SPEEDWELL. 291 



disorders with the Veronica Orientalis; and FraU" 

 cus wrote an entire work on the virtues of this 

 single plant, which is said to have cured a King 

 of France of the leprosy, saved the nose of a 

 Welsh gentleman, and given children to a barren 

 wife. 



Milton very justly observes — 



*« Dwelt in herbs, and drugs a pow'r 

 To avert man's dcstin'd hour, 

 Learn'd Machaon should have known 

 Doubtless to avert his own." 



Hoffinan says, the generic name of this family 

 of plants was derived cpsgovfXTjv, meaning ^soo), 

 to bring, and v/^ctj, victory, because it was said 

 to bear the bell among plants. 



Without going into the extreme infatuation of 

 our medical ancestors, it may perhaps be equally 

 bad to neglect these celebrated plants in modern 

 practice. We shall not, however, presume to 

 give more than this hint, because it is generally 

 acknowledged that medicine is now advanced to 

 a greater degree of perfection than it ever reached 

 in ancient times. We shall, however, recom- 

 mend the Brook-lime, Veronica Beccabiinga, to be 

 eaten as water-cresses by those who have a ten- 

 dency to scorbutic habits. It is even milder and 

 more succulent than the water-cress, and only 



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