the gardener, afraid of the king\u2019s wrath, fled into the woods. At\nthe midnight hour, he heard a dragon talking to its mate, and telling\nher the story of the mystic Rosemary-bush. The dragon let fall the\nfact, that if the Rosemary was to be restored, it could only be by\nbeing fed or sprinkled with dragons\u2019 blood: no sooner did the gardener\nhear this, than he fell upon the male and female dragons, slew them,\nand carrying off some of their blood, applied it to the roots of the\nking\u2019s Rosemary. So the spell was broken: the king returned, and soon\nafter married the charming Princess Rosa Marina.----A curious charm, or\ndream-divination, is still extant in which Rosemary plays an important\npart; the mode of procedure is as follows:--On the eve of St. Magdalen,\nthree maidens, under the age of twenty-one, are to assemble in an upper\nroom, and between them prepare a potion, consisting of wine, rum, gin,\nvinegar, and water, in a ground-glass vessel. Into this each maid is\nthen to dip a sprig of Rosemary, and fasten it in her bosom; and after\ntaking three sips of the potion, the three maids are silently to go to\nsleep in the same bed. As a result, the dreams of each will reveal\ntheir destiny. Another elaborate spell for effecting the same result on\nthe first of July, consists in the gathering of a sprig of Rosemary, a\nred Rose, a white Rose, a blue flower, a yellow flower, nine blades of\nlong Grass, and a sprig of Rue, all of which are to be bound together\nwith a lock of the maiden\u2019s hair who wishes to work the spell. This\nnosegay is to be sprinkled with the blood of a white pigeon and some\nsalt, and laid beneath the maid\u2019s head when she retires to rest. Her\ndreams will then portend her fate.----Rosemary is deemed a herb of the\nSun.\n\n=ROSE OF JERICHO.=--From the Casa Nuova Convent of Jerusalem pilgrims\nbring away little dried-up plants, which after a time appear to be\nquite dead, but if they are placed in water their branches will\nsoon be covered with fresh bursting buds. These are the Roses of\nJericho, or Resurrection Flowers, which grow among the sands of Egypt,\nPalestine, and Syria, and are also found in Barbary. The _Anastatica\nHierochuntina_ is cruciform; and when its flowers and leaves have\nwithered and fallen off, the branches as they dry curl inwards, and\nform a round mass, thence called a Rose. The roots die; the winds tear\nthe plant up, and blow it about the sands till it lodges in a moist\nspot, or is wetted with the rain; then the curled-up globe expands, and\nsuffers the seeds to escape from the seed vessel in which they were\nenclosed, and becoming embedded in the sands, they germinate anew;\nhence its name _Anastatica_--Resurrection. The Holy Rose of Jericho is\nregarded with peculiar reverence in Palestine and other places in the\nEast, and is supposed to be the plant alluded to in Ecclesiasticus: \u201cI\nwas ... as a Rose-plant in Jericho.\u201d The Arabs call this plant _Kaf\nMaryam_ (_i.e._, Mary\u2019s hand); it is also known as _Rosa-Mari\u00e6_ (Rose\nof the Virgin). The pilgrims to the Holy Sepulchre fancied it sprang\nup wherever the Holy Family rested in their flight into the Egypt, and\ncalled it the _Rosa Hierosolymitana_. There is a cherished legend that\nit first blossomed at our Saviour\u2019s birth, closed at the crucifixion,\nand opened again at Easter, whence its name of Resurrection Flower.\nThe tradition that it blossomed at the moment when our Lord was born,\nand was endowed with qualities propitious to nativity, caused the\nplant to be greatly esteemed by the Eastern women, who, when occasion\nrequires, are anxious to have one of these dried plants expanding in a\nvase of water beside them, firmly believing it has a salutary effect.\nIn like manner, the matrons of Bologna, who call the plant the Rose of\nthe Madonna, believe in its efficacy at the birth of children. They\nplace the plant in water at the bedside with the conviction that at the\nmoment when it has fully expanded itself the expected infant will first\nsee the light.----In Germany, a similar belief exists, and the Rose of\nJericho is called (after its Arabic name) Mary\u2019s Hand, in allusion to\nthe office assigned to the Madonna of patroness of matrons.\n\n=ROSE OF SHARON.=--The Hebrew word rendered in Canticles ii., 1, and\nIsaiah xxxv., 1, as \u201cRose,\u201d is thought by some to signify \u201cTulip.\u201d\nInterpreters, indeed vary between Rose, Lily, Narcissus, and Tulip;\nso that it is impossible to say with any certainty what flower we are\nto understand by the Rose of Sharon. According to travellers, the\nNarcissus, or Jonquil (_Narcissus Jonquila_), grows abundantly on the\nplain of Sharon, yet so low that it may be unobserved among more showy\nplants; and again we find it stated that, in the season, the plain is\nliterally covered with Tulips. Though Palestine abounds in flowers, it\nis doubtful whether the Rose of our gardens is alluded to in the Bible.\nIn the Apocrypha (Wisdom xi., 8), it may, perhaps, be intended, but\nmore probably the Oleander is there referred to.\n\n=ROWAN-TREE, or MOUNTAIN-ASH.=--The Mountain Ash (_Pyrus Aucuparia_),\ncalled also by the old names of Rodden, Rowan-tree, Quicken-tree, and\nWitchen-tree, is a tree of good omen. In Scandinavian mythology, it\nis Thor\u2019s Helper, because it bent to his grasp when he was crossing\nthe river Vimur, on his way to the land of the Frost Giants. The wood\nof the Rowan was also used to preserve the Norse ships from Ran, who\ndelighted in drowning mariners. The Rowan is generally considered to\nhave been one of the sacred trees of the Druids. Stumps of the Mountain\nAsh have frequently been found within or near the circle of a Druid\ntemple, thus proving that the tree must have been an object of great\nveneration with the Druids, who doubtless practised their sacred rites\nbeneath its shade. This connection of the tree with Druidic customs\naffords some explanation of the many superstitious ideas appertaining\nto the Mountain Ash which are still extant. Lightfoot tells us that\nthe Rowan-tree is discovered in the Druidic circles of North Britain\nmore frequently than any other, and that even now pieces of it are\ncarried about by superstitious people as charms to protect them from\nwitchcraft. Like the Indian Mimosa (a tree of the same genus and of a\nsimilar character), or the Palasa, which it resembles in its graceful\nfoliage and berries, the Mountain Ash has for ages been held in high\nrepute as a preservative against magic and sorceries. Thus we find in\nJamieson\u2019s \u2018Scottish Dictionary,\u2019 that \u201cthe most approved charm against\ncantrips and spells was a branch of the Rowan-tree planted and placed\nover the byre. This sacred tree cannot be removed by unholy fingers.\u201d\nThe Scotch peasantry considered the Rowan a complete antidote against\nthe effects of witchcraft and the Evil Eye, and, in consequence, a twig\nof it was very commonly carried in the pocket; but that it might have\ncomplete efficacy, it was necessary that it should be accompanied by\nthe following couplet, written on paper, wrapped round the wood and\nsecured by a red silk thread:--\n\n  \u201cRowan Ash and red thread\n  Keep the devils frae their speed.\u201d\n\nAnother version of this charm renders it thus:--\n\n  \u201cRoan-tree and red thread,\n  Haud the witches a\u2019 in dread.\u201d\n\nPennant remarks that the Scotch farmers carefully preserve their cattle\nagainst witchcraft by placing branches of Honeysuckle and Mountain\nAsh in the cowhouses on the 2nd of May; the milkmaids of Westmoreland\noften carry in their hands or attached to their milking-pails a branch\nof the Rowan-tree, from a similar superstitious belief; the dairymaids\nof Lancashire prefer a churn-staff of Rowan-wood to that of any other\ntree, as it saves the butter from evil influences; and in the North of\nEngland a branch of \u201cWiggin\u201d (Mountain Ash) is frequently hung up in\nstables, it being deemed a most efficacious charm against witchcraft.\nFormerly, in some parts of the country, it was considered that a branch\nor twig held up in the presence of a witch was sufficient to render\nher deadliest wishes of no avail.----In an ancient song, called the\n\u201cLaidly Worm of Spindlestone Heughs\u201d is an allusion to this power of\nthe Rowan-tree over witches:--\n\n  \u201cTheir spells were vain; the hags return\u2019d\n    To the queen in sorrowful mood,\n  Crying that witches have no power\n    Where there is Roan-tree wood.\u201d\n\nIn Cornwall, the Mountain Ash is called \u201cCare,\u201d and if there is a\nsuspicion of a cow being bewitched or subjected to the Evil Eye, the\nherdsmen will suspend a branch over her stall, or twine it round\nher horns. Evelyn says that the Mountain Ash was reputed to be a\npreservative against fascination and evil spirits, \u201cwhence, perhaps,\nwe call it \u2018Witchen;\u2019 the boughs being stuck about the door or used\nfor walking-staves.\u201d In Wales, this tree was considered so sacred in\nhis time, that there was not, he tells us, a churchyard without one\nof them planted in it.----At the present time, in Montgomeryshire, it\nis customary to rest the corpse on its way to the churchyard under a\nMountain Ash, as that tree is credited with having furnished the wood\nof the Cross.----In olden times, collars of the wood of the Rowan-tree\nwere put upon the necks of cattle, in order to protect them from spells\nor witchcraft. In many parts of England, it was formerly the custom in\ncases of the death of animals supposed to be bewitched, to take out the\nheart of one of the victims, stick it over with pins, and burn it to a\ncinder over a fire composed of the wood of a Rowan-tree, which, as we\nhave seen, has always been considered a terror and dread to witches.\n\n  \u201cBlack luggie, lammer bead,\n  Rowan-tree and red thread,\n  Put the witches to their speed.\u201d\n\nA witch touched with a branch of this sacred tree by a christened\nman was deemed doomed to be the victim carried off by the Devil,\nwhen he next came to claim his tribute.----Like the Hazel, Thorn,\nand Mistletoe, it was deemed, according to Aryan tradition, to be\nan embodiment of the lightning, from which it sprang, and was,\nmoreover, thought to possess the magical power of discovering hidden\ntreasure.----In the days of the Fenians, according to the Gaelic\nlegend, of \u2018The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne,\u2019 there grew in Ireland\na celebrated Mountain Ash, called the Quicken-tree of Dubhros, which\nbore some wonderful berries. The legend informs us that, \u201cThere is in\nevery berry of them the exhilaration of wine, and the satisfying of old\nmead, and whoever shall eat three berries of them, has he completed\na hundred years, he will return to the age of thirty years.\u201d These\nfamed berries of the Quicken-tree of Dubhros were jealously guarded by\none Searbhan Lochlannach, \u201ca giant, hideous and foul to behold,\u201d who\nwould allow no one to pluck them: he was, however, slain by Diarmuid\nO\u2019Duibhne, and the berries placed at the disposal of his wife Grainne,\nwho had incited her husband to obtain them for her.----At Modrufell,\non the north coast of Ireland, is or was a large Rowan, always on\nChristmas Eve stuck full of torches, which no wind could possibly\nextinguish; and one of the Orkneys possessed a still more mysterious\ntree with which the fate of the islands was bound up, since, if a leaf\nwas carried away, they would pass to some foreign lord.\n\n=RUDR\u00c2KSHA.=--De Gubernatis tells us, that _Rudr\u00e2ksha_, which means\nliterally the Eye of Rudra (Siva), or the Tear of Rudra, is a name\ngiven, in India, to the fruit of the _Eleocarpus_, of which the natives\nmanufacture their Rosaries, which are specially used in the worship\nof the god Siva. It is said that during the war of the gods with the\nAsuras, or demons, Siva burnt three towns; but he was grieved, and wept\nwent he was told that he had also burnt the inhabitants. From the tears\nhe then shed, and which fell to the earth, sprang the climbing plants\nwhose fruits are to this day called by the faithful, _Rudr\u00e2kshas_.\n\n=RUE.=--It has been conjectured that the Moly, which, according to\nHomer, Mercury gave to Ulysses as an antidote to the enchantress\nCirce\u2019s beverage, was the root of the wild Rue. In olden times, Rue\n(_Ruta graveolens_) was called Herb of Grace, from the fact that the\nword _rue_ means also \u201crepentance,\u201d which is needful to obtain the\ngrace of God. It was also known as the Serving-men\u2019s Joy, but was\nspecially held in high repute by women, who attributed to it all sorts\nof miraculous qualities. R. Turner states that \u201cit preserves chastity,\nbeing eaten; it quickeneth the sight, stirs up the spirits, and\nsharpeneth the wit.... It is an excellent antidote against poisons and\ninfections; the very smell thereof is a preservation against the plague\nin the time of infection.\u201d Its virtues as a disinfectant are noted in\nthe quaint rhyme of old Tusser:--\n\n  \u201cWhat savour is better, if physicke be true,\n  For places infected, than Wormwood and Rue?\u201d\n\nDioscorides recommended the seed as a counterpoison against deadly\nmedicines, the bitings of serpents, scorpions, wasps, &c.: and Gerarde\nadds, \u201cIt is reported that if a man bee anointed with the juice of Rue,\nthese will not hurt him, and that the serpent is driven away at the\nsmell thereof when it is burned: insomuch that when the weasell is to\nfight with the serpent, shee armeth her selfe by eating Rue, against\nthe might of the serpent.\u201d----The famous counter-poison of Mithridates,\nKing of Pontus, was composed of twenty leaves of Rue, two Figs, two\nWalnuts, twenty Juniper-berries, and a little salt. Rue entered into\nthe composition of the once noted \u201cvinegar of the four thieves.\u201d It\nis said that four thieves, during the Plague of Marseilles, invented\nthis anti-pestilential vinegar, by means of which they entered infected\nhouses without danger, and stole all property worth removing. Piperno,\na Neapolitan physician, in 1625, recommended Rue as a specific against\nepilepsy and vertigo: it sufficed for the patient to suspend some round\nhis neck, renouncing at the time, in a stated formula, the devil and\nall his works, and invoking the Lord Jesus. This same doctor advocated\nthe employment of Rue to cure dumbness caused by enchantment.----In\nEngland, Rue was thought to be efficacious in the cure of madness.\nDrayton gives the magic potion:--\n\n  \u201cThen sprinkled she the juice of Rue\n  With nine drops of the midnight dew\n  From Lunarie distilling.\u201d\n\nIn combination with Euphrasy, the herb appears to have been considered\npotent as an eye lotion.\n\n  \u201cThen purged with Euphrasy and Rue\n  The visual nerve, for he had much to see.\u201d--_Milton._\n\nIn olden times, there was a tradition that Rue always throve best\nwhen stolen from a neighbour\u2019s garden; and it was popularly believed\nthat the gun-flint boiled in Vervain and Rue ensured the shot\ntaking effect.----In Venice, Rue is kept as a charm in a house,\nto maintain its good fortune; but it is reserved for the single\nmembers of the family; with it goes the luck of the house. When a\nplant cannot be procured, care is taken that at least a sprig is\nworn by some one between the stocking and leg.----In some parts of\nItaly, Rue is considered to be a protection against the Evil Eye\nand witchcraft.----In the Tyrol, anyone bearing a bundle of herbs,\ncomprising Rue, Broom, Maiden-hair, Agrimony, and Ground Ivy, is\nenabled to see witches.----Astrologers claim Rue as a herb of the Sun,\nunder Leo.\n\n=RUSH.=--The sea-nymph Galatea was devotedly attached to Acis, a young\nshepherd of Sicily, who warmly returned her affection. Unfortunately\nGalatea was passionately loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus, whom she\ntreated with the greatest disdain. One day the Cyclops surprised the\nlovers who fled from his jealous wrath. The giant, however, hurled a\nmass of broken rock after Acis, and a fragment striking him, he was\ncrushed to death. Galatea, inconsolable for the loss of her lover,\ndetermined to change him into a stream. The blood of the mangled\nshepherd issuing from the fragment of rock which had overwhelmed him\ngradually changed into flowing water. Simultaneously\n\n  \u201cThe stone was cleft, and through the yawning chink\n  New Reeds arose on the new river\u2019s brink;\n  The rock from out its hollow womb disclosed\n  A sound like water in its course opposed.\n  When (wondrous to behold) full in the flood\n  Up starts a youth, and navel-high he stood.\n  Horns from his temples rise; and either horn\n  Thick wreaths of Reeds (his native growth) adorn.\u201d\n\nThe Flowering-rush (_Butomus umbellatus_) is considered to be the plant\nwhich sprang from the blood of Acis. The ancients knew it under name of\nthe _Juncus floridus_, and Gerarde calls it the water Gladiole.----The\nflower now known as Acis is a dwarf Amaryllid.----In olden times,\nbefore carpets were known, it was usual to strew the floor with sweet\nRushes, which diffused a fragrance. When William the Conqueror was\nborn in Normandy, where that custom prevailed, at the very moment when\nthe infant first saw the light and touched the ground, he filled both\nhands with the Rushes strewn on the floor, firmly grasping what he\nhad taken up. This was regarded as a propitious omen, and the persons\npresent declared the boy would become a king. This custom of strewing\nsweet Rushes was in vogue during Elizabeth\u2019s reign, for we find several\nallusions to it in Shakspeare\u2019s plays. Cardinal Wolsey, when in the\nzenith of his power, had the strewings of his great hall at Hampton\nCourt renewed every day. It was customary formerly to strew Rushes on\nthe floors of Churches on the Feast of Dedication, and on all high\ndays. Till recently the floor of Norwich Cathedral was strewn with\n_Acorus Calamus_ on feast days, or, if the _Acorus_ was scarce, then\nwith yellow Iris-leaves. At the Church of St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol,\nRushes are strewn every Whitsuntide.----In Yorkshire, Cheshire, and\nWestmoreland, the old custom of Rush-bearing is observed, which\napparently had for its origin the ancient practice of carrying Rushes\nto adorn the Church on the Feast of Dedication. The following account\nof a Rush-bearing at Ambleside is taken from \u2018Time\u2019s Telescope,\u2019 for\n1824:--\u201cJuly 26, 1823.--On this and the following day, the antient\ncustom of Rush-bearing took place at Ambleside. At seven o\u2019clock on\nSaturday evening, a party of about forty young girls went in procession\nto the Church, preceded by a band of music. Each of the girls bore in\nher hands the usual Rush-bearings, the origin and signification of\nwhich have so long puzzled the researches of our antiquarians. These\nelegant little trophies were disposed in the Church, round the pulpit,\nreading-desk, pews, &c., and had a really beautiful and imposing\neffect. They thus remained during the Sunday, till the service was\nfinished in the afternoon, when a similar procession was formed to\nconvey these trophies home again. We understand that formerly, in\nsome parts of Lancashire, a similar ceremony prevailed, under the\nsame designation, in which the Rush-bearings were made in the form\nof females, with a fanciful rosette for the head; and on looking at\nthese in Ambleside, some faint resemblance of the female form may be\ntraced in the outline. No satisfactory explanation of this ceremony\nhas ever yet been given: the attempt at one is, that it is a remnant\nof an antient custom, which formerly prevailed, of strewing the\nchurch-floors with Rushes to preserve the feet from damp; but we cannot\nperceive what resemblance there is between the practice of strewing\nthe church with Rushes, and the trophies which are now carried from\ntime immemorial.\u201d----To dream of Rushes portends unpleasantness between\nfriends.\n\n=RYE.=--The Rye-fields are thought by the superstitious German\npeasantry to be infested by an evil spirit known as the _Roggenwolf_,\nor Rye-wolf, and in some districts the last sheaf of Rye is left as a\nshelter for this field demon during the winter.----In Germany, when a\nhorse is tired, the peasantry will place on his back some crumbs of Rye\nbread, with a sure conviction that his fatigue will vanish.\n\n=SAD TREE.=--The Indian Sad Tree (_Nyctanthes Arbor-tristis_) is a\nspecies of Jasmine whose sweet-smelling flowers open at sunset and\nfall at sunrise, so that it is unadorned during the day, and has\nthus obtained the name of the Sad Tree. Its flowers, which resemble\nOrange-blossoms, are much used in temples.----Thunberg relates that\nthe ladies of Batavia, when in the evening they pay visits to one\nanother, are decorated in a particular manner about the head with a\nwreath of flowers of the Nyctanthes, run upon a thread. \u201cThese flowers\nare brought every day fresh to town for sale. The smell of them is\ninconceivably delightful, like that of Orange and Lemon-flowers: the\nwhole house is filled with the fragrant scent, enhancing, if possible,\nthe charms of the ladies\u2019 company.\u201d----At Goa, this flower is called\nParizataco, a name given to it from the following circumstances:--A\ngovernor, named Parizatacos, had a beautiful daughter, who inspired\nthe Sun with passionate love; but after a time he transferred his\naffections to another, and the poor deserted one was seized with such\ndespair, that at last she put an end to her existence. Over her grave\nsprang up the Parizataco, or Night Jasmine, the flowers of which have\nsuch a horror of the Sun, that they always avoid gazing on it.\n\nSAFFRON.--See Crocus.\n\n=SAGE.=--Many species of Sage are highly esteemed in European countries\nfor their medicinal qualities, and most of the continental names of the\nplant are like the botanical one of _Salvia_, from _Salvo_, to save or\nheal. The ancients ascribed to the herb manifold virtues, and regarded\nit as a preserver of the human race (\u201c_Salvia_, _Salvatvix_, _natur\u00e6\nconciliatrix_.\u201d).----In medi\u00e6val times, the plant, on account of its\nnumerous properties, obtained the name of _Officinalis Christi_, and\nwas reported to have been blessed by the Virgin Mary.----So wholesome\nwas the herb considered, that the school of Salerno summed up its\nsurpassing merits in the line--\n\n  \u201c_Cur morietur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto?_\u201d\n\n  \u201cHow can a man die who grows Sage in his garden?\u201d\n\nProbably this saying gave rise to the piece of advice contained in the\nold English proverb--\n\n  \u201cHe that would live for aye\n  Must eat Sage in May.\u201d\n\nParkinson remarks that \u201cSage is much used in the month of May, fasting,\nwith butter and Parsley, and is held of most to conduce much to the\nhealth of man,\u201d and Turner says that \u201cit restores natural heat, and\ncomforts the vital spirits, and helps the memory, and quickens the\nsenses; it is very healthful to be eaten in May with butter, and\nalso to be drank in ale.\u201d The Greeks of Crete (where Sage is grown\nabundantly) are very careful to gather the herb either on the first\nor second day of May, before sunrise.----In Sussex, to charm away\nague fits, the peasantry eat Sage-leaves fasting for nine mornings\nconsecutively. In Franche-Comt\u00e9, the herb is believed to mitigate\ngrief, moral as well as physical.----In Piedmont, there exists a\ntradition that if Sage is placed in a glass phial and buried beneath a\ndung-heap, a certain animal will grow, the blood of which, if tasted\nby dogs, will cause them to lose consciousness. There exists, also, a\nbelief among Piedmontese girls that in every Sage-leaf is concealed a\nlittle toad; and Robert Turner, in his work on English plants (1687),\nstates that \u201cRue is good to be planted amongst Sage, to prevent the\npoison which may be in it by toads frequenting amongst it, to relieve\nthemselves of their poison, as is supposed; but Rue being amongst it,\nthey will not come near it.\u201d----There is an old superstition that,\nwith the aid of Sage, young women may see their future husbands by\npractising the following extraordinary spell:--On Midsummer Eve, just\nafter sunset, three, five, or seven young women are to go into a\ngarden, where there is no other person, and each is to gather a sprig\nof Red Sage, and then, going into a room by themselves, set a stool in\nthe middle of the room, and on it a clean bason full of Rose-water, on\nwhich the sprigs of Sage are to be put; and tying a line across the\nroom, on one side of the stool, each maiden is to hang on it a clean\nsmock, turned the wrong side outwards; then all are to sit down in a\nrow, on the opposite side of the stool, as far distant as the room will\nallow, in perfect silence. At a few minutes after twelve, each maid\u2019s\nfuture husband will take her sprig of Sage out of the Rose-water and\nsprinkle her smock with it.----Sage is held to be a herb of Jupiter.\n\n=SAINFOIN.=--As at present applied, the name Sainfoin appertains to\n_Hedysarum Onobrychis_, but the name was first given to the Lucerne\n_Medicago sativa_. Sainfoin was, in earlier times, called Holy Hay; the\nsmell of this plant is supposed to excite the braying of asses; hence\nthe specific name is taken from two Greek words, signifying an ass,\nand to bray. An Indian species (_H. gyrans_), which grows on the banks\nof the Ganges, exhibits a singular instance of spontaneous motion: its\nleaves constantly move up and down, now with sudden jerks, anon with a\ngentle waving motion. By day or night, and in whatever weather, this\nplant is never at rest.\n\n=SAINTS\u2019 PLANTS.=--In monastic days, certain plants received the names\nof saints either from some peculiarity in their structure, or from\ntheir association with the objects of which the saint whose name the\nparticular plant bore was patron. Thus St. Anthony, the patron saint\nof pigs, gave his name to the _Bunium flexuosum_ (St. Anthony\u2019s Nut),\nand the _Ranunculus bulbosus_ (St. Anthony\u2019s Rape). St. James\u2019s-wort\nwas so called because it was used for the diseases of horses, of which\nthe saint was patron. St. Thomas, St. Christopher, and St. Benedict\nhave each given their names to plants. The _Nigella Damascena_ is St.\nKatherine\u2019s Flower, from its resemblance to her wheel. The _Saxifraga\numbrosa_ obtained the name of St. Patrick\u2019s Cabbage because it grew\nin the West of Ireland, where St. Patrick lived. The _Primula veris_\nis St. Peter\u2019s-wort from its resemblance to a bunch of keys. Most\nof these saintly names were, however, given to the plants because\ntheir day of flowering is connected with the feast day of the saint.\nHence _Hypericum quadrangulare_ is the St. Peter\u2019s-wort of the modern\nfloras, from its flowering on the twenty-ninth of June; _Hypericum\nperforatum_ is St. John\u2019s-wort, being gathered to scare away demons\non St. John\u2019s Eve; _Barbarea vulgaris_, growing in the winter, is St.\nBarbara\u2019s-cress, her day being the fourth of December, old style; and\n_Centaurea solstitialis_ derives its specific Latin name, as well\nas its popular name, St. Barnaby\u2019s Thistle, from its flourishing on\nthe longest day, the eleventh of June, old style, which is now the\ntwenty-second.\n\n=SAINT JOHN\u2019S WORT.=--The common St. John\u2019s Wort (_Hypericum\nperforatum_) has leaves marked with red blood-like spots, which\ntradition avers always appear on the 29th August, the day on which\nSt. John was beheaded; but the plant derived its name from its being,\naccording to ancient custom, gathered with great ceremony on the eve\nof St. John\u2019s Day, the 24th of June, to be hung up in windows as a\npreservative against evil spirits, phantoms, spectres, storms, and\nthunder; whence it derived its ancient name of _Fuga D\u00e6monum_ (Devil\u2019s\nFlight).\n\n  \u201cSt. John\u2019s Wort, scaring from the midnight heath\n  The witch and goblin with its spicy breath.\u201d\n\nFor the same reason, the plant was also called _Sol Terrestris_, the\nTerrestrial Sun, because it was superstitiously believed that all the\nspirits of darkness vanish at the approach of the sun; and St. John\u2019s\nDay falls on the summer solstice, the 24th day of June, the last of the\nthree days which mark the culminating point of the solar ascension--the\nday when, in some latitudes, the sun never sets, and the heavens are\nilluminated and radiant with its glory through the night. The bright\nyellow blossom of the _Hypericum perforatum_, with its glittering\ngolden stamens, was not inappropriately called _Sol Terrestris_, as\nsymbolising the sun (which, by its effulgence, disperses all evil\nspirits), and St. John the Baptist, of whom the Scriptures say he was\n\u201ca light to them which sit in darkness.\u201d----At the present time this\nplant is almost everywhere known by the name connecting it with the\nsaint. The peasantry of France and Germany still gather it on St.\nJohn\u2019s Day to hang over their cottage doors or in the windows, in the\nbelief that its sanctity will drive away evil spirits of all kinds,\nand will also propitiate their patron saint.----In Switzerland, young\ngirls on the Eve of St. John make nosegays composed of nine different\nflowers, of which the principal one is the _Hypericum_, or St. John\u2019s\nWort. These nine flowers are plucked from nine different places. The\nposy is placed beneath the maiden\u2019s pillow before she retires to bed,\nand she then endeavours to sleep and dream: should she, in her dream,\nsee a young man, he will not fail soon to arrive and to make her his\nwife.----Somewhat similar customs to this, in connection with the\nRose, the Moss-Rose, and the Sage, exist in England, one of which is,\nperhaps, referred to by Harte, who, when alluding to certain flowers,\nadds:--\n\n  \u201cAnd that which on the Baptist\u2019s vigil sends\n  To nymphs and swains the vision of their friends.\u201d\n\nIn Lower Saxony, the peasant girls on the Eve of St. John hang sprigs\nof _Hypericum_ against the head of their bed or the walls of their\nchambers; if it remains fresh on the following morning, they are\npersuaded they will be married within a year; but if, on the contrary,\nit droops and fades, they have no hope of marriage within that time.\n\n  \u201cThe young maid stole through the cottage-door,\n  And blush\u2019d as she sought the plant of power;\n  \u2018Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light!\n  I must gather the mystic St. John\u2019s Wort to-night,\n  The wonderful herb whose leaf will decide\n  If the coming year will make me a bride.\u2019\u201d\n\nIn Italy, the _Hypericum_ is called both St. John\u2019s Wort and the\nDevil-chaser. On the Night of St. John it is worn about the person,\nas a preservative from witchcraft and sorcery, and it is suspended\nover doorways and windows with the same object.----In Scotland, it is\ncarried about as a charm against witchcraft and enchantment, and the\npeasantry fancy it cures ropy milk, which they suppose to be under\nsome malignant influence. According to Pennant, it is customary in\nWales to stick sprigs of St. John\u2019s Wort over every door on the Eve\nof St. John\u2019s; and Stowe, in his \u2018Survey of London,\u2019 tells us that,\n\u201con the Vigil of St. John the Baptist, every man\u2019s door being shadowed\nwith green Birch, long Fennel, St. John\u2019s Wort, Orpine, white Lilies,\nand such like, garnished upon with garlands of beautiful flowers, had\nalso lamps of glass with oil burning in them all the night.\u201d----The\npeasantry of the Isle of Man have a tradition that if you tread on the\nSt. John\u2019s Wort after sunset, a fairy horse will rise from the earth,\nand, after carrying you about all night, will leave you in the morning\nwherever you may chance to be at sunrise.----St. John\u2019s Wort was by old\nmedical writers deemed of great utility in the cure of hypochondriacal\ndisorders, and B. Visontius commends the herb to one troubled with\nheart-melancholy. For this purpose it was to be gathered on a Friday,\nin the hour of Jupiter, when he comes to his effectual operation (that\nis, about the full moon in July); \u201cso gathered, and borne or hung\nabout the neck, it mightily helps this affection, and drives away all\nphantastical spirits.\u201d Another remarkable quality ascribed to the plant\nwas its power of curing all sorts of wounds: hence originated its old\nname of Tutsan, a corruption of its French cognomen _la Toute-saine_,\nor All-heal. In Sicily, they gather _Hypericum perforatum_, and immerse\nit in Olive-oil, which is by this means transformed into an infallible\nbalm for wounds. A salve made from the flowers, and known as St. John\u2019s\nWort salve, is still much used and valued in English villages: it is\na very old remedy, whose praises have been spoken by Dioscorides and\nPliny, Gerarde, Culpeper, and all the old English herbalists. As these\nflowers, when rubbed between the fingers, yield a red juice, it has,\namong fanciful medical men, obtained the name of _sanguis hominis_\n(human blood).