MANDRAKE. 323 



were converted in his time. He observes, in his 

 Natural History, " Some -plants there arc, but 

 rare, that have a mossie or downie root, and like- 

 wise that have a number of threads, like beards, as 

 Mandrakes, whereof witches and impostours make 

 an ugly image, giving it the form of a face at the 

 top of the root, and leave those strings to make a 

 broad beard down to the foot." 



The English name of this plant was originally 

 derived from the Latin, Mandragora, as we ob- 

 serve Dr. Turner spells it Mandrag. By whose 

 barbarity it was afterwards transformed into Man- 

 drake we have not been able to discover, unless it 

 be from the following superstition, which we find 

 mentioned by Madame de Genlis. She speaks of 

 an author, who gravely gives a long description of 

 these pretended Mandrakes, and adds, that they 

 must be wrapped up in a piece of sheet, for that 

 then they will bring unceasing good luck. The 

 same author, she says, gives the name of Mandra 

 eora, Mandrake — it is not known for what reason 

 — to certain sprites, that are procured from an egg 

 that must be hatched in a particular manner, and 

 from which comes forth a little monster, half chick 

 and half man, that must be kept in a secret cham- 

 ber, and fed with the seed of spikenard, and that 

 then it will prophesy every day. This grave 

 author tells his readers, that some people of a weak 



