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TJic Country Gentleman's Magazine 



fathers, whose bourne was the shrine of our 

 Saviour, and whose greatest prize on their 

 return was a staff of palm wood. These pil- 

 grims, or "palmers," as they were more 

 correcriy termed, have left their names un- 

 altered in the list of surnames common 

 amongst our people. The willow, in addition 

 to this pleasing association, claims kindred 

 with mirthful scenes in its early history. In 

 the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus we have 

 the following :— " Also in the fifteenth day of 

 the seventh month, when ye have gathered in 

 the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast 

 unto the Lord seven days ; on the first day 

 shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day 

 shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you 

 on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, 

 branches of palm trees, and the boughs of 

 thick trees, and willows of the brook ; and 

 ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God 

 seven days." 



We find this observance of the willow to 

 continue to the time of the Israelites, when 

 they were setded in the land, " the joy of all 

 lands." 



The great turning point in the history of 

 the willow was in connexion \\ 1th the children 

 of Israel, for under its branches they lamented 

 their captivity in a land of strangers, and they 

 hung their silent harps upon its branches. 



From that time we fail to associate it with 

 scenes of gladness, and it has continued as an 

 emblem of grief down to our own time. The 

 willow alluded to in scripture is the variety 

 known as the " Salix Babylonica," or weeping 

 willow, and many are the anecdotes con- 

 nected Avith its introduction into this country. 

 The tree planted by Pope at Twickenham is 

 said to be the parent of those so common in 

 this country ; and it is sad to think that the 

 next proprietor of the villa had it felled to 

 prevent the annoyance of the poet's admirers 

 visiting this beautiful tree. The St James 

 Chronicle, for August 1801, contains the fol- 

 lowing notice of this remarkable tree : — " The 

 young twig came from Spain, forming a por- 

 tion of a basket enclosing a present for Lady 

 Suffolk. Mr Pope, who was in the company 

 when the covering was removed, observed 

 that the twigs appeared as if they had some 



vegetation, and added, ' perhaps they may 

 produce something we have not in England.' 

 Under this idea he planted them in his gar- 

 den, and one of them produced the celebrated 

 tree under notice." 



We have evidence that long before the in- 

 troduction of the weeping willow the willows 

 were associated with scenes of sadness. Old 

 Fuller calls it a sad tree, whereof such who 

 have lost their love make their mourning gar- 

 lands. It is a common saying to our day, 

 when witnessing a maid in grief, to say " she 

 is in her willows." 



The weeping willow, since its introduction, 

 has been used as a monumental tree. It was 

 one of the European trees introduced into the 

 Island of St Helena, and we are told that the 

 central tree of the beautiful group of willows 

 which skirts the Arboretum Lake of Notting- 

 ham is a cutting from the weeping willow that 

 was planted over Napoleon's grave. From 

 the great beauty of this tree it has become 

 the leading favourite for shading the tombs 

 of the departed ; and it is worthy of remark 

 that it has obtained this position amongst us 

 in a remarkably short space of time, as it was 

 not cultivated in this country before 1730. 

 Mr Meyen says it serves with us to point out 

 the resting-place of our ancestors, and speaks 

 more impressively than any epitaph. 



With this notice of the pale sad willows, I 

 shall call your attention to the " sombre 

 yews." In dealing with the yew tree, we 

 have the assistance of a host of writers and 

 poets, but, from not investigating the matter, 

 they are mostly at a loss to account for its 

 traditional uses. They are all agreed that it 

 is indigenous to this country, and that it is 

 intimately associated with the earliest of 

 religious worship. Pliny, the poet, writing 

 upon it, says : — It was a tree of evil omen, 

 that its berries were deemed poisonous, and 

 that vessels made of its wood imported its 

 poisonous qualities to wine kept in them ; 

 and further, that it was considered more than 

 hazardous to sleep or take food under its 

 deadly branches. Virgil joins in this con- 

 demnation, and calls it a noxious tree, and 

 recommends that it should not be allowed to 

 stand near bee hives. It is also spoken of in 