\n\n=SALLOW.=--The Sallow (_Salix caprea_) is the _Selja_ of the Norsemen,\nan ill-omened plant possessing many magical properties. No child can\nbe born in safety where a branch of this sinister tree is suspended;\nand no spirit can depart in peace from its earthly frame, if it be near\nthem. It is the badge of the Scottish Clan Cumming.\n\n=SAL-TREE.=--The S\u00e2la or S\u00e2l (_Shorea robusta_) is one of the sacred\ntrees of India. According to the Buddhists\u2019 belief, it was while\nholding in her hand a branch of the sacred S\u00e2la, that the mother of\nBuddha gave birth to the divine infant prince. It was beneath the\nshelter of two twin S\u00e2l-trees, that Buddha passed his last night on\nearth, near Ku\u00e7inagara, \u201cbeneath a rain of flowers, with which the\nS\u00e2l-tree growing there covered his venerated body.\u201d Thus we read in Da\nCunha\u2019s \u2018Life of Buddha\u2019--\u201cHe then retired to Ku\u00e7inagara, and entered\na grove of S\u00e2l-trees (_Shorea robusta_); there, during the night, he\nreceived a gift of food from an artizan named Chanda, and was seized\nwith illness. At early dawn next day, as he turned on to his right\nside with his head to the north, the S\u00e2l-trees bending down to form\na canopy over his body, he ceased to breathe.\u201d It was not the season\nfor S\u00e2l-trees to bloom, but the twin trees beneath which he lay were\ncovered with blossoms from crown to foot. Blossoms fell down on him, a\nshower of flowers fell from heaven, and heavenly melodies sounded over\nhead as the Perfect One passed away. At the moment of his death, the\nearth quaked, thunders rolled, and the wife of Brahma announced the\nentry of Buddha into Paradise.\n\n=SAMI.=--The Indians employ the wood of Sami (_Mimosa Suma_) a species\nof Acacia for the production of fire in their sacrifices. For this\npurpose they rub a stick of Asvattha (representing the male element)\nagainst a stick of the Acacia Sami (regarded as the female symbol),\nin accordance with the Indian legend which relates how Pururavas,\nthe Indian Prometheus, created fire by rubbing two woods together.\nAt Indian weddings, after the sacrifice has been made, the husband\nand wife take in their hands some Rice (symbol of abundance) and some\nleaves of Sami (symbol of generation). Before building a house, it is\ncustomary to sprinkle the site by dipping a branch of Sami into some\nholy water. In the same way, the Indians sprinkle the spot when a grave\nis to be made.\n\n=SAMPHIRE.=--Samphire (_Crithmum maritimum_) grows on the rocky cliffs\nof our Southern shores, the name being a corruption of St. Pierre.\nThe plant, from its love of sea-cliffs, was long ago dedicated to the\nfisherman saint, whose name in Greek (_petros_) signifies a rock.\nSamphire used formerly to be gathered from the cliffs at Dover by men\nsuspended from the summit by a rope: hence Shakspeare\u2019s lines in \u2018King\nLear\u2019:--\n\n                          \u201cHow fearful\n  And dizzy \u2019tis to cast one\u2019s eyes so low!\n  The crows and choughs that wing the midway air\n  Show scarce so gross as beetles: half-way down\n  Hangs one that gathers Samphire--dreadful trade!\n  Methinks he seems no bigger than his head.\u201d\n\nBy astrologers Samphire is placed under the influence of Jupiter.\n\n=SAMOLUS.=--The Samolus was a plant held in high esteem by the Druids.\nIt grew in damp places, and was only to be gathered by a person\nfasting--without looking behind him--and with his left hand. It was\nlaid in troughs and cisterns where cattle drank, and when bruised was a\ncure for various distempers.\n\n=SANDAL.=--The Sandal-wood of India (_Santalum album_) is a small tree\ncelebrated by the poets on account of its beauty and the perfume of\nits wood, which is used as incense in temples and also for medicinal\npurposes. In Hindu temples, the Du, or god, is, before the services,\nanointed with oil of Sandal-wood or with Sandal dust and water, and\nadorned with flowers; he is also presented with Betel-leaves. The\nChinese Buddhists give the Sandal a place in the celebrated groves\nof their Paradise, and they say that the chariot of the Sun is made\nof gold and Sandal-wood. In an Indian religious f\u00eate called _Mariatta\nCodam_, the devotees anoint themselves with Saffron ointment, and go\nabout collecting alms, in return for which they distribute scented\nsticks, partly composed of Sandal-wood, which are received with great\nveneration. In the Burman empire, it is customary on the 12th of April\n(the last day of their calendar) for ladies to sprinkle with Rose-water\nand Sandal-wood all they meet, to wash away the impurities of the past\nyear, and commence the new one free from sin. The Mussulmans of India\nin all their religious ceremonies burn _ood_, an incense compound of\nSandal-wood, Aloe, Patchouli, Benzoin, &c. _Sundul_, or Sandal-wood\nointment, is likewise used in innumerable instances for religious\npurposes; and it is employed to exorcise evil spirits. Magic circles,\nsquares, and figures are drawn on a plank with _Sundul_, and the\nindividual supposed to be possessed of a demon is made to sit in the\ncentre: then the exorciser pronounces an incantation in Arabic, and\nburns some incense under the nose of the patient, who solemnly inhales\nthe fumes, and by that means smokes out the demon. The Parsis, who are\nfollowers of Zoroaster, renew the undying sacred fire of their altars\nwith Sandal and other precious woods.\n\n=SANICLE.=--The healing virtues of the Sanicle (_Sanicula_) have,\nin England, passed into a proverb: \u201cHe that hath Sanicle needeth no\nsurgeon;\u201d whilst the French have a corresponding old saying, recording\nits curative powers:--\n\n  \u201c_Qui a la Bugle et la Sanicle\n  Fait au chirurgions la nicle._\u201d\n\n  \u201cWho Bugle and Sanicle hath\n  May safely at the surgeons laugh.\u201d\n\nIn England, it was in former days called Self-heal, for according to\none old herbalist, it would \u201cmake whole and sound all wounds and hurts,\nboth inward and outward.\u201d----Sanicle is held to be under the rule of\nVenus.\n\n=SARDEA.=--It is considered that the _Sium latifolium_ is the plant\nknown by the ancients as Sardea, which was supposed to grow in\nSardinia, and which possessed the singular power of provoking sardonic\nlaughter. Sallust speaks of this mystic plant as resembling Celery.\n\n=SATYRION.=--The appellation of Satyrion (from the Greek _Saturos_,\na Satyr) is applied to several species of Orchis, from their reputed\naphrodisiac character. The Romans believed that the roots of these\nplants formed the food of the Satyrs, and, on account of its exciting\nnature, prompted them to commit those excesses which were one of their\ncharacteristics.----In Gerarde\u2019s \u2018Herbal,\u2019 we read that most of these\nplants were used for the purpose of exciting the amatory passions: some\nof them were called Serapiades, because \u201csundry of them do bring forth\nfloures resembling flies and such like fruitful and lascivious insects,\nas taking their name from Serapias [Serapis], the god of the citizens\nof Alexandria, in Egypt, who had a most famous temple at Canopus, where\nhe was worshipped with all kinds of lascivious wantonnesse, songs and\ndances.\u201d Turner says of the roots of Satyrion, that all the species\nhave a double root, which alter every year, \u201cwhen one waxeth full, the\nother perisheth and groweth lank.\u201d The full root, he says, powerfully\nexcites the passions, but the lank ones have exactly the opposite\neffect.----Astronomers place Satyrion under the rule of Venus.\n\n=SAVIN.=--The Savin (_Juniperus Sabina_), in some parts of Italy, is\nheld in great abhorrence as a plant of evil repute: it is called the\n\u201cDevil\u2019s-tree,\u201d and the \u201cMagician\u2019s Cypress,\u201d on account of the great\nuse of it made in olden times by sorcerers and witches when working\ntheir spells.----Savin is reputed by astrologers to be a herb of Mars.\n\n=SAVORY.=--Savory or _Satureia_ was considered by the ancients as a\nherb belonging to the Satyrs; hence matrons were specially warned\nto have nothing to do with it, as the plant was supposed to have\ndisastrous effects on those about to become mothers.----Savory is held\nto be under the dominion of Mercury.\n\n=SAXIFRAGE.=--Of the genus _Saxifraga_, twenty species are indigenous\nto Great Britain. In olden times, it was noticed that these plants\nsplit rocks by growing in their cracks, so, on the doctrine of\nsignatures, certain of the species were supposed to be efficacious in\ncases of calculus, and were indeed highly esteemed on that account by\nthe Roman physicians. In England, the name Breakstone was bestowed on\nthem for the same reason; the plants most employed by the herbalists\nbeing the Meadow Saxifrage, or Mead Parsley, the White Saxifrage, and\nthe Burnet Saxifrage. To this family of plants belongs _S. umbrosa_,\nthe familiar London Pride, known also by the names of None-so-pretty,\nPrattling Parnell, and St. Patrick\u2019s Cabbage (from its growing in\nthe West of Ireland).----Astrologers state that the Moon governs the\nSaxifrages.\n\nSCORPION GRASS.--See Forget-me-Not.\n\nSEA HOLLY.--See Eryngo.\n\n=SEA POPPY.=--The Sea Poppy or Horned Poppy (_Glaucium_) is named\nafter Glaucus, a B\u0153otian fisherman, who, whilst pursuing his calling,\nobserved that all the fishes which he laid on the grass received fresh\nvigour as they touched the ground, and immediately escaped from him\nby leaping back into the sea. He attributed the cause of it to some\nherb growing among the grass, and upon tasting the foliage of the Sea\nPoppy, he found himself suddenly moved with an intense desire to live\nin the sea. Upon this he leaped into the water, and was made a sea\ngod by Oceanus and Tethys. This _Glaucium_ or Sea Poppy was called in\nthe middle ages _Ficus infernalis_: it was supposed to possess magical\nproperties, and was prized by witches and sorcerers, who used it in\ntheir incantations. Ben Jonson, in the \u2018Witches\u2019 Song,\u2019 says:--\n\n  \u201cYes, I have brought to help our vows,\n  Horned Poppy, Cypress-boughs,\n  The Fig-tree wild that grows on tombs,\n  And juice that from the Larch-tree comes.\u201d\n\nBorlase tells us that, in the Scilly Isles, \u201cthis root (the Sea Poppy),\nso much valued for removing all pains in the breast, stomach, and\nintestines, is good also for disordered lungs, and is so much better\nhere than in other places, that the apothecaries of Cornwall send\nhither for it; and some people plant them in their gardens in Cornwall,\nand will not part with them under sixpence a root. A very simple\nnotion they have with regard to this root, which falls not much short\nof the Druids\u2019 superstition in gathering and preparing their Selago\nand Samolus. This root, you must know, is accounted very good both\nas an emetic and cathartic. If, therefore, they design that it shall\noperate as the former, their constant opinion is that it should be\nscraped and sliced upwards--that is, beginning from the root, the knife\nis to ascend towards the leaf; but if it is intended to operate as a\ncathartic, they must scrape the root downwards.\u201d\n\n=SELAGO.=--Selago was the name of a herb held in great repute by the\nDruids, and intimately connected with some of their mysterious rites.\nIt was known as the Golden Herb or Cloth of Gold, and was reputed to\nconfer the power of understanding the language of birds and beasts.\nIt is variously supposed to have been the Club-Moss (_Lycopodium\nSelago_), the _Camphorosma Monspeliaca_, or a kind of Hedge Hyssop,\nwhich used in olden times to be called _Gratiola_ and _Dei Gratia_,\nand was regarded as a charm as well as a medicine. Pliny, in his\n\u2018Natural History\u2019 (xxiv., 62), tells us with respect to the Druidic\nSelago, that it resembles Savin; and that it is gathered as if by\nstealth, without the use of iron. The person who gathers it must go\nbarefoot, with feet washed, clad in white, having previously offered a\nsacrifice of bread and wine, and must pluck the plant with his right\nhand through the _left_ sleeve of his tunic. It is carried in a new\ncloth. The Druids of the Gauls asserted that it was to be regarded as\nuseful against all diseases, and that its smoke was a remedy for all\naffections of the eyes.----In Johnson\u2019s edition of Gerarde\u2019s \u2018Herbal,\u2019\nit is said that the Club Moss, or Heath Cypress, is thought to be the\n_Selago_ mentioned by Pliny. \u201cThe catkins of this plant are described\nas being of a yellowish colour; and it is stated to be found growing in\ndivers woody, mountainous places of Germany, where they call it _Wald\nSeuenbaum_, or Wilde Savine.\u201d----In his work on the Druids, called the\n\u2018Veil of Isis,\u2019 Mr. Reade gives a similar account of the gathering of\nthe _Selago_, excepting that he states it was cut with a brazen hook.\nHe further tells of a mysterious sisterhood of Druidesses who inhabited\nthe island of Sena (now Sain) at the mouth of the River Loire, where\nthere was a Druidic oracle. These Sibyls devoted themselves chiefly to\nthe service of the Moon, and worshipped her under the name of K\u00ead or\nCeridwen, the Northern name for the Egyptian Isis. They consecrated a\nherb to her called _Belinuncia_, in the poisonous sap of which they\ndipped their arrows to render them deadly. It was one of their rites\nto procure a virgin, and to denude her as an emblem of the moon in\nan unclouded sky. Then they sought for the mystic Selago, or Golden\nHerb. She who pressed it with her foot slept, and heard the language\nof animals. If she touched it with iron, the sky grew dark and a\nmisfortune fell upon the world.\n\n  \u201cThe herb of gold is cut: a cloud\n  Across the sky hath spread its shroud\n  To war.\u201d\n\nWhen they had found the precious herb, the virgin traced the circle\nround it, and covering her hand in a white linen cloth which had never\nbefore been used, rooted it out with the tip of her little finger--a\nsymbol of the crescent moon. Then they washed it in a running spring,\nand having gathered green branches, plunged into a river and splashed\nthe virgin, who was thus supposed to resemble the moon clouded with\nvapours. When they retired, the virgin walked backwards, \u201cthat the moon\nmight not return upon its path in the plain of the heavens.\u201d\n\nSELF-HEAL.--See Sanicle.\n\n=SENSITIVE-PLANT.=--The leaves of most species of the genus Mimosa\nare more or less sensitive to the touch, but _M. pudica_ is the true\nSensitive Plant, of which Browne writes:--\n\n  \u201cLooke at the Feeling-plant, which learned swaines\n  Relate to growe on the East Indian plaines,\n  Shrinkes up his dainty leaves if any sand\n  You throw thereon, or touch it with your hand.\u201d\n\n=SERVICE-TREE.=--The true Service-tree is thought by some to have\nobtained its name from the Latin word _cervisia_, because from\nancient times its fruit has been used for making a fermented liquor\nof the nature of beer. In France, the Service or Sorb-tree is called\n_Sorbier_ or _Cormier_, and an excellent drink, something like Cider,\nis made from its berries.----De Gubernatis tells us that among the\nFins the Sorb is specially reverenced above all trees. In the poem\n\u2018_Kalevala_\u2019 allusion is made to a nymph of the Sorb-tree (_Sorbus\nterminalis_), who is regarded as the protectress of cattle. The Finnish\nshepherd sticks his staff of Sorb-wood in the middle of a field, and\noffers up his prayers for the safety of his flock. A branch of the\nSorb-tree is the symbol of the lightning, which, according to the\nVedic legend, first brought fire to the earth, whilst imparting it to\ncertain privileged trees--on which it fell, not to destroy them, but\nto conceal itself.----Among the superstitious Scandinavian and German\npeasantry the Sorb is esteemed a magical tree, typical of fecundity\nand generation; it is also regarded as a funereal tree, and Mannhardt\nrelates an Icelandic legend, according to which the Sorb sprang from\nthe bodies of two young men, who, although quite innocent, had been\ncondemned to death.\n\n=SESAME.=--It is from the delightful story of \u2018The Forty Thieves,\u2019 in\nthe \u2018Arabian Nights\u2019 Entertainment,\u2019 that most English people have\nbecome acquainted with the Sesame--the wondrous plant that at the\ncommand of Ali Baba--\u201cOpen, Sesame!\u201d--gained him an entrance to the\nsecret treasure-cave. In this capacity of opening the doors of caverns,\n&c., the Sesamum-flower resembles the Springwort, and, like that mystic\nplant, would seem to be an embodiment of lightning, if we may judge\nfrom its Indian name of _Vajrapushpa_, Thunderbolt-flower.----Gerarde,\nin his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 speaks of it as \u201cthe oily pulse called Sesamum\u201d (or\n_Sesama_), and says \u201cit is one of the summer grains, and is sown before\nthe rising of the seven stars, as Pliny writeth.\u201d----The plant is a\nnative of the East Indies, and the Hindus say that it was created\nby Yama, the god of death, after a lengthy penance. They employ it\nspecially in funeral and expiatory ceremonies as a purificator and\nas a symbol of immortality. In their funeral rites in honour of the\ndeparted, they pour Sesame grain into the three sacrificial vases,\nwherein the sacred Kusa and the holy oil have already been placed,\nthe while invoking the pulse as \u201cthe Sesame consecrated to the god\nSoma.\u201d At the annual festival in honour of the childless god Bhishma,\nthe four Indian castes pray for the departed god, and by this act of\npiety procure for themselves absolution for all sins committed during\nthe past year, provided that, at the conclusion of the ceremony, an\noffering is made of water, Sesame, and Rice. Sesame, with Rice and\nhoney, enters into the composition of certain funeral cakes offered\nto the Manes in the ceremonies, but eaten by the persons present. The\nIndian funeral offering, made at six different periods, is called \u201cthe\noffering of six Sesames,\u201d and if this is faithfully made, the natives\nhope to be delivered from misfortune on earth and to be rewarded with\na place in the heaven of Indra. At an Indian funeral, when the corpse\nhas been burnt, the devotees bathe in a neighbouring river, and leave\non its banks two handfuls of Sesame, as nourishment for the soul of the\ndeparted whilst on its funeral journey, and as a symbol of the eternal\nlife offered to the deceased.\n\n=SHAMROCK.=--The word Shamrock (which means Little Trefoil) is from the\nErse _seamrog_, a diminutive of _seamar_, Trefoil. The Shamrock, or\nTrefoil, in heraldry, is the badge of the kingdom of Ireland, and St.\nPatrick, the patron saint of that isle, is represented in the habit of\na bishop, holding a Trefoil--St. Patrick\u2019s Cross, as it is called by\nIrishmen. It is said that St. Patrick, when on an evangelising mission\nin Ireland, made the doctrine of the Trinity, one day, the subject of\nhis discourse. Finding his hearers unable to understand it, he plucked\na leaf of Shamrock, and used it as an illustration. So easy and simple\nwas the application, that their difficulties were removed, and they\naccepted Christianity. Ever since, the Shamrock has been the national\nemblem of Irishmen, and has been worn by them for many centuries on the\n17th of March, which is the anniversary of St. Patrick. As to what was\nthe herb which furnished the saint with so excellent an illustration\nof the Three in One, there is amongst botanists much dispute, but the\nplants that for a long time past have been sold in Dublin and London\non St. Patrick\u2019s Day as the national badge are the Black Nonsuch\n(_Medicago lupulina_), and the Dutch Clover (_Trifolium repens_).\nSeveral writers have advocated the claims of the Wood Sorrel (_Oxalis\nacetosella_), which is called by the old herbalists _Shamrog_, and is\nproved in olden times to have been eaten by the Irish,--one old writer,\nwho visited their country in the sixteenth century, stating that it was\neaten, and that it was a _sour_ plant. Wood Sorrel is a sour-tasting\nplant, is indigenous to Ireland, and is trifoliated. It grows in woods,\nwhere the people used to assemble, and where the priests taught and\nperformed their mystic rites; and therefore it may have been the plant\nplucked by St. Patrick. It has also been contended that the Watercress\n(called \u201cShamrock\u201d by Holinshed in 1586) was the plant gathered by the\nsaint, but as its leaf is not trifoliate, this claim has not found much\nfavour. The plant which is figured upon our coins, both English and\nIrish, is an ordinary Trefoil. Queen Victoria placed the Trefoil in her\nroyal diadem in lieu of the French Fleur-de-lis.\n\n=SHEPHERD\u2019S PURSE.=--The _Capsella Bursa_ is commonly known as\nPickpocket or Pickpurse, from its robbing the farmer by stealing the\ngoodness of his land. It was known to our forefathers by the names\nof St. James\u2019s-wort, Poor Man\u2019s Parmacetty, Toywort, and Caseweed,\nand was considered to be \u201cmarvellous good for inflammation.\u201d (See\nCLAPPEDEPOUCH.)\n\n=SHOLOA.=--The Sholoa is a medicinal plant, employed by the Bushmen\nof South Africa. Before going into battle, they rub their hands with\nSholoa, in order to be able to chafe the badly wounded to preserve\ntheir life. When they dig up this plant, they deem it necessary, to\navert danger from themselves, to replant immediately a portion of the\nroot, so that it may spring up again. Tradition says that a man who\nneglected this precaution was found speechless and motionless enveloped\nin the toils of serpents. These serpents were killed by the Bushmen\nin order to regain possession of the root, which was replanted. Their\nwomen are afraid of these roots, when freshly dug up; they are,\ntherefore, always put into a bag before being taken into a hut.\n\n=SNOWDROP.=--The Snowdrop (_Galanthus nivalis_) was formerly held\nsacred to virgins, and this may account for its being so generally\nfound in the orchards attached to convents and old monastic buildings.\n\n  \u201cA flow\u2019r that first in this sweet garden smiled,\n  To virgins sacred, and the Snowdrop styled.\u201d--_Tickell._\n\nIt is also dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a monkish tradition\nasserts that it blooms on the second of February, or Candlemas Day,\nthe day kept in celebration as that on which the holy Virgin took the\nchild Jesus to the Jewish Temple and there presented an offering. Hence\nthe flower is called the Fair Maid of February; as on the Day of the\nPurification of the Virgin Mary her image used to be removed from the\naltar, and Snowdrops strewed over the vacant place.----The legendary\naccount of the flower\u2019s creation is as follows:--\u201cAn angel went to\nconsole Eve when mourning over the barren earth, when no flowers in\nEden grew, and the driving snow was falling to form a pall for earth\u2019s\nuntimeous funeral after the fall of man; the angel, catching as he\nspoke a flake of falling snow, breathed on it, and bade it take a form,\nand bud and blow. Ere the flake reached the earth Eve smiled upon the\nbeauteous plant, and prized it more than all the other flowers in\nParadise, for the angel said to her:--\n\n  \u201c\u2018This is an earnest, Eve, to thee,\n  that sun and summer soon shall be.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe angel\u2019s mission being ended, away up to heaven he flew; but where\non earth he stood, a ring of Snowdrops formed a posey.\u201d----An old name\nfor the plant was the Winter Gilliflower. Dr. Prior thinks that the\nname Snowdrop was derived from the German _Schneetropfen_, and that\nthe \u201cdrop\u201d does not refer to snow, but to the long pendants, or drops,\nworn by the ladies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, both as\nearrings and hangings to their brooches, and which we see represented\nso often by Dutch and Italian painters of that period.----In some parts\nof England it is considered by the peasantry unlucky to take the first\nSnowdrop into a house--the flower being regarded as a death-token,\ninasmuch as it looks like a corpse in its shroud.\n\n=SOLANUM.=--To this family belong the Love Apple, the Mad Apple, and\nthe Bitter-Sweet. Several species of the genus _Solanum_ are poisonous\nand highly dangerous plants. It is related that when Sweno, king of\nNorway, was besieging Duncan of Scotland in the town of Betha, Macbeth,\nhis cousin, managed to leave the town, whereupon Duncan began to treat\nwith the enemy as to the terms of a surrender, promising them a supply\nof provender. The Danes accepted the terms, and Duncan sent them their\nprovisions, which they duly partook of; but soon after they were\novercome by a profound lethargic sleep, for their wine and ale had\nbeen drugged with _Solanum_. In this condition they fell an easy prey\nto Macbeth, who attacked them and utterly routed their forces. Ten only\nof the soldiers, who had entertained suspicions with regard to Duncan\u2019s\ngift of supplies, remained in their senses, and these carried off King\nSweno, in a lifeless condition, to the mouth of the river Tay, and\nthence conveyed him home in a fishing-boat.\n\n=SOLOMON\u2019S SEAL.=--The appellation of Solomon\u2019s Seal has been given\nto the _Convallaria Polygonatum_, because, on cutting the roots\ntransversely, some scars are seen resembling the device known as\nSolomon\u2019s Seal--a name given by the Arabs to a six-pointed star,\nformed by two equilateral triangles intersecting each other. To the\nold herbalists these marks (according to the doctrine of signatures)\nwere an indication of the plant\u2019s virtues or uses: it was sent to seal\nor consolidate wounds. Gerarde says: \u201cThat which might be written of\nthe herbe as touching the knitting of bones, and that truely, would\nseeme with some incredible; but common experience teacheth that in the\nworld there is not to be found another herbe comparable to it for the\npurposes aforesaid; and therefore, in briefe, if it be for bruises\ninward, the roots must be stamped, some ale or wine put thereto,\nstrained, and given to drink. It must be given in the same manner\nto knit broken bones, against bruises, black or blew marks gotten\nby stripes, falls, or such like; against inflammation, tumours, or\nswellings, that happen unto members whose bones are broken, or members\nout of joynt, after restauration: the roots are to be stamped small,\nand applied pultesse or plaister wise, wherewith many great workes\nhave been performed beyond credit.\u201d----The plant is also known by the\nname of Lady\u2019s Seal, Seal-wort, White-root, Ladder-to-heaven, and\nJacob\u2019s-ladder.----By astrologers it is held to be under the rule of\nSaturn.\n\n=SOMA.=--The Soma, or Moon Plant, is one of the most sacred plants of\nIndia. It is supposed to be the _Sarcostemma viminale_, or _Cyanchum\nviminale_ (_Asclepias acida_), which grows on the Coromandel hills and\nin the Punj\u00e2b. According to Dr. Haug, the plant at present used by the\nsacrificial priests of the Dekhan is not the sacred Soma of the Vedas,\nalthough it appears to belong to the same order. In the Hindu religion,\nby a truly mystic combination, Soma represents at once the moon or\nmoon-god, the genius presiding over the Soma, and the plant itself.\nIn the Vedic hymns to Soma, the notion of the plant predominates,\nbut intermixed are references which are only applicable to the lunar\ncharacter of the divinity. The description of the plant given in\nGarrett\u2019s \u2018Classical Dictionary of India\u2019 is as follows:--\u201cIt grows\nto the height of about four or five feet, and forms a kind of bush\nconsisting of a number of shoots, all coming from the same root; their\nstem is solid, like wood, the bark greyish, they are without leaves,\nthe sap appears whitish, has a very stringent taste, is bitter but not\nsour; it is a very nasty drink, but has some intoxicating effect. The\nsap referred to is sharp and acid, and, according to Decandolle, would\nbe poisonous if taken in large quantities; in many cases the nerves\nare affected by it, as if by a narcotic; but it is benumbing in its\ninfluence, as it hinders the activity of the nerves, without inducing\nsleep.\u201d From this sacred plant, which has the mystic five white petals,\nis obtained a milky exudation (symbolising the motherhood of Nature),\nout of which is made the Vedic _Amrita_, a divine beverage that confers\nimmortality; and, probably on this account, the plant itself is\nworshipped as a god. Thus we find it so addressed in a hymn from the\nRigveda, translated by Muir:--\n\n  \u201cWe\u2019ve quaffed the Soma bright,\n    And are immortal grown;\n  We\u2019ve entered into light,\n    And all the gods have known.\n  What mortal now can harm,\n    Or foeman vex us more?\n  Through thee beyond alarm,\n    Immortal god! we soar.\u201d\n\nThe Soma sap is used as the Soma drink for the initiation of the Djoga;\nit is said to produce the magical condition in which, raised above the\nuniverse to the great centre, and united with Brahma, the seer beholds\neverything.----In the Hindu worship, libations to the gods were of\nthree kinds--butter, honey, and the fermented juice of the Soma-plant.\nThe butter and honey were poured upon the sacrificial fire; the Soma\njuice was presented in ladles to the deities invoked, part sprinkled on\nthe fire, part on the Kusa, or Sacred Grass, strewed upon the floor,\nand the rest invariably drunk by those who had conducted the ceremony.\nThe exhilarating properties of the fermented juice of the Soma filled\nthe worshippers with delight and astonishment; and the offering of\nthis sacred liquid was deemed to be especially pleasing to the Hindu\ngods.----In the lunar sacrifices, the Soma drink was prepared with\nmystical ceremonies, with invocations of blessings and curses, by\nwhich the powers of the world above and below were incorporated with\nit. According to their intended use, various herbs were mixed with the\nprincipal ingredient. Windischmann remarks that the use of the Soma\nwas looked upon in early ages as a holy action, and as a sacrament, by\nwhich the union with Brahma was produced; thus, in Indian writings,\npassages similar to the following, often occur: \u201cPr\u00e2japati himself\ndrinks this milk, the essence of all nourishment and knowledge--the\nmilk of immortality.\u201d----The Gandharvas, a race of demigods, are\nrepresented in certain of the Vedic legends as custodians of the Soma\nor Amrita, and as keeping such close watch over the divine beverage,\nthat only by force or cunning can the thirsty gods obtain a supply\nof the immortalising drink.----One of the Hindu synonymes of Soma is\n_madhu_, which means a mixed drink; and this word is the _methu_ of\nthe Greeks, and the mead of our own Saxon, Norse, and Celtic ancestors.\n\n=SORREL.=--From May to August the meadows are often ruddy with the\nSorrel (_Rumex Acetosa_), the red leaves of which point out the graves\nof the Irish rebels who fell on Tara Hill, in the \u201cNinety-Eight;\u201d the\npopular and local tradition being that the plants sprang from the blood\nof the patriots shed on that occasion.----Sorrel is under the planetary\ninfluence of Venus.\n\n=SOW-THISTLE.=--Theseus, king of Athens, is said to have received as a\ngift from the hands of Hecate, the Sow-thistle (_Sonchus oleraceus_)\nand the Sea Fennel (_Crithmum maritimum_). Like the Sesame, the\nSow-thistle, according to tradition, sometimes conceals marvels or\ntreasures; and in Italian stories are found the exclamation, \u201cOpen\nSow-thistle,\u201d used with the same magical results as attend the\ninvocation of the Sesame. A Russian legend states that the Devil\nconsiders the Sow-thistle to be peculiarly his property, although in\nso doing he is in error (see OATS and REED).----The Sow-thistle is\nconsidered by astrologers to be under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=SOUTHERNWOOD.=--The _Abrotanum_ (Southernwood) is a species of\nWormwood, to which the Greeks and Romans, and in more recent times the\nGermans and French, attributed wonderful magic properties. According\nto Pliny, it should be classed as an aphrodisiac plant, for, if it\nbe placed under a mattress, it will evoke sensual passions. Gerarde\nsays the same thing; and adds that \u201cit helpeth against the stinging of\nscorpions,\u201d and that, \u201cbeing strewed upon the bed, or a fume made of it\nupon hot embers, it driveth away serpents.\u201d Lucan refers to this latter\nquality in the following lines (Book 9):--\n\n  \u201cThere the large branches of the long-lived hart,\n  With Southernwood their odours strong impart;\n  The monsters of the land, the serpents fell,\n  Fly far away, and shun the hostile smell.