WITCHES AND THEIR FLOWER LORE 105 



bubbled over the pavement, the stones crumbled 

 and hissed under the venom of the poison. 



Hemlock is one of the most poisonous of a sus- 

 picious family: "The great hemlock doubtless is 

 not possessed of any one good faculty, as appeareth 

 by his loathsome smell, and other apparent signs "; 

 and with this evil character the hemlock was 

 considered a fitting ingredient of witches' broth. 

 As a poison it has an evil notoriety, as being the 

 poison by means of which Socrates was put to 

 death. 



Witches^ Trees, — There are various kinds of trees 

 whose names are, directly or indirectly, associated 

 with witches, such as the witch-elm and the witch- 

 hazel. We are told that " witch " is a mistaken 

 spelling for " wych," yet it seems from the fact 

 that the hazel was employed for making divining 

 rods that the trees must have been connected in 

 some way with magic. 



The hawthorn used to be hung up at the entrance 

 of houses in May to guard the dwelling from 

 witches. Witches detest yew trees, and it is prob- 

 ably for this reason that yews have been planted 

 so universally in churchyards from the earliest 

 times, so that the witches may be unable to gain 

 access, and disturb the calm of these holy places. 



The burning of juniper wood was said to expel 

 evil spirits, and the old herbalists recommend 

 juniper berries for use as counter-poisons; and 

 water in which these berries had been steeped, was 

 said to be most healthful and useful against poisons, 

 and all forms of plague or pestilence. 



In Italy, boughs of juniper are hung over the 

 doorway, as there is a belief that any witches who 



