HONESTY. 273 



HONESTY. Lunaria. 



Natural Order SiliquostB or Crucifonnes. Cruciferce 

 Juss. A Genus of the Tdradynamia Siliculosa Class. 



Then sprinkles she the juice of rue, 

 With nine drops of the midnight dew 

 From Lunary distilling. 



Drayton's Nymph id. 



Enchanting Lunary here lies, 

 In sorceries excelling. 



Ibid. 



This plant, which is now solely cultivated for the 

 beauty of its lilac corollas and the singularity of its 

 seed vessels, was held in high repute among the 

 credulous of former ages, being considered a 

 charming, enchanting, and bewitching herb. It 

 still continues to give a charming effect to the gar- 

 dens, but its mysterious powers arc no longer 

 known, for it has shared the fate of numerous 

 other magical plants, which enabled the people of 

 old to transform themselves into aerial beings, and 

 even to travel through the air in their natural 

 shapes. We read of numerous plants whereby it 

 was said that love or hatred could be engendered, 

 lost property recovered, men's bosoms unlocked 

 and iheir secrets sucked out, and by whose aid 



N 5 