\u201d\n\nMacer Floridus states that it will drive away serpents; and Bauhin\nnarrates that it used to be employed against epilepsy.----From an\nointment made with its ashes, and used by young men to promote\nthe growth of a beard, the plant obtained the name of Lad\u2019s\nLove.----Astrologers place Southernwood under the rule of Mercury. (See\nalso MUGWORT and WORMWOOD.)\n\n=SPEEDWELL.=--The _Veronica Cham\u00e6drys_ appears in olden times to have\nbeen called \u201cForget-me-Not,\u201d a name that has since been universally\napplied to the Myosotis. Now-a-days it is sometimes called by country\nfolk Cat\u2019s-eye. The plant derives its name of Speedwell from the fact\nof its corolla falling off and flying away as soon as it is gathered;\n\u201cSpeedwell\u201d being the old-fashioned equivalent of \u201cGood-bye!\u201d The\nbright blue blossom of the Germander Speedwell is in some places\nbetter known as Veronica, an appellation derived from _Vera_ (Latin)\nand _Icon_ (Greek), and signifying \u201ctrue image.\u201d----When our Saviour\nwas on his way to Mount Calvary, bearing his cross, he passed by the\ndoor of Veronica, a compassionate woman, who beholding with pity the\nLord\u2019s distressed condition, and the drops of agony on His brow, wiped\nHis face with a kerchief, or napkin, and the features of the Redeemer\nremained miraculously impressed upon the linen. The kerchief itself\nwas styled the _Sudarium_, and from some resemblance of the blossom of\nthe Germander Speedwell to this saintly relic, bearing the features\nof Christ, the plant received the name of Veronica.----Francus wrote\nan entire work on the virtues of the _Veronica orientalis_, which is\nsaid to have cured a King of France of the leprosy and to have given\nchildren to a barren wife. R. Turner calls the plant Fluellin, or\nLluellin--a name, he remarks, \u201cthe Shentleman of Wales have given it\nbecause it saved her nose, which disease had almost gotten from her.\u201d\n\n=SPIGNEL.=--Spignel (_Meum athamanticum_) is also known as Mew,\nBear-wort, or Bald-money. The latter name is of obscure etymology, but\nwe may safely reject the derivation which some writers have suggested\nfrom the name of the god Baldr, the Scandinavian Apollo.----Spignel is\nheld to be under the rule of Venus. (See BALDMONEY).\n\n=SPIKENARD.=--We read in Canticles: \u201cWhile the king sitteth at his\ntable, my Spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.\u201d And again: \u201cThy\nplants are an orchard of Pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; Camphire,\nwith Spikenard, Spikenard and Saffron.\u201d The true nature of Spikenard\nhas for ages been the subject of much controversy; but it is now\ngenerally accepted that it was obtained from the _Valeriana Jatamansi_.\nPtolemy notices these odoriferous plants, the best of which grew at\nRangamati, and on the borders of the country now called Bootan. Pliny\nsays there are twelve varieties of it--the best being the Indian,\nthe next in quality the Syriac, then the Gallic, and in the fourth\nplace, that of Crete. He thus describes the Indian Spikenard: \u201cIt is\na shrub with a heavy thick root, but short, black, brittle, and yet\nunctuous as well; it has a musty smell, too, very much like that of\nthe Cyperus, with a sharp acrid taste, the leaves being small, and\ngrowing in tufts. The heads of the Nard spread out into ears; hence\nit is that Nard is so famous for its two-fold production, the spike\nor ear, and the leaf.\u201d The price of genuine Spikenard was then one\nhundred denarii per pound, and all the other sorts, which were merely\nherbs, were infinitely cheaper, some being only worth three denarii\nper pound. Galen and Dioscorides give a somewhat similar account of\nSpikenard or _Nardostachys_, but the latter states that the so-called\nSyrian Nard came in reality from India, whence it was brought to Syria\nfor shipment. Mr. E. Rimmel, in his \u2018Book of Perfumes,\u2019 points out\nthat \u201cthe ancients appear to have confounded Spikenard with some of\nthe fragrant Grasses of India, which would account for the report that\nAlexander the Great, when he invaded Gedrosia, could smell from the\nback of his elephant the fragrance of the Nard as it was trod upon by\nthe horses feet. This error was shared by Linn\u00e6us, who did not attempt\nto classify the plant, but was inclined to think it was the same as the\n_Andropogon Nardus_, commonly called Ginger Grass. Sir William Jones,\nthe learned orientalist, turned his serious attention to this question,\nand after a laborious investigation succeeded in establishing beyond\ndoubt that the Spikenard of the ancients was a plant of the Valerianic\norder, called by the Arabs _Sumbul_, which means \u2018spike,\u2019 and by the\nHindus _Jatamansi_, which signifies \u2018locks of hair,\u2019 both appellations\nbeing derived from its having a stem which somewhat resembles the tail\nof an ermine, or of a small weasel. He, consequently, gave it the name\nof _Valeriana Jatamansi_, under which it is now generally classed by\nbotanists. It is found in the mountainous regions of India, principally\nin Bootan and Nepaul. Its name appears to be derived from the Tamil\nlanguage, in which the syllable _n\u00e1r_ denotes any thing possessing\nfragrance, such as _n\u00e1rtum pillu_, \u2018Lemon Grass;\u2019 _n\u00e1rum panei_,\n\u2018Indian Jasmine;\u2019 _n\u00e1rtum manum_, \u2018Wild Orange,\u2019 &c. It is highly\nprobable, however, that the word Spikenard was often applied by the\nancients as a generic name for every sort of perfume, as the Chinese\nnow designate all their scents by the name of _h\u00ebang_, which properly\nmeans _incense_, it being for them the type of all perfumes.\u201d----In an\nIndian poem, the hero, compelled to go upon his travels immediately\nafter wedding the girl of his heart, takes leave of her in his garden,\nand showing her a Spikenard of his own planting, enjoins her to watch\nover it with loving care; for as long as it thrives all will go well\nwith him, but should it wither some fatal misfortune will certainly\nbefall him. Years pass away before he can turn his steps homewards.\nThen he assumes the garb of a mendicant, goes to his home, gains\nadmission to the garden, and there sees his faithful wife weeping over\nthe precious Spikenard, grown into a mighty plant, telling its own\ntale. The finish can well be guessed.\n\n=SPRINGWORT.=--The Springwort, or Blasting-root, is famed in German\nlegends for its magical power of opening locks, however strong,\nhidden doors, rocks, and secret entrances to caves where are stored\ninexhaustible treasures. In Kelly\u2019s \u2018Indo-European Tradition,\u2019 we\nread that as a rule the Springwort has been regarded as an unknown\nspecies of plants, and therefore most difficult to find; but some\nfew accounts specify known plants, and Grimm mentions the _Euphorbia\nLathyris_, which he identifies with the _Sferracavallo_ of the\nItalians, so named because it acts so potently on metals, that horses,\nif they tread on it, have their shoes drawn off. (The _Sferracavallo_,\nhowever, was stated by Mentzel in 1682 to be a Vetch now known as the\n_Hippocrepis_). The Springwort is procured by plugging up the hole in a\ntree in which a green or black woodpecker has its nest with young ones\nin it. As soon as the bird is aware of what has been done, it flies\noff in quest of a wondrous plant, which men might look for in vain,\nand returning with it in its bill, holds it before the plug, which\nimmediately shoots out from the tree, as if driven by the most violent\nforce. But if one conceals himself before the woodpecker returns, and\nscares it when it approaches, the bird will let the root fall; or a\nwhite or red cloth (representing water or fire) may be spread below\nthe nest, and the bird will drop the root upon the cloth after it has\nserved its own turn. This is Grimm\u2019s version of the matter, and Pliny\u2019s\naccount coincides, except that he adds that the plug is driven out\nwith an explosion, caused, as one may conclude, by the electricity\ncontained in the plant which is applied to it by the bird. Now it\nis worthy of remark that the woodpecker is mythically alleged to be\na fire- or lightning-bearer; and so is called by the Romans _Picus\nMartius_, after the god Mars, and _Picus Feronius_, from the Sabine\ngoddess Feronia, who had a certain control over fire. In the Sanscrit,\na species of _Euphorbia_ is called the Thunderbolt Thorn, and some\nothers are termed Thunderbolt-wood. It is curious to notice, by the\nway, that the Indian name of the Sesame-flower, _Vajrapushpa_, connects\nwith the thunderbolt the flower that opens treasure-caves. In Swabia,\nthey say that the hoopoe brings the Springwort, and lets it fall into\nwater or fire to destroy it: to obtain it, therefore, one must have\nin readiness a pan of water, or kindle a fire; the original notion\nhaving been that the bird must return the plant to the element from\nwhich it springs,--that being either the water of the clouds, or the\nlightning-fire enclosed therein. The connection between the Springwort\nand the lightning is also manifested in an old Swabian tradition, that\nwhen the plant is buried in the ground at the summit of a mountain, it\ndraws down the lightning, and divides the storm, causing it to pass\noff to right and left.----In the Oberpfalz, the Springwort is called\n_Johanniswurzel_, because it is there believed that it can only be\nfound among the Fern on St. John\u2019s Night. It is said to be of a yellow\ncolour, and to shine in the night like a candle, resembling in this\nrespect the Mandrake. Moreover, it never stands still, but darts about\ncontinually to avoid the grasp of men. Here then, in the luminosity\nand the power of rapid movement attributed to the Springwort, we see\nthe embodiment of electricity in the plant.----In Switzerland, the\n_Spreng-wurzel_ is carried in the right pocket, to render the bearer\ninvulnerable to dagger or bullet; and in the Harz mountains it is\nsaid to reveal treasures.----With regard to this magical property of\ndisclosing concealed treasures, a story is related by Kuhn in his North\nGerman Legends, from which we learn that a shepherd who was driving\nhis flock over the Ilsenstein, having stopped to rest, leaning on his\nstaff, the mountain suddenly opened, for there was a Springwort in his\nstaff without his knowing it. Inside the mountain he discovered an\nenchanted princess, who bade him take as much gold as he pleased; so he\nfilled his pockets, and then prepared to retire; but he had forgotten\nhis staff with the Springwort in it, which he had laid against the wall\nwhen he stepped in; so that just as he was on the point of stepping out\nof the opening, the rock suddenly slammed together, and cut him in two.\nIn this version of the German legend, the Luckflower is identified with\nthe Springwort.\n\n=SPURGE LAUREL.=--The Spurge Laurel, called in Denmark _Ty-ved_, is\nsacred to Tyr, the god of war. This plant is the badge of the Scottish\nClan Graham.\n\n=SQUILL.=--The _Scilla maritima_, or Sea Onion, was of old consecrated\nin Egypt to the god Typhon. The mummies of Egyptian women often hold\nthe Squill in one hand, probably as an emblem of generation. The\nEgyptians planted the Squill in groves, and hung it in their houses to\npreserve them from evil spirits. In Arcadia, at the festival of the god\nPan, the statue of the deity was decorated with Squills.\n\n=STAR OF BETHLEHEM.=--The _Ornithogalum umbellatum_ is called the\nStar of Bethlehem on account of its white stellate flowers resembling\nthe pictures of the star that indicated the birth of the Saviour of\nmankind. As the plant is abundant in the neighbourhood of Samaria, it\nwas thought by Linn\u00e6us and also by several biblical commentators to be\nthe \u201cdove\u2019s dung\u201d mentioned as the food of the famished inhabitants of\nthat city during the siege recorded in the Book of Kings. The Star of\nBethlehem is horological--it never unfolds its petals before eleven\no\u2019clock, and hence has acquired the nickname of the Eleven o\u2019Clock Lady.\n\n=STOCK.=--The Stock, or Stock-Gilliflower (_Mathiola_), was one of\nthe earliest inmates of English gardens, where it was known as the\nGilliflower, a word corrupted from the French name of the flower,\n_Girofl\u00e9e_.\n\n  \u201cThe white and purple Gillyflowers, that stay\n  In blossom--lingering summer half away.\u201d\n\nThe principal kinds grown in gardens are the Queen\u2019s Stock-Gilliflower,\nof which the Brompton Stock and the White Stock are varieties, and\nthe annual, or Ten-weeks\u2019 Stock (_M. annua_). The old English name\nof Gilliflower was familiarly given to several other plants dear to\nearly English gardeners: thus we find it applied to the Carnation, the\nPink, the Rocket, the Wall-flower, the Ragged Robin, and some others.\nParkinson (who is the first writer to mention the double Stock) remarks\nof the flower: \u201cWe call it in English generally Stock-Gilloflower (or\nas others do, Stock Gillover), to put a difference between them and the\nGilloflowers and Carnations, which are quite of another kindred.\u201d The\nword Gilliflower afterwards became corrupted to July-flower, and was so\nwritten by the poet Drayton.----Baron Cuvier had a great partiality\nfor the double Stock: it had been the favourite flower of his mother,\nand the great naturalist, on that account, always prized the fragrant\nplant, and whilst it was in season made it a rule to have a bunch on\nhis table, that he might inhale its grand perfume.\n\n=STONECROP.=--Like the House-leek, the Stonecrop was supposed to be a\nprotective against thunder and lightning, and hence was planted on the\nroofs of cottages, stables, &c. The old herbalists valued the small\nHouseleek, or Stonecrop, as a cure for ague and expeller of poisons.\nIt was used as an outward application, and, when boiled in beer, was\nconsidered good for pestilential fevers. Among country folks the plant\nwas known as Wall Pepper (from its pungent flavour), Jack of the\nButtery, Gold Chain, and Prick Madam, the last name being a corruption\nof the French _Trique Madame._----Stonecrop is held by astrologers to\nbe under the dominion of the Moon.\n\n=STORAX.=--The Styrax, or Storax-tree, has been held in great\nestimation from the time of Dioscorides and Pliny, both of whom\ndescribed it. Although the tree is indigenous to many of the southern\nparts of Europe, yet the precious and deliciously fragrant gum\nthat exudes from it, known as Storax-tears, can only be obtained\nin perfection from Asiatic Turkey. Old Gerarde says \u201cof this gum,\nthere are made sundry excellent perfumes, pomanders, sweet waters,\nsweet bags, sweet washing-balls, and divers other sweet chains and\nbracelets.\u201d----Storax-tears are still used as incense in the churches\nand mosques of Asia Minor.\n\n=STRAW.=--In the _H\u00e1vam\u00e1l_, or the \u2018Divine Discourse of Odin,\u2019 who\ngave these precepts of wisdom to mankind, it is stated that \u201cStraws\ndissolve enchantment.\u201d Hence, probably, was derived the custom of\nlaying two Straws crosswise in the path where a witch was expected to\npass, under the belief that by stepping over Straws, arranged so as to\nform the sign of the Cross, a witch was rendered powerless. In Ireland,\non May-eve (_neen na Beal tina_), the ceremony is practised of making\nthe cows leap over lighted Straw or faggots.----In Cornwall, lasses\ndesirous of knowing when they are to be married, are accustomed to\nrepair either to Madron Well, or to a well at St. Austell: there two\npieces of Straw, about an inch long, are crossed and fastened by a pin.\nThis Straw cross is then dropped into the water, and the rising bubbles\ncarefully counted, as they mark the number of years which will pass ere\nthe arrival of the happy day.----In Devonshire, to charm warts away,\nthey take a Wheat Straw with as many knots as there are warts on the\nhand to be dealt with, name over the Straw the person afflicted, and\nthen bury it: as it decays, the warts will disappear.----In the county\nof Donegal, Ireland, a sufferer from warts procures ten Straws, ties a\nknot in each, throws the tenth away, and carefully rubs the warts with\nthe other nine knotted Straws; this done, he makes a white paper parcel\nof the Straws, and throws it upon the high road, sure that the person\nwho picks up and opens the parcel will become the possessor of the\nwarts.----An old German cure for sleeplessness was to place beneath the\npillow a \u201ccomposing wisp,\u201d that is Straw which workwomen put under the\nburdens on their backs; but taken from people unknown to them.----If\na hen wants to sit, the German peasants make her nest of Straw out of\nthe bed of the husband and wife: if cock chickens are wished, from the\nman\u2019s side; if hen chickens, from the wife\u2019s side.----A Swedish popular\ntale narrates how a king\u2019s son, passing a cottage one day, saw a pretty\ngirl sitting on the roof spinning. Curious to know why she chose so\nunusual a place, he enquired of the girl\u2019s mother, who told him that\nshe sat there to let the people see how clever she was; adding, \u201cShe is\nso clever that she can spin gold from clay and long Straw.\u201d The truth\nwas, the girl, although good-looking, was idle in the extreme, and had\nbeen set to spin on the roof of the cot so that all the world might\njudge of her sloth. The king\u2019s son, however, knew naught of this, and\nbeing captivated by the girl\u2019s pretty face, he resolved, if she could\nreally spin gold from long Straw and clay, to take her to the palace,\nand make her his consort. The mother having given her consent, the girl\naccompanied the prince to the royal residence, where she was given a\nbundle of Straw, and a pailful of clay, in order to prove if she were\nso skilful at spinning as her mother had said. The poor girl, knowing\nher incompetence, soon began to weep when left by herself in her\nchamber; whereupon suddenly a little ugly and deformed old man stood\nbefore her, and demanded to know the cause of her grief. The girl told\nhim; and forthwith the old man produced a pair of gloves, which he gave\nto the girl, saying, \u201cFair maiden, weep not: here is a pair of gloves;\nwhen thou hast them on, thou wilt be able to spin from long Straw and\nclay. To-morrow night I will return, when, if thou hast not found out\nmy name, thou shalt accompany me home, and be my bride.\u201d The brave girl\nshuddered, but agreed to the old man\u2019s condition, and he went his way.\nThen she pulled on the gloves, and, without difficulty, soon spun up\nall the Straw and clay into the finest gold. There was great joy in\nthe palace, and the king\u2019s son was delighted that he had obtained so\ncharming and so skilful a wife; but the young maiden did nothing but\nweep at the dread prospect of being claimed by the ugly, undersized\nold man. Late in the day, the king\u2019s son returned from the chase, and\nseeing his bride so melancholy, began to tell her of an adventure he\nhad just met with in the forest. Said he: \u201cI suddenly came upon a very\nlittle ugly old man dancing round a Juniper-bush, singing a curious\nsong, at the end of which he loudly bawled, \u2018I am called _Titteli\nTure_.\u2019\u201d Then the pretty maid\u2019s face brightened up, for she knew that\nshe had learnt the name of her mysterious visitor. So she set to work\nto spin more gold from Straw and clay alone in her chamber, and kept\nrepeating the old man\u2019s name, so that she might not forget it. At\nmidnight the door of her room noiselessly opened, and the hideous old\nman entered with beaming eyes. On beholding him the girl sprang up, and\nsaid: \u201cTitteli Ture, Titteli Ture, here are thy gloves.\u201d When the dwarf\nheard his name pronounced, he was overcome with passion, and bursting\nthrough the roof of the apartment, hastened away through the air. The\nmaiden was espoused by the king\u2019s son the following day, and nothing\nmore was ever seen of Titteli Ture.\n\n=STRAWBERRY.=--Strawberries were reputed to be the favourite fruit of\nthe goddess Frigg, who presided over marriages. In German legends,\nStrawberries symbolise little children who have died when young.\nAccording to one of these legends, before St. John\u2019s Day mothers\nwho have lost their little ones take care not to eat Strawberries,\nbecause they think that young children ascend to heaven concealed in\nStrawberries. Mothers who eat Strawberries are considered to have\nwronged the Virgin Mary, to whom the Strawberry is dedicated, and\nwho would assuredly refuse an entry into heaven to those children\nwhose mothers had defrauded her of the fruit specially set apart for\nher.----A representation of the leaf of the Strawberry is set in\nthe gold coronets worn by certain of the English nobility: a duke\u2019s\ncoronet has eight leaves, an earl\u2019s eight, and that of a marquis four.\nStrawberry-leaves and the Flower-de-luce are used in the coronets of\nthe younger members of the royal family. Don John, son of King John\nI. of Portugal, adopted the Strawberry as his device, to show his\ndevotion to St. John the Baptist, who lived on fruits. It is mentioned\nby Hollinshed, and the fact has been dramatised by Shakspeare, that\nGlo\u2019ster, when he was contemplating the death of Hastings, asked the\nBishop of Ely for Strawberries.\n\n  \u201cMy lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn,\n  I saw good Strawberries in your garden there.\u201d\n\nLinn\u00e6us was cured of frequent attacks of gout by the use of\nStrawberries, and the fruit is accounted an excellent remedy in putrid\nfevers.----To dream of Strawberries is reputed to be a good omen:\nto a youth they are supposed to denote that \u201chis wife will be sweet\ntempered, and bear him many children, all boys.\u201d----A legend of the\nFichtelgebirge (a mountain range at the junction of Saxony, Bavaria,\nand Bohemia) records that one Midsummer Day a woman went with her child\nto look for Strawberries in a wood. She chanced to light upon some\nplants, which when plucked in the night, were not to be exhausted; and\nafter awhile she perceived a cavern which she entered with her child.\nHere, to her astonishment, lay heaps of gold scattered about; and three\nwhite maidens gave her permission to take as much of the treasure as\nshe could collect with one grasp. Her greed, however, induced her\nto make three swoops, and then, fearful of the consequences, and\nforgetting her child, she rushed out of the hollow, when the entrance\nwas immediately closed upon her, and a warning voice informed her that\nshe could not regain her child until the next St. John\u2019s Day. When this\nday arrived, the woman repaired to the cave, and found to her joy the\nentrance once more open, and her little one awaiting her with a rosy\nApple in its hand. Disregarding the treasures scattered in the cave,\nthe mother rushed with outstretched arms towards her child, and the\nwhite maidens finding that the mother\u2019s love was stronger than her\ngreed handed over the little one to her.----There is, in this district,\nanother legend anent the gathering of Strawberries, which will be found\nunder the head of CLUB MOSS.\n\n=SUGAR-CANE.=--In the Sugar plantations of the Indies, several\nsuperstitious ceremonies are preserved. It being customary to reserve\na few plants, it sometimes happens after the fields are planted,\nthat there remain several superfluous canes. Whenever this happens,\nthe husbandman repairs to the spot on the 11th of June, and having\nsacrificed to the Nagbele, the tutelar deity of the Sugar-cane, he\nimmediately kindles a fire, and consumes the whole. If a Sugar-cane\nshould flower again at the end of the season, and produce seeds, it is\nlooked upon as a funereal flower, and as portending misfortune to the\nowner of the estate or his family. If, therefore, a husbandman sees one\nof these late-flowering canes, he plucks it up, and buries it without\nallowing his master to know anything of the unfortunate occurrence,\nwillingly taking to himself any ill-luck which may accrue.----The bow\nof K\u00e2madeva, the Indian Cupid, is sometimes represented as being formed\nof Sugar-cane, sometimes of flowers, with a string composed of bees.\nHis five arrows were each tipped with a blossom, presented to K\u00e2madeva\nby Vasanta (Spring).\n\n  \u201cHe bends the luscious cane, and twists the string\n  With bees; how sweet! but ah! how keen their sting.\n  He, with five flow\u2019rets tips thy ruthless darts,\n  Which through five senses pierce enraptured hearts;\n  Strong _Champa_, rich in odorous gold;\n  Warm _Amer_, nursed in heavenly mould;\n  Dry _Makeser_, in silver smiling;\n  Hot _Kitticum_ our sense beguiling;\n  And last, to kindle fierce the scorching flame,\n  _Love Shaft_, which gods bright _Bela_ name.\u201d--_Sir W. Jones._\n\n=SUNFLOWER.=--The _Helianthus annuus_ derived its name of Sunflower\nfrom its resemblance to the radiant beams of the Sun, and not, as is\npopularly supposed and celebrated by poets, from its flowers turning to\nface the Sun--a delusion fostered by Darwin, Moore, and Thompson, the\nlatter of whom tells us that unlike most of the flowery race--\n\n  \u201cThe lofty follower of the Sun,\n  Sad when he sets, shuts up her yellow leaves,\n  Drooping all night, and, when he warm returns,\n  Points her enamour\u2019d bosom to his ray.\u201d\n\nThe Helianthus has also been falsely identified with the Sunflower\nof classical story--the flower into which poor Clytie was transformed\nwhen, heart-broken at the desertion of her lover Ph\u0153bus, she remained\nrooted to the ground, and became, according to Ovid, metamorphosed\ninto a flower resembling a Violet. \u201cHeld firmly by the root, she still\nturns to the Sun she loves, and, changed herself, she keeps her love\nunchanged.\u201d Now the Helianthus, or modern Sunflower, could not have\nbeen the blossom mentioned by Ovid, inasmuch as it is not a European\nplant, was not known in his day, and first came to us from North\nAmerica. In its native country of Peru, the Helianthus is said to have\nbeen much reverenced on account of the resemblance borne by its radiant\nblossoms to the Sun, which luminary was worshipped by the Peruvians.\nIn their Temple of the Sun, the officiating priestesses were crowned\nwith Sunflowers of pure gold, and they wore them in their bosoms, and\ncarried them in their hands. The early Spanish invaders of Peru found\nin these temples of the Sun numerous representations of the Sunflower\nin virgin gold, the workmanship of which was so exquisite, that it\nfar out-valued the precious metal of which they were formed. Gerarde,\nwriting in 1597, remarks:--\u201cThe floure of the Sun is called in Latine\n_Flos Solis_; for that some have reported it to turn with the Sunne,\nwhich I could never observe, although I have endeavoured to finde\nout the truth of it: but I rather thinke it was so called because it\nresembles the radiant beams of the Sunne, whereupon some have called\n_Corona Solis_ and _Sol Indianus_, the Indian Sunne-floure: others\n_Chrysanthemum Peruvianum_, or the Golden Flower of Peru: in English,\nthe Floure of the Sun, or the Sun-floure.\u201d (See HELIOTROPE.)\n\n=SYCAMORE.=--Sycamore is properly the name of an Egyptian tree, the\nleaves of which resemble those of the Mulberry and the fruit that\nof the wild Fig; whence it was named from both _Sukomoros_; _sukon_\nsignifying a Fig, and _moros_ a Mulberry-tree.----Thevenot gives an\ninteresting tradition relating to one of these trees. He writes:--\u201cAt\nMatharee is a large Sycamore, or Pharaoh\u2019s Fig, very old, but which\nbears fruit every year. They say, that upon the Virgin passing that\nway with her son Jesus, and being pursued by the people, this Fig-tree\nopened to receive her, and closed her in, until the people had passed\nby, when it re-opened; and that it remained open ever after to the year\n1656, when the part of the trunk that had separated itself was broken\naway.\u201d The tree is still shown to travellers a few miles north-east\nof Cairo.----Another version relates that the Holy Family, at the\nconclusion of their flight into Egypt, finally rested in the village\nof Matarea, beyond the city of Hermopolis, and took up their residence\nin a grove of Sycamores, a circumstance which gave the Sycamore-tree\na certain degree of interest in early Christian times. The Crusaders\nimported it into Europe, and Mary Stuart, probably on account of its\nsacred associations, brought from France and planted in her garden\nthe first Sycamores which grew in Scotland.----From the wood of this\nEgyptian Fig-tree or Sycamore (_Ficus Sycomorus_), which is very\nindestructible, the coffins of the Egyptian mummies were made.----By\na mistake of Ruellius the name Sycamore became transferred to the\nGreat Maple (_Acer pseudoplatanus_), which is the tree commonly known\nin England as the Sycamore or Mock-Plane. This mistake, Dr. Prior\nconsiders, may perhaps have arisen from the Great Maple having been,\non account of the density of its foliage, used in the sacred dramas of\nthe Middle Ages to represent the Fig-tree into which Zaccheus climbed\non the day of our Saviour\u2019s triumphal entry into Jerusalem--the _Ficus\nSycomorus_ mentioned above.\n\n                    \u201cHere a sure shade\n  Of barren Sycamores, which the all-seeing sun\n  Could not pierce through.\u201d--_Massinger._\n\nIn Scotland, the most remarkable Sycamores are those called Dool-trees\nor Grief-trees. They were used by the powerful barons in the west of\nScotland for hanging their enemies and refractory vassals on.----The\nGreat Maple is called in France, as with us, _Sycomore_ or _Faux\nPlatane_ (Mock-Plane); the Italians call the same tree _Acero Fico_\n(Fig-Maple); but in both these countries there grows the _Melia\nAzadirachta_, or False Sycamore, which is called the Sacred Tree in\nFrance, and the Tree of Our Father in Italy. In Sicily, it is known\nas the Tree of Patience, and is regarded as emblematic of a wife\u2019s\ninfidelity and a husband\u2019s patience.----To dream of the Sycamore-tree\nportends jealousy to the married; but to the virgin it prognosticates a\nspeedy marriage. (See also MAPLE).\n\n=SYRINGA.=--The Arcadian nymph Syrinx pursued by Pan, who was enamoured\nof her, fled to the banks of the river Ladon. Her flight being there\nstopped, she implored relief from the water-nymphs, and was changed\ninto a Reed, just as Pan was on the point of catching her. Ovid thus\ndescribes her transformation:--\n\n  \u201cNow while the lustful god, with speedy pace,\n  Just thought to strain her in a strict embrace,\n  He filled his arms with Reeds, new rising on the place;\n  And while he sighs his ill-success to find,\n  The tender canes were shaken by the wind,\n  And breathed a mournful air, unheard before;\n  That much surprising Pan, yet pleased him more.\n  Admiring this new music, \u2018Thou,\u2019 he said,\n  \u2018Who can\u2019st not be the partner of my bed,\n  At least shall be the consort of my mind;\n  And often, often to my lips be joined.\u2019\n  He formed the Reeds, proportioned as they are,\n  Unequal in their length, and waxed with care,\n  They still retain the name of his ungrateful fair.\u201d--_Dryden._\n\nThe _Philadelphus coronarius_ is the shrub into which, according to\nOvid, the nymph Syrinx was metamorphosed. The stems of this shrub are\nused in Turkey for making pipe-sticks. Evelyn applied the name Syringa\nalso to the Lilac, which for the same reason was called \u201cPipe-tree.\u201d\n\n=TAMARIND.=--The _Tamarindus Indica_ is in Ceylon dedicated to Siva,\nas the god of destruction. The natives of India have a prejudice\nagainst sleeping under the Tamarind, and the acid damp from the tree\nis known to affect the cloth of tents that are pitched under them for\nany length of time. So strong is the prejudice of the natives against\nthe Tamarind-tree, that it is difficult to prevent them from destroying\nit, as they believe it hurtful to vegetation. It is chiefly cultivated\nfor its seed-pods, which are used medicinally, and for food.----Dreams\nconnected with Tamarinds are of ill omen, portending trouble, loss, and\ndisappointment.----The Tamarind is held to be under the dominion of\nVenus.\n\n=TAMARISK.