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similar belief, as far at least as it extended to curing the lame- 

 ness of men or horses it produced in this way, prevailed in 

 Northumberland a number of years ago. 



I must, however, hasten on and leaving other trees pass to 

 lowlier plants, and one of the most singular of old superstitions 

 was that in former times applied to the moonwort, to which was 

 attributed the power of unshoeing horses which trod upon it. It 

 was also said to open the locks of dwelling-houses if put into the 

 key holes. Culpepper, to convince the sceptical, who seem to 

 have existed even in his day, tells of thirty horse shoes, pulled 

 from off the Earl of Essex's horses, which were found on White 

 Down in Devonshire, and Du Bartas thus speaks of the 

 superstition — 



" Horses that, feeding on tlie grassie hills, 

 Tread upon moonwort with their hollow heels, 

 Though lately shod, at night goe barefoot home. 

 Their maister musing whei-e their shoes become. 



moonwort ! tell us where thou hid'st the smith. 



Hammer and pincers, thou unshodds't them with ; 



Alas ! what lock or iron engine is't 



That can thy subtill secret strength resist, 



Sith the best farrier cannot set a shoe 



So sure, but thou (so shortly) cans't undo ? " 



It may be as well to mention that this and other moonwort beliefs 

 are attached to the fern and not to the honesty of our gardens, 

 which, by the way, is said to thrive only in gardens of which the 

 owners possess the virtue of honesty. 



A plant to which many virtues were ascribed was tlie rosemary, 

 and one of the qualities it possessed was that of being a remedy 

 for cramp. As a cure for this a sprig was taken off the plant and 

 placed between the mattress and the tick of the bed. 



What seems rather a singular class of superstitions is thut 

 which has I'eference to the number of flowers taken into a house 

 for the first time for the season. I understand some of these 

 beliefs are still current in the South of England. A curious one 

 attached to the violet was tiiat the number of flowers of this 

 plant fii'st brought home in spring betokened the nnml)er of 

 chickens or ducklings which would be hatched that year. Less 

 than a handful was unlucky. 



To bring a single snowdrop into a house was considered 

 unlucky, as it denoted a death in the house witliin the year. 

 This is said to have arisen from the fancied resemblance of the 



