so 



HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIF. 



(Midge-wort). OrcJiis ? &c. Raven's-leek.— It is 

 said to grow on high downs and in " hard places, and 

 also in meadows, in cultivated lands, and sandy 



ones. " 



Erythrcea pulchella, Field-wort. Cyclamen hedercE- 

 folitim, Slite = Sowbread. Polygonum aviculare, 

 Unfortrsedde (Untrodden to pieces*), Knot-grass, 

 Anstolochia clematitis 1 Smear-wort. Some doubt 

 exists as to what plant is meant by Smear-wort ; the 

 Saxon name literally means Butter-wort. The com- 

 piler of the Herbal says it is Aristolochia. "This 

 wort, that some call Aristolochiam, and others name 

 Smerowyrt, grows on down lands and solid places." 



Nasturtium officinale, Croese, Watercress. — -"This 

 plant is not sown, but is produced of itself in springs 

 and brooks." This is an interesting fact, as evidence 

 of spontaneous generation amongst the higher order 

 of plants. 



Colchiaan autumnale, Great-wort. — The roots of 

 this plant mixed with oil cure pimples on a woman's 

 ■&ce. 



Convallaria majalis. Glove-wort, Lily of the valley_ 

 — According to the Herbal, it was also called Apol- 

 Snaris, and was said to have been first found by 

 Apollo, who gave it to ^sculapius, the leech, whence 

 he set on it the name. Its healing properties seem 

 to be confined to curing sore hands. Apollo's discovery 

 does not appear to have much medical value. 



Anthemis nobilis, May. Teucriiim chamcedrys. Hart- 

 clover (Heort-clcefre). Dipsacus sylvcstris, Wolfs- 

 comb, valuable as a diuretic. Ajuga chamc^pitys, 

 Henep, Hemp. Ranunculus ficaj'ia, Raven's-foot. 

 Sambucus ebulus. Lithe-wort (according to Bosworth 

 this plant is Celandine). 



Lactuca Scariola, Wood Lettuce (Wudu lectric). — 

 It is said when the earn (eagle) will fly up so that he 

 may see more clearly, he will touch his eyes with the 

 juice and by that means obtain the greatest bright- 

 ness. 



Agiimonia eupatoria, Garclive (Garclife). — The 

 derivation of the name is somewhat obscure : gar 

 evidently means a spear, a javelin ; clife is cliff; the 

 Glossary suggests that the last syllable is derived from 

 hlifian (to tower). 



Asfodelus ramosus, Woodroffe (Wudu rofe). 

 Rumex acctosa, Wood dock (Wudu docce, Surdocke, 

 Sourdock). Chlora perfoliata, Earthgall (Curmel). 

 Erythrcta Centaurium, Feferfuge (Fever fue). 

 Malva sylvestris, Hocleaf. Cyjioglossum officitiale, 

 Hundes tunge (Hound's tongue). Panicum crusgalli, 

 Atterlothe (Alter, poison, venom ; lotAe, evil). Marru- 

 dium vulgare, Horehound, Harehune (Hare's honey). 

 Sparganitwi simplex, Foxesfoot. Scmpervivum tec- 

 iorum, Houseleek, Singrene, Evergreen. Achillea 

 iomentosa, Solwherf, Sigelwearfa [Sigel, the sun, and 

 hwearfan, to turn). — "This wort is produced every- 

 where in cultivated places ; it hath with it some won- 

 derful divine qualities, that is, that its blossoms turn 



♦ Not to be trodden out or killed. 



themselves according to the course of the sun, so that 

 the blossoms when the sun is setting close themselves, 

 and again when he upgoeth they open and spread 

 themselves." 



Papaver somniferum, Poppy, Popig. Campanula 

 Trachelium, Hals- wort (Throat-wort), so named from 

 its supposed curative properties for throat diseases. 

 Ceterach officinalis, Brune wyrt. Brown wort. Rtis- 

 cus aculeatus, Cneowholen, Knee holly. Butcher's 

 broom. Bosworth translates holen-rush. Knee-rush 

 would seem a more appropriate name than knee- 

 holly. Symphytum, officinale, yalluc, Comfrey. 7;7- 

 folium ar-jense, Haran hyge. Hare's-foot. The 

 derivation of this name is obscure ; Haran is evi- 

 dently hare, but hyge is not foot. The Glossary con- 

 nects hyge with the modern English verb to hie 

 (higan). The MS. text has "genim thas w^yrte the 

 man leporis pes and otherum naman haran hige " 

 (take this plant, which by some is called leporis pes and 

 by another name hare's-foot). If the compiler of the 

 Herbal had not so positively translated /i-^^^rw/d-i- into 

 haran hige, we should rather have referred hige to 

 hag or hyg, hay. Trifolium pratensc, Clcefr, Clover. 

 Verbascum thapsus. Felt-wort (Mullein). A twig of 

 this plant borne by any one was a charm against 

 frights or hurts from any wild beast or any evil coming 

 near. Senecio vulgaris, Grande swelge, Groundsel 

 ( ? Ground swallower). Rosmarinus officinalis, 

 Bothen, Rosemary. Poly podium vulgare, Efor fearne, 

 Ever-fern. 



Antirrhinum orontium, Hound'shead. Rubusfruti- 

 cosus, Bremel, Bramble. Achillea millefolium, Gearwe, 

 Yarrow. This plant seems to have been in high re- 

 pute as a medicine ; no less than sixteen preparations 

 of it are given for as many different diseases. Mentha 

 Pulegium, Dwarf Dwosle, Pennyroyal. "This plant is 

 named pulegium, and by another name, dwarf dwosle, 

 hath many leechdoms, though many men know them 

 not. This plant is of two kinds (genders), wer (man) 

 and wife (woman) ; the wer hath white blossoms and 

 the wife hath red or brown ; either is beneficial and 

 wonder-like, and they have in them wondrous virtue " 

 (fourteen leechdoms are given). Saxifraga granulata, 

 Sundcorn. Artemisia absinthiuvi, Waremoth, Worm- 

 wood. Atropa mandragora,'^l'3.\\^X2kQ. "This plant, 

 which is named Mandragoram, is great and illustrious 

 of aspect, and it is beneficial. Thou shalt take it in 

 this manner : when thou comest to it, then thou 

 understandest it by this that it shineth at night like a 

 lamp. When first thou seest its head, then inscribe 

 thou it instantly with iron, lest it fly from thee. Its 

 virtue is so mickle and famous that evils immediately 

 flee fro.Ti an unclean man when he cometh to it ; but 

 thou shalt not touch it with iron, but delve about it 

 with an ivory staff, and when thou seest its hands and 

 its feet, then tie thou it up ; then take the other end 

 and tie it to a dog's neck, so that the hound be hungry ; 

 next, cast meat before him, so that he may not reach 

 It, except he jerk up the wort with him." 