=--The _Tamarix orientalis_ is also known as the Tamarisk\nof Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that at the commencement of\nthe world Osiris was born from the midst of chaos, from whence also\nproceeded his wife Isis, the Queen of Light, and Typhon, the Spirit\nof Darkness. Osiris was the ruler of all the earth; but Typhon, being\njealous of him, seized him by strategy, nailed him in a chest, and\ncast it into the Nile, that it might float out to sea. Isis in despair\nwandered all over the country, searching for the dead body of her\nhusband, and at length heard that the chest had been cast on shore at\nByblos, and had there lodged in the branches of a Tamarisk-bush, which\nquickly shot up and became a large and beautiful tree, growing round\nthe chest so that it could not be seen. The king of the country, amazed\nat the vast size of the Tamarisk-tree, ordered it to be cut down and\nhewn into a pillar to support the roof of his palace, the chest being\nstill concealed in the trunk. Here it was discovered by Isis, who cut\nopen the pillar, and took the coffin with her to Egypt, where she hid\nit in a remote place; but Typhon found it, and divided the corpse of\nOsiris into fourteen pieces. After a long and weary search, in which\nIsis sailed over the fenny parts of the land in a boat made of Papyrus,\nshe recovered all the fragments except one, which had been thrown into\nthe sea.----The _Tamarix Gallica_ is called the Tamarisk of Apollo:\nthe Apollo of Lesbos is represented with a branch of Tamarisk in his\nhand. Nicander called the Tamarisk the Tree of Prophecy. In Persia, the\nMagian priests (who claimed supernatural power) arrived at a knowledge\nof future events by means of certain manipulations of the mystic\n_baresma_, or bundle of thin Tamarisk twigs, the employment of which\nwas enjoined in the Zendavesta books as essential to every sacrificial\nceremony.----Herodotus informs us that the Tamarisk was employed for\na similar purpose by other nations of antiquity; and Pliny states\nthat the Egyptian priests were crowned with its foliage.----According\nto tradition, it was from Tamarisk-trees that the showers of Manna\ndescended on the famishing Israelites in the desert.----At the present\nday, the Manna of Mount Sinai is produced by a variety of _Tamarix\nGallica_: it consists of pure mucilaginous sugar.----Astrologers state\nthat the Tamarisk is under the rule of Saturn.\n\n=TANSY.=--The herb Tansy (_Tanacetum_) has derived its name from the\nGreek _athanasia_, immortality, it being supposed that this herb was\nreferred to in a passage in Lucian\u2019s Dialogues of the Gods, where\nJupiter, speaking of Ganymede, says to Mercury, \u201cTake him away, and\nwhen he has drunk of immortality [_athanasia_], bring him back as\ncup-bearer to us.\u201d In the Catholic Church the herb is dedicated to\nSt. Athanasius, and in Lent cakes are flavoured with it. Gerarde says\nthat the name _athanasia_ was given to the plant because the flowers\ndo not speedily wither: he also tells us that \u201cin the Spring time are\nmade with the leaves hereof newly sprung up, and with egs, cakes or\ntansies, which be pleasant on taste, and good for the stomacke.\u201d----In\nsome country places, it is customary to eat Tansy pudding at Easter,\nin allusion to the \u201cbitter herbs\u201d at the Passover. In Sussex, a charm\nagainst ague is to wear Tansy leaves in the shoe.----In some parts of\nItaly, people present stalks of the Wild Tansy to those whom they mean\nto insult.----The Tansy is held to be a herb of Venus.\n\n=TEA.=--A Japanese Buddhist legend attributes the origin of the\nTea-plant (_Thea Sinensis_) to the eyelids of a devotee, which fell\nto the ground and took root. The legend relates that about A.D.\n519 a Buddhist priest went to China; and, in order to dedicate his\nsoul entirely to God, he made a vow to pass the day and night in\nan uninterrupted and unbroken meditation. After many years of such\ncontinual watching, he was at length so tired, that he fell asleep. On\nawaking the following morning, he was so grieved that he had broken his\nvow, that he cut off both his eyelids and threw them on the ground.\nReturning to the same spot on the following day, he was astonished\nto find that each eyelid had become a shrub. This was the Tea-shrub\n(until then unknown in China)--the leaves of which exhibit the form\nof an eyelid bordered with lashes, and possess the gift of hindering\nsleep.--One Ibn Wahab, who travelled in China some time in the ninth\ncentury, makes the first authentic mention of Tea as a favourite\nbeverage of the Chinese. He describes it as the leaf of a shrub more\nbushy than the Pomegranate; and says that an infusion is made by\npouring boiling water upon it.\n\n=TEREBINTH.=--The Terebinth (_Pistacia Terebinthus_) is a tree much\nvenerated by the Jews. Abraham pitched his tent beneath the shade\nof a Terebinth at Mamre, in the valley of Hebron, and an altar was\nafterwards erected close by. The spot whereon the tree of Abraham had\nflourished was in the time of Eusebius still held in great reverence\nand sanctity, and a Christian church was erected there. Josephus, in\nhis \u2018History of the Jews,\u2019 recounts that the Terebinth of Abraham had\nflourished ever since the creation of the world; but a second legend\nstates that it sprang from the staff of one the angels who visited\nAbraham. At Sichem is shown the Terebinth of Jacob, near which Joshua\nraised an altar. The angel appeared to Gideon to encourage him to\nengage in battle near a Terebinth-tree at Ophra, and on this spot,\nafter the victory, Gideon raised an altar. The Jews, by preference,\nbury their dead beneath the shadow of a Terebinth.\n\n=THISTLE.=--The Thistle (_Carduus_), in the first days of man, was\nsent by the Almighty as a portion of the curse passed upon him when he\nwas made a tiller of the soil. God said, \u201cThorns and Thistles shall\nit bring forth to thee (Gen. iv.). One species, the Milk Thistle\n(_Carduus Marianus_), is distinguishable by the milky veins of its\nleaves, which were supposed to have derived their peculiar colour from\nthe milk of the Virgin Mary having fallen upon them. This is sometimes\ncalled the Scotch Thistle, but it is not so: it grows on the rocky\ncliffs near Dumbarton Castle, where, if tradition be true, it was\noriginally planted by the unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scots. The Thistle\nof Scotland is believed to be the _Onopordum Acanthium_, the Cotton\nThistle, which grows by the highways: this is the national insignia,\nand its flower-cup and bristling leaves accord well with the motto,\n\u201c_Nemo me impune lacessit_.\u201d Tradition says that the Thistle, with\nthe motto rendered in homely Scotch, \u201c_Wha daur meddle wi\u2019 me?_\u201d was\nadopted as the symbol of Scotland from the following circumstance:--A\nparty of invading Danes attempted to surprise the Scotch army by night.\nUnder cover of darkness, they approached the slumbering camp, but one\nof them trod upon a prickly Thistle, and his involuntary cry of pain\nroused some of the Scots, who flew to arms, and chased the foe from the\nfield. The _Onicus acaulis_, or stemless Thistle, is by some considered\nto be the true Scotch Thistle, as it accords best with the legend of\nthe defeated Norsemen, and is, besides, the Thistle seen in the gold\nbonnet-piece of James V. _Carduus acanthoides_ and _C. nutans_ are by\nothers supposed to be the\n\n  \u201cProud Thistle, emblem dear to Scotland\u2019s sons,\n  Begirt with threatening points, strong in defence,\n  Unwilling to assault.\u201d\n\nThe Thistle has given its title to a Scotch order of knighthood,\nwhich is said to have been instituted by Achaius, king of the Scots,\nwhen he obtained a victory over Athelstan. The insignia borne by the\nknights of the Order of the Thistle is a gold collar, with Thistles\nand a sprig of Rue interlaced. A gold medal is also worn, bearing a\nfigure of St. Andrew.----Mannhardt states that in Mecklenburg there\nis a legend current which relates that in a certain wild and barren\nspot, where once a murder had been committed, there grows every day\nat noon a strangely-formed Thistle: on the weird plant are to be seen\nhuman arms, hands, and heads, and when twelve heads have appeared, the\nghastly plant mysteriously vanishes. A shepherd, one day, passed the\nspot where the mystic Thistle was growing. His staff became tinder, and\nhis arms were struck with paralysis.----According to Apuleius, the wild\nThistle, carried about the person, possessed the magical property of\naverting all ills from the bearer.----In Esthonia, they place Thistles\non the Corn that has first ripened, to drive away any evil spirit that\nmay come to it.----In divining, by an old English rite, a girl, to find\nout which of three or four persons loves her best, takes three or four\nheads of Thistles, cuts off their points, gives each Thistle the name\nof one of these persons, and lays them under her pillow. That Thistle\nwhich bears the name of the person loving her most will put forth a\nfresh sprout.----To dream of being surrounded by Thistles is a lucky\nomen, portending that the dreamer will be rejoiced by some pleasing\nintelligence in a short time.----Astrologers state that Thistles are\nunder the rule of Mars.\n\n=THORN.=--According to a German tradition, the Black Thorn springs\nfrom the blood of the corpse of a heathen slain in battle. In Germany,\nthe Easter fire was anciently called Buckthorn because it was always\nkindled with that wood, as it is to this day at Dassel, in Westphalia.\nKuhn thinks the tree itself (_Bocksdorn_) was so called from the\nsacrificial buck-goat which was burned upon its wood in heathen\ntimes.----The Celts have always reverenced the Thorn-bush, and its wood\nwas used by the Greeks for the drilling-stick of their _pyreia_, an\ninstrument employed for kindling the sacred fire. The Thorn was also\nheld by the Greeks to be a preservative against witchcraft and sorcery.\nNevertheless, in some parts of England, witches were formerly reputed\nto be fond of a Thorn-bush, and both in Brittany and in some parts of\nIreland it is considered unsafe to gather even a leaf from certain old\nand solitary Thorns, which grow in sheltered hollows of the moorland,\nand are the fairies\u2019 trysting places. To this day, it is thought in\nmany rural districts to be a death-token, and therefore to take a\nbranch or blossom into a house is deemed to be unlucky.----Josephus\ntells us that the \u201cbush\u201d out of which the Lord appeared to Moses in a\nflame of fire was a Thorn. He writes: \u201cA wonderful prodigy happened to\nMoses: for a fire fed upon a Thorn-bush; yet did the green leaves and\nthe flowers continue untouched, and the fire did not at all consume\nthe fruit branches.\u201d----According to Aryan tradition, the Hawthorn\nsprang from the lightning, and as with other trees of like mythical\ndescent, it was considered a protective against fire, thunderbolts,\nand lightning. Sir John Maundevile bears witness to this old belief,\nwhen, speaking of the Albespyne, or Whitethorn, he says:--\u201cFor he that\nbeareth a braunche on hym thereof, no thondre, ne no maner of tempest\nmay dere [harm] hym; ne in the hows that yt is ynne may non evil ghost\nentre.\u201d----The Whitethorn or Hawthorn has long had the reputation of\nbeing a sacred tree, and the plant which had the mournful distinction\nof supplying the crown of Thorns worn by our Saviour at His\ncrucifixion. Many other plants, however, have been credited with this\ndistinction, including the Buckthorns (_Rhamnus Paliurus_ and _Rhamnus\nSpina Christi_), and the _Paliurus aculeatus_, or Christ Thorn.----In\nthe thirteenth century, there existed among Christians a strong passion\nfor relics, and when the Emperor Baldwin II. came to beg aid from Louis\nIX. (St. Louis of France), he secured his goodwill at once by offering\nhim the holy Crown of Thorns, which for several centuries had been\npreserved at Constantinople, and had been pledged to the Venetians\nfor a large sum of money. Louis redeemed this precious and venerable\nrelic, aided Baldwin with men and money, and then triumphantly brought\nthe crown of Thorns to Paris, carrying it himself from Sens, barefoot\nand bareheaded. Having also been so fortunate as to obtain a small\npiece of the true Cross, he built in honour of these treasures the\nexquisite chapel since called _La Sainte Chapelle_. In pictures of St.\nLouis, he is usually depicted with his special attribute, the Crown\nof Thorns, which he reverently holds in one hand.----In Brittany,\nthere is a superstition current which will explain the cause why the\nrobin has always been a favourite and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of man. It is said that\nwhile our Saviour was bearing His Cross, one of these little birds\ntook from His Crown one of the Thorns steeped in His blood, which\ndyed the robin\u2019s breast; and ever since the redbreasts have been the\nfriends of man.----St. Catherine of Siena is frequently represented\nwith the Crown of Thorns, in reference to the legend that, having been\npersecuted and vilified by certain nuns, she laid her wrongs, weeping,\nat the feet of Christ. He appeared to her, bearing in one hand a\ncrown of gold and jewels, in the other His Crown of Thorns, and bade\nher choose between them. She took from His hand the Crown of Thorns,\nand pressed it hastily on her own head, but with such force that the\nThorns penetrated to her brain, and she cried out with the agony.----In\na painting of Murillo, Santa Rosa de Lima is depicted crowned with\nThorns, in allusion to the legend that when compelled by her mother to\nwear a crown of Roses, she so adjusted it on her brow that it became\na veritable crown of Thorns.----In representations of St. Francis of\nAssisi, the Crown of Thorns is sometimes introduced, the saint having\nbeen considered by his followers as a type of the Redeemer.----In many\nparts of England charms or incantations are employed to prevent a Thorn\nfrom festering in the flesh. The following are some of the magic verses\nrecited:--\n\n  \u201cHappy man that Christ was born,\n  He was crowned with a Thorn.\n  He was pierced through the skin,\n  For to let the poison in.\n  But his five wounds, so they say,\n  Closed before He passed away.\n  In with healing, out with Thorn,\n  Happy man that Christ was born.\u201d\n\n  \u201cUnto the Virgin Mary our Saviour was born,\n  And on His head He wore a crown of Thorn:\n  If you believe this true and mind it well,\n  This hurt will never fester nor swell.\u201d\n\n  \u201cOur Saviour was of a virgin born,\n  His head was crowned with a crown of Thorn;\n  It never canker\u2019d nor fester\u2019d at all,\n  And I hope in Christ Jesus this never shall.\u201d\n\n  \u201cChrist was of a virgin born,\n  And He was pricked by a Thorn,\n  And it did never bell [throb] nor swell,\n  As I trust in Jesus this never will.\u201d\n\n  \u201cChrist was crown\u2019d with Thorns,\n  The Thorns did bleed, but did not rot,\n  No more shall thy finger.\n        In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.\u201d\n\nIn Herefordshire, the burning of a Thorn-bush is supposed to act as a\ncharm against smut or mildew in Wheat. When the crop is just springing\nout of the ground, the farmer\u2019s servants rise before daybreak, and cut\na branch of some particular Thorn; they then make a large fire in the\nfield, in which they burn a portion of it, and hang up the remaining\nportion in the homestead.----Tradition affirms that, at Hemer, in\nWestphalia, a man was engaged in fencing his field on Good Friday, and\nhad just poised a bunch of Thorns on his fork, when he was at once\ntransported to the Moon. Some of the Hemer peasants declare that the\nMoon is not only inhabited by this man with his Thorn-bush, but also by\na woman who was churning her butter one Sabbath during Divine Service.\nAnother legend relates how the Man in the Moon is none other than Cain\nwith a bundle of Briars.----To dream you are surrounded by Thorns,\nsignifies that you will be rejoiced by some pleasing intelligence in a\nvery short time.\n\n=THORN APPLE.=--Gerarde, in his \u2018Herbal,\u2019 calls the _Datura Stramonium_\nThorny Apple of Peru: he speaks of it as a plant of a drowsy and\nnumbing quality, resembling in its effects the Mandrake, and he tells\nus that it is thought to be the _Hippomanes_, which Theocritus mentions\nas causing horses to go mad. The words of the poet are thus translated\nby the old herbalist:--\n\n  \u201cHippomanes \u2019mongst th\u2019 Arcadian springs, by which ev\u2019n all\n  The colts and agile mares in mountains mad do fall.\u201d\n\nThe juice of Thorn-Apples Gerarde guarantees, when boiled with hog\u2019s\ngrease and made into a salve, will cure inflammations, burnings and\nscaldings, \u201cas well of fire, water, boiling lead, gunpowder, as that\nwhich comes by lightning.\u201d In India, the _Datura_ is sometimes employed\nby robbers as a magical means of depriving their victims of all power\nof resistance: their mode of operation being to induce them to chew and\nswallow a portion of the plant, because those who eat it lose their\nproper senses, become silly and given to inordinate laughter, feel a\nstrong desire to be generous and open-handed, and finally will allow\nanyone to pillage them. The Indians apply to the _Datura_ the epithets\nof the Drunkard, the Madman, the Deceiver, and the Fool-maker. It is\nalso called the tuft of Siva (god of destruction). The Rajpoot mothers\nare said to besmear their breasts with the juice of the leaves, in\norder to destroy their new-born infant children. Acosta states that\nthe Indian dancing girls drug wine with the seeds of the _Datura\nStramonium_. He adds that whoever is so unfortunate as to partake of\nit is for some time perfectly unconscious. He often, however, speaks\nwith others, and gives answers as if he were in full possession of\nhis senses, although he has no control over his actions, is perfectly\nignorant of whom he is with, and loses all remembrance of what has\ntaken places when he awakes.----The Stramonium, or Thorn-Apple, is one\nof the plants commonly connected with witchcraft, death, and horror.\nHarte, describing the plants growing about the Palace of Death, says:--\n\n  \u201cNor were the Nightshades wanting, nor the power\n  Of thorn\u2019d Stramonium, nor the sickly flower\n  Of cloying Mandrakes, the deceitful root\n  Of the monk\u2019s fraudful cowl, and Plinian fruit\u201d [_Amomum Plinii_].\n\n=THYME.=--Among the Greeks, Thyme denoted the graceful elegance of\nthe Attic style, because it covered Mount Hymettus, and gave to the\nhoney made there the aromatic flavour of which the ancients were so\nfond. \u201cTo smell of Thyme\u201d was, therefore, a commendation bestowed\non those writers who had mastered the Attic style.----With the\nGreeks, also, Thyme was an emblem of activity; and as this virtue is\neminently associated with true courage, the ladies of chivalrous times\nembroidered on the scarfs which they presented to their knights, the\nfigure of a bee hovering about a spray of Thyme, in order to inculcate\nthe union of the amiable with the active.----In olden times, it was\nbelieved that Thyme renewed the spirits of both man and beast; and the\nold herbalists recommended it is a powerful aid in melancholic and\nsplenetic diseases.----Fairies and elves were reputed to be specially\nfond of Wild Thyme. Oberon exclaims with delight:--\n\n  \u201cI know a bank whereon the Wild Thyme blows,\n  Where Oxlips and the woody Violet grows,\n  Quite over-canopied with lush Woodbine.\n  With sweet Musk-Roses, and with Eglantine.\u201d\n\nThe fairy king\u2019s musical hounds would willingly forsake the richest\nblossoms of the garden in order to hunt for the golden dew in the\nflowery tufts of Thyme. Of witches it is said, that when they\n\n            \u201cWon\u2019t do penance for their crime,\n  They bathed themselves in Oregane and Thyme.\u201d\n\nIn the South of France, when a summons to attend a meeting of the\nvotaries of _Marianne_ is sent, it is accompanied by tufts of Wild\nThyme, or _Ferigoule_, that being the symbol of advanced Republicanism.\n\n=TOADSTOOL.=--The name of Toadstool was originally applied to all\ndescriptions of unwholesome Fungi, from the popular belief that toads\nsit on them. Thus Spenser, in his \u2018Shepherd\u2019s Calendar,\u2019 says:--\n\n  \u201cThe griesly Todestool grown there mought I see,\n  And loathed paddocks lording on the same.\u201d\n\nFungi are in some parts of the country called Paddock-stools from\nthe same notion that toads are fond of sitting on them; and in the\nWestern counties they bear the name of Pixie-stools. In Sussex, the\nPuff-ball (_Lycoperdon_) is called Puck\u2019s-stool; and in other places\nthese fungi are known among country folks as Puckfists. These names\ntend to identify Puck, the mischievous king of the fairies, with the\ntoad (_pogge_), which is popularly believed to be the impersonation of\nthe Devil himself: hence Toad-stools, Paddock-stools, Puck\u2019s-stools,\nPuckfists, and Pixie-stools have been superstitiously thought to be\nthe droppings of elves or of Satan, and in some districts are known as\nDevil\u2019s droppings.\n\n=TOBACCO.=--With the Aborigines of Southern America, the Tobacco\n(_Nicotiana_) was regarded as a sacred plant, and Darwin has described\nhow, in the pampas of Patagonia, he saw the sacred tree of Wallitchon.\nThis tree grew on a hill in the midst of a vast plain, and when the\nIndians perceived it afar off, they saluted it with loud cries. The\nbranches were covered with cords, from which were suspended votive\nofferings, consisting of cigars, bread, meat, pieces of cloth, &c. In\na fissure of the tree they found spirits and vegetable extracts. When\nsmoking, they blew the Tobacco smoke towards the branches. All around\nlay the bleached bones of horses that they had sacrificed to the sacred\ntree.----The Indians believe that this worship ensures good luck to\nthemselves and their horses. In other parts of America, the Indians\nthrow Tobacco as an offering to the spirit supposed to inhabit the\nwaterfalls and whirlpools.----M. Cochet, a French traveller, recounts\nthat the Indians of Upper Peru, entertain a religious reverence for\nTobacco. They consider it an infallible remedy for the sting of\nserpents, and each year a festival-day is consecrated to the plant.\nOn that day they construct, in the most secluded portion of the\nforest, a round hut, adorned with flowers and feathers. At the foot of\nthe central pillar which supports the hut is placed a basket richly\ndecorated, containing a roll of Tobacco. Into this hut troop in one by\none the Indians of the district, and before the shrine of the sacred\nTobacco perform their customary acts of worship.----In reference to\nthe use of Tobacco by pagan priests in the delivery of their oracles,\nGerarde tells us that the \u201cpriests and enchanters of hot countries do\ntake the fume thereof until they be drunke, that after they have lien\nfor dead three or foure houres, they may tell the people what wonders,\nvisions, or illusions they have seen, and so give them a prophetical\ndirection or foretelling (if we may trust to the Divell) of the\nsuccesse of their businesse.\u201d----In the Ukraine, Tobacco is looked\nupon as an ill-omened plant, and the Raskolniks call it the Herb of\nthe Devil, and make offerings of it to appease \u201cgenis, spirits, and\ndemons of the forest.\u201d----Until the time of Peter the Great, the use of\nTobacco was forbidden in Russia, and those who transgressed the law had\ntheir noses split.\n\n=TREACLE-MUSTARD.=--The names of French Mustard, Treacle-Mustard, and\nTreacle Worm-seed were given to the _Erysimum cheiranthoides_, the two\nlast because, in medi\u00e6val times, the seed of this plant formed one of\nthe seventy-three ingredients of the far-famed \u201cVenice treacle,\u201d a\nnoted antidote to all poisons, believed to cure \u201call those that were\nbitten or stung of venomous beastes, or had drunk poisons, or were\ninfected with the pestilence.\u201d The origin of this counter-poison was\nthe famous _Mithridaticum_, a preparation invented by Mithridates, king\nof Pontus. Andromachus added to this comparatively simple compound\nother ingredients, and especially vipers; changing, on that account,\nthe name to _Theriaca_ (from the Greek _therion_, a small animal). Dr.\nPrior tells us that this remedy, which was known in England originally\nas Triacle, was the source of many popular tales of sorcerers eating\npoison, and was retained in the London Pharmacop\u0153ia till about a\ncentury ago.\n\n=TREFOIL.=--Among the Romans, the Grass crown made of Trefoil-leaves\nwas esteemed a mark of very high honour. (See CLOVER and SHAMROCK).\n\n=TROLL-FLOWER.=--The Globe-flower (_Trollius Europ\u00e6us_) acquired the\nsobriquet of Troll-flower in allusion to the Trolls, who were malignant\nelves, and because of the plant\u2019s acrid poisonous qualities. (See GLOBE\nFLOWER).\n\nTRUE-LOVE.--See Herb Paris.\n\n=TUBEROSE.=--The name Tuberose is simply a corruption of the plant\u2019s\nbotanical title _Polianthes tuberosa_. The Malayans call this\nsweet-scented flower \u201cThe Mistress of Night:\u201d when worn in the hair by\na Malayan lady, the blossom is an indication to her lover that his suit\nis pleasing to her. The Tuberose is a native of India, whence it was\nfirst brought to Europe towards the close of the sixteenth century. Its\nblossoms were at first single, but La Cour, a Dutch florist, obtained\nthe double-flowering variety from seed. So tenacious was he of the\nroots, that even after he had propagated them so freely as to have more\nthan he could plant, he caused them to be cut to pieces in order that\nhe might have the pleasure of boasting that he was the only person in\nEurope who possessed this flower.\n\n=TULASI.=--The Indian name of the Holy Basil (_Ocimum sanctum_) is\nTulasi, under which appellation this sacred plant is worshipped as a\ngoddess. (See BASIL).\n\n=TULIP.=--The origin of the brilliant and dazzling Tulip has been\ngiven us by the poet Rapin, who relates that the flower was a modest\nDalmatian nymph, metamorphosed into a Tulip to save her from the\nimportunities of Vertumnus. The story is thus told by the Jesuit poet:--\n\n  \u201cDalmatia claims the nymph, whom heretofore\n  A bright Timavian dame to Proteus bore;\n  To her the changing sire his gift conveys,\n  In every dress and every form to please:\n  Disguised Vertumnus, wandering round the world,\n  On the Dalmatian coast by Fate was hurled,\n  Where by her mother\u2019s stream the virgin played;\n  The courting god with all his arts assayed\n  (But unsuccessful still) the haughty maid.\n  Yet, as the changing colours pleased her eyes,\n  He put on every form that might surprise,\n  Dres\u2019t in all Nature\u2019s sweet varieties:\n  To suit his mind to her wild humour strove,\n  No complaisance forgot, no policy of love;\n  But when he saw his prayers and arts had failed,\n  Bold with desire his passion he revealed,\n  Confessed the secret god, and force applied.\n  To heaven for aid the modest virgin cried:\n  \u2018Ye rural powers, preserve a nymph from shame!\u2019\n  And, worthy of her wish, a flower became.\n  Her golden caul that shone with sparkling hair,\n  The lace and ribbons which adorned the fair,\n  To leaves are changed; her breast a stem is made,\n  Slender and long, with fragrant greens arrayed;\n  Six gaudy leaves a painted cup compose,\n  On which kind nature every dye bestows;\n  For though the nymph transformed, the love she bore\n  To colours still delights her as before.\u201d\n\nThe Tulip is a favourite flower of the East, and is believed\noriginally to have come from Persia. The French formerly called the\nflower Tulipan, which, as well as the English name, is derived from\n_Thoulyban_, the word used in Persia for turban.----The Tulip is\nconsidered to be one of the flowers loved by fairies and elves, who\nprotect those that cultivate them.----In Turkey, the flower is held in\nthe highest estimation, and a Feast of Tulips used to be celebrated\nannually in the Sultan\u2019s seraglio, when the gardens were brilliantly\nilluminated and decorated with Oriental magnificence, and the f\u00eate was\nattended by the Sultan and his harem.----The garden Tulip is a native\nof the Levant: Linn\u00e6us says of Cappadocia. It is very common in Syria,\nand is supposed by some persons to be the \u201cLily of the field\u201d alluded\nto by Jesus Christ.----In Persia, the Tulip is considered as the emblem\nof consuming love. When a young man presents one to his mistress, he\ngives her to understand, by the general colour of the flower, that\nhe is impressed with her beauty, and by the black base of it that\nhis heart is burnt to a coal.----In India, the Tulip seems to typify\nunhappy love. In the \u2018Rose of Bakawali,\u2019 a Hindustani story, the\nauthor, while describing the beautiful fairy of the heaven, Bakawali,\nsays \u201cthe Tulip immersed itself in blood because of the jealousy it\nentertained of her charming lips!\u201d When bidding adieu to the fairy,\nTaj-ul-muluk says: \u2018I quit this garden carrying in my heart, like the\nTulip, the wound of unhappy love--I go, my head covered with dust,\nmy heart bleeding, my breast fevered.\u2019----The Tulip is supposed to\nhave been brought from Persia to the Levant, and it was introduced\ninto Western Europe about the middle of the sixteenth century by\nBusbeck, ambassador from the Emperor of Germany to the Sublime Porte,\nwho to his astonishment found Tulips on the road between Adrianople\nand Constantinople blooming in the middle of winter. In Europe, they\nsoon became universal favourites, and were imported into England in\n1577.----In Holland, about the middle of the seventeenth century, a\nperfect mania for possessing rare sorts seized all classes of persons.\nFrom 1634 to 1637 inclusive all classes in all the great cities of\nHolland became infected with the Tulipomania. A single root of a\nparticular species, called the _Viceroy_, was exchanged, in the true\nDutch taste, for the following articles:--2 lasts of Wheat, 4 of Rye,\n4 fat oxen, 3 fat swine, 12 fat sheep, 2 hogsheads of wine, 4 tuns of\nbeer, 2 tons of butter, 1000 pounds of cheese, a complete bed, a suit\nof clothes, and a silver beaker--value of the whole, 2500 florins.\nThese Tulips afterwards were sold according to the weight of the\nroots. Four hundred perits (something less than a grain) of _Admiral\nLiefken_, cost 4400 florins; 446 ditto of _Admiral Van der Eyk_, 1620\nflorins; 106 perits _Schilder_ cost 1615 florins; 200 ditto _Semper\nAugustus_, 5500 florins; 410 ditto _Viceroy_, 3000 florins, &c. The\nspecies _Semper Augustus_ has been often sold for 2000 florins; and\nit once happened that there were only two roots of it to be had, the\none at Amsterdam, and the other at Haarlem. For a root of this species\none agreed to give 4600 florins, together with a new carriage, two\ngrey horses, and a complete harness. Another agreed to give for a root\ntwelve acres of land; for those who had not ready money promised their\nmoveable and immoveable goods, houses and lands, cattle and clothes.\nThe trade was followed not only by mercantile people, but also by all\nclasses of society. At first, everyone won and no one lost. Some of the\npoorest people gained, in a few months, houses, coaches and horses, and\nfigured away like the first characters in the land. In every town some\ntavern was selected which served as an exchange, where high and low\ntraded in flowers, and confirmed their bargains with the most sumptuous\nentertainments. They formed laws for themselves, and had their notaries\nand clerks. During the time of the Tulipomania, a speculator often\noffered and paid large sums for a root which he never received, nor\never wished to receive. Another sold roots which he never possessed\nor delivered. Often did a nobleman purchase of a chimney-sweep Tulips\nto the amount of 2000 florins, and sell them at the same time to a\nfarmer, and neither the nobleman, chimney-sweep, nor farmer had roots\nin their possession, or wished to possess them. Before the Tulip season\nwas over, more roots were sold and purchased, bespoke, and promised\nto be delivered, than in all probability were to be found in the\ngardens of Holland; and when _Semper Augustus_ was not to be had, which\nhappened twice, no species perhaps was oftener purchased and sold. In\nthe space of three years, as Munting tells us, more than ten millions\nwere expended in this trade, in only one town of Holland. The evil rose\nto such a pitch, that the States of Holland were under the necessity of\ninterfering; the buyers took the alarm; the bubble, like the South Sea\nscheme, suddenly burst; and as, in the outset, all were winners, in the\nwinding up, very few escaped without loss.\n\n=TUTSAN.=--The _Hypericum Andros\u00e6mum_ was in former days called Tutsan,\nor Tutsayne, a word derived from the French name, _Toute-saine_, which\nwas applied to the plant, according to Lobel, \u201cbecause, like the\nPanacea, it cures all sickness and diseases.\u201d The St. John\u2019s Wort (_H.\nperforatum_) was also called Tutsan.\n\n=TURNIP.=--The Turnip (_Brassica Rapa_) was considered by Columella\nand Pliny as next to corn in value and utility. Pliny mentions some\nof the Turnips of his times as weighing forty pounds each.----In\nWestphalia, when a young peasant goes wooing, if Turnips be set before\nhim, they signify that he is totally unacceptable to the girl he would\ncourt.----To dream of Turnips denotes fruitless toil.\n\n=UNSHOE-THE-HORSE.