17 



fungus, growing on dead sticks, like cups of coral (the pezimcoccinea), 

 are called fairy cups. And of those that record evil spii'its the 

 only one that still keeps its name is the " Devil's-bit Scabious." 

 Many of you probably know the flower, a bright blue flower, with 

 a root that looks as if it had been broken or bitten off", and so it 

 has, if we can believe the legend, which tells us that the root will 

 cure all diseases, and that the devil, out of his great malice, grudges 

 mankind such a valuable medicine, and bites it off". It is rather 

 provoking to have to add, on the good authority of Sir James 

 Smith, that " unhappily the malice has been so successful that no 

 virtue can now be found in the remainder of the root or herb." 



And this reminds me that it is scarcely possible, in speaking of 

 the old English names of plants, to avoid saying something of the 

 wonderful medical qualities which the old herbals attribute to the 

 various plants, because it is from these old herbals that we get much 

 of our knowledge of the old names. I must not let myself be drawn 

 away into this part of the subject, interesting and amusing as it 

 is, but I cannot resist calling the attention of the walking members 

 of our Club to one very common plant, which may be of use to them 

 in their walks. This is the Ladies' Bedstraw, a common wayside 

 weed, of which the derivation is not very clear, though the " ladies " 

 no doubt shows it had some reference to " Our Lady," " Notre 

 Dame," "The Virgin Mary." But its medical qualities are very great 

 among the old herbalists, who tell us that among its other virtues 

 " its flowers put into salad oil, and set 40 days in the sun, afford a 

 *' good ointment to anoint the feet of weary travellers, whose 

 " fatigue it quite takes off." — Short. This must be a valuable 

 plant for a walking club. 



But the great plant of all others for medical purposes was the 

 Sage, a name that has nothing to do with wisdom, but comes to 

 us through the French from its Latin name, salvia. It was the 

 heal-aU of our forefathers, who had a well-known Latin verse in 

 its praise. 



Cur moriatur homo, oui salvia crescit in horto ? 

 To which the answer was 



Contra vim mortis non est medicamen in hortis. 



