VKRVAIN. l§Bf 



VERVAIN. Ferbena. 



Natural Order Pcrsonatce. Viiices and Verbenaceee^ 

 Juss. A Genus of the Didynamia Gymnospermia 

 Class. 



The Night-shade strews to work him ill, 

 Therewith the Vervain, and her Dill, 

 That hind'reth witches of their will. 



Drayton-. 



Vervelne, chasse-mal que les dieux out cheri, 

 Montre-moi ta puissance, et d'amour me gueri. 



Passerat. 



Ti^E very name of tliis plant seems to carry our 

 thoughts back to the darkest ages of superstition, 

 and we cannot look upon the Vervain with that 

 indifference with which we regard most other hum- 

 ble herbs ; for however ridiculous or absurd the 

 religious customs of the ancient heathens may ap- 

 pear in modern times, still they will obtain a share 

 of our respect, both on account of their antiquity 

 and their national unanimity. Although we now 

 see the Vervain stripped of all its reverential re- 

 gard, it still attracts our notice, as it should our 

 gratitude, that we are permitted to live in days 

 when the terror of ignorant superstition has been 

 banished by the mild rays of christianit}-. 



