CHAPTER X. 
PLANTS AND PLANETS. 
THE old astrologers, who professed to read in the 
stars and planets all about the affairs of this earth, 
believed that an intimate relation subsisted between 
plants and planets, perhaps owing to the fact that 
there is but the difference of an e between them. 
According to these worthy gentlemen every species 
of plant was an unfailing specific for a certain number 
of diseases. It is true that their arrangement of 
maladies and medicine was purely theoretical, but 
they worked by the doctrine of signatures—that is, 
every plant was supposed to bear a sign of its own 
virtues. Thus, any plant which had heart-shaped 
leaves would be “a singular good medicine for the 
heart.” But many plants do not possess leaves re- 
sembling organs of the human body, still many pos- 
sessed names which connected them therewith. Thus 
the pretty little Eyebright, in all probability had its 
name bestowed on account of its bright little flowers 
peeping out like eyes from the dark background 
afforded by its leaves. Enough that it is called 
Eyebright—it must therefore be good for the eyes. 
Or if it had nothing in its name to connect it with 
suffering members, there would certainly be some- 