=--The _Hippocrepis comosa_, from its\nhorseshoe-shaped legumes, is supposed, upon the doctrine of signatures,\nto have the magical power of causing horses to cast their shoes. This\nVetch is the _Sferracavallo_ of the Italians, who ascribe to it the\nsame magical property. Grimm, however, considers that the Springwort\n(_Euphorbia Lathyris_) is, from its powerful action on metals, the\nItalian _Sferracavallo_. The French give a similar extraordinary\nproperty to the Rest-Harrow (_Ononis arvensis_); and it is also\nallotted to the Moonwort (_Botrychium Lunaria_):--\n\n            \u201cWhose virtue\u2019s such,\n  It in the pasture, only with a touch,\n  Unshoes the new-shod steed.\u201d--_Withers._\n\n=UPAS.=--The deadly Upas of Java has the terrible reputation of being\na tree which poisons by means of its noxious exhalations. Two totally\ndistinct trees have been called the Upas,--one, the Antjar (_Autiaris\ntoxicaria_), is a tree attaining a height of one hundred feet; the\nother, the Chetik, is a large creeping shrub peculiar to Java. Neither\nof them, however, answers to the description of the poisonous Upas,\nwhich rises in the \u201cValley of Death,\u201d and which was seen and reported\non by Foersch, a Dutch physician, who travelled in Java at the end\nof the last century. Foersch wrote that this deadly Upas grew in the\nmidst of a frightful desert. No bird could rest in its branches, no\nplant could subsist, no animal live in its neighbourhood: it blighted\neverything near with its malaria, and caused the birds of the air\nthat flew over it to drop lifelessly down. Leagues away, its noxious\nemanations, borne by the winds, proved fatal. When a Javanese was\ncondemned to death, as a last chance, his pardon was offered to him if\nhe would consent to go into the Valley of Death, and gather, by means\nof a long Bamboo-rod, some drops of the poison of the Upas. Hundreds of\nunhappy creatures are said to have submitted to this trial, and to have\nmiserably perished.\n\n=VALERIAN.=--The ancient name of this plant, according to Dioscorides,\nwas _Phu_, and in botanical phraseology Garden Valerian is still\n_Valeriana Phu_. The Latins called the plant _Valeriana_, some say from\nits medicinal value, others from one Valerius, who is reputed first to\nhave used the herb in medicine; but the derivation is really uncertain.\nThe old English name of the plant was Setewale, Setwal, or Set-wall.\nChaucer writes:--\n\n  \u201cTher springen herbes grete and smale,\n  The Licoris and the Setewale.\u201d\n\nAnd, speaking of the Clerk of Oxenforde, he says:--\n\n  \u201cAnd he himself was swete as is the rote\n  Of Licoris, or any Setewale.\u201d\n\nGerarde tells us that the plant was known in his day by the name of\nValerian, Capon\u2019s Tail, and Setwall, but that the last name really\nbelonged to the _Zedoaria_, which is not Valerian. The old herbalist\nalso records that the medicinal virtues of Valerian were, among the\npoorer classes in the North, held in such veneration, \u201cthat no broths,\npottage, or physical meats are worth anything if Setwall were not at an\nend: whereupon some woman poet or other hath made these verses:--\n\n  \u2018They that will have their heale\n  Must put Setwall in their keale.\u2019\u201d\n\nCats are so fond of the perfume of Valerian, that they are said to\ndig up the roots, rolling on them with ecstatic delight, and gnawing\nthem to pieces. The action of the Valerian-root (which the herbalists\nfound out was very like a cat\u2019s eye) on the nervous system of some cats\nundoubtedly produces in time a kind of pleasant intoxication. Rats are\nalso attracted by the odour of this plant.----Astrologers say that\nValerian is under the rule of Mercury.\n\nVENUS\u2019 PLANTS.--See Lady\u2019s Plants.\n\nVERONICA.--See Speedwell.\n\n=VERVAIN.=--The Vervain, or Verbena, has from time immemorial been\nthe symbol of enchantment, and the most ancient nations employed\nthis plant in their divinations, sacrificial and other rites, and in\nincantations. It bore the names of the Tears of Isis, Tears of Juno,\nMercury\u2019s Blood, Persephonion, Demetria, and Cerealis. The Magi of\nthe ancient Elamites or Persians made great use of the Vervain in the\nworship of the Sun, always carrying branches of it in their hands when\nthey approached the altar. The magicians also employed the mystic herb\nin their pretended divinations, and affirmed that, by smearing the body\nover with the juice of this plant, the person would obtain whatever\nhe set his heart upon, and be able to reconcile the most inveterate\nenemies, make friends with whom he pleased, and gain the affections,\nand cure the disease of whom he listed. When they cut Vervain, it was\nalways at a time when both sun and moon were invisible, and they poured\nhoney and honeycomb on the earth, as an atonement for robbing it of so\nprecious a herb.----The Greeks called it the Sacred Herb, and it was\nwith this plant only that they cleansed the festival-table of Jupiter\nbefore any great solemnity took place; and hence, according to Pliny,\nthe name of Verbena is derived. It was, also, one of the plants which\nwas dedicated to Venus. Venus Victrix wore a crown of Myrtle interwoven\nwith Vervain.----With the Romans, the Vervain was a plant of good omen,\nand considered strictly sacred:--\n\n  \u201cBring your garlands, and with reverence place\n  The Vervain on the altar.\u201d\n\nThey employed it in their religious rites, swept their temples and\ncleansed their altars with it, and sprinkled holy water with its\nbranches. They also purified their houses with it, to keep off\nevil spirits; and in order to make themselves invulnerable, they\ncarried about their persons a blade of Grass and some Vervain. Their\nambassadors, or heralds-at-arms, wore crowns of Vervain when they went\nto offer terms of reconciliation, or to give defiance to their enemies,\na custom thus noticed by Drayton:--\n\n  \u201cA wreath of Vervain heralds wear,\n    Amongst our garlands named;\n  Being sent that dreadful news to bear,\n    Offensive war proclaimed.\u201d\n\nVirgil mentions Vervain as one of the charms used by an enchantress:--\n\n  \u201cBring running water, bind those altars round\n  With fillets, and with Vervain strew the ground.\u201d\n\nThe Druids, both in Gaul and in Britain, regarded the Vervain with the\nsame veneration as the Hindus do the _Kusa_ or _Tulasi_, and, like\nthe Magi of the East, they offered sacrifices to the earth before\nthey cut this plant. This ceremony took place in Spring, at about\nthe rising of the Great Dog Star, but so that neither sun nor moon\nwould be at that time above the earth to see the sacred herb cut. It\nwas to be dug up with an iron instrument, and to be waved aloft in\nthe air, the left hand only being used. It was also ordained by the\nDruidical priests, for those who collected it, \u201cthat before they take\nup the herb, they bestow upon the ground where it groweth honey with\nthe combs, in token of satisfaction and amends for the wrong and\nviolence done in depriving her of so holy a herb. The leaves, stalks,\nand flowers were dried separately in the shade, and were used for\nthe bites of serpents infused in wine.\u201d Another account states that\nthe Druidesses held Vervain in as great veneration as the Druids did\nthe Mistletoe. They were never permitted to touch it. It was to be\ngathered at midnight, at the full of the moon, in this manner:--A long\nstring with a loop in it was thrown over the Vervain-plant, and the\nother end fastened to the left great toe of a young virgin, who was\nthen to drag at it till she had uprooted it. The eldest Druidess then\nreceived it in a cloth, and carried it home, to use it for medicinal\npurposes and offerings to their gods. In the Druidic procession, to\nthe gathering of the Mistletoe, the white-clad herald carried a branch\nof Vervain in his hand, encircled by two serpents. The priests, when\nperforming their daily functions of feeding the never-dying fires in\nthe Druidic temples, prayed for the space of an hour, holding branches\nof Vervain in their hands. Pliny tells us that the Druids made use of\nit in casting lots, as well as in drawing omens and in other pretended\nmagical arts; he also says that if the hall or dining chamber be\nsprinkled with the water wherein Vervain lay steeped, all that sat at\nthe table should be \u201cvery pleasant and make merry more jocundly.\u201d\n\n  \u201cLift up your boughs of Vervain blue,\n  Dipt in cold September dew;\n  And dash the moisture, chaste and clear,\n  O\u2019er the ground and through the air.\u201d--_Mason._\n\nIn medi\u00e6val days, the sacred character of Vervain was still maintained,\nand the plant was greatly prized, and used in compounding charms and\nlove-philtres. Known in our country as Holy Herb and Simpler\u2019s Joy, it\nwas credited with great medicinal virtues.\n\n  \u201cBlack melancholy rusts, that fed despair\n  Through wounds\u2019 long rage, with sprinkled Vervain cleared.\u201d--_Davenant._\n\nIts juice was given as a cure for the plague, and the plant was\nprescribed as a remedy in some thirty different maladies, and was\nsuspended round the neck as an amulet. Gerarde, however, tells us\nthat \u201cthe devil did reveal it as a secret and divine medicine;\u201d and\nR. Turner writes (1687):--\u201cIt is said to be used by witches to do\nmischief, and so may all other herbs if by wicked astrologers used to\naccomplish their wretched ends.\u201d But notwithstanding that it was used\nby witches and wizards in their incantations and spells, and was in\nfact called the Enchanter\u2019s Plant, Vervain was considered to possess\nthe power of combating witches: thus Aubrey says:--\n\n            \u201cVervain and Dill\n  Hinder witches from their will.\u201d\n\nand Michael Drayton writes:--\n\n  \u201cHere holy Vervayne, and here Dill,\n    \u2019Gainst witchcraft much avayling.\u201d\n\nand again--\n\n  \u201cThe Nightshade strews to work him ill,\n  Therewith the Vervain and the Dill\n  That hindreth witches of their will.\u201d\n\nOn the Eve of St. John (June 23rd), Vervain was for a long time\nassociated with the observances of Midsummer Eve. Thus we read in \u2018Ye\nPopish Kingdome:\u2019--\n\n        \u201cThen doth ye joyfull feast of John ye Baptist take his turne\n  When bonfires great with loftie flame in every towne doe burne,\n  And young men round about with maides doe dance in every streete,\n  With garlands wrought of Mother-wort, or else with Vervain sweete.\u201d\n\nJ. White, Minister of God\u2019s Word, writes in 1624:--\u201cMany also use to\nweare Vervein against blasts; and when they gather it for this purpose\nfirste they crosse the herb with their hand, and then they blesse it\nthus:--\n\n  \u2018Hallowed be thou, Vervein,\n  As thou growest on the ground,\n  For on the Mount of Calvary\n  There thou wast first found\n  Thou healedst our Saviour Jesus Christ,\n  And staunchedst his bleeding wound,\n  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,\n  I take thee from the ground.\u2019\u201d\n\nIn many rural districts, Vervain is still regarded as a plant\npossessing magical virtues as a love philtre. It has the reputation of\nsecuring affection from those who take it to those who administer it.\nThe gun-flint boiled in Vervain and Rue ensures the shot taking effect.\nThe root of Vervain tied with a white satin ribbon round the neck\nacts as a charm against ague. Vervain and baked toads, worn in silken\nbags around the neck, are a cure for the evil.----In the northern\nprovinces of France, the peasants still continue to gather Vervain\nunder the different phases of the moon, using certain mysterious\nejaculations known only to themselves whilst in the act of collecting\nthe mystic herb, by whose assistance they hope to effect cures, and\ncharm both the flocks and the rustic beauties of the village.----The\nGermans present a hat of Vervain to the newly-married bride, as though\nplacing her under the protection of Venus Victrix, the patroness of\nthe plant.----Gerarde tells us that in his time it was called \u201cHolie\nHerbe, Juno\u2019s Teares, Mercurie\u2019s Moist Bloude, and Pigeon\u2019s Grasse, or\nColumbine, because Pigeons are delighted to be amongst it, as also to\neate thereof.\u201d----Astrologers place Vervain under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=VINE.=--The Vine was held by the ancients sacred to Bacchus, and the\nold historians all connect the jovial god with the \u201clife-giving tree\u201d:\nhe is crowned with Vine-leaves, and he holds in his hand a bunch of\nGrapes, whilst his merry followers are decked with garlands of the\ntrailing Vine, and love to quaff with their master the divine juice of\nits luscious violet and golden fruit, styled by Anacreon \u201cthe liquor\nof Bacchus.\u201d The old heathen writers all paid honour to the Vine, and\nattributed to the earliest deified sovereigns of each country the gift\nof this ambrosial tree. Thus Saturn is said to have bestowed it upon\nCrete; Janus bore it with him to Latium; Osiris similarly benefitted\nEgypt; and Spain obtained it through Geryon, her most ancient monarch.\nOld traditions all point to Greece as the native place of the Vine,\nand there it is still to be found growing wild.----There are many\nallusions to the Vine in the Scriptures. Noah, we find, planted a\nVineyard (Gen. ix., 20); enormous bunches of Grapes were brought by\nthe Israelitish spies out of Palestine; Solomon had a Vineyard at\nBaalhamon. \u201cHe let out the Vineyard unto keepers; every one for the\nfruit thereof was to bring one thousand pieces of silver\u201d (Cant, viii.,\n11). The Bible contains many illustrations borrowed from the husbandry\nof the Vineyard, showing that Vine culture was sedulously pursued, and\nformed a fruitful source of wealth. In Leviticus xxv., 4, 5, we find\na command that every seventh year the Vines were to be left untouched\nby the pruning knife, and the Grapes were not to be gathered.----Of\nthe ancient pagan writers who have alluded to the Vine in their works,\nCato has left abundant information as to the Roman Vine-craft, and\nColumella, Varro, Palladius, Pliny, and Tacitus have all given details\nof the Vine culture of the ancients. More than sixty varieties of the\nVine appear to have been known to the Greeks and Romans, one of which,\ncalled by Columella and Pliny the Amethystine, has certainly been\nlost, for they record that the wine from its Grapes never occasioned\ndrunkenness.----The Elm was preferred to any other tree by the ancients\nas a prop for Vines, and this connexion has led to numerous fanciful\nnotices by the poets of all ages. Statius calls it the \u201cNuptial Elm;\u201d\nOvid speaks of \u201cthe lofty Elm, with creeping Vines o\u2019erspread;\u201d Tasso\nsays:--\n\n  \u201cAs the high Elm, whom his dear Vine hath twined\n  Fast in her hundred arms, and holds embraced,\n  Bears down to earth his spouse and darling kind,\n  If storm or cruel steel the tree down cast,\n  And her full grapes to nought doth bruise and grind,\n  Spoils his own leaves, faints, withers, dies at last,\n  And seems to mourn and die, not for his own\n  But for her loss, with him that lies o\u2019erthrown.\u201d--_Fairfax._\n\nBeaumont tells us that--\n\n                            \u201cThe amorous Vine,\n  Did with the fair and straight-limbed Elm entwine.\u201d\n\nCowley speaks of the \u201cbeauteous marriageable Vine,\u201d and Browne writes\nof \u201cthe amorous Vine that in the Elm still weaves.\u201d Horace, however,\nconnects the Vine with the Poplar, instead of the Elm. Milton,\ndescribing the pursuits of our first parents in Eden, says:--\n\n                      \u201cThey led the Vine\n  To wed her Elm; she, spoused about him twines\n  Her marriageable arms, and with her brings\n  Her dower, the adopted clusters, to adorn\n  His barren leaves.\u201d\n\nIn the _Mythologie des Plantes_, we find it stated that the Persians\ntrace the use of wine in Persia to the reign of the blessed Jemsh\u00eed.\nA woman who wished to poison herself drank some wine, thinking that\nit was poison; but she only fell into a profound sleep, and thus the\nPersians learnt in Jemsh\u00eed\u2019s reign the use of the juice of the Grape.\nOlearius, in 1637, heard in Persia the following legend:--To console\nthe poor and unhappy, God sent on earth the angels Aroth and Maroth,\nwith the injunctions not to kill anyone, not to do any injustice, and\nnot to drink any wine. A beautiful woman, who had quarrelled with\nher husband, appealed for justice to the two angels, and asked them\nto partake of some wine. The angels not only consented, but, after\nhaving indulged rather freely, began to ask other favours of the lovely\nwoman. After a little hesitation, she agreed to comply, provided that\nthe angels should first show her the way to ascend to heaven, and to\ndescend again to the earth. The angels assented; but when the woman,\nwho was as virtuous as she was beautiful, reached heaven, she would\nnot descend again to earth, and there she remains, changed into the\nmost brilliant star in the skies.----With the Mandans, a tribe of\nAmerican Indians, the Vine is connected with the tradition concerning\ntheir origin. They believe that the whole nation resided in one large\nvillage, underground, near a subterraneous lake. A Grape Vine extended\nits roots down to their habitation, and gave them a view of the light.\nSome of the most adventurous climbed up the Vine, and were delighted\nwith the sight of the earth, which they found covered with buffaloes,\nand rich with all kinds of fruit. Returning with the Grapes they had\ngathered, their countrymen were so pleased with the taste of them, that\nthe whole nation resolved to leave their dull residence for the charms\nof the upper region. Men, women, and children, therefore forthwith\nproceeded to ascend by means of the Vine, but when about half the\nnation had reached the surface of the earth, a very stout woman, who\nwas laboriously clambering up the Vine, broke it with her weight, and\ndebarred herself and the rest of the nation from seeing the light of\nthe sun. Those who had reached the earth\u2019s surface made themselves\na village, and formed the tribe of the Mandans, who, when they die,\nexpect to return to the original settlement of their forefathers; the\ngood reaching the ancient village by means of the subterranean lake,\nwhich the burden of the sins of the wicked will not enable them to\ncross.----Wild Vines differ in many respects from the cultivated Vine;\nseveral distinct species are found in Java, India, and America; one\nfirst found on the banks of the Catawba, from which the famous Catawba\nwine is made, is now extensively cultivated on the Ohio, or La Belle\nRivi\u00e8re; its product has been lauded by Longfellow, who sings--\n\n  \u201cThere grows no Vine\n  By the haunted Rhine,\n  By Danube or Guadalquiver,\n        Nor an island or cape\n        That bears such a Grape\n  As grown by the Beautiful River.\u201d\n\nThe wood of the _Vitis sylvestris_ was used by the Greeks in the\ninstrument they employed for producing fire. The Aryan method of\nkindling sacred fire by wood friction was practised both by Greeks\nand Romans down to a late period. The Greeks called their kindling\ninstrument _pyreia_, and the drilling stick which worked in it\n_trupanon_; and according to Theophrastus and Pliny, the lower part\nof the _pyreia_ was formed of the wood of the wild Vine, Ivy, or\nAthragene.----To dream of Vines denotes health, prosperity, abundance,\nand fertility, \u201cfor which,\u201d says a dream oracle, \u201cwe have the example\nof Astyages, King of the Medes, who dreamed that his daughter brought\nforth a Vine, which was a prognostic of the grandeur, riches,\nand felicity of the great Cyrus, who was born of her after this\ndream.\u201d----Culpeper states that the Vine is \u201ca gallant tree of the Sun,\nvery sympathetical with the body of man; and that is the reason spirits\nof wine is the greatest cordial among all vegetables.\u201d\n\n=VIOLET.=--According to Rapin, the Violet was once a fair nymph, who\nwas changed by Diana into this flower to avoid the importunities of\nApollo. The poet thus describes the metamorphosis:--\n\n    \u201cNext from the Vi\u2019let choice perfumes exhale;\n  She now disguised in a blue dusky veil\n  Springs through the humble grass an humble flow\u2019r,\n  Her stature little and her raiment poor.\n  If truth in ancient poems is convey\u2019d,\n  This modest flower was once a charming maid,\n  Her name Ianthis, of Diana\u2019s train,\n  The brightest nymph that ever graced a plain;\n  Whom (while Pherean herds the virgin fed)\n  Apollo saw, and courted to his bed;\n  But, lov\u2019d in vain, the frighted virgin fled\n  To woods herself and her complaints she bore\n  And sought protection from Diana\u2019s pow\u2019r,\n  Who thus advis\u2019d: \u2018From mountains, sister, fly;\n  Ph\u0153bus loves mountains and an open sky.\u2019\n  To vales and shady springs she bashful ran,\n  In thickets hid her charms, but all in vain:\n  For he her virtue and her flight admir\u2019d,\n  The more she blush\u2019d, the more the god was fired.\n  And now his love and wit new frauds prepare,\n  The goddess cried, \u2018Since beauty\u2019s such a snare,\n  Ah, rather perish that destructive grace.\u2019\n  Then stain\u2019d with dusky blue the virgin\u2019s face:\n  Discolour\u2019d thus an humbler state she prov\u2019d,\n  Less fair, but by the goddess more belov\u2019d;\n  Changed to a Violet with this praise she meets,\n  Chaste she retires to keep her former sweets.\n  The lowest places with this flower abound,\n  The valuable gift of untill\u2019d ground;\n  Nor yet disgraced, though amongst Briars brought forth,\n  So rich her odour is, so true her worth.\u201d\n\n_Ion_, the Greek name for the Violet, is reputed to have been bestowed\non it because, when Jupiter had metamorphosed Io into a white heifer,\nhe caused sweet Violets to spring from the earth, in order to present\nher with herbage worthy of her.\n\n  \u201cWe are Violets blue,\n  For our sweetness found,\n  Careless in the morning shades,\n  Looking on the ground;\n  Love\u2019s dropp\u2019d eyelids and a kiss,\n  Such our breath and blueness is.\n  Io, the mild shape,\n  Hidden by Jove\u2019s fears,\n  Found us first i\u2019 the sward, when she\n  For hunger stooped in tears;\n  Wheresoe\u2019er her lips she sets\n  Said Jove, be breaths called Violets.\u201d\n\nIn one of the poems of his \u2018Hesperides,\u2019 however, Herrick gives a\ndifferent version of the origin of Violets. According to the wayward\nfancy of this old poet, Violets are the descendants of some unfortunate\ngirls, who, having defeated Venus in a dispute she had with Cupid on\nthe delicate point as to whether she or they surpassed in sweetness,\nwere beaten blue by the goddess in her jealous rage.----Some\netymologists trace the Greek names _Ion_ to _Ia_, the daughter of\nMidas, who was betrothed to Atys, and transformed by Diana into a\nViolet in order conceal her from Ph\u0153bus.----Another derivation of\nthe name is found in the story that some nymphs of Ionia, who lived\non the banks of the river Cytherus, first presented these flowers to\nIon, who had led an Ionian colony into Attica.----The Greek grammarian\nLycophron, who lived in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus (about 280\nyears B.C.), was fond of making anagrams, and from the name of the\nQueen Arsinoe extracted \u201cViolet of Juno.\u201d Shakspeare, calls these\nfavourite flowers\n\n                    \u201cViolets dim,\n  But sweeter than the lids of Juno\u2019s eyes,\n  Or Cytherea\u2019s breath.\u201d--_Winter\u2019s Tale._\n\nIn all eastern countries, the Violet is a favourite flower, and a\nsherbet flavoured with its blossoms is a common drink at Persian\nand Arabian banquets. So delicious is this beverage, that Tavernier\nspecially remembers that it is drunk by the Grand Seignior himself.\nThere is a legend, that Mahomet once remarked: \u201cThe excellence of the\nextract of Violets above all other extracts is as the excellence of\nme above all the rest of the creation: it is cold in Summer, and it\nis hot in Winter.\u201d Another Oriental saying is, \u201cThe excellence of the\nViolet is as the excellence of El Islam above all other religions.\u201d--At\nthe floral games, instituted at Toulouse by Clemence Isaure in the\nearly part of the fourteenth century, in the time of the Troubadours,\nthe prize awarded to the author of the best poetical composition\nconsisted of a golden Violet. The fair founder of these games is\nstated, whilst undergoing a weary imprisonment, to have sent her chosen\nflower, the Violet, to her knight, that he might wear the emblem of\nher constancy; and the flower thus became, with the Troubadours, a\nsymbol of this virtue. These floral games are still celebrated every\nyear.----Along with other flowers, the Violet was assigned by the\nancients to Venus.----It is said that Proserpine was gathering Violets\nas well as Narcissus when she was seized by Pluto.----The Athenians\nmore especially affected the Violet; everywhere throughout the city\nof Athens they set up tablets engraven with the name, and preferred\nfor themselves above all other names, that of \u201cAthenian crowned with\nViolets.\u201d The Romans, also, were extremely partial to the Violet, and\ncultivated it largely in their gardens. A favourite beverage of theirs\nwas a wine made from the flower.----The Violet was, in olden days,\nregarded in England as an emblem of constancy, as we find by an old\nsonnet:--\n\n  \u201cViolet is for faithfulnesse,\n    Which in me shall abide;\n  Hoping likewise that from your heart\n    You will not let it slide.\u201d\n\nThe Violet is considered to be a funeral flower, and we find that in\nmedi\u00e6val times it was among the flowers used in the old ceremony called\n\u201cCreeping to the Crosse,\u201d when on Good Friday priests clad in crimson,\nand \u201csinging dolefully,\u201d carried the image of the Cross, accompanied by\nanother image representing a person just dead--\n\n  \u201cWith tapers all the people come,\n    And at the barriers stay,\n  Where down upon their knees they fall,\n    And night and day they pray;\n  And Violets and ev\u2019ry kind\n    Of flowers about the grave\n  They strawe, and bring in all\n    The presents that they have.\u201d\n\nIt was formerly commonly believed in England that when Violets and\nRoses flourished in Autumn, there would be some epidemic in the ensuing\nyear. In Worcestershire, the safety of the farmer\u2019s young broods of\nchickens and ducks is thought to be sadly endangered by anyone taking\nless than a handful of Violets or Primroses into his house.----Pliny\nhad so high an opinion of the medicinal virtues of the Violet, as\nto assert that a garland of Violets worn about the head prevented\nheadache or dizziness. In the time of Charles II., a conserve, called\nViolet-sugar or Violet-plate, was recommended by physicians to\nconsumptive patients.----The Violet has always been in high favour with\nthe French, and is now the recognised badge of the Imperial party.\nThe flower became identified with the Bonapartists during Napoleon\nthe First\u2019s exile at Elba. When about to depart for that island, he\ncomforted his adherents by promising to return with the Violets:--\n\n  \u201cFarewell to thee, France! but when liberty rallies\n    Once more in thy regions, remember me then;\n  The Violet grows in the depths of thy valleys,\n    Though withered, thy tears will unfold it again.\u201d--_Byron._\n\nHis followers, perhaps remembering that \u201cViolet is for faithfulness,\u201d\nhenceforth adopted the flower as their badge, and during his exile were\naccustomed to toast his health under the name of Caporal Violette, or\n\u201cthe flower that returns with the Spring.\u201d So well understood did the\npolitical significance of the flower become, that when Mddle. Mars\nappeared on the stage wearing Violets on her dress, she was loudly\nhissed by the body-guard of King Louis. It is said that the Empress\nEug\u00e9nie, when wooed by Napoleon III., signified her willingness to\nshare with him the throne of France by appearing one evening wearing\nViolets in her dress and hair, and carrying Violets in her hands.\nAfterwards, when living at Chiselhurst, Violet bouquets were sent in\nprofusion to the Imperial exiles, and, mingled with immortelles, were\npiled upon the tomb of Napoleon III.----The famous actress, Clairon,\nwas so fond of the Violet, that one of her worshippers took pains to\ncultivate it for her sake, and for thirty-seven years never failed to\nsend her a bouquet of Violets every morning during their season of\nbloom; an offering so greatly appreciated by its recipient, that she\nused to strip off the petals every evening, make an infusion of them,\nand drink it like tea.----To dream of admiring the Violet in a garden\nis deemed a prognostic of advancement in life.----By astrologers the\nViolet is held to be under the dominion of Venus.\n\n=VIPER\u2019S BUGLOSS.=--The _Echium vulgare_, or Viper\u2019s Bugloss, is one\nof the handsomest of English wild flowers. Its seed resembling the\nhead of the viper, it was supposed on the doctrine of signatures to\ncure the bite of that reptile: whilst its spotted stem indicated to\nthe old herbalists and simplers that the plant was specially created\nto counteract the poison of speckled vipers and snakes. Dioscorides\naffirmed that anyone who had taken the herb before being bitten would\nnot be hurt by the poison of any serpent. The French call it _la\nVip\u00e9rine_, and the Italians _Viperina_.----In England it is also known\nas Snake\u2019s Bugloss and Cat\u2019s Tail.----According to astrologers, the\nViper\u2019s Bugloss is a herb of the Sun.\n\n=VIPER\u2019S GRASS.=--_Scorzonera edulis_ has obtained its Latin name\nfrom the Italian _Scorzone_, a venomous serpent whose bite the grass\nis supposed to heal, and whose form its twisted roots are thought\nto resemble. According to Monardus, a Spanish physician, quoted by\nParkinson, the English name of Viper\u2019s Grass was given to it because \u201ca\nMoor, a bond-slave, did help those that were bitten of that venomous\nbeast, the viper, which they of Catalonia called _Escuerso_, with the\njuice of this herbe, which both took away the poison, and healed the\nbitten place very quickly, when Treakle and other things would do no\ngood.\u201d\n\nVIRGIN MARY\u2019S PLANTS.--See Lady\u2019s Plants.\n\nVIRGIN\u2019S BOWER.--See Clematis.\n\nWAKE ROBIN.--See Arum.\n\n=WALLFLOWER.=--The Wallflower (_Cheiranthus Cheiri_) belongs to the\nfamily of Stocks, and was, in fact, introduced from Spain under the\nname of Wall Stock-Gillofer, which afterwards became Wall Gilliflower,\nand finally Wallflower. In Turner\u2019s \u2018Herbal,\u2019 it is called Wall-Gelover\nand Hartis Ease.----Tradition gives a poetical origin to this flower.\nIt tells that, in bygone days, a castle stood near the river Tweed,\nin which a fair maiden was kept a prisoner, having plighted her troth\nand given her heart\u2019s affection to the young heir of a hostile clan;\nbut blood having been shed between the chiefs on either side, the\ndeadly hatred cherished in those lawless days forbade all thoughts of\nthe union. The gallant tried various stratagems to get possession of\nhis betrothed, all of which failed, until at last he gained admission\nto the castle disguised in the garb of a wandering troubadour, and as\nsuch he sang before his lady-love, and finally arranged, with the aid\nof a serving-woman, that the maiden should effect her escape, while he\nshould await her arrival with a noble courser and armed men. Herrick\ntells us the conclusion of the story in the following lines:--\n\n  \u201cUp she got upon a wall,\n  Attempted down to slide withal.\n  But the silken twist untied,\n  So she fell and, bruised, she died.\n  Love in pity of the deed,\n  And her loving luckless speed,\n  Turn\u2019d her to this plant we call\n  Now the Flower of the Wall.\u201d\n\nFrom the fact that Wallflowers grew upon old walls, and were seen on\nthe casements and battlements of ancient castles, and among the ruins\nof abbeys, the minstrels and troubadours were accustomed to wear a\nbouquet of these flowers as the emblem of an affection which is proof\nagainst time and misfortune.----Dreams of Wallflowers imply--to a lover\nthat the object of his affection will be true and constant; to a sickly\nperson that recovery will shortly follow; to a lady who dreams that\nshe is plucking the flower for her bouquet, that the worthiest of her\nadmirers has yet to propose to her.----According to astrologers, the\nMoon governs the Wallflower.\n\n=WALNUT.=--The origin of the Walnut-tree is to be found in the story of\nCarya, the youngest of the three daughters of Dion, king of Laconia.\nThese sisters had received the gift of prophecy from Apollo as a reward\nfor the hospitality their father had shown to the god, but on the\ncondition that they were never to misuse the divine gift, and never to\nenquire into matters of which it became their sex to remain ignorant.