166 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



" Bees are industrious, and go abroad to gather honey from each plant and flower, 

 but drones lie at home and eat up what the bees have taken pains for ; just so do the 

 College of Physitians lie at home, and domineer and suck out the sweetness of other 

 men's labours and studies, themselves being as ignorant in the knowlege of herbs as a 

 child of four years old, as I can make appear to any rational man by their last Dispen- 

 satory. Now, then, to hide their ignorance there is no easier way in the world than to 

 hide knowlege from their countrymen that so no body might be able so much as to 

 smell out their ignorance. "When simples were more in use, men's bodies were better 

 in health by far than now they are, or shall be, if the College can help it. The truth 

 is, this herb is of a fine cooling, drying quality, and an ointment or plastef of it might 

 do a man a courtesie that hath not any hot virulent sores." 



SPECIES XV.— V ERONICA MONTANA Linn. 



Plate DCCCCLXXXVII. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XX. Tab. MDCCV. Figs. 3, 4. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1730. 



Stems somewhat wiry, decumbent, rooting only close to the 

 base, branched only at the base ; branches decumbent, ascending 

 only at the apex. Leaves shortly stalked, broadly ovate, abrupt 

 or subcordate at the base, sub-obtuse, acute, deeply serrate, or 

 crenate-serrate ; petiole shorter than the lamina. Mowers in 

 very lax axillary racemes, elongating in fruit. Peduncles mostly 

 alternate, much longer than the leaves ; pedicels longer than their 

 bracts and calyx (generally twice or thrice as long). Sepals 4, 

 rhomboidal - oblanceolate, subacute, ciliated with jointed hairs 

 usually not tipped with glands. Capsule twice as long as the 

 calyx, sub-orbicular, broader than long, very much compressed, 

 cordate at the base, and obcordate at the apex, glabrous, with 

 elevated veins, surrounded by a prominent border with elevated 

 points from which spring jointed hairs which are sometimes 

 tipped with minute glands ; lobes approximate, separated by an 

 obtuse-angled sinus both at the base and the apex. Style rather 

 longer than the capsule. Stem hairy all round ; leaves with short 

 jointed hairs ; peduncles, pedicels, bracts, sepals, and margins of 

 the capsule with long jointed hairs frequently tipped with minute 

 glands. 



In woods and moist shady hedge-banks. Not uncommon in 

 England ; rare in Scotland, but extending as far north as Moray, 

 Banff, and Dumbarton ; rather rare in Ireland. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Spring and 

 Early Summer. 



V. montana bears a considerable resemblance to the much more 



