114 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



no tree round which so much contradictory folk-lore 

 has revolved as the elder tree. 



This is not surprising, as some say that it is the 

 tree which Judas Iscariot selected whereon to hang 

 himself after he had betrayed Our Lord. On this 

 score one would imagine that it should be a very 

 excellent thing to uproot it from our gardens, but 

 not so, as to dig up an elder is said to be one of the 

 most unlucky things that man can do. 



Shakespeare, in '* Love's Labour's Lost," says: 

 *' Judas was hanged on an elder," and this belief 

 w^as general among early writers, and is constantly 

 alluded to by authors of the Elizabethan period; 

 but the name "judas tree" was given to the 

 Cents siliquastTum about the same period. 



Gerarde, a great authority on the subject, de- 

 finitely tells us of the Cercis: '' This is the tree 

 whereon Judas did hang himself, and not upon the 

 Elder-tree, as is stated." 



On the other hand, an old Eastern traveller, 

 Sir John Mandeville, tells us that the very elder 

 tree upon which Judas hanged himself was to be 

 seen in his day close to the Pool of Siloe; while the 

 legend which connects Judas with the elder is 

 alluded to by Ben Jonson, and is thus referred to 

 in " Piers Plowman " : 



" Judas, he japed 



With Jewen silver, 



And sithen on an Elder 



Hanged hymselve." 



This was quite enough to give the tree a bad 

 name, which other characteristics helped to confirm 

 — 7.^., the evil smell of its leaves, the heavy narcotic 