\nThis promise was broken when Bacchus convinced Carya of his love for\nher. The elder sisters, being jealous, endeavoured to prevent Bacchus\nfrom meeting Carya, and he in revenge turned them into stones, and\ntransformed his beloved Carya into the tree so called in Greek--the\n_Nux_, or Walnut-tree of the Latins, the fruit of which was considered\nby the ancients, in consequence of these intrigues, to promote the\npowers of love.----It is necessary, in considering the folk-lore of the\nWalnut, to separate the tree from the nut. The tree is feared as a tree\nof ill omen, and is regarded as a favourite haunt of witches. The shade\nof the Walnut-tree was held by the Romans to be particularly baneful.\nThe Black Walnut will not let anything grow under it, and if planted in\nan orchard will kill all the Apple-trees in its neighbourhood. The Nut\nis, on the contrary, considered propitious, favourable to marriage, and\nthe symbol of fecundity and abundance. The ceremony of throwing Nuts at\na wedding, for which boys scrambled, is said to have been of Athenian\norigin. A similar custom obtained among the Romans, at whose marriage\nfestivities Walnuts were commonly strewed. Catullus exclaims:--\n\n  \u201cLet the air with Hymen ring\n  Hymen, Io Hymen, sing.\n  Soon the Nuts will now be flung;\n  Soon the wanton verses sung;\n  Soon the bridegroom will be told\n  Of the tricks he played of old.\n  License then his love had got,\n  But a husband has it not:\n  Let the air with Hymen ring,\n  Hymen, Io Hymen, sing.\u201d--_Leigh Hunt._\n\nVirgil alludes to the custom of scrambling for Nuts at weddings, in his\nEighth Pastoral:--\n\n            \u201cPrepare the lights\n  O Mopsus! and perform the bridal rites;\n  Scatter thy Nuts among the scrambling boys.\u201d\n\nProf. De Gubernatis says, that the young bridegroom of modern Rome\nthrows Nuts on the pathway, evidently as a symbol of fecundity.\nIn Piedmont, there is a saying that \u201cBread and Nuts are food for\nmarried people.\u201d In Sicily, at Modica, they strew Nuts and Corn\nin the path of the newly-married couple. In Greece, the bride and\nbridegroom distribute Nuts among those assisting at the marriage\nrites. In Roumania, Nuts are distributed at weddings; and among\nthe Lettish peasantry, Nuts and Gingerbread-Nuts are presented to\nwedding-guests.----A Lithuanian legend recounts that at the deluge, as\nmen were being drowned, Perkun (the chief deity of the race) was eating\nNuts. He dropped the shells in the raging waters, and in the shells\ncertain virtuous people escaped, and afterward repeopled the earth. De\nGubernatis, referring to this legend, says that here the Walnut becomes\nundoubtedly an emblem of regeneration: \u201cThis is the reason why, in\nBelgium, on Michaelmas Day (a funereal day), young girls take marriage\nauguries from Nuts. Having mingled some full Nuts with others which\nhave been emptied, and the shells carefully fastened together again,\nthey shut their eyes, and select one at hazard. If it happens to be\na full Nut, it betokens that they will soon be happily married, for\nit is St. Michael who has given them good husbands.\u201d In Italy, a Nut\nwith three segments is considered most lucky. Carried in the pocket,\nit preserves its owner from lightning, witchcraft, the Evil Eye, and\nfever; it facilitates conquest, gives happiness, and performs other\nbenign services. In Bologna, it is thought that if one of these Nuts\nbe placed under the chair of a witch, she will be unable to get up;\nand it thus becomes an infallible means of discovering witches.----The\nWalnut has become in Europe, and especially in Italy, an accursed\ntree. The ancients thought it was dear to Proserpine and all the\ndeities of the infernal regions. In Germany, the Black Walnut is\nregarded as a sinister tree, just as the Oak is looked upon as a tree\nof good omen.----At Rome, there is a tradition that the church Santa\nMaria del Popolo was built by order of Paschal II., on the spot where\nformerly grew a Walnut-tree, round which troops of demons danced during\nthe night. Near Prescia, in Tuscany, we are told by Prof. Giuliani,\nthere is a Walnut-tree where witches are popularly supposed to sleep:\nthe people of the district say that witches love Walnut-trees. At\nBologna, the peasantry think that witches hold a nocturnal meeting\nbeneath the Walnut-trees on the Vigil of St. John. But among all other\nWalnut-trees, the most infamous and the most accursed is the Walnut of\nBenevento, regarding which there are many tales of its being haunted\nby the Devil and witches. It is said that St. Barbatus, the patron of\nBenevento, who lived in the time of Duke Romuald, was a priest who\nwas endowed with the power of exorcising devils by his prayers. At\nthat time the inhabitants still worshipped a Walnut-tree on which was\nto be distinguished the effigy of a viper, and beneath this tree the\npeople performed many superstitious and heathenish rites. The Emperor\nConstantius laid siege to Benevento; the citizens were in despair,\nbut Barbatus rebuked them, and persuaded them that God had taken this\nmeans to punish them for their idolatry; so, with Romuald, they agreed\nto be converted to Christianity, and made Barbatus bishop of the town.\nThen Barbatus uprooted the accursed Walnut-tree, and the Devil was\nseen in the form of a serpent crawling away from beneath its roots.\nUpon being sprinkled with holy water, however, he disappeared; but\nthrough his satanic power, whenever a meeting of demons is desired,\nor a witches\u2019 sabbath is to be held, a Walnut-tree as large and as\nverdant as the original appears by magic on the precise spot where it\nstood.----A Walnut-tree with very different associations once grew in\nthe churchyard on the north side of St. Joseph\u2019s Chapel at Glastonbury.\nThis miraculous tree never budded before the feast of St. Barnabas\n(June 11th), and on that very day shot forth leaves and flourished\nlike others of its species. Queen Anne, King James and many high\npersonages are said to have given large sums of money for cuttings from\nthe original tree, which has long since disappeared, and has been\nsucceeded by a fine Walnut of the ordinary sort.----According to an old\ncustom (which at one time prevailed in England), every household in the\ndistrict of Lechrain, in Bavaria, brings to the sacred fire which is\nlighted at Easter a Walnut-branch, which, after being partially burned,\nis carried home to be laid on the hearth-fire during tempests, as a\nprotection against lightning.----In Flanders, as a charm against ague,\nthe patient catches a large black spider, and imprisons it between the\ntwo halves of a Walnut-shell, and then wears it round his neck.----In\nour own land, it is a common belief among country people that whipping\na Walnut-tree tends to increase the crop and improve the flavour of the\nNuts. This belief is found embodied in the following curious distich:--\n\n  \u201cA woman, a spaniel, and a Walnut-tree,\n  The more you whip them, the better they be.\u201d\n\nEvelyn, alluding to this custom, says it is thought better to beat\nthe Nuts off than to gather them from the tree by hand. \u201cIn Italy,\u201d\nhe tells us, \u201cthey arm the tops of long poles with nails and iron for\nthe purpose, and believe the beating improves the tree, which I no\nmore believe than I do that discipline would reform a shrew.\u201d----The\nBrahmans of the Himalaya observe a festival called the Walnut Festival,\n_Akrot-ka-pooja_, at which, after offering a sacrifice, the priest,\nwith a few companions, takes his place in the balcony of the temple,\nand all the young men present pelt them liberally with Walnuts and\ngreen Pine-cones, which the group in the balcony rapidly collect\nand return in plentiful volleys.----To dream of Walnuts portends\ndifficulties and misfortunes in life: in love affairs, such a vision\nimplies infidelity and disappointment.\n\nWATER LILY.--See Nymph\u00e6a.\n\nWAYBREAD.--See Plantain.\n\n=WHORTLEBERRY.=--Whort or Whortleberry (the Anglo-Saxon _Heorutberge_\nis another name for the Bilberry or Blaeberry, (_Vaccinium Myrtillus_).\nA species of Whortleberry, called Ohelo (_Vaccinium reticulatum_), is\nfound in Hawaii, springing up from the decomposed lava of the volcanoes\nof that island. Its flame-coloured berries are sacred to P\u00e9l\u00e9, the\ngoddess of the volcano, and in heathen days no Hawaiian dared taste\none till he had offered some to the goddess, and craved her permission\nto eat them. Miss Gordon Cumming relates that when Mr. Ellis visited\nthe island in 1822, he and his trusty friends rejoiced on discovering\nthese large juicy berries, but the natives implored them not to touch\nthem lest some dire calamity should follow. Though themselves faint and\nparched, they dared not touch one till they reached the edge of the\ncrater, where, gathering branches loaded with the tempting clusters,\nthey broke them in two, and throwing half over the precipice, they\ncalled P\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s attention to the offering, and to the fact that they\ncraved her permission to eat of her _Ohelos_. (See also BILBERRY.)\n\n=WIDOW\u2019S FLOWER.=--The Indian or Sweet Scabious (_Scabiosa\natropurpurea_) is called by the Italians _Fior della Vedova_, and by\nthe French _Fleur de Veuve_, or Widow\u2019s Flower. Phillips says of these\nflowers that they present us with \u201ccorollas of so dark a purple, that\nthey nearly match the sable hue of the widow\u2019s weeds; these being\ncontrasted with anthers of pure white gives the idea of its being an\nappropriate bouquet for those who mourn for their deceased husbands,\nand this we presume gave rise to the Italian and French name of Widow\u2019s\nFlower.\u201d\n\n=WILLOW.=--The Willow seems from the remotest times to have been\nconsidered a funereal tree and an emblem of grief. So universal is\nthe association of sadness and grief with the Willow, that \u201cto wear\nthe Willow\u201d has become a familiar proverb. Under Willows the captive\nChildren of Israel wept and mourned in Babylon. Fuller, referring to\nthis melancholy episode in their history, says of the Willow:--\u201cA\nsad tree, whereof such as have lost their love make their mourning\ngarlands; and we know that exiles hung their harps on such doleful\nsupports. The very leaves of the Willow are of a mournful hue.\u201d Virgil\nremarks on\n\n  \u201cThe Willow with hoary bluish leaves;\u201d\n\nand Shakspeare, when describing the scene of poor Ophelia\u2019s death,\nsays:--\n\n  \u201cThere is a Willow grows ascant the brook,\n  That shows his hoar leaves in the grassy stream.\u201d\n\nChatterton has a song of which the burden runs:--\n\n  \u201cMie love ys dedde,\n  Gone to his death-bedde\n    Al under the Wyllowe-tree.\u201d\n\nSpenser designates the gruesome tree as \u201cthe Willow worn of forlorn\nparamours;\u201d and there are several songs in which despairing lovers\ninvoke the Willow-tree.\n\n  \u201cAh, Willow, Willow!\n    The Willow shall be\n    A garland for me,\n  Ah, Willow! Willow.\u201d\n\nHerrick tells us how garlands of Willow were worn by neglected or\nbereaved lovers, and how love-sick youths and maids came to weep out\nthe night beneath the Willow\u2019s cold shade. The following wail of a\nheart-broken lover is also from the pen of the old poet:--\n\n  \u201cA Willow garland thou did\u2019st send\n  Perfumed, last day, to me,\n  Which did but only this portend--\n  I was forsook by thee.\n  Since it is so, I\u2019ll tell thee what:\n  To-morrow thou shalt see\n  Me wear the Willow; after that,\n  To die upon the tree.\n  As hearts unto the altars go,\n  With garlands dressed, so I,\n  With my Willow-wreath, also\n  Come forth and sweetly die.\u201d\n\nJason, in his voyage in search of the golden fleece, passed the weird\ngrove of Circe, planted with funereal Willows, on the tops of which the\nvoyagers could perceive corpses hanging. Pausanias speaks of a grove\nconsecrated to Proserpine, planted with Black Poplars and Willows; and\nthe same author represents Orpheus, whilst in the infernal regions, as\ncarrying a Willow-branch in his hand. Shakspeare, in allusion to Dido\u2019s\nbeing forsaken by \u00c6neas, says:--\n\n                  \u201cIn such a night,\n  Stood Dido, with a Willow in her hand,\n  Upon the wild sea-banks, and waved her love\n  To come again to Carthage.\u201d\n\nThe Willow was considered to be the tree of Saturn. The Weeping Willow\n(_Salix Babylonica_), as being a remedy for fluxes, was, however,\nconsecrated to Juno Fluonia, who was invoked by Roman matrons to stop\nexcessive hemorrhage.----The Flemish peasantry have a curious custom\nto charm away the ague. The sufferer goes early in the morning to an\nold Willow, makes three knots in one of its branches, and says \u201cGood\nmorning Old One; I give thee the cold, Old One.\u201d----The Willow wand\nhas long been a favourite instrument of divination. The directions\nare as follows:--Let a maiden take a Willow-branch in her left hand,\nand, without being observed, slip out of the house and run three times\nround it, whispering all the time, \u201cHe that\u2019s to be my gude man come\nand grip the end of it.\u201d During the third run, the likeness of her\nfuture husband will appear and grasp the other end of the wand.----De\nGubernatis says that at Brie (Ile-de-France), on St. John\u2019s Eve, the\npeople burn a figure made of Willow-boughs. At Luchon, on the same\nanniversary, they throw snakes on a huge effigy of a Willow-tree made\nwith branches of Willow; this is set on fire, and while it is burning\nthe people dance around the tree.----In China, the Willow is employed\nin their funeral rites, the tree having been there considered, from\nthe remotest ages, to be a symbol of immortality and eternity. On\nthis account they cover the coffin with branches of Willow, and plant\nWillows near the tombs of the departed. They also have a custom of\ndecorating the doors of their houses with Willow-branches on Midsummer\nDay. With them the Willow is supposed to be possessed of marvellous\nproperties, amongst which is the power of averting the ill effects of\nmiasma and pestilential disorders.----To dream of mourning beneath a\nWillow over some calamity is considered a happy omen, implying the\nspeedy receipt of intelligence that will cause much satisfaction.----By\nastrologers the Willow is placed under the dominion of the moon.\n\nWIND FLOWER.--See Anemone.\n\nWITCH-HAZEL.--See Hornbeam. WITCH- or WYCH-ELM, _Ulmus montana_.\n\nWOLF\u2019S BANE.--See Monk\u2019s Hood.\n\nWOODBINE.--See Honeysuckle.\n\n=WORMWOOD.=--The old Latin name of Wormwood was _Absinthium_, and\na variety known as _A. Ponticum_ is alluded to by Ovid as being\nparticularly bitter:--\n\n  \u201cUntilled barren ground the loathsome Wormwood yields,\n  And well \u2019tis known how, through its root, bitter become the fields.\u201d\n\nJohnston, in his _Thaumatographia naturalis_, notes a curious\nsuperstition, according to which we are assured that an infant will\nnot during its life be either hot or cold provided that its hands are\nrubbed over with the juice of Wormwood before the twelfth week of its\nlife has expired. The ancients mingled Wormwood in their luscious\nwines, or used it before or after drinking them in order to counteract\ntheir effects. Sprays of Wormwood are often seen suspended in cottages\nto drive away moths and other insects.\n\n  \u201cWhere chamber is sweeped, and Wormwood is throwne,\n  No flea for his life dare abide to be knowne.\u201d\n\nIts powerful odour is so disliked by all kinds of insects that\ncountry people often place Wormwood in their drawers to protect\ntheir clothes, &c., from moths: hence its French name, _Garde-robe_.\nGerarde says that, mixed with vinegar, it is a good antidote to the\npoison of Mushrooms or Toadstools, and taken with wine counteracts\nthe poisonous effects of Hemlock and the bites of the shrew mouse\nand sea dragon.----Branches of Sea Wormwood (_Absinthium marinum_)\nwere, according to Pliny, carried in processions by Egyptian priests\ndedicated to the service of the goddess Isis. A species called\n_Sementina_ was formerly called Holy Wormwood, and its seed Holy\nWormseed (_semen sanctum_)--for what reason is not known.----Dreams\nconnected with Wormwood are considered of good augury, implying\nhappiness and domestic enjoyment. Astrologers adjudge Wormwood to be a\nherb of Mars.\n\n=YARROW.=--The Yarrow, or Milfoil (_Achillea Millefolium_), is a\nplant which delights to find a home for itself in churchyards.\nProbably on account of this peculiarity it has been selected to play\nan important part in several rustic incantations and charms. In the\nSouth and West of England, damsels resort to the following mode of\nlove-divination:--The girl must first pluck some Yarrow from a young\nman\u2019s grave, repeating the while these words:--\n\n  \u201cYarrow, sweet Yarrow, the first that I have found,\n  In the name of Jesus Christ I pluck it from the ground;\n  As Jesus loved sweet Mary, and took her for His dear,\n  So in a dream this night, I hope my true love will appear.\u201d\n\nShe must then sleep with the Yarrow under her pillow, and in her dreams\nher future husband will appear.----Another formula states: The Yarrow\nmust be plucked exactly on the first hour of morn: place three sprigs\nin your shoe or glove, saying:--\n\n  \u201cGood morning, good morning, good Yarrow,\n    And thrice good morning to thee;\n  Tell me, before this time to-morrow,\n    Who my true love is to be.\u201d\n\nObserve, a young man must pluck the Yarrow off a young maiden\u2019s grave,\nand a female must select that off a bachelor\u2019s. Retire home to bed\nwithout speaking another word, or it dissolves the spell; put the\nYarrow under your pillow, and it will procure a sure dream on which\nyou may depend.----In another spell to procure for a maiden a dream of\nthe future, she is to make a posey of various coloured flowers, one\nof a sort, some Yarrow off a grave, and a sprig of Rue, and bind all\ntogether with a little hair from her head. She is then to sprinkle the\nnosegay with a few drops of the oil of amber, using her left hand,\nand bind the flowers round her head when she retires to rest in a bed\nsupplied with clean linen. This spell it is stated will ensure the\nmaid\u2019s future fate to appear in a dream.----The Yarrow acquired the\nname of Nosebleed from its having been put into the nose to cause\nbleeding, and to cure the megrim, as we learn from Gerarde. Dr. Prior\nadds, that it was also called Nosebleed from its being used as a means\nof testing a lover\u2019s fidelity, and he quotes from Forby, who, in his\n\u2018East Anglia,\u2019 says that, in that part of England, a girl will tickle\nthe inside of the nostril with a leaf of this plant, crying:--\n\n  \u201cYarroway, Yarroway, bear a white blow;\n  If my love love me, my nose will bleed now.\u201d\n\nBy a blunder of the medi\u00e6val herbalists, the name and remedial\ncharacter of the Horse-tail, which was formerly called _Herba\nsanguinaria_ and Nosebleed, were transferred without reason to the\nYarrow, which has since retained them.----The Yarrow is also known as\nOld Man\u2019s Pepper, and was formerly called the Souldier\u2019s Woundwort. The\nHighlanders make an ointment from it; and it was similarly employed\nby the ancient Greeks, who said that Achilles first made use of this\nplant as a wound herb, having learnt its virtues of Chiron, the\nCentaur--hence its scientific name _Achillea_.----Astrologers place\nthe herb under the dominion of Venus.----To dream of gathering Yarrow\nfor medicinal purposes denotes that the dreamer will shortly hear of\nsomething that will give him or her extreme pleasure.\n\n=YEW.=--The dark and sombre Yew-tree has from the remote past been\ninvested with an essentially funereal character, and hence is\nappropriately found in the shade of churchyards and in propinquity to\ntombs. Blair, addressing himself to the grave, says:--\n\n  \u201cWell do I know thee by thy trusty Yew,\n  Cheerless, unsocial plant, that loves to dwell\n  \u2019Midst skulls and coffins, epitaphs, and worms;\n  Where light-heeled ghosts, and visionary shades,\n  Beneath the wan cold moon (so fame reports),\n  Embody\u2019d, thick, perform their mystic rounds.\n  No other merriment, dull tree, is thine.\u201d\n\nThe Egyptians regarded it as a symbol of mourning, and the idea\ndescended to the Greeks and Romans, who employed the wood as fuel for\ntheir funeral pyres. The Britons probably learned from the Romans to\nattach a funereal signification to the Yew, and inasmuch as it had\nbeen employed in ancient funeral rites, they regarded the tree with\nreverence and probably looked upon it as sacred. Hence, in course of\ntime, the Yew came to be planted in churchyards, and, on account of its\nperpetual verdure, was, like the Cypress, considered as a symbol of the\nresurrection and immortality.\n\n  \u201cDark Cypresses the skirting sides adorned,\n  And gloomy Yew-trees, which for ever mourned.\u201d--_Harte._\n\nR. Turner remarks that if the Yew \u201cbe set in a place subject to\npoysonous vapours, the very branches will draw and imbibe them: hence\nit is conceived that the judicious in former times planted it in\nchurchyards on the west side, because those places being fuller of\nputrefaction and gross oleaginous vapours exhaled out of the graves by\nthe setting sun, and sometimes drawn into those meteors called _ignes\nfatui_, divers have been frightened, supposing some dead bodies to\nwalk; others have been blasted, &c.\u201d Prof. Martyn points out that a\nYew was evidently planted near the church for some religious purpose;\nfor in the ancient laws of Wales the value of a _consecrated_ Yew is\nset down as \u00a31, whilst that of an ordinary Yew-tree is stated as only\nfifteen pence. \u201cOur forefathers,\u201d says he, \u201cwere particularly careful\nto preserve this funereal tree, whose branches it was usual to carry in\nsolemn procession to the grave, and afterwards to deposit therein under\nthe bodies of their departed friends. Our learned Ray says, that our\nancestors planted the Yew in churchyards because it was an evergreen\ntree, as a symbol of that immortality which they hoped and expected\nfor the persons there deposited. For the same reason this and other\nevergreen trees are even yet carried in funerals, and thrown into the\ngrave with the body; in some parts of England and in Wales, planted\nwith flowers upon the grave itself.\u201d Shakspeare speaks of a \u201cshroud\nof white, stuck all with Yew,\u201d from which one would infer that sprigs\nof Yew were placed on corpses before burial. Branches of Yew were, in\nolden times, often carried in procession on Palm Sunday, instead of\nPalm, and as an evergreen Yew was sometimes used to decorate churches\nand houses at Christmas-time.----Parkinson remarks that in his time it\nwas used \u201cto deck up houses in Winter; but ancient writers have ever\nreckoned it to be dangerous at the least, if not deadly.\u201d Many of the\nold writers were of Parkinson\u2019s opinion as to the poisonous character\nof the Yew. C\u00e6sar tells how Cativulcus, king of the Eburones, poisoned\nhimself by drinking a draught of Yew. Dioscorides says that a decoction\nof the leaves occasions death; Galen pronounces the tree to be of a\nvenomous quality and against man\u2019s nature; and White, in his \u2018History\nof Selborne,\u2019 gives numerous instances in which the Yew has proved\nfatal to animals. Gerarde does not consider the berries poisonous, but\nthinks non-ruminating animals are injured by eating the foliage. He\ntells us that \u201cNicander, in his booke of counter-poisons, doth reckon\nthe Yew-tree among the venomous plants, setting downe also a remedy,\nand that in these words, as Gorr\u00e6us hath translated them:--\n\n  \u2018Shun the poys\u2019nous Yew, the which on Oeata grows,\n  Like to the Firre, it causes bitter death,\n  Unlesse besides they use pure wine that flowes\n  From empty\u2019d cups, thou drinke, when as thy breath\n  Begins to fade, and passage of thy life\n  Grows straight.\u2019\u201d\n\nVirgil attributed the notoriously unwholesome qualities of the honey of\nCorsica to the bees feeding upon the Yew, and he warns bee-keepers to\nbe careful that no Yew-trees grow near their hives. Owing to its being\nso frequently found in churchyards, a ghastly superstition has arisen\nrespecting this sinister tree: it is said that it preys and invigorates\nitself upon the dead who lie beneath its sombre shade. Thus, in \u2018_In\nMemoriam_,\u2019 we read:--\n\n  \u201cOld Yew, which graspest at the stones\n      That name the underlying dead,\n      Thy fibres net the dreamless head,\n  Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.\u201d\n\nEven in the principal use the Yew was put to, the tree maintained its\nconnection with death, for from its wood man fashioned an instrument\nof warfare and destruction. Its great pliancy and toughness made it\nparticularly suitable for bows, and for this purpose it was unrivalled.\nVirgil tells us that in his time \u201cthe Yews were bent into Itur\u00e6an\nbows\u201d; Chaucer speaks of \u201cthe Shooter Yew;\u201d and Browne writes of\n\n  \u201cThe warlike Yewgh by which more than the lance\n  The strong-armed English spirits conquered France.\u201d\n\nCamden has recorded a grim legend in connection with the name of\nHalifax. It seems that a certain amorous clergyman fell in love with\na pretty maid who refused his addresses. Maddened by her refusal he\ncut off her head, which being hung upon a Yew-tree till it was quite\ndecayed, the tree was reputed as sacred, not only whilst the virgin\u2019s\nhead hung on it, but as long as the tree itself lasted: to which the\npeople went in pilgrimage, plucking and bearing away branches of it\nas a holy relique, whilst there remained any of the trunk; persuading\nthemselves that those small veins and filaments resembling hairs were\nthe hairs of the virgin. But what is yet stranger, the resort to\nthis place, then called Houton, a despicable village, occasioned the\nbuilding of the now famous town of Halifax, in Yorkshire, the name of\nwhich imports \u201choly hair.\u201d----In the cloister of Vreton, in Brittany,\nthere grew a Yew-tree which was said to have sprung from the staff of\nSt. Martin. Beneath it the Breton princes were accustomed to offer up\na prayer before entering the church. This tree was regarded with the\nhighest reverence; no one ever plucked a leaf from its sombre boughs,\nand even the birds refrained from pecking the scarlet berries. A band\nof pirates, however, happening to visit the locality, two of them\nspied the tree, and forthwith climbed into its venerable boughs and\nproceeded to cut bow-staves for themselves: their audacity speedily\nbrought about its own punishment, for they both fell and were killed\non the spot.----Both in old Celtic and in Anglo-Saxon the Yew-tree was\ncalled _Iw_. By early English authors its name was variously spelt\nYew, Yeugh, Ewgh, Ugh, and Ewe. In Switzerland, it is known as William\nTell\u2019s Tree.----Dream oracles state that there is but one signification\nto dreams concerning the Yew, viz., that it is the certain forerunner\nof the demise of an aged person, through which the dreamer will derive\nsubstantial benefits.\n\n=YGGDRASILL.=--The mythical Scandinavian World-tree, or Mundane Ash,\nis the greatest and best of all trees: beneath it the gods assemble\nin counsel; its branches spread over the whole world and reach above\nheaven; and its roots penetrate to the infernal regions. On its summit\nis perched an all-seeing eagle, with a hawk between his eyes. A\nsquirrel continually carries news to him, while serpents coiled round\nthe vast trunk endeavour to destroy him. Serpents, also, constantly\ngnaw the roots, from which come the fountains of wisdom and futurity.\nThe Norns always keep a watch upon the Yggdrasill: they fix the\nlifetime of all men, and dispense destinies. Under the tree is hidden\nthe horn which shall be sounded and rouse the world at the last great\nconflict.\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n[Headpiece]\n\nIndex to Legends and Myths.\n\n\n  Acis and Galatea, 532\n\n  Adam, Eve, the Wolf, and the Dog, 362\n\n  Adam\u2019s Tree, 303\n\n  Ajax, 404\n\n  Albertus Magnus, 133\n\n  Ali Baba and the Sesame, 544\n\n  Amaracus, 433\n\n  Amaranthus, 212\n\n  Andromeda, 214\n\n  Arabian Priests and Cinnamon, 283\n\n  Argonauts, 81, 249\n\n  Arjuna, the Betel Thief, 251\n\n  Aroth, Maroth, and the Beauty, 577\n\n  Aspen and the Flight into Egypt, 230\n\n    \u201e       \u201e   Passion, 229\n\n  Aspic and Balm-tree, 239\n\n  Asses and Hemlock, 145\n\n  Atalanta and Hippomenes, 218\n\n  Atys and Agdistis, 210\n\n    \u201e   \u201e  Cybele, 495\n\n\n  Baldr and the Mistletoe, 440\n\n  Balm Trees of Cairo, 124\n\n  Bachelier and the Anemone, 216\n\n  Bacchus and the Pomegranate, 499\n\n  Batou and the Cedar, 275\n\n  Bertram and the Heartsease, 484\n\n  Birth of Vishnu, 241\n\n  Blacksmith changed to a Bear, 250\n\n  Bonze and the Mouse, 513\n\n  Bosworth Field, 360\n\n  Buddha, 4, 420, 491\n\n     \u201e   and M\u00e2ra, 4\n\n  Bushman Rice, 514\n\n\n  Callimachus and the Acanthus, 206\n\n  Calchas and Mopsus, 335\n\n  Ceres and Proserpine, 504\n\n  Chang Ching and the Fairy, 449\n\n  Charlemagne and the Thistle, 269\n\n  Chinese Trees of Love, 274\n\n  Clairon and the Violets, 581\n\n  Clovis, 387\n\n  Clytie and Ph\u0153bus, 365\n\n  Cosmogonic Lotus, 419\n\n  Cossacks and Tartars, 286\n\n  Crocus and Smilax, 299\n\n  Crown Imperial, 347\n\n  Cyanus and the Cornflower, 277\n\n  Cyparissus, 302\n\n  Czekanka, 326\n\n\n  Danes and the Thistle, 562\n\n  Daphne and Ph\u0153bus, 404\n\n  Daughter of the Laurel, 408\n\n  Death of Buddha, 539\n\n  Devil and Blackberries, 258\n\n    \u201e    \u201e  the Oats, 472\n\n    \u201e    \u201e  the Reed, 512\n\n  Devil\u2019s Brother, 451\n\n  Dewadat and Buddha, 268\n\n  Diarmuid and Grainne, 531\n\n  Duke of Tuscany\u2019s Gardener, 392\n\n  Dryope, 417\n\n\n  Earl of Essex\u2019s Horses, 445\n\n  Elm of Ethiopia, 131\n\n  Emperor of China, 447\n\n  Envious Sisters, 436\n\n  Erisichthon, 77\n\n  Esthonian Peasant, 254\n\n  Eug\u00e9nie and Napoleon III., 581\n\n  Eve and the Snowdrop, 546\n\n\n  Fairy Wife, 356\n\n    \u201e   Widower, 333\n\n  Faithful Wife, 551\n\n  Falcon and Soma, 439\n\n  Fatal Elopement, 582\n\n  Father Garnet\u2019s Straw, 134\n\n  Fig of Paradise, 127\n\n  Fir-tree Elf, 65\n\n  First Roses, 515\n\n  Flora and Zephyr, 215\n\n  Forget-me-not, 342\n\n  Fulke and the Plantagenets, 260\n\n\n  Garden of the Lower Regions, 223\n\n  Gefroi and the Broom, 260\n\n  Glastonbury Thorn, 352\n\n  Glaucus, 541\n\n  Golden Apples, 477\n\n  Grey Horse, 265\n\n\n  Hanpang and Ho, 274\n\n  Hercules and Cerberus, 442\n\n  Holy Family and Date Palm, 312\n\n   \u201e   Rose of Jericho, 528\n\n  Honor Garrigan and the Blackberries, 259\n\n  Hoopoe and Springwort, 142\n\n  Hop-o\u2019-my-Thumb, 263\n\n  Hulda and the Selige Fr\u00e4ulein, 340\n\n  Hyacinthus, 383\n\n\n  Ianthis, 578\n\n  Ice Mountain, 223\n\n  Iduna and the Apples, 217\n\n  Indra and Namuchi, 207\n\n  Io, 578\n\n  Iosbert, 519\n\n  Isabella and the Basil, 246\n\n  Iseult and Tristan, 389\n\n  Isis and Osiris, 560\n\n\n  James, Duke of Monmouth, 257\n\n  Jehanghir and Attar of Roses, 521\n\n  Jesus Christ and the Broom, 260\n\n    \u201e     \u201e       \u201e    Apples, 222\n\n  Juno and Hercules, 397, 412\n\n  Jussieu and the Cedar, 274\n\n\n  Kang Wou and the Cassia, 271\n\n  Khatties, The, 116\n\n  King Midas and the Barber, 511\n\n    \u201e  Oswald and the Moss, 445\n\n  Kissos, 388\n\n\n  La Cour and the Tuberose, 568\n\n  Ladislas and the Plague, 350\n\n  Laurel Maiden, 75\n\n  Leucothea, 346\n\n  Lieschi, the Geni of the Forest, 253\n\n  Life-giving Herb, 144\n\n  Lords of Linden, 416\n\n  Lotus and Priapus, 417\n\n  Luckflower, 112\n\n  Lycurgus and the Cabbage, 264\n\n\n  Macbeth and Sweno, 546\n\n  Magic Fern-seed, 330\n\n    \u201e   Flute, 431\n\n    \u201e   Mustard-seed, 453\n\n    \u201e   Pumpkin, 507\n\n    \u201e   Thistle, 562\n\n    \u201e   Violin-bow, 81\n\n  Main de Gloire, 428\n\n  Malvina and Oscar, 308\n\n  Mandrake, 426\n\n  Maria Theresa and the Camellia, 266\n\n  Maschia and Maschi\u00e4na, 301\n\n  McDonough\u2019s Baby, 361\n\n  Melampus and Hellebore, 368\n\n  Melius and the Apple, 218\n\n  Mercury and his Rod, 362\n\n  Mexican Water Age, 435\n\n  Mignonette, 437\n\n  Milkmaid and Enchanted Cow, 288\n\n  Millet-thief, 438\n\n  Milto, 518\n\n  Minerva and the Olive, 473\n\n  Monastery of St. Christine, 257\n\n  Murdered Virgin, 591\n\n  Myrene, 454\n\n  Myrrha, 453\n\n\n  Narcissus, 457\n\n  Novice and the Styrax, 131\n\n\n  Oak of Signa, 469\n\n  Olive-bearing Birds, 143\n\n  Ominous Red Rose, 199\n\n  Orchis and Acolasia, 478\n\n  Origin of the Tea-shrub, 561\n\n  Orpheus and the Elms, 323\n\n  Osmund and the Danes, 479\n\n\n  P\u00e6on and \u00c6sculapius, 493\n\n  P\u00e6onia and Ph\u0153bus, 493\n\n  Parizataco, 534\n\n  Pales and the Fishermen, 209\n\n  Pelops and Myrtillus, 252\n\n  P\u00e9l\u00e9, Goddess of the Volcano, 585\n\n  Perkun and the Deluge, 583\n\n  Phaethon and the Heliades, 502\n\n  Philemon and Baucis, 414\n\n  Phyllis and Demophoon, 210\n\n  Picts and Heather Beer, 365\n\n  Pilgrim and the Palm, 481\n\n  Polydorus and Polymnestor, 295\n\n  Postomani, 505\n\n  Prophetic Trees of Basle, 198\n\n  Proserpine and the Pomegranate, 500\n\n  Pyramus and Thisbe, 447\n\n  Pythagoras and the Beans, 247\n\n\n  Queen Christiania\u2019s Diamonds, 213\n\n    \u201e   of Sheba and Solomon, 18, 19, 303\n\n    \u201e   of the Serpents, 451\n\n\n  Ranunculus, 510\n\n  Rhodanthe, 515\n\n  Rh\u0153cus and Jupiter, 463\n\n  Rosa Marina, 527\n\n  Rose and the Sun, 516\n\n    \u201e  Elf, 66\n\n    \u201e  of Bakawali, 570\n\n  R\u00fcbezahl, 509\n\n  Russalka and Basilek, 278\n\n\n  Sacaibu and the First Men, 296\n\n  Santon Akyazli, 381\n\n  Sappho and Phaon, 327\n\n  Satan and the Eglantine, 317\n\n  S\u00e2vitri, 65\n\n  Seth and the Angel, 18, 19\n\n  Seven Oaks, 471\n\n    \u201e   Sisters, 324\n\n  Shepherd of Ilsenstein, 552\n\n  Shepherdess and the Oak, 468\n\n  Side, 500\n\n  Sister of the Flowers, 76\n\n  Sivika and the Magic Wheat, 293\n\n  Stone Tree, 126\n\n  St. Benedict and Antidotes to Poison, 374\n\n  St. Benedict and the Rose-briar, 525\n\n  St. Brigid, 468\n\n  St. Cecilia, 133\n\n  St. Christopher, 482\n\n  St. Dorothea, 133, 222\n\n  St. Dunstan and the Devil, 223\n\n  St. Dunstan and the Apple-trees, 223\n\n  St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 133, 519\n\n  St. Francis of Assisi, 519\n\n  St. Leonard and the Dragon, 414\n\n  St. Margaret of Cortona, 432\n\n  St. Martin\u2019s Yew, 591\n\n  St. Patrick and the Shamrock, 545\n\n  St. Peter\u2019s Mother, 410\n\n  St. Rosa di Lima, 519\n\n  St. Serf, 219\n\n  St. Thomas and the Madonna, 413\n\n  St. Thomas and his Tree, 130\n\n  Syrinx and Pan, 559\n\n\n  Thlaspis, 268\n\n  Thorn of Cawdor Castle, 362\n\n  Titteli Ture, 555\n\n  Tree of Adam, 17, 19\n\n    \u201e  \u201e  Tiberias, 132\n\n  Trees and the Cross, 386\n\n    \u201e   and the Crucifixion, 48\n\n    \u201e   and their Monarch, 474\n\n    \u201e   of the Sun and Moon, 123\n\n\n  Ulysses and the Lotos Eaters, 418\n\n    \u201e     and the Moly, 442\n\n\n  Venus and Adonis, 214, 341, 411\n\n    \u201e    \u201e  the Rose, 516\n\n    \u201e    \u201e  the Violet Nymphs, 579\n\n  Venus\u2019 Mirror, 267\n\n  Veronica, 550\n\n  Vertumnus and the Nymph, 307\n\n  Virgin Mary and St. John, 483\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Cherry-tree, 279\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Fig-tree, 558\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Juniper, 395\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Lupine, 423\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Orange-tree, 478\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Palm, 481\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Pine, 496\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Rosemary, 526\n\n     \u201e    \u201e    \u201e  the Strawberry, 556\n\n\n  Walnut-tree of Benevento, 584\n\n  Wandering Jew, 238\n\n  Wang Chih and the Date-stone, 312\n\n  Watcher of the Roads, 325, 498\n\n  Water Lily of Paradise, 463\n\n  White Maidens of the Fichtelgebirge, 556\n\n  Wild Woman and the Shepherdess, 253\n\n  William the Conqueror, 533\n\n  Willow Nymph, 81\n\n  Witches and Alder Wood, 209\n\n  Withered Tree of the Sun, 130, 131\n\n  Wonderful Linden-tree, 415\n\n  Woodpecker and the Spring-wort, 141, 551\n\n  World of the Lower Regions, 577\n\n\n  Xerxes and the Plane-tree, 497\n\n\n  Zoroaster, 521\n\n\n\n\nGeneral Index.\n\n\n  Aaron, 130, 342, 501\n\n  Abraham, 20, 61, 561\n\n  Adam, 115, 240, 311, 335, 362, 456, 475, 501\n\n  Adam in Eden, 15\n\n    \u201e  Tree of, 17, _et seq._\n\n  Africans, 80\n\n  All Saints\u2019, or All Hallows\u2019, Day, 60\n\n  Almanacks, 137, 167\n\n  Animal-bearing Tree, 210\n\n  Animals, 145, _et seq._\n\n  Annunciation, 56, 269\n\n  Anthropological Trees, 116\n\n  Antiochus Epiphanes, 27\n\n  Antony, 27, 517, 522\n\n  Apollo, 24, 295, 384, 481, 560\n\n  Apple Lore, 217\n\n  Argonauts, 81, 249, 408, 465\n\n  Arvales, 292, 335\n\n  Ascension Day, 58, 213\n\n  Asgard, 9\n\n  Asherah, 6\n\n  Asoka, 5, 229\n\n  Assyrians, 24, 346, 387\n\n      \u201e      Sacred Tree of the, 6\n\n  Astrology, 164\n\n  Asvattha, 5, 236\n\n  Atalanta, 477\n\n  Augury by Birds, 138\n\n  Avalon, 9, 218, 490\n\n\n  Bacchus, 25, 388, 435, 496, 499, 517\n\n  Baldr, 24\n\n  Balm, 123, 124, 239\n\n  Barnacle Tree, 118\n\n  Barometz, 121, 243\n\n  Battle Field Flowers, 505, 524, 549\n\n  Bertha, 24, 40, 339\n\n  Bethlehem, 41, 43\n\n  Birds, 137, _et seq._\n\n  Black Dwarfs, 67\n\n  Bongos, 80\n\n  Brahma, 22, 106, 180, 252, 419\n\n  Bridal Floral Ceremonies, 33\n\n  Buddha, 4, 229, 241, 419, 490, 538\n\n  Buddhists, 4, 5, 22, 293, 300, 419, 490, 538, 539\n\n  Buddhists, World Tree of the, 4\n\n  Bujan, 10\n\n  Burial Customs, 194, 196, 497\n\n  Burmans, 22, 79, 268\n\n  Butterfly Tree, 121\n\n\n  Calumny-destroyer, 109\n\n  Calvary, 48, 228, 375, 479, 550\n\n  Candlemas Day, 256, 546\n\n  Centaurs, 25\n\n  Cerberus, 94\n\n  Ceremonies, Floral, 26, _et seq._\n\n  Ceres, 25, 292, 306, 455, 458, 500, 504\n\n  Chald\u00e6ans, 107, 113, 176, 294\n\n  Chaplets, 36\n\n  Charles II., 471\n\n  Charms and Spells, 96, 234, 259, 261, 287, 288, 309, 313, 318,\n      _et seq._, 327, 332, 339, 349, 357, 364, 368, 369, 370, 372, 377,\n      383, 396, 399, 400, 407, 417, 427, 431, 439, 442, 450, 460, 463,\n      489, 490, 493, 498, 506, 511, 512, 523, 527, 528, 530, 532, 537,\n      554, 564, 567, 573\n\n  Cheese-colouring, 249\n\n  Chinese, 23, 113, 117, 178, 226, 240, 241, 271, 289, 351, 425, 437,\n      459\n\n  Chiron, 25, 277\n\n  Christian Church, Plants of the, 40, 55, 57, 440, 533\n\n  Christmas, 44, 60, 377, 462\n\n  Christmas-tree, 337\n\n  Churchyards, 192, 590\n\n  Circe, 91, 94, 325, 358, 426\n\n  Cleopatra, 27, 517, 522\n\n  Coffins, 192\n\n  Corn Spirits, 81\n\n  Corpus Christi Day, 59\n\n  Corpus Domini Procession, 32\n\n  Cosmogonic Trees, 1-8\n\n  Cross Oaks, 61, 469\n\n  Cross, Wood of the, 46, 273, 304, 386, 471, 475, 483, 503, 530\n\n  Crown of Thorns, 44, 359, 377, 512, 524, 564\n\n  Crucifixion, 47, 374, 385, 479\n\n  Cruciform Flowers, 55, 180\n\n  Cuckoo, 137, 300\n\n  Cupid, 267, 305, 517, 579\n\n  Cybele, 24, 28, 292, 517\n\n\n  Danes, 310, 479, 546\n\n  David, 17, 303\n\n  Dead Sea Fruit, 124, 225\n\n  Dead, The, 193, 230, 246, 247, 248, 358, 488\n\n  Death Portents, 198\n\n  Deborah, 190, 464\n\n  Dedication, Feast of, 57\n\n  Demons, 4, 16, 80, 83, 279, 331, 336, 396, 451, 490, 534\n\n  Devil, Plants of the, 82, _et seq._, 332, 462, 472, 549\n\n  Dew, 30, 59\n\n  Diana, 24, 228, 440, 444\n\n  Dictionary of Flowers, 185\n\n  Disease-bearing Trees, 81, 97, 259, 386, 470\n\n  Distillatory Plant, 127\n\n  Divination by Plants, 52, 101, 108, 138, 188, 221, 231, 248, 258, 264,\n      290, 291, 294, 295, 309, 370, 377, 381, 383, 398, 446, 450, 462,\n      476, 479, 489, 498, 504, 506, 513, 522, 523, 527, 535, 537, 563\n\n  Divining Rod, 113, 354, 363, 501\n\n  Doctrine of Plant Signatures, 154, _et seq._\n\n  Dragons, 152, 314\n\n  Dream-procuring Plants, 102, 105, 107, 324\n\n  Dreams, 211, 225, 226, 249, 257, 260, 265, 271, 280, 288, 290, 295,\n      300, 301, 306, 308, 310, 322, 336, 337, 338, 349, 355, 357, 364,\n      372, 385, 392, 397, 408, 413, 429, 433, 436, 449, 452, 457, 460,\n      461, 463, 472, 473, 476, 477, 478, 483, 486, 490, 497, 499, 502,\n      508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 524, 527, 534, 559, 560, 563, 565, 571,\n      578, 581, 582, 585, 587, 588, 589, 592\n\n  Druids, 107, 113, 137, 181, 218, 250, 289, 441, 467, 529, 539, 542,\n      573\n\n  Dryads, 74, 307\n\n\n  Easter, 58, 486\n\n  Ecstasies, 105, 178, 371, 406\n\n  Eden, 11\n\n  Egyptians, 23, 26, 105, 181, 195, 215, 299, 346, 349, 371, 373, 387,\n      421, 459, 476, 485, 488, 553, 560\n\n  Eiresione, 31, 32\n\n  Elder Mother, 80, 318\n\n    \u201e   Queen, 80, 318\n\n  Eleusinian Mysteries, 292\n\n  Elves, 64, _et seq._, 318, 470\n\n  Elysian Fields, 189, 457\n\n  Embalming, 178, 195\n\n  Eve, 15, 16, 18, 240, 362\n\n  Evil Eye, 91, 102, 108, 110, 212, 227, 253, 333, 357, 450, 509, 513,\n      529, 532\n\n\n  Fabulous, Wondrous, and Miraculous Plants, 116, _et seq._\n\n  Fairies, 50, 64, _et seq._, 264, 288, 333, 344, 356, 361, 526, 538, 566\n\n  Fairy Revels, 67\n\n  Fairy Plants, 69\n\n    \u201e   Unguent, 71\n\n  Fates, The, 25, 385, 426, 458\n\n  Father Garnet\u2019s Straw, 134, _et seq._\n\n  Fauns, 74, 497\n\n  Festaroli, 39\n\n  Festivals, Floral, 34\n\n      \u201e      Church, 57\n\n  Fijians, 290\n\n  Fire, 236, 347, 359, 376, 394, 396, 460, 467, 480, 489, 501, 513, 514,\n      540, 543, 552\n\n  Fire Generator, 236, 491, 539\n\n  Flora, 28\n\n  Floralia, Festival of, 29\n\n  Floral Ceremonies, Wreaths, and Garlands, 26, _et seq._\n\n  Floral Symbols, 180\n\n    \u201e    Games and Festivals, 34, 212, 520\n\n    \u201e    Vocabulary, 185\n\n  Flowers, Dictionary of, 185\n\n  Flowers of the Saints, 53, _et seq._\n\n     \u201e    of the Church\u2019s Festivals, 57, _et seq._\n\n  Forbidden Fruit, 16\n\n  Frau Holda\u2019s Tree, 7\n\n  Freemasonry, 195, 295\n\n  Freyja, 24, 40, 42, 499\n\n  Frigg, 24, 440, 479, 556\n\n  Funeral Pyre, 39, 195, 359\n\n     \u201e    Trees and Plants, 189, _et seq._, 473, 485, 494, 497, 503, 504,\n             507, 522, 525, 544\n\n  Furies, The, 25\n\n\n  Games, Greek and Roman, 38\n\n  Gandharvas, 25, 236, 548\n\n  Garland of Julia, 184\n\n  Garlands, Chaplets, and Wreaths, 36, _et seq._\n\n  Garnet\u2019s Straw, 134\n\n  Garofalo, 270\n\n  Gipsies, 47\n\n  Glastonbury, 63, 352, 362\n\n  Gold, 111\n\n  Golden Herb, 289, 542\n\n    \u201e    Apple, 123, 477, 501, 508\n\n    \u201e    Rose, 518\n\n  Good Friday, 44, 254\n\n  Goose Tree, 118\n\n  Gospel Oaks, 60, 468\n\n  Graces, The, 517\n\n  Graves, 193, 379, 485\n\n  Greeks, Mother Tree of the, 6\n\n     \u201e    Floral Ceremonies of the, 27\n\n     \u201e    Games of the, 38\n\n     \u201e    Passion for Flowers among the, 177\n\n     \u201e    Sacred Plants of the, 24\n\n     \u201e    Wreaths and Garlands of the, 37\n\n  Groves, Sacred, 76\n\n\n  Hags, 91, 94, 97, 358, 449\n\n  Hallowe\u2019en, 220, 264, 462\n\n  Hamadryads, 74\n\n  Haoma, 5, 9, 378\n\n  Hecate, 91, 385, 549\n\n  Heliogabalus, 27, 517\n\n  Herbalists, 97, 161\n\n  Herbals, 160\n\n  Hercules, 25, 217, 305, 397, 474, 477, 481, 485, 508\n\n  Hesperides, 9, 123, 217, 477, 508\n\n  Hindus, 3, 22, 39, 79, 173, 177, 180, 188, 213, 214, 227, 228, 229,\n      236, 237, 239, 241, 245, 251, 252, 293, 296, 312, 313, 315, 339,\n      356, 373, 391, 398, 400, 419, 423, 428, 439, 473, 480, 513, 539,\n      544, 547\n\n  Hindu World Tree, 3\n\n  Holdikens, 92\n\n  Holy Family, 41\n\n  Hulda, 24, 318, 319, 339, 340\n\n  Huzza, 206\n\n  Hyacinthia, 384\n\n\n  Iduna, 217\n\n  Ilpa, 3\n\n  Incense, 26, 178, 346, 395, 454, 525, 539, 551\n\n  Indians, 79, 240, 289, 315, 488, 560\n\n     \u201e     South American, 263, 265, 271, 281, 297, 311\n\n  Indra, 22, 293\n\n  Inscriptions in Plants, 127\n\n  Iranians, World Tree of the, 5\n\n  Iris, 387\n\n  Irminsul, 7, 23, 471\n\n  Isis, 337, 341, 346, 421, 560\n\n\n  Janus, 25\n\n  Japanese, 36, 124, 178, 266, 282, 446, 488, 499\n\n  Japanese New Year\u2019s Festival, 36\n\n  Jerusalem, 393\n\n  Jesus Christ, 41, 43, 386, 478, 481, 496\n\n  Jews, 8, 11, 13, 21, 23, 24, 50, 61, 131, 180, 181, 190, 205, 211,\n      225, 238, 240, 247, 256, 258, 263, 270, 271, 273, 282, 283, 291,\n      300, 303, 311, 321, 336, 339, 346, 349, 355, 359, 362, 364, 365,\n      370, 373, 380, 385, 386, 393, 394, 396, 405, 409, 426, 452, 453,\n      456, 459, 464, 474, 476, 483, 497, 501, 525, 528, 558, 560\n\n  Job, 340, 393\n\n  Jonah, 393\n\n  Joseph, 40, 41, 342, 473, 478, 481\n\n  Joseph of Arimathea, 352, 362\n\n  Judas Iscariot, 49, 317, 321, 394\n\n  Julie de Rambouillet, 348\n\n  Juno, 24, 25, 40, 217, 385, 397, 424, 444, 477, 500\n\n  Jupiter, 24, 25, 217, 305, 385, 397, 474, 477, 481\n\n\n  Kalpadruma, 3\n\n  K\u00e2madeva, 39, 177, 420, 429, 557\n\n  Khatties, 117\n\n  Krishna, 245\n\n\n  Language of Flowers, 176, 185\n\n  Lamb-bearing Tree, 122\n\n  Lamb, Vegetable, 121, 243\n\n  Leap Year, 248\n\n  Lent, 411, 458\n\n  Lepers, 285\n\n  Lightning, 111, 138, 142, 235, 359, 363, 376, 382, 407, 440, 460, 461,\n      480, 489, 530, 543, 544, 552, 554, 563\n\n  Loki, 82, 217, 461, 472\n\n  Lotos-eaters, 418\n\n  Love, 101, 108\n\n  Love Charms, 101, 107, 108, 231, 301, 302, 326, 370, 381, 383, 446,\n      462, 479, 506, 522, 523, 575\n\n  Love Philtres, 94, 107\n\n  Luckflower, 422, 553\n\n  Lunacy, 248\n\n  Lunar Herb, 125\n\n    \u201e   Influence on Plants, 167\n\n\n  Madness, 88, 100, 368\n\n  Madonna, 43\n\n  Magi, 347\n\n  Magical Plants, 105\n\n  Magic Wands and Divining Rods, 113, _et seq._\n\n  Mah\u00e2deva, 39, 242\n\n  Mahomet, 10, 24, 425, 514, 516\n\n  Man in the Moon, 174, 265, 271, 565\n\n  Manna, 429, 448\n\n  Marcon, 341\n\n  Marriages, 33, 251, 293, 295, 315, 329, 359, 433, 455, 461, 466, 478,\n      501, 513, 525\n\n  Mars, 24\n\n  Martyrs, 54\n\n  Mary Magdalene, 43, 296, 424, 444\n\n  Mary. _See_ Virgin Mary.\n\n  May-day Customs, 29, 30, 31, 58, 360\n\n  May Tree, 31, 359, 435\n\n  Medea, 91, 329\n\n  Memorial Trees, 60\n\n  Mercury, 25, 362\n\n  Michaelmas, 258\n\n  Midsummer, 50, 60, 69, 83, 96, 111, 295, 331, 361, 370, 479, 489,\n      522, 535\n\n  Minerva, 25, 473\n\n  Miraculous Trees and Plants, 129, _et seq._\n\n  Mithridates, 161, 532, 568\n\n  Moly, 442, 531\n\n  Moon, Man in the, 174, 265, 271, 565\n\n   \u201e    and Gardening, 167\n\n   \u201e    and Seed Sowing, 170\n\n  Moon Plants, 125, 166, 172, 271, 444\n\n   \u201e   Tree, Hindu, 4\n\n  Monstrosities, 129\n\n  Moses, 17, 115, 262, 283, 485\n\n  Moss Folk, 66, 289, 445\n\n  Mother Tree of the Greeks, Romans, and Teutons, 6, _et seq._\n\n  Mundane Tree, Norse, 2\n\n\n  Naiades, 72\n\n  Neptune, 24, 25, 473\n\n  Nero, 27, 517\n\n  Nightingale, 138\n\n  Noah, 115, 475, 576\n\n  Norse Gods, Plants of, 24\n\n   \u201e    World Tree, 2\n\n  Noxious, Deadly, and Ill-omened Plants, 86, _et seq._\n\n\n  Odin, 24\n\n  Old English Funeral Customs, 196, _et seq._\n\n  Old Herbals, The, and Herbalists, 160, _et seq._\n\n  Oracles, 106, 249, 406, 465, 475\n\n  Ordeal by Fire, 434\n\n  Ormuzd, 1, 9, 21, 301\n\n  Osiris, 346, 421, 560\n\n  Oyster-bearing Tree, 120\n\n\n  Palasa, 5, 480\n\n  Palm Sunday, 58\n\n  Pan, 25, 344\n\n  Paradise, 12, 319\n\n      \u201e     Celtic, 9\n\n      \u201e     Gr\u00e6co-Roman, 9\n\n      \u201e     Hindu, 10\n\n      \u201e     Iranian, 9\n\n      \u201e     Mosaic, 10\n\n      \u201e     of Mahomet, 10\n\n      \u201e     Russian, 9\n\n  Parsis, 9, 21, 293, 306, 378\n\n  Peascod Wooing, 489\n\n  Persians, 24, 79, 193, 226, 306, 376, 572\n\n  Ph\u0153nix, 284\n\n  Phooka, 258\n\n  Pixies, 64, _et seq._, 567\n\n  Planetary Government of Plants\n\n  Planets, 164, _et seq._\n\n  Plants of the Christian Church, 40, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Crucifixion, 47, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Virgin Mary, 41, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of St. John the Baptist, 50, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Devil, 82, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Fairies and Naiades, 65, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Water Nymphs and Fays, 71, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Witches, 90, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    used for Charms and Spells, 96, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    antagonistic to Witchcraft, 102, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    bearing Inscriptions and Figures, 127, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    connected with Birds and Animals, 137, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of Our Saviour, 43, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    and the Planets, 164, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    of the Moon, 172, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e    as Death Portents, 198, _et seq._\n\n  Plant Signatures, 154\n\n    \u201e    Symbolism and Language, 176, _et seq._\n\n  Pluto, 24, 316, 424\n\n  Poisonous Trees, 86\n\n  Pomona, 76\n\n  Portents, 198, 407, 414, 435, 452, 471, 486, 490, 506, 523, 557, 563\n\n  Priapus, 25, 305\n\n  Procca, 67\n\n  Prophecy, 370, 406\n\n  Prophets, 106, 406\n\n  Proserpine, 24, 25, 292, 424, 458, 500, 504\n\n  Puck, 82, 484, 567\n\n  Purification, 43, 56\n\n\n  Quack Doctors, 97\n\n\n  Rhabdomancy, 113\n\n  Robin, 140, 564\n\n  Rogation Week, 58, 220, 348, 437\n\n  Romans, Anthropological Tree of the, 7\n\n    \u201e     Floral Ceremonies of the, 27\n\n    \u201e     Sacred Plants of the, 24\n\n    \u201e     Wreaths and Garlands of the, 36\n\n  Rosary, 43, 519, 531\n\n  Rose Elf, 66\n\n  Rose-pelting, 35\n\n  Rosi\u00e8re, 35, 519\n\n  Royal Oak Day, 59, 471\n\n  Russalkis, 71\n\n  Russalka, 278\n\n  Rush-bearing, 58, 533\n\n\n  Sacred Groves and their Denizens, 76, _et seq._\n\n  Sacred Trees and Plants of the Ancients, 21, _et seq._\n\n  Saffron Walden, 300\n\n  Saint Andrew, 56\n\n    \u201e   Anne, 54\n\n    \u201e   Athanasius, 561\n\n    \u201e   Barbara, 54, 375, 475\n\n    \u201e   Barbatus, 584\n\n    \u201e   Barnabas, 54, 56, 59, 584\n\n    \u201e   Bartholomew, 56\n\n    \u201e   Benedict, 53, 374, 525\n\n    \u201e   Bernard, 413\n\n    \u201e   Cecilia, 133\n\n    \u201e   Christopher, 53, 374\n\n    \u201e   Clara, 413\n\n    \u201e   David, 410\n\n    \u201e   Dominic, 43, 413\n\n    \u201e   Dorothea, 133, 518\n\n    \u201e   Dunstan, 223\n\n    \u201e   Elizabeth of Hungary, 133, 519\n\n    \u201e   Francis, 53, 413\n\n    \u201e   George, 53\n\n    \u201e   Gerard, 53, 374\n\n    \u201e   Hilarion, 411\n\n    \u201e   James, 53, 56, 59, 510\n\n    \u201e   Jerome, 413\n\n    \u201e   John the Baptist, 50, 60, 270, 330, 423, 536, 556\n\n    \u201e   John the Evangelist, 56, 483\n\n    \u201e   Joseph, 40, 413\n\n    \u201e   Joseph of Arimathea, 62\n\n    \u201e   Jude, 56\n\n    \u201e   Katherine, 54, 398, 413\n\n    \u201e   Leonard, 414\n\n    \u201e   Louis de Gonzague, 413\n\n    \u201e   Louis de Vincennes, 62\n\n    \u201e   Luke, 56\n\n    \u201e   Margaret, 54, 374, 424, 431\n\n    \u201e   Mark, 56\n\n    \u201e   Martin, 62, 130, 280\n\n    \u201e   Matthew, 56\n\n    \u201e   M\u00e9dard, 35, 519\n\n    \u201e   Michael, 18, 54, 56\n\n    \u201e   Mungo, 73\n\n    \u201e   Nicholas, 413, 489\n\n    \u201e   Patrick, 54, 363, 541, 544\n\n    \u201e   Paul, 54, 56, 59\n\n    \u201e   Peter, 54, 56, 279, 539\n\n    \u201e     \u201e    of Vincennes, 62\n\n    \u201e   Philip, 59\n\n    \u201e   Robert, 54, 375\n\n    \u201e   Rosa, 519\n\n    \u201e   Rosalia, 519\n\n    \u201e   Serf, 130\n\n    \u201e   Simon, 56, 280, 475\n\n    \u201e   Stephen, 56\n\n    \u201e   Thomas, 54, 56, 130, 268, 413\n\n    \u201e   Urban, 133\n\n    \u201e   Veronica, 48\n\n    \u201e   Winifred, 55\n\n    \u201e   John\u2019s Eve and Day, 50, 60, 69, 83, 96, 111, 331, 361, 400, 409,\n          489, 490, 536\n\n  Saints, Flowers of, 53, 536\n\n  Saints\u2019 Floral Directory, 56\n\n  Sardanapalus, 27\n\n  Saturn, 24\n\n  Satyrs, 74, 540, 541\n\n  Saxons and Apples, 218\n\n  Scriptures, Floral Symbols of the, 181\n\n  Serpents, 2, 18, 84, 121, 152, 153, 155, 160, 161, 162, 163, 206, 208,\n      226, 227, 231, 232, 233, 251, 258, 262, 299, 313, 328, 329, 359,\n      364, 369, 376, 380, 396, 397, 409, 415, 450, 485, 531, 549, 568,\n      574, 581, 584, 587, 592\n\n  Seed-sowing and the Moon, 170\n\n  Selenite, 173\n\n  Serpent-bearing Tree, 121\n\n  Seth, 17, 18, 19, 303\n\n  Shakspeare, Floral Emblems of, 184\n\n  Sheba, Queen of, 18, 19, 303\n\n  Shefro, 344\n\n  Sif, 24\n\n  Signatures of Plants, 154\n\n  Siva, 245, 560\n\n  Skull, Moss on Human, 445\n\n  Solomon, 17, 19, 62, 111, 263, 273, 283, 303\n\n  Soma, 3, 106\n\n  Somnus, 25\n\n  Spells, 96\n\n  Spirits, 78, 83\n\n  Still Folk, 67\n\n  Stone Tree, 126\n\n  Str\u00f6mkarl, 71\n\n  Sun, 126, 166, 228, 309, 326, 366, 481, 558\n\n  Superstitions connected with Plants, 97\n\n  Sybarites, 521\n\n  Sylvans, Wood Nymphs, and Tree\n\n  Spirits, 74, _et seq._\n\n  Symbolism, 176\n\n\n  Teutons, Mother Tree of the, 7\n\n    \u201e      Sacred Plants of the, 24\n\n  Tooba, 10, 13\n\n  Tree of Life, 13\n\n    \u201e     Knowledge, 15, 241, 355\n\n    \u201e     Adam, 17, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e     Death, 190\n\n    \u201e     Judas Iscariot, 49, _et seq._\n\n  Trees of Paradise, and Tree of Adam, 9, _et seq._\n\n  Trees, Celebrated, 61\n\n    \u201e    Memorial, 60\n\n    \u201e    Fabulous, 116\n\n  Toulouse, Floral Games of, 34, 212, 520, 579\n\n  Triumphs, Roman, 28\n\n  Toads, 82, 153, 566\n\n  Trinity, 287, 375, 545\n\n  Trinity Sunday, 59, 287\n\n  Tree Spirits, 58\n\n    \u201e     \u201e     Indian, 59\n\n    \u201e     \u201e     Burman, 59\n\n    \u201e     \u201e     African, 60\n\n    \u201e     \u201e     German, 60\n\n  Trolls, 64, 353, 568\n\n  Tombs, 189, 193, 379, 522\n\n  Thunder, 111, 361, 460, 544, 552, 554\n\n  Treasure-Caves, 112, 544, 552, 556\n\n  Tyr, 24\n\n  Thor, 24, 293, 305, 318, 362, 389, 460, 461, 489, 529\n\n  Tulipomania, 570\n\n  Tulas\u00ee, 245, 568\n\n\n  Unshoeing Horses, 113, 381, 444, 445, 551, 571\n\n\n  Vegetable Monstrosities, 129\n\n  Virgin Mary, 40, 41, 142, 362, 363, 395, 402, 412, 433, 437, 469, 518,\n       519, 526, 535, 546, 556\n\n  Venice Treacle, 162, 568\n\n  Venus, 24, 40, 42, 216, 218, 402, 411, 454, 477, 516\n\n  Vishnu, 22, 177, 241, 245, 419\n\n\n  Wassail Bowl, 220, 526\n\n  Wassailing, 219\n\n  Wreaths, 36\n\n  Weddings. _See_ Marriages.\n\n  Well-flowering, 32\n\n  Whitsuntide, 59, 254, 256, 261\n\n  Water Nymphs, 71\n\n  Wells, Nymphs of, 72\n\n  Wells, 33, 73, 554\n\n  Wands, 113, 363\n\n  Waterloo, 505\n\n  War of the Roses, 520\n\n  Witches, Plants of, 91, _et seq._, 209, 277, 358, 369, 373, 403, 444,\n      492, 509, 541, 542\n\n  Witches, Plants antagonistic to, 102, 252, 258, 287, 313, 333, 374,\n      377, 495, 532, 537, 554\n\n  Witches\u2019 Children, 92\n\n     \u201e     Chain, 101\n\n     \u201e     Charms, 101\n\n     \u201e     Gowan, 353\n\n     \u201e     Potions, 93\n\n     \u201e     Spells, 96\n\n     \u201e     Steeds, 92\n\n  Widows, Hindu, 250, 285\n\n  Wise Women, 97\n\n  Woden, 24\n\n  Wood of the Cross, 46, _et seq._\n\n  Wood Nymphs, 74\n\n  Wondrous Plants, 123\n\n  World Trees of the Ancients, 1, _et seq._\n\n\n  Yama, 188\n\n  Yule Log, 235\n\n  Yggdrasill, 2, 7, 189, 232, 592\n\n\n  Zoroaster, 5, 21, 26, 306, 376, 378, 521, 540\n\n\n\n\nIndex of Plant Names.\n\n[_For Plants named after Birds and Animals, refer to chapter on that\nsubject, p. 136._]\n\n\n  Aaron, 228\n\n  Acacia, 23, 37, 158, 195, 205, 539\n\n  Acanthus, 46, 206\n\n  _Achillea matricaria_, 174\n\n  _Achyranthes_, 206\n\n  Acis, 532\n\n  Aconite, 443\n\n  Acorn, 101, 102\n\n  _Acorus_, 155, 159, 207\n\n  Adder\u2019s Tongue, 93, 95, 158, 207\n\n  Adonis, 341\n\n  _\u00c6gopodium Podagraria_, 53, 374\n\n  Affodilly, 458\n\n  African Marigold, 198\n\n  Agaric, 56\n\n  _Agnus Castus_, 100, 106, 159, 208\n\n  Agrimony, 104, 159, 161, 208, 328\n\n  Air-bell, 358\n\n  Aish-weed, 374\n\n  _Aj\u2019amoda_, 372\n\n  Albespyne, 45, 218, 360\n\n  _Albranke_, 96\n\n  Alder, 24, 92, 209\n\n  _Alecrim_, 526\n\n  Alehoof, 391\n\n  Alexandrian Laurel, 263\n\n  _Alisma_, 236\n\n  Alisson, 212\n\n  Alkanet, 255\n\n  Aller, 209\n\n  Allgood, 355\n\n  All-heal, 162, 442, 538\n\n  Almond, 43, 181, 210\n\n  Aloe, 158, 191, 211\n\n  _Alyssum_, 212\n\n  Amaracus, 27\n\n  Amaranth, 56, 58, 194, 212\n\n  Ambrose, 213\n\n  _Ambrosia_, 213\n\n  Amellus, 43, 213\n\n  Ameos, 376\n\n  _Amorphophallus_, 214\n\n  _Amrita_, 213\n\n  _Amyris_, 238\n\n  _Anagallis_, 367\n\n  _Andhas_, 214\n\n  Andromeda, 214\n\n  Anemone, 37, 70, 108, 193, 198, 214\n\n  Angelica, 162, 216\n\n  _Angelica Archangelica_, 227\n\n  Anise, 158\n\n  _Antchar_, 87\n\n  _Anthyllis_, 217\n\n  _Antirrhinum_, 95, 158\n\n  _Apamarga_, 206\n\n  _Apium risus_, 90\n\n  Apple, 16, 24, 44, 60, 113, 116, 167, 199, 217, _et seq._\n\n    \u201e  of Sodom, 125, 225\n\n    \u201e  of Jerusalem, 237\n\n  Apricot, 225\n\n  _Aquapura_, 88\n\n  _Aralda_, 345\n\n  _Arbol de Leche_, 298\n\n  _Arbor Vit\u00e6_, 43, 60, 191, 226\n\n  _Arbutus_, 226\n\n  Archangel, 54, 227\n\n  Areca, 227\n\n  _Argentina_, 109\n\n  _Aristolochia_, 227\n\n  _Arjun\u00ee_, 214\n\n  _Arka_, 228\n\n  _Aronswurzel_, 228\n\n  _Artemisia_, 113, 228\n\n  Arum, 90, 95, 228\n\n  _Arundhati_, 228\n\n  _Asclepias acida_, 106\n\n  Ash, 6, 24, 47, 62, 96, 103, 116, 126, 159, 231\n\n  _Ashur_, 256\n\n  _Asoka_, 5, 22, 107, 229\n\n  Asparagus, 158\n\n  Aspen, 47, 49, 50, 229, 503\n\n  Asphodel, 181, 189, 230\n\n  Ass-bane, 87\n\n  Ass-Parsley, 145\n\n  Ass\u2019s Foot, 145\n\n  Aster, 231\n\n  _Asvattha_, 5, 236\n\n  _Auguilanneuf_, 441\n\n  Auricula, 236\n\n  _Avaka_, 236\n\n  Avens, 53, 373\n\n  Azalea, 91, 236\n\n\n  Baccharis, 236\n\n  Bachelor\u2019s Buttons, 56, 510\n\n  _Bacia-Nicola_, 246\n\n  _Baharas_, 111\n\n  _Balbaja_, 237\n\n  Baldmoney, 237, 350, 550\n\n  _Balis_, 237\n\n  Balm, 44, 123, 124, 237\n\n    \u201e  of Gilead, 238\n\n  Balsam, 207, 237\n\n    \u201e   Apple, 237\n\n  Bamboo, 36, 239\n\n  Banana, 14, 15, 179, 240\n\n  Baneberry, 53\n\n  Bank-cress, 327\n\n  Banyan, 16, 240\n\n  Baobab, 23, 242\n\n  Barberry, 46, 243\n\n  Barley, 138, 168, 243\n\n  Barnacle-tree, 118\n\n  Barometz, 121, 243\n\n  _B\u00e4rwurzel_, 96\n\n  Basil, 22, 195, 244\n\n  _Basilek_, 278\n\n  Basilica, 51\n\n  _Bauhinia_, 247\n\n  Bawm, 238\n\n  Bay, 24, 37, 60, 110, 111, 199\n\n  Beans, 41, 158, 159, 168, 195, 200, 247\n\n  Bear-wort, 550\n\n  Bear\u2019s Breech, 206\n\n    \u201e  Ear, 158\n\n    \u201e  Garlic, 349\n\n  _Bech_, 451\n\n  Bedstraw, 41, 249\n\n  Beech, 24, 38, 111, 249\n\n  Beet, 158\n\n  _Beh_, 369\n\n  _Belinuncia_, 250\n\n  _Bella Giulia_, 514\n\n  Bell-flowers, 266\n\n  Bel-tree, 250\n\n  Belt of St. John, 52\n\n  Betel, 251\n\n  Betony, 95, 161, 251\n\n  _Bignonia_, 252\n\n  Bilberry, 252, 585\n\n  Bindweed, 158\n\n  Birch, 31, 51, 60, 191, 252\n\n  Birk, 255\n\n  Bishop\u2019s Leaves, 252\n\n    \u201e  Weed, 376\n\n    \u201e  Wort, 398\n\n  Bittersweet, 159, 546\n\n  Bitter Vetch, 255\n\n  Blackberry, 83, 200, 258\n\n  Black-thorn, 113\n\n  Bladder-wort, 158\n\n  Blaeberry, 252, 585\n\n  Blasting-root, 551\n\n  Blessed Herb, 54, 373\n\n  _Blitz-mehl_, 288\n\n  Blood-drops of Christ, 48\n\n  Blood-root, 155\n\n  Bloody Men\u2019s Fingers, 228\n\n  Blue-bell, 255\n\n  Blue-bottle, 277\n\n  Bluet, 278\n\n  _Blutstr\u00f6pfchen_, 341\n\n  _Bohdda Tharanat_, 268\n\n  _Bois b\u00e9ni_, 194\n\n  _Bombax_, 159, 192\n\n  Borage, 158, 255\n\n  Borgie-weed, 88\n\n  _Boriza_, 126\n\n  Bo-tree, 22, 491, 492\n\n  Botrys, 158\n\n  Box, 46, 58, 59, 60, 194, 197, 256\n\n  Boxthorn, 46\n\n  Bracken Fern, 179, 257\n\n  Bramble, 46, 258\n\n  Brank-ursine, 46, 206\n\n  _Brassica_, 158\n\n  Breakstone, 156\n\n  Briony, 156, 159, 261\n\n  _Britalzar \u00c6gyptiaca_, 157\n\n  Brompton Stock, 553\n\n  Broom, 58, 95, 104, 159, 200, 260\n\n  Brown John or Jolly, 317\n\n  Brown-wort, 156\n\n  Buckrams, 349\n\n  Buck-thorn, 46, 261, 564\n\n  Bugloss, 261\n\n  Bullock\u2019s Eye, 382\n\n     \u201e  Lung-wort, 155, 449\n\n  Bull\u2019s Blood, 380\n\n  Bulrush, 92, 262, 512\n\n  Burdock, 262\n\n  _Buriti_, 263\n\n  Burnet, 263\n\n  Burst-wort, 156\n\n  Bussorah Gall-nut, 225\n\n  _Butea frondosa_, 5\n\n  Butcher\u2019s Broom, 263\n\n  Buttercup, 510\n\n\n  Cabbage, 60, 68, 170, 174, 264\n\n  Cactus, 265\n\n  Calf\u2019s Snout, 217\n\n  _Calla \u00c6thiopica_, 228\n\n  Call-me-to-you, 484\n\n  Camellia, 266\n\n  _Campanula_, 40, 54, 266\n\n  Camphor, 173, 267\n\n  Campion, 56\n\n  _Candelaria_, 449\n\n  _Candelabrum ingens_, 52, 423\n\n  Candie Mustard, 267\n\n  Candleweek-flower, 449\n\n  Candy-tuft, 267\n\n  Canker-weed, 179\n\n  Canna, 268\n\n  Canterbury Bells, 54, 156, 267, 268\n\n  _Capillus Veneris_, 424\n\n  _Caprifolium_, 379\n\n  Cardamine, 268\n\n  Cardamom, 91\n\n  Cardinal-flower, 269\n\n  Cardon, 170\n\n  Care, 530\n\n  Care-tree, 102\n\n  Carline Thistle, 269\n\n  Carnation, 44, 198, 269\n\n  Carob, 49, 270\n\n  Carpenter\u2019s Herb, 156\n\n  Carrion-flower, 88\n\n  Carrot, 108, 270\n\n  Case-weed, 545\n\n  Cashew, 46, 271\n\n  Cassava, 271\n\n  Cassia, 196, 271\n\n  _Cassolette_, 514\n\n  Cast-me-down, 409\n\n  _Casuarina_, 191\n\n  Catch-fly, 272\n\n  Cat Mint or Nep, 272\n\n  Cat\u2019s Eye, 549\n\n    \u201e  Foot, 391\n\n    \u201e  Tail, 512, 581\n\n  Cedar, 17, 23, 46, 47, 60, 192, 196, 272\n\n  Celandine, 95, 100, 143, 155, 276\n\n  Centaury, 277\n\n  Centinode, 399\n\n  _Centocchio_, 108\n\n  Cerealis, 572\n\n  Cereus, 278\n\n  _Certagon_, 86, 109\n\n  Ceterach, 159\n\n  _Ch\u00e2bairje_, 263\n\n  _Cha-Hwa_, 266\n\n  Chamel\u00e6a, 278\n\n  Chamomile, 159, 198, 278\n\n  Champak, 107, 193, 279\n\n  _Chenomychon_, 111, 144\n\n  Chervil, 95\n\n  Cherry, 41, 44, 137, 279\n\n  Chesnut, 280\n\n  _Ch\u00e8vrefeuille_, 379\n\n  Chickweed, 145, 159\n\n  Chicory, 325\n\n  Chinchona, 282\n\n  Chives, 159\n\n  Chohobba, 281\n\n  Choke Pear, 281\n\n  _Chora_, 142\n\n  Christmas, 377\n\n    \u201e  Rose, 368\n\n  _Christ-dorn_, 46, 377\n\n  _Christ-wurzel_, 44\n\n  Christ\u2019s Blood drops, 375\n\n    \u201e  Herb, 281\n\n    \u201e  Ladder, 281\n\n    \u201e  Palm, 281\n\n    \u201e  Thorn, 46, 281\n\n  Chrysanthemum, 37, 56, 91, 282\n\n  Cinnamon, 27, 95, 283\n\n  Cinquefoil, 159, 284\n\n  _Circeium_, 110\n\n  Cistus, 284\n\n  Citron, 284\n\n  Clappedepouch, 285\n\n  _Clavis Diaboli_, 85\n\n  Clear-eye, 156\n\n  Clematis, 286\n\n  Close Sciences, 514\n\n  Clot-bur, 263\n\n  Cloth of Gold, 542\n\n  Clove, 286\n\n    \u201e  Gilliflower, 269\n\n  Clover, 181, 287, 288, 379\n\n    \u201e  Four-leaved, 71, 110, 159, 287\n\n  Club Moss, 288\n\n  Cock\u2019s Comb, 145, 213\n\n    \u201e  Head, 145\n\n    \u201e  Foot, 145\n\n  Cocoa-nut Palm, 289\n\n  Cockle, 290\n\n  _C\u0153lifolium_, 341\n\n  Coffee, 290\n\n  _Cohobba_, 88\n\n  Colchicum, 290\n\n  Colewort, 170, 264\n\n  Coltsfoot, 291\n\n  Columbine, 291, 575\n\n  Comfrey, 297\n\n  _Concordia_, 109, 291\n\n  _Conjugalis Herba_, 291\n\n  Convolvulus, 37\n\n  Coriander, 99, 291\n\n  Corn, 16, 292\n\n  Corn Feverfew, 91\n\n    \u201e  Flag, 352\n\n    \u201e  Flower, 158, 277, 295\n\n  Corn Marigold, 282\n\n    \u201e  Rose, 504\n\n  Cornel, 24, 295\n\n  Coronation, 269\n\n  Costmary, 174, 296\n\n  Costus, 271, 296\n\n  Cotton, 296\n\n  _Couronne Imp\u00e9riale_, 348\n\n  Coventry-bells, 267\n\n  Cows-and-Calves, 228\n\n  Cowslip, 30, 54, 70, 297\n\n     \u201e     of Jerusalem, 297\n\n  Cow-tree, 297\n\n  Cranberry, 298\n\n  Cranesbill, 145, 298\n\n  Cress, 158, 298\n\n  Crocus, 27, 156, 158, 299\n\n  Cross-flower, 58, 375, 437\n\n    \u201e   wort, 375\n\n    \u201e   of Malta, 423\n\n  Crow Bells, 145\n\n    \u201e  Berry, 145\n\n    \u201e  Flowers, 184, 510\n\n    \u201e  Foot, 145, 510\n\n    \u201e  Garlic, 145\n\n    \u201e  Leeks, 145\n\n    \u201e  Needles, 145\n\n    \u201e  Toes, 145\n\n  Crown Imperial, 183\n\n  Cuckoo-buds, 30, 137, 268, 300, 510\n\n  Cuckoo-flower, 95, 137, 268, 300\n\n  Cuckoo Gilliflower, 300\n\n  Cuckoo\u2019s Bread-and-Cheese-tree, 138\n\n  Cuckoo\u2019s Bread-and-Meat, 137, 300\n\n  Cuckoo\u2019s Grass, 137, 300\n\n     \u201e     Pint, 228, 300\n\n     \u201e     Pintle, 228, 300\n\n     \u201e     Sorrel, 137\n\n  Cucumber, 300\n\n  Cuddle-me-to-you, 484\n\n  Cudweed, Alpine, 316\n\n  Cumin, 301\n\n  Currant, 159, 301\n\n  Cycory, 170\n\n  Cyclamen, 91, 99, 103, 108, 159, 301\n\n  Cypress, 17, 24, 44, 46, 47, 91, 93, 95, 189, 191, 192, 195, 302\n\n  _Czekanka_, 326\n\n\n  Daffadowndilly, 458\n\n  Daffodil, 55, 58, 199, 458\n\n  Daffodilly, 307, 458\n\n  Dahlia, 307\n\n  Daisy, 24, 158, 184, 307\n\n  Damascus Violet, 308\n\n  Damask Violet, 308, 514\n\n  Dame\u2019s Rocket, 514\n\n    \u201e  Violet, 308, 350, 514\n\n  _Damouch_, 87\n\n  Dandelion, 151, 158, 159, 309\n\n  Dane-weed, 310\n\n    \u201e  wort, 310\n\n  Dane\u2019s Blood, 310\n\n  _Daoun Setan_, 459\n\n  Daphne, 310\n\n  Darnel, 356\n\n  Date, 311, 482\n\n  _Datura_, 90, 565\n\n  Day\u2019s-eye, 308\n\n  Dead Tongue, 312\n\n  Deadman\u2019s Flower, 345\n\n  Deadly Nightshade, 91, 95, 460\n\n  Death\u2019s Herb, 85, 460\n\n  Demetria, 572\n\n  _Dent de Lion_, 151, 309\n\n  Deodar, 312\n\n  Devil\u2019s Apron, 459\n\n    \u201e  Berry, 85\n\n    \u201e  Bit, 85, 359\n\n    \u201e  Bit Scabious, 85\n\n    \u201e  Butter, 86\n\n    \u201e  Candle, 85\n\n    \u201e  Cherry, 85\n\n    \u201e  Claws, 85\n\n    \u201e  Darning-needles, 85\n\n    \u201e  Droppings, 82\n\n    \u201e  Dung, 84\n\n    \u201e  Dye, 85\n\n    \u201e  Guts, 85\n\n    \u201e  Key, 85\n\n    \u201e  Milk, 86\n\n    \u201e  Snuff-boxes, 86\n\n    \u201e  Tree, 85, 541\n\n  Devil-chaser, 86, 109, 537\n\n    \u201e  in-the-Bush, 85\n\n  Dewberry, 355\n\n  _Dhak_, 313\n\n  Dill, 103, 313, 574\n\n  _Discipline des Religieuses_, 213\n\n  _Discordia_, 109\n\n  Distilling-plant, 127\n\n  Dittander, 313\n\n  Dittany, 24, 173, 313\n\n  Dock, 313\n\n  Dodder, 159\n\n  _Dodecatheon_, 297\n\n  Dog-grass, 24\n\n  Dog\u2019s-mouth, 217\n\n  _Doigts de la Vierge_, 344\n\n  _Donderbloem_, 382\n\n  _Donnerbesen_, 440\n\n  _Donnerkraut_, 111\n\n  Drac\u00e6na, 314\n\n  Dragon\u2019s Blood, 314\n\n    \u201e  Tears, 314\n\n  Dragon-tree, 23, 314\n\n  Dream Herb, 107\n\n    \u201e  Tree, 324\n\n  Dryas, 314\n\n  Duckweed, 145\n\n  Durian, 314\n\n  _Durva_, 315\n\n  Dwale-berry, 85\n\n  Dwarf Bay, 310\n\n    \u201e  Elder, 310\n\n  Dyer\u2019s Alkanet, 91\n\n\n  Earth-Apple, 279\n\n    \u201e  Nut, 159\n\n  _Eberwurzel_, 96\n\n  Ebony, 315\n\n  Edelweiss, 58, 316\n\n  Egg-plant, 317\n\n  Eglantine, 45, 317\n\n  Eglatere, 317\n\n  _Eisenkraut_, 511\n\n  Elder, 47, 49, 80, 87, 92, 103, 110, 318\n\n  Elecampane, 159, 322\n\n  _Elfenkraut_, 69\n\n  Elfgras, 69\n\n  Elf-grass, 69\n\n  Elfin-plant, 526\n\n  _Elichrysum_, 323\n\n  Elm, 31, 192, 323\n\n  Enchanter\u2019s Nightshade, 325\n\n    \u201e  plant, 574\n\n  Endive, 158, 325\n\n  _Epine Noble_, 359\n\n  Eragrostis, 327\n\n  Eryngo, 327\n\n  Erysimum, 327\n\n  _Erythrina Indica_, 213\n\n  Ethiopian Pepper, 91\n\n  _Eugenia_, 79, 109, 328\n\n  Eupatorium, 328\n\n  Euphorbia, 328\n\n  Euphrasy, 158, 329\n\n  _Euphrosynum_, 255\n\n  Everlasting-flower, 111, 194, 328\n\n  Ewe, 592\n\n  Ewgh, 592\n\n  Eye of the Star, 380\n\n  Eyebright, 143, 179, 329\n\n\n  Fair Maids of France, 329\n\n    \u201e    \u201e    \u201e February, 54, 329, 546\n\n  Fairy Bath, 70\n\n   \u201e   Butter, 70\n\n   \u201e   Cap, 70, 344\n\n   \u201e   Cup, 69\n\n   \u201e   Fire, 70\n\n   \u201e   Flax, 70\n\n   \u201e   Herb, 70\n\n   \u201e   Rings, 68, 356\n\n   \u201e   Steeds, 68\n\n  Fairies\u2019 Horse, 92\n\n  Feaberry, 355\n\n  Feldwode, 94, 329, 350\n\n  Fennel, 51, 60, 158, 162, 329\n\n    \u201e  flower, 398\n\n  Fenugreek, 27, 159\n\n  Fern, 50, 53, 68, 95, 157, 159, 330\n\n  Fern of God, 179\n\n  Fern, Maidenhair, 424\n\n  Fever-few, 282\n\n  _Ficus Indica_, 240\n\n    \u201e  _Religiosa_, 490\n\n  Fig, 14, 15, 49, 62, 93, 95, 159, 334\n\n  Fig-wort, 156\n\n  Filbert, 337\n\n  _Filius ante Patrem_, 300\n\n  _Fingerhut_, 344\n\n  _Fior di morto_, 195\n\n  Fir, 24, 60, 65, 158, 195, 337\n\n  Five-finger Grass, 356\n\n  Flame-tree, 339\n\n  Flamy, 484\n\n  Flax, 51, 52, 158, 339\n\n  Fleabane, 53, 179, 340\n\n  Fleawort, 91\n\n  _Fleur-de-Luce_ or _Lys_, 341, 387\n\n  _Flor de las cinco llagas_, 48, 488\n\n  _Flor de Pesadilla_, 93\n\n  Floramor, 213\n\n  Flos Adonis, 341\n\n  Flower of Constantinople, 423\n\n    \u201e  of Bristow, 423\n\n    \u201e  of St. John, 52\n\n    \u201e  Gentle, 213\n\n    \u201e  Velure, 213\n\n    \u201e  de Luce, 341, 388, 556\n\n  Flowers of Heaven, 341\n\n  Forget-me-not, 156, 342, 484, 549\n\n  _Forglemm mig icke_, 342\n\n  Foxglove, 70, 344\n\n  Frangipanni, 345\n\n  Frankincense, 27, 345\n\n  Fraxinella, 347\n\n  Freyja\u2019s Hair, 445\n\n  Friar\u2019s Cowl, 228\n\n  Frigg\u2019s Grass, 479\n\n  Fritillary, 347\n\n  Frog Bit, 158\n\n  _Fuga D\u00e6monum_, 103, 110, 368, 536\n\n  Fumitory, 348\n\n  Furrs, 356\n\n  Furze, 356\n\n  Furze-bush, 356\n\n\n  Gang-flower, 58, 348, 437\n\n  _Gants de Notre Dame_, 344\n\n  Galingale, 159\n\n  Gall-Apple, 95, 225\n\n  Garlic, 23, 110, 154, 159, 349\n\n  _Gelotophyllis_, 90\n\n  _Gen\u00eat_, 260\n\n  Gentian, 158, 350\n\n  _Gentiana amarella_, 96\n\n  Geranium, 24, 158, 159\n\n  Gethsemane, 228, 375, 479\n\n  Gill-by-the-Ground, 390\n\n  Gilliflower, 198, 269, 350\n\n    \u201e  Clove, 269, 350\n\n    \u201e  Marsh, 350\n\n    \u201e  Queen\u2019s, 350, 514\n\n    \u201e  Rogue\u2019s, 350, 514\n\n    \u201e  Stock, 350, 553\n\n    \u201e  Wall, 350\n\n    \u201e  Water, 350\n\n    \u201e  Winter, 514, 546\n\n  Gilofre, 269, 350\n\n  Ginger, 159\n\n    \u201e  grass, 551\n\n  Ginseng, 351\n\n  Gipsy-plant, 286\n\n  _Girofl\u00e9e_, 350, 553\n\n  Gith, 290\n\n  Gladiolus, 352\n\n  Glastonbury-thorn, 62, 352\n\n  Globe Amaranth, 213\n\n    \u201e  Flower, 39, 353\n\n  Goat\u2019s Beard, 158, 354\n\n    \u201e  Joy, 372\n\n    \u201e  Rue, 144\n\n  Goblin Gloves, 70, 345\n\n  God\u2019s Floure, 323\n\n  Godeseie, 156\n\n  Gold, 432\n\n    \u201e  Cup, 510\n\n    \u201e  Knob, 510\n\n    \u201e  of Pleasure, 354\n\n  Golden Flower, 323\n\n    \u201e  Flower Gentle, 354\n\n    \u201e  Herb, 111, 542\n\n    \u201e  Maidenhair, 354\n\n    \u201e  Mothwort, 323\n\n    \u201e  Rod, 113, 354\n\n  Goldilocks, 354\n\n  Golding, 454\n\n  Goldy Flower, 373\n\n  _Golubetz_, 354\n\n  Good Henry, or Good King Harry, 355\n\n  Good-night, 387\n\n  Gool-achin, 355\n\n  Gooseberry, 355\n\n  Goose-grass, 144\n\n    \u201e  Tansy, 144\n\n  _Gopher_, 305\n\n  Gorse, 356\n\n  Gory Dew, 356\n\n  Goss, 356\n\n  Go-to-bed-at-noon, 354\n\n  Goules or Goulan, 432\n\n  Gout-wort, 374\n\n  Gowan, 353, 354\n\n  Grace of God, 55\n\n  Grapes, 16, 169, 355\n\n    \u201e  of St. John, 52\n\n  Grass, 68, 356\n\n    \u201e  of Parnassus, 158\n\n  Great Bur, 263\n\n    \u201e  Dragon, 155\n\n    \u201e  Herb, 70\n\n    \u201e  Maple, 559\n\n  Grim the Collier, 359\n\n  Grip-grass, 356\n\n  Ground-heele, 357\n\n  Ground Ivy, 95, 104, 159, 390\n\n  Groundsel, 43, 357\n\n  _Guabana_ or _Guarabana_, 358\n\n  Guelder-Rose, 59, 358\n\n  Guinea Hen, 145\n\n  Gyllofer, 269, 350\n\n\n  H\u00e6manthus, 358\n\n  Hag Taper, 94, 358\n\n  Hair-bell, 358\n\n  Half-Moon, 173\n\n  Hallelujah, 358\n\n  Hard-head, 381\n\n  Harebell, 53, 55, 67, 358, 385\n\n  Hart\u2019s Tongue, 158\n\n  Hartis Ease, 582\n\n  Hassocks, 356\n\n  Hawkweed, 144, 159, 359\n\n  Hawthorn, 58, 93, 195, 359, 563\n\n  Haymaids, 362, 390\n\n  Hazel, 103, 110, 114, 362\n\n  Heart\u2019s-ease, 434\n\n  Heath, 56\n\n    \u201e  Bell, 267\n\n  Heather, 365\n\n  Hedge Maids, 362\n\n    \u201e  Mustard, 327\n\n    \u201e  Taper, 358\n\n  _Hederich_, 509\n\n  _Heerm\u00e4nnchen_, 279\n\n  _Heide_, 365\n\n  Helenium, 322, 365\n\n  Heliotrope, 23, 24, 343, 365\n\n  Hellebore, 56, 158, 159, 368\n\n  Helmet-flower, 369\n\n  Hemlock, 53, 93, 95, 312, 369\n\n  Hemp, 22, 52, 105, 370\n\n  Hen Bit, 145\n\n    \u201e  Foot, 145\n\n  Henbane, 93, 95, 372\n\n  Henna, 24, 373\n\n  Henne-bush, 373\n\n  Hepatica, 59, 158\n\n  Herb Bennett, 373\n\n    \u201e  Carpenter, 374\n\n    \u201e  Christopher, 56, 374\n\n    \u201e  Gerarde, 374\n\n    \u201e  Margaret, 54, 374\n\n    \u201e  Paris, 103, 375\n\n    \u201e  Peter, 54, 375\n\n    \u201e  Robert, 54, 375\n\n    \u201e  St. Barbara, 375\n\n    \u201e  Trinity, 55, 376, 484\n\n    \u201e  Twopence, 376\n\n    \u201e  William, 376\n\n    \u201e  of Forgetfulness, 451\n\n    \u201e  of Mary, 42\n\n    \u201e  of Oblivion, 110\n\n    \u201e  of St. John, 51, 52\n\n    \u201e  of the Blessed Mary, 42\n\n    \u201e    \u201e    Cross, 47, 374\n\n    \u201e    \u201e    Devil, 84\n\n    \u201e    \u201e    Madonna, 42\n\n    \u201e    \u201e    Witches, 84\n\n  _Herba benedicta_, 54, 369, 373\n\n    \u201e  _bona_ and _sancta_, 439\n\n    \u201e  _Britannica_, 111\n\n    \u201e  _Clavorum_, 113\n\n    \u201e  _Clyti\u00e6_, 366\n\n    \u201e  _Impia_, 329\n\n    \u201e  _Sanct\u00e6 Mari\u00e6_, 440\n\n  _Herbe au Chantre_, 327\n\n    \u201e  _au Dragon_, 153\n\n    \u201e  _aux Ladres_, 357\n\n    \u201e  _d\u2019Amour_, 436\n\n    \u201e  _de Marie Magdalene_, 43\n\n  Heron\u2019s Bill, 145\n\n  Hig or High Taper, 358\n\n  Hindberry, 511\n\n  _Hirschwursel_, 96\n\n  Holly, 44, 46, 56, 60, 101, 110, 376\n\n  Holm Oak, 385\n\n  Holme, 376\n\n  Holy Ghost, 162, 378\n\n    \u201e  Grass, 58, 356, 378\n\n    \u201e  Hay, 378, 536\n\n    \u201e  Herb, 574\n\n    \u201e  Hock, or Hoke, 55, 378\n\n    \u201e  Rope, 55, 378\n\n    \u201e  Seed, 378\n\n    \u201e  Thistle, 378\n\n    \u201e  Tree, 60, 378\n\n  Homa, or Haoma, 378\n\n  Honesty, 378\n\n  Honeysuckle, 96, 159, 287, 379\n\n  Hook-weed, 374\n\n  Hop, 380\n\n  Horehound, 380\n\n  Hornbeam, 31\n\n    \u201e  or Hardbeam, 380\n\n  Horned Poppy, 93, 95, 541\n\n  Horn flower, 228\n\n  Horse Beech, 380\n\n    \u201e  Chesnut, 380\n\n    \u201e  Killer, 87\n\n    \u201e  Knot, 381\n\n    \u201e  Radish, 381\n\n    \u201e  Shoe Vetch, 381, 571\n\n    \u201e  Tail, 24\n\n    \u201e  Tongue, 158\n\n  Hound\u2019s Tongue, 158, 159, 382\n\n  Houseleek, 111, 382\n\n  Hulver, or Hulfeere, 376\n\n  Hunger-Grass, 179\n\n  Hur Bur, 263\n\n  Hurt-sickle, 278\n\n  Hyacinth, 158, 383\n\n  _Hypericum_, 51, 158\n\n  Hyssop, 46, 198, 385\n\n\n  Ilex, 385\n\n  _Immortelles_, 194, 328\n\n  _Impatiens_, 237\n\n  _Ingudi_, 386\n\n  Ipecacuanha, 386\n\n  Ipom\u0153a, 386\n\n  Iris, 24, 43, 158, 159, 387\n\n  Iron-head, 381\n\n  _Irrkraut_, 333\n\n  _Irrwurzel_, 498\n\n  Ivy, 24, 30, 59, 388\n\n\n  Jacinth, 358, 385\n\n  Jack-by-the-Hedge, 327\n\n  Jacob\u2019s Ladder, 391, 547\n\n  _Jambi_, 227\n\n  Jamboa, 23\n\n  Jambu, 391\n\n  Jasmine, 39, 107, 159, 193, 391\n\n  _Jatropha urens_, 87\n\n  Jerusalem Artichoke, 393\n\n    \u201e  Cowslip, 393\n\n    \u201e  Cross, 393\n\n    \u201e  Oak, 393\n\n    \u201e  Sage, 393\n\n    \u201e  Star, 393\n\n  Jesuit\u2019s Bark, 282\n\n  Jew\u2019s Ears, 393\n\n    \u201e  Myrtle, 263\n\n  Joan\u2019s Silver Pin, 393\n\n  Job\u2019s Tears, 340, 393\n\n  _Johannis-blut_, 51\n\n  _Johannis-wurzel_, 111\n\n  Jonah\u2019s Gourd, 393\n\n  Joseph\u2019s Flower, 354\n\n  Jove\u2019s Flower, 397\n\n  Judas-tree, 50, 92, 394\n\n  Jujube, 395\n\n  _Julienne_, 514\n\n  July-flower, 553\n\n  Jump-up-and-kiss-me, 484\n\n  Juniper, 25, 41, 44, 91, 101, 110, 158, 181, 195, 395\n\n  Juno\u2019s Rose, 397\n\n    \u201e  Tears, 397, 572\n\n  Jupiter\u2019s Beard, 217, 382, 397\n\n    \u201e  Distaff, 398\n\n    \u201e  Eye, 382, 397\n\n    \u201e  Staff, 398\n\n\n  Kail, 60, 398\n\n  _K\u00e2malat\u00e2_, 386\n\n  Kataka, 398\n\n  Katherine\u2019s Flower, 54, 398\n\n  Kecksies, 370\n\n  Kernel-wort, 399\n\n  Kerzereh, 399\n\n  Ketaki, 399\n\n  Kex, 370\n\n  Key-flower, 112\n\n  _Kidda_, 271\n\n  Kidney-vetch, 156, 217\n\n    \u201e  wort, 159\n\n  King Cup, 59, 399, 510\n\n  Kiss-me-at-the-garden-gate, 484\n\n  Kiss-me-ere-I-rise, 484\n\n  Kiss-me-twice-before-I-rise, 398\n\n  Knee-holly, 263\n\n    \u201e  holme, 263\n\n    \u201e  hulver, 263\n\n  Knight\u2019s Spurs, 404\n\n  Knot-grass, 399\n\n  _Kovidara_, 400\n\n  _Kuddum_, 400\n\n  _Kunalnitza_, 51\n\n  Kusa-grass, 22, 400\n\n  _Kushtha_, 296, 401\n\n\n  Ladder to Heaven, 547\n\n  Lad\u2019s Love, 549\n\n  Lady Laurel, 310\n\n  Lady\u2019s Bedstraw, 41, 249\n\n    \u201e    Bower, 402\n\n    \u201e    Bunch of Keys, 42\n\n    \u201e    Comb, 42\n\n    \u201e    Cushion, 42\n\n    \u201e    Fingers, 42, 217\n\n    \u201e    Garters, 402\n\n    \u201e    Hair, 42\n\n    \u201e    Laces, 402\n\n    \u201e    Looking-glass, 42\n\n    \u201e    Mantle, 42, 43\n\n    \u201e    Nightcap, 402\n\n    \u201e    Seal, 42, 402, 547\n\n    \u201e    Slipper, 42\n\n    \u201e    Smock, 42, 55, 268\n\n    \u201e    Tears, 43\n\n    \u201e    Thimble, 402\n\n    \u201e    Thistle, 41, 158\n\n    \u201e    Tresses, 42, 402\n\n  Lamb Toe, 217\n\n  _Lamium album_, 227\n\n       \u201e    _Galeobdolon_, 227\n\n  _L\u00e2ng Fredags Ris_, 44\n\n  Larch, 93, 95, 403\n\n  Lark\u2019s Claw, 145, 404\n\n    \u201e    Heel, 145, 404\n\n    \u201e    Spur, 145, 404\n\n    \u201e    Toe, 145, 404\n\n  _Larmes de Ste. Marie_, 43\n\n  Laurel, 23, 24, 32, 60, 75, 106, 404\n\n  Laurustine, 56\n\n  Lavender, 59, 91, 409\n\n  Leek, 409\n\n  Lentil, 23, 411\n\n  Lent Lily, 411\n\n  Leopard\u2019s Bane, 159\n\n     \u201e      Foot, 510\n\n  Le\u2019pan-tree, 79\n\n  Lettuce, 157, 158, 195, 411\n\n  Libbard\u2019s Bane, 93\n\n  Life Everlasting, 416\n\n  Lilac, 59\n\n  Lily, 24, 27, 43, 51, 55, 59, 412\n\n  Lily of the May, 59\n\n   \u201e     \u201e    Valley, 43, 53, 59, 101, 158, 199, 414\n\n  Lime, 158, 414\n\n  Linden, 415\n\n  Ling, 365\n\n  Lion-foot Cudweed, 91\n\n  Lion\u2019s Snap, 217\n\n  Live-for-ever, 328\n\n  Live-in-Idleness, 484\n\n  Live-long, 111, 319, 328, 416\n\n  Liver-wort, 155, 158, 208\n\n  _Llysan gwaed gwyr_, 310\n\n  _Loco_, 88\n\n  Locust, 205\n\n  London Pride, 416, 541\n\n    \u201e  Rocket, 514\n\n  Long Purples, 184\n\n  Loosestrife, 376, 417\n\n  Lords-and-Ladies, 228\n\n  Lotos, 110, 417\n\n  Lotus, 23, 26, 37, 107, 158, 180, 418\n\n  Love, 422\n\n  Loveage, 422\n\n  Love-and-Idle, 422, 484\n\n  Love Apple, 422, 546\n\n  Love Grass, 327\n\n  Love-in-a-Mist, 422\n\n  Love-in-Idleness, 422, 484\n\n  Love-lies-bleeding, 213, 422\n\n  Loveman, 422\n\n  Luckan Gowan, 353\n\n  Luck-flower, 112, 343, 422\n\n  Lucky Hands, 333\n\n  Lunary, 378\n\n    \u201e  Lesser, 444\n\n  Lungwort, 155, 158, 297\n\n  Lupine, 159, 422\n\n  Lusmore, 70, 344\n\n  Lychnis, 55, 56, 423\n\n  Lycoris, 193\n\n  _Lythrum Silicaria_, 96\n\n\n  Mad Apple, 317, 546\n\n  Maghet, 174, 424\n\n  Magician\u2019s Cypress, 541\n\n  Magnolia, 87, 423\n\n  Mahwah, 423\n\n  _Mai-blume_, 31\n\n  Maidenhair, 24, 91, 104, 108, 424\n\n  Maids, or Maithes, 424\n\n  _Main de Gloire_, 428\n\n  _Main de Ste. Marie_, 43\n\n  Mallow, 158, 425\n\n  _Malobathrum_, 155\n\n  _Malus Henricus_, 355\n\n  Manchineel, 87, 425\n\n  Mandrake, 91, 93, 95, 108, 110, 113, 157, 425\n\n  Mango, 107, 428\n\n  Manna, 429\n\n  Maple, 429\n\n  Maracot, 181\n\n  Marguerite, 174, 424, 431\n\n  _Marien-blumen_, 42\n\n  _Marien-gras_, 42\n\n  _Marien Magdalenen Kraut_ and _Apfel_, 43\n\n  Marigold, 39, 56, 367, 432\n\n  _M\u00e1r\u00edu Stakkr_, 42\n\n  Marjoram, 158, 433\n\n  Marsh Mallow, 433\n\n    \u201e   Marigold, 434\n\n  Martagon, 113\n\n  Mary-buds, 42\n\n  Mary Gowles, 432\n\n  Mastic, 434\n\n  Mather, 174, 424\n\n  _Matza Franca_, 225\n\n  Maudeline-wort, 174, 424\n\n  Mauritia, 435\n\n  May, 29, 31, 58, 360, 435\n\n  Maydweed, 174, 424, 435\n\n  May-flower, 31, 435\n\n  May Lily, 31\n\n  May-weed, 174, 424, 435\n\n  Meadow-cress, 269\n\n  Meadow Pink, or Campion, 509\n\n  Mead Parsley, 541\n\n  Medusa Head, 328\n\n  _Meisterwurzel_, 96\n\n  Melon, 156, 159, 436\n\n  _Menthe de Notre Dame_, 42\n\n  Mercury, 162, 355\n\n  Mercury\u2019s Blood, 572\n\n  Mew, 237, 550\n\n  Mezereon, 310\n\n  Michaelmas Daisy, 56\n\n  Midsummer Daisy, 56\n\n      \u201e     Men, 479\n\n  Mignonette, 198, 436\n\n  _Milium solis_, 157\n\n  Milk Thistle, 437, 562\n\n  Milk-wort, 348, 437\n\n  Millefoil, 95\n\n  Millet, 437\n\n  Miltwaste, 145\n\n  _Mimosa_, 23, 438\n\n  Mimusops, 439\n\n  _Mindi_, 373\n\n  Mint, 91, 439\n\n  Mistletoe, 47, 95, 101, 102, 103, 107, 113, 141, 440\n\n  Mistress of Night, 568\n\n  Mock-plane, 559\n\n  Moly, 442\n\n  _Mondveilchen_, 172\n\n  Money-flower, 378\n\n    \u201e   wort, 376\n\n  Monkey Cactus, 278\n\n  Monkshood, 24, 93, 443\n\n  _Moo-le-hua_, 392\n\n  Moon-Daisy, 174\n\n  Moon\u2019s Beloved, 173\n\n    \u201e    Flower, 173\n\n    \u201e    Laughter, 173\n\n  Moonwort, 93, 95, 113, 378, 444, 571\n\n  Moriche Palm, 23, 435\n\n  Moss, 44, 60, 445\n\n    \u201e  Rose, 52, 446\n\n  Mother-wort, 158, 446\n\n  Mountain Ash, 47, 192, 529\n\n  Mouse-ear, 113, 343, 447\n\n    \u201e    \u201e  Scorpion-Grass, 343\n\n  Mugwort, 173, 449\n\n  Mulberry, 22, 447\n\n  Mullein, 94, 449\n\n    \u201e  Petty, 297\n\n  _Musa sapientum_, 5\n\n  Mushroom, 451\n\n  Musk, 158\n\n    \u201e  Mallow, 91\n\n  Mustard, 452\n\n  Myrobalan, 453\n\n  Myrtle, 24, 37, 39, 60, 181, 193, 194, 454\n\n  Myrrh, 27, 196, 453\n\n\n  _Nabkha_, 46, 205\n\n  _Napellus_, 157\n\n  Narcissus, 25, 158, 457\n\n  Nard, 550\n\n  Nasturtium, 158, 159, 459\n\n  Navel-wort, 108, 159\n\n  Neem, 459\n\n  Nelumbo, 23, 459\n\n  Nettle, 184, 459\n\n  _Nigella_, 158\n\n  Nightshade, 91, 93, 157, 460\n\n  _Nimbu_, 461\n\n  Nipa Palm, 461\n\n  Nipple-wort, 156\n\n  Nit-grass, 179\n\n  _Nitraria tridentata_, 87\n\n  Noble Liver-wort, 158\n\n  _Noli me tangere_, 237\n\n  None-so-pretty, 541\n\n  Nonsuch, 423, 545\n\n  _Nontiscordar di me_, 343\n\n  Noon-day-flower, 354\n\n  Nopal-plant, 266\n\n  Nosebleed, 589\n\n  Nutmeg, 136, 461\n\n  Nuts, 60, 157, 199, 461\n\n  _Nyctegredum_, 111\n\n  _Nyctilopa_, 111\n\n  Nymph\u00e6a, 463\n\n\n  Oak, 21, 25, 46, 59, 61, 65, 77, 107, 190, 192, 463\n\n  Oaks, Gospel, 61\n\n    \u201e  Celebrated, 61\n\n    \u201e  Cross, 61\n\n  Oats, 472\n\n  _Oculus Christi_, 156\n\n  _\u0152il de Christ_, 231\n\n  _Officinalis Christi_, 534\n\n  Ohelo, 585\n\n  Old Man\u2019s Beard, 286, 398\n\n   \u201e   \u201e    Head, 278\n\n   \u201e   \u201e    Pepper, 589\n\n  Oleander, 40, 87, 473\n\n  Olibanum, 346\n\n  Olive, 17, 25, 37, 38, 39, 46, 47, 142, 473\n\n  One-berry, 375\n\n  Onion, 23, 476\n\n  _Ophiusa_, 89\n\n  Ophrys, 159\n\n  Opium, 105\n\n  Orach, 156\n\n  Orange, 39, 193, 195, 477\n\n  Orchis, 24, 99, 478\n\n  Organy, 158\n\n  _Origanum_, 95, 101, 158\n\n  Orpine, 51, 52, 60, 111, 479\n\n  Osier, 113\n\n  Osmund Fern, 53, 56, 374, 479\n\n  Our Lady\u2019s Bedstraw, 41, 249\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Bunch of Keys, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Comb, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Cushion, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Fingers, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Hair, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Looking-glass, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Mantle, 42, 143\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Seal, 42, 547\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Slipper, 42\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Smock, 42, 55, 268, 269\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Tears, 43\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Thistle, 41, 158\n\n   \u201e    \u201e    Tresses, 42, 402\n\n  Ox-eye Daisy, 52, 282\n\n\n  Paddock-stool, 82, 567\n\n  Pagod-tree, 242\n\n  Paigle, 297\n\n  _Palasa_, 5, 480\n\n  Palm, 23, 25, 38, 58, 62, 124, 481\n\n    \u201e  Palmyra, 5\n\n  _Palma Christi_, 109\n\n  _Palo de Vaca_, 297\n\n  _Panac\u00e6a_, 157\n\n  Pansy, 70, 483\n\n  _Paporot_, 50, 112\n\n  Papyrus, 484\n\n  _Paralytica_, 236\n\n  Parsley, 38, 157, 198, 485\n\n  Parsnip, 159\n\n  Pasque-flower, 58, 486\n\n  Passion-flower, 48, 56, 181, 486\n\n  Passion-flower, English, 228\n\n  Paulownia, 488\n\n  _Pavetta Indica_, 488\n\n  Pawnce, 483\n\n  Pea, 168, 488\n\n  Peach, 23, 99, 490\n\n  Pear, 116, 490\n\n  Peascod, 489\n\n  _Peci_, 110\n\n  Peepul, 5, 14, 22, 79, 490\n\n  Pellitory, 100\n\n  Pennyroyal, 95, 492\n\n  Peony, 53, 100, 110, 141, 158, 198, 492\n\n  Pepper-wort, 313\n\n  Periwinkle, 390, 494\n\n  Persephonion, 572\n\n  Persicaria, 158\n\n  Pestilence-weed, 494\n\n  Pettigree, 263\n\n  _Phallus impudicus_, 88\n\n  Pharaoh\u2019s Fig, 62, 123\n\n  Pharisees\u2019 Rings, 357\n\n  Pheasant\u2019s Eye, 145\n\n  Phlox, 95\n\n  _Phu_, 572\n\n  Phytolacca, 494\n\n  Pickpocket, 545\n\n  Pigeon\u2019s-grass, 575\n\n  Pile-wort, 179, 277\n\n  Pimpernel, 103, 494\n\n  _Pimpinella_, 263\n\n  Pine, 24, 25, 36, 38, 46, 60, 495\n\n  Pink, 25, 194, 497\n\n  Pink-of-my-John, 484\n\n  Pipe-tree, 561\n\n  Pixie Stool, 82, 567\n\n  _Pizzu\u2019ngurdu_, 107\n\n  _Plakun_, 50, 112\n\n  Plane, 497\n\n  Plantain, 79, 159, 498\n\n  Ploughman\u2019s Spikenard, 237\n\n  Plum, 499\n\n  Poa, 142\n\n  Pook Needle, 82\n\n  Poley, 91\n\n  Polyanthus, 194\n\n  _Polygala_, 157\n\n  _Polypodium dichotomon_, 36\n\n    \u201e  _vulgare_, 41, 499\n\n  Polypody, 159\n\n  Pomegranate, 16, 24, 25, 158, 499\n\n  _Pommier de Marie Magdaleine_, 43\n\n  Pompion, 170\n\n  Pompon, 282\n\n  _Pomum mirabile_, 257\n\n  Poor Man\u2019s Parmacetty, 286, 545\n\n    \u201e   \u201e    Pepper, 313\n\n    \u201e   \u201e    Treacle, 349\n\n  Poplar, 25, 116, 502\n\n  Poppy, 25, 93, 108, 157, 158, 159, 504\n\n  Portulaca, 158\n\n  Potato, 506\n\n  Prattling Parnell, 541\n\n  Prickly Pear, 266\n\n  Priest\u2019s Pintle, 228\n\n  _Prikrit_, 109\n\n  Primrose, 506\n\n  Prince\u2019s Feathers, 213\n\n  Procession Flower, 58, 348, 437\n\n  _Provinsa_, 107, 109\n\n  _Prunella_, 158\n\n  _Pteris Esculenta_, 507\n\n  Puckfist, 82, 567\n\n  Puck\u2019s Stool, 82, 567\n\n  Puff-ball, 82\n\n  _Pulsatilla_, 507\n\n  Pumpkin, 22, 507\n\n  Purslane, 108, 508\n\n\n  Queen\u2019s Stock Gilliflower, 553\n\n  Quick-beam, 508\n\n  Quicken-tree, 508, 529\n\n  Quince, 99, 508\n\n\n  Radish, 159, 509\n\n  Ragged Robin, 509\n\n  Raging Apple, 317\n\n  Rag-wort, or Rag-weed, 92, 509\n\n  Ram of Libya, 281\n\n  Ramp, 228\n\n  Rampion, 510\n\n  Ramsies, or Ramsins, 349\n\n  _Ranunculus_, 55, 158, 159, 510\n\n  Raspberry, 511\n\n  _Rasrivtrava_, 112, 511\n\n  Rattle Weed, 88\n\n  _Rayhan_, 246\n\n  Reed, 511\n\n  Reed Mace, 46, 512\n\n  _Reine Marguerite_, 231\n\n  Rest Harrow, 571\n\n  Rhamnus, 25, 512\n\n  Rhubarb, 158\n\n  Rice, 513\n\n  Robin Redbreast\u2019s Cushion, 100\n\n  Rocket, 25, 514\n\n  Rodden, 529\n\n  Rogation Flower, 58, 348, 437\n\n  _Roodselken_, 48\n\n  Root of the Holy Ghost, 55\n\n  _Rosa Mari\u00e6_, 41\n\n  Rose, 24, 25, 43, 54, 59, 138, 158, 181, 183, 193, 195, 199, 515\n\n   \u201e   Apple, 23\n\n   \u201e   de Noel, 44\n\n   \u201e   of Jericho, 44, 528\n\n   \u201e   \u201e  Sharon, 528\n\n  Rose-bay, 87\n\n  Rose-briar, 46, 49, 524\n\n  Rosemary, 60, 196, 197, 198, 525\n\n  Rowan, 23, 102, 529\n\n  Ruddes, 432\n\n  _Rudr\u00e2ksha_, 531\n\n  Rue, 104, 531\n\n  Rush, 44, 57, 532\n\n  Rye, 534\n\n\n  _Saber_, 181, 211\n\n  Sacred Bean, 459\n\n  Sad Tree, 534\n\n  Saffron, 27, 91, 299\n\n  Sage, 158, 161, 534\n\n    \u201e  of Jerusalem, 297\n\n    \u201e  of Bethlehem, 297\n\n  Sainfoin, 43, 535\n\n  St. Andrew\u2019s Cross, 56\n\n   \u201e  Anne\u2019s Needlework, 54\n\n   \u201e  Anthony\u2019s Nut, 53, 536\n\n   \u201e     \u201e      Turnip, 511, 536\n\n   \u201e  Barbara\u2019s Hedge-mustard, 327\n\n   \u201e  Barbara\u2019s Cress, 54, 375, 536\n\n   \u201e  Barnaby\u2019s Thistle, 54, 536\n\n   \u201e  Francis\u2019 Thorn, 53\n\n   \u201e  George\u2019s Tree, 53\n\n   \u201e    \u201e      Violet, 53\n\n   \u201e  James\u2019s Wort, 53, 286, 510, 536, 545\n\n   \u201e  John\u2019s Wort, 51, 52, 56, 60, 95, 103, 536\n\n   \u201e  John\u2019s Hands, 333\n\n   \u201e  Katharine\u2019s Wheel, 536\n\n   \u201e  Patrick\u2019s Cabbage, 54, 536, 541\n\n   \u201e  Paul\u2019s Betony, 54\n\n   \u201e  Peter\u2019s Wort, 54, 536\n\n   \u201e  Thomas\u2019s Onion, 476\n\n   \u201e  Winifred\u2019s Hair, 55\n\n  Sallow, 58, 109, 538\n\n  Salsafy, 367\n\n  Sal-tree, 538\n\n  _Salutaris_, 173\n\n  _Sambac_, 392\n\n  _Sami_, 113, 205, 236, 539\n\n  Samolus, 539\n\n  Samphire, 54, 539\n\n  _Sanct Benedicten-Kraut_, 374\n\n  Sandal, 539\n\n  _Sanguis hominis_, 52\n\n  Sanicle, 158, 159, 540\n\n  _Sanicula Alpina_, 236\n\n  Sardea, 540\n\n  Satyrion, 108, 159, 540\n\n  Savell, 170\n\n  Savin, 95, 157, 541\n\n  Savory, 541\n\n  Saxifrage, 157, 541\n\n  Scabious, 158, 159\n\n  _Schl\u00fcsselblume_, 112\n\n  Scorpion-grass, 156, 342\n\n  Scotch Thistle, 562\n\n  Screw Moss, 56\n\n  Scurvy-grass, 160\n\n  Sea Fennel, 549\n\n    \u201e  Holly, 327\n\n    \u201e  Moss, 158\n\n    \u201e  Poppy, 541\n\n  Seal-wort, 547\n\n  Seebright, 156\n\n  Seed of Horus, 380\n\n    \u201e  \u201e  the Sun, 226\n\n  Selago, 111, 137, 542\n\n  Selenite, 173\n\n  Self-heal, 374\n\n  _Selja_, 538\n\n  _Sempervivum_, 158\n\n  Sengreene, 382\n\n  Senna, 158, 271\n\n  Sensitive-plant, 543\n\n  _Serpentaria_, 376\n\n  Service-tree, 543\n\n  Sesame, 91, 112, 544\n\n  Setwall, or Setewale, 572\n\n  _Sferracavallo_, 113, 382, 551, 571\n\n  Shamrock, 180, 544\n\n  She-Devil, 85\n\n  Shepherd\u2019s Purse, 159, 545\n\n  Shittah Tree, 60\n\n  Sholoa, 545\n\n  Sickle-wood, 374\n\n  _Sidj_, 328\n\n  Silver Bush, 217\n\n    \u201e  Plate, 378\n\n    \u201e  Weed, 109\n\n  Simpler\u2019s Joy, 574\n\n  Singer\u2019s Plant, 327\n\n  Sistra, 237\n\n  Skull-cap-flower, 369\n\n  Slayer of Monsters, 173, 349\n\n  Sleep-Apple, 93\n\n    \u201e  Thorn, 93\n\n  Sloe, 200\n\n  Smilax, 91, 157\n\n  Snake\u2019s Bugloss, 581\n\n  Snap Dragon, 217\n\n  Sneeze-wort, 153\n\n  Snowdrop, 43, 54, 56, 546\n\n  Soap-wort, 159\n\n  _Solanum_, 546\n\n  _Solisequus_, 367\n\n  Solomon\u2019s Seal, 547\n\n  Solstice, 325\n\n  _Sol Terrestris_, 537\n\n  Soma, 2, 22, 106, 173, 547\n\n  _Sonchus_, 157\n\n  _Sonnenkraut_, 325\n\n  _Son-trava_, 107\n\n  Sops-in-Wine, 269\n\n  Sorb, 111, 543\n\n  Sorcerer\u2019s Violet, 108\n\n  Sorrel, 549\n\n  Southernwood, 52, 549, 588\n\n  Sow Bread, 301\n\n  Sow Thistle, 44, 549\n\n  Sparages, 170\n\n  Sparrow-wort, 56\n\n     \u201e    Tongue, 145\n\n  Speedwell, 48, 342, 549\n\n  Sperage, 170\n\n  Spignel, 24, 550\n\n  Spikenard, 27, 550\n\n  _Spina Christi_, 46\n\n  Spleen-wort, 156, 159\n\n  _Sponsa Solis_, 326\n\n  _Sposa di Sole_, 434\n\n  _Spreng-wurzel_, 552\n\n  Spring-wort, 113, 141, 551, 571\n\n  Spurge, 310, 367\n\n    \u201e    Laurel, 553\n\n    \u201e    Olive, 278, 310\n\n  Squill, 553\n\n  _Stachys Sylvatica_, 227\n\n  Stapelia, 88\n\n  Star Apple, 298\n\n    \u201e  of Bethlehem, 43, 553\n\n    \u201e  of Jerusalem, 354\n\n    \u201e  of the Earth, 373\n\n  Star-wort, 56, 367\n\n  Starch-wort, 228\n\n  Staunch, 217\n\n  Stepmother, 484\n\n  Sticadove, 409\n\n  Stock, 553\n\n    \u201e   Gilliflower, 169\n\n  Stonecrop, 111, 554\n\n  Storax, 554\n\n  _Stramonium_, 106\n\n  Straw, 554\n\n  Strawberry, 41, 158, 556\n\n      \u201e      tree, 226\n\n  _Strumea_, 501\n\n  _Strychnos Tient\u00e9_, 86\n\n  Succory, 325\n\n  Sugar-cane, 557\n\n  Sunflower, 56, 158, 166, 366, 557\n\n  _Supercilium Veneris_, 24\n\n  _Supyari_, 227\n\n  Swallow-herb, 276\n\n     \u201e    wort, 159\n\n  Sweet Basil, 55\n\n    \u201e   Calamus, 217\n\n    \u201e   Cicely, 55\n\n    \u201e   Flag, 207\n\n    \u201e   John, 416\n\n    \u201e   Margery, 55\n\n    \u201e   William, 198\n\n  Swine-Bread, 301\n\n  Sword-Flag, 352\n\n  Sycamore, 558\n\n  Syringa, 559\n\n\n  Tamarind, 560\n\n  Tamarisk, 49, 192, 560\n\n  Tansy, 101, 561\n\n  Tea, 561\n\n  Tears of Isis, 572\n\n  Teasel, 158\n\n  _T\u00e9-na-tsa-li_, 109\n\n  Terebinth, 61, 346, 561\n\n  _Teufelsmilch_, 85\n\n  _Theomat_, 109\n\n  _Therionarca_, 90\n\n  Thistle, 41, 562\n\n  Thorn, 46, 95, 114, 174, 563\n\n    \u201e    Apple, 565\n\n  Three-faces-under-a-hood, 484\n\n  Throat-wort, 156, 267\n\n  Thunder-flower, 382\n\n  Thunderbolt-flower, 544\n\n      \u201e       thorn, 552\n\n      \u201e       wood, 552\n\n  _Thya_, 226\n\n  Thyme, 43, 198, 566\n\n  _Tirlic_, 50\n\n  _Tithymallus_, 157, 158, 367\n\n  Tittle-my-fancy, 484\n\n  Toad-Flax, 156\n\n  Toad\u2019s Mouth, 217\n\n  Toadstool, 82, 566\n\n  Tobacco, 567\n\n  Tooth-cress, 179\n\n  Toothed Moss, 158\n\n     \u201e    Violet, 158\n\n  _Tormentilla_, 159\n\n  Toy-wort, 545\n\n  Treacle Mustard, 159, 162, 568\n\n  Trefoil, 180, 287, 568\n\n  Triacle, 162, 568\n\n  _Triphera_, 157\n\n  _Tripolium_, 157\n\n  Troll-flower, 82, 353, 568\n\n  True-love, 375\n\n  Trumpet-flower, 252\n\n  Tuberose, 568\n\n  _Tulasi_, 109, 244, 568\n\n  Tulip, 56, 569\n\n  Tunhoof, 391\n\n  Turmeric, 79\n\n  Turnesole, 198, 366\n\n  Turnip, 156, 159, 571\n\n  Tussack-grass, 356\n\n  Tutsan, 52, 156, 538, 571\n\n  Twopenny-grass, 376\n\n  _Typha_, 262\n\n  _Tziganka_, 286\n\n\n  Ugh, 592\n\n  _Unser Frauen Milch_, 41\n\n    \u201e     \u201e    _M\u00fcntz_, 42\n\n    \u201e     \u201e    _Rauch_, 42\n\n  Unshoe-the-Horse, 571\n\n  Upas, 86, 571\n\n   \u201e   Antjar, 86, 571\n\n\n  Vakula-tree, 79\n\n  Valerian, 53, 108, 109, 158, 572\n\n  Velvet-flower, 213\n\n  Venus\u2019 Comb, 42\n\n    \u201e    Looking-glass, 267\n\n  _Verfluchte Jungfer_, 325\n\n  _Vergiss mein nicht_, 342\n\n  Veronica, 550\n\n  Vervain, 39, 47, 51, 95, 103, 113, 572\n\n  _Vibro_, 111\n\n  Vine, 25, 112, 158, 575\n\n  Violet, 158, 578\n\n  _Violette de Damas_, 308\n\n     \u201e     _des Sorciers_, 108\n\n  Viper\u2019s Bugloss, 158, 581\n\n     \u201e    Grass, 581\n\n  Virgin\u2019s Bower, 43, 55, 286\n\n     \u201e     Pinch, 55\n\n\n  Wake Robin, 228\n\n  _Wak Wak_, 117\n\n  Wallflower, 582\n\n  Wall Gilliflower, 582\n\n   \u201e   Stock Gillofer, 582\n\n  Walnut, 63, 158, 192, 582\n\n  _Walpurgiskraut_, 333\n\n  Wart-wort, 366\n\n  Water Gladiole, 533\n\n    \u201e   Lily, 463\n\n  Waybread, 498\n\n  _Wegeleuchte_, 325\n\n  _Wegewarte_, 325\n\n  Wheat, 52, 168\n\n  Whin, 356\n\n  White-root, 547\n\n   \u201e    Satin-flower, 378\n\n   \u201e    Thorn, 32, 44, 138, 563\n\n  Whortleberry, 585\n\n  Widow\u2019s Flower, 585\n\n  Widow-wail, 278\n\n  Wiggin, 530\n\n  William Tell\u2019s Tree, 592\n\n  Willow, 25, 157, 197, 586\n\n  Wind-flower, 70, 215\n\n  Wine-berry, 355\n\n  Winter Cherry, 158\n\n  Wishing Thorn, 114\n\n  Witchen or Wicken, 508, 529\n\n  Witch-Hazel, 380\n\n  Witches\u2019 Butter, 86\n\n    \u201e      Bells, 345\n\n    \u201e      Gowan, 353\n\n    \u201e      Herb, 84\n\n    \u201e      Thimble, 359\n\n  Wolf\u2019s Bane, 53, 91, 93, 159, 443\n\n  Woodbine, 96, 379\n\n  Woodroof, 43, 59\n\n  Wood Sorrel, 48, 545\n\n  Wormwood, 51, 52, 378, 578\n\n  Wound-wort, 217\n\n    \u201e   weed, 354\n\n  Yarrow, 102, 588\n\n  Yellow Rattle, 56\n\n  Yeugh, 592\n\n  Yew, 58, 62, 95, 191, 195, 197, 589\n\n  Yggdrasill, 592\n\n  Yoke-Elm, 380\n\n  _Zaclon_, 112\n\n  _Zauberwurzel_, 110\n\n  _Zedoaria_, 572\n\n[Tailpiece]\n\n\n\n\n    *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber\u2019s Notes.\n\nItalic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equals signs=.\n\nThe index entry \u201cPlanetary Government of Plants\u201d was printed without a\npage number. A duplicate index entry for \u201cBech\u201d has been removed.\n\nVariant spelling and inconsistent hyphenation have been preserved as\nprinted; simple typographical errors such as doubled words and letters\nhave been corrected. Punctuation has been standardised, and unbalanced\nquotation marks and parentheses have been repaired.\n\nThe following changes have also been made (the changed text follows the\noriginal):\n\n  Page 11:\n  that is mortal ne dare not enter\n  that is mortal he dare not enter\n\n  Page 19:\n  is not suprising\n  is not surprising\n\n  Page 38:\n  arlands, wreaths, and festoons of flowers\n  garlands, wreaths, and festoons of flowers\n\n  Page 70:\n  the Fairies of Skakspeare\n  the Fairies of Shakspeare\n\n  Page 82:\n  surprislng to find\n  surprising to find\n\n  Page 82:\n  the Globe-flower (Trollins)\n  the Globe-flower (Trollius)\n\n  Page 83:\n  hecause by some means\n  because by some means\n\n  Page 84:\n  on accouut of the f\u0153tid odour\n  on account of the f\u0153tid odour\n\n  Page 87:\n  a vivid descripition\n  a vivid description\n\n  Page 104:\n  repugant to them\n  repugnant to them\n\n  Page 106:\n  supposed to be incorporared\n  supposed to be incorporated\n\n  Page 115:\n  Too boldy usurping\n  Too boldly usurping\n\n  Page 116:\n  and at muturity\n  and at maturity\n\n  Page 148:\n  has been misundertood\n  has been misunderstood\n\n  Page 161:\n  witchcraft an the malignant influence\n  witchcraft and the malignant influence\n\n  Page 177:\n  The Hindu racs\n  The Hindu races\n\n  Page 180:\n  tha symbolic flowers\n  the symbolic flowers\n\n  Page 180:\n  end fruit symbolism\n  and fruit symbolism\n\n  Page 194:\n  her father Agamenon\n  her father Agamemnon\n\n  Page 205:\n  ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF PLANTS\n  ENCYCLOP\u00c6DIA OF PLANTS\n\n  Page 237:\n  slighest touch\n  slightest touch\n\n  Page 240:\n  with great ccuracy\n  with great accuracy\n\n  Page 248:\n  lunacy occur that\n  lunacy occur than\n\n  Page 257:\n  as long as your\u2019re able\n  as long as you\u2019re able\n\n  Page 258:\n  Devil thows his cloak\n  Devil throws his cloak\n\n  Page 270:\n  feed on these cods\n  feed on these pods\n\n  Page 289:\n  as a fomeutation\n  as a fomentation\n\n  Page 306:\n  It is not surpising\n  It is not surprising\n\n  Page 315:\n  animal subtances\n  animal substances\n\n  Page 333:\n  evil sprits\n  evil spirits\n\n  Page 342:\n  Alg\u00e6 Gloioclade\u0153\n  Alg\u00e6 Gloioclade\u00e6\n\n  Page 426:\n  Shakspeare thus decribes\n  Shakspeare thus describes\n\n  Page 459:\n  Te shield-like form\n  The shield-like form\n\n  Page 497:\n  The town of Augburg\n  The town of Augsburg\n\n  Page 514:\n  carring a basket\n  carrying a basket\n\n  Page 526:\n  it it called\n  it is called\n\n  Page 539:\n  near Kucinagara,\n  near Ku\u00e7inagara,\n\n  Page 552:\n  It is highly propable,\n  It is highly probable,\n\n  Page 560:\n  The ancient Eyptians\n  The ancient Egyptians\n\n  Page 560:\n  sacrifical ceremony\n  sacrificial ceremony\n\n  Page 566:\n  Of witches is is said\n  Of witches it is said\n\n  Page 605:\n  Ipom\u00e6a, 386\n  Ipom\u0153a, 386","title":"Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics: Embracing the Myths, Traditions, Superstitions, and Folk-Lore of the Plant Kingdom","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":293072}