eJfocoer/ of tRe painty. 53 



maiden's pillow. Then he who she sees in her dreams will be 

 sure soon to arrive.* 



" The village maids mysterious tales relate 

 Of bright Midsummer's sleejiiess nights ; the Fern 

 That time sheds secret seeds ; and they prepare 

 Untold-of rites, predictive of their fate : 

 Virgins in silent expectation watch 

 Exact at twelve's jircjpitious hour, to view 

 The future lover o'er the threshold pass ; 

 Th' inviting door wide spread, and every charm 

 Ferformed, while fond hope flutters in the breast, 

 And credulous fancy, painting his known form. 

 Kindles concordant to their ardent wish." — Bidlake, 



©JFooDciy o£ ific 0aint/. 



In the dark ages the Catholic monks, who cultivated with 

 assiduity all sorts of herbs and flowers in their monastic gardens, 

 came in time to associate them with traditions of the Church, and 

 to look upon them as emblems of particular saints. Aware, also, 

 of the innate love of humanity for flowers, they selected the most 

 popular as symbols of the Church festivals, and in time every 

 flower became connected with soine saint of the Calendar, either 

 from blowing about the time of the saint's day, or from being 

 connected with him in some old legend. 



St. Benedict's herbs are the Avens, the Hemlock, and the 

 Valerian, which were assigned to him as being antidotes ; a legend 

 of the saint relating that upon his blessing a cup of poisoned wine, 

 which a monk had presented to him to destroy him, the glass was 

 shivered to pieces. To St. Gerard was dedicated the ALgopodium 

 Podagvaria, because it was customary to invoke the saint against 

 the gout, for which this plant was esteemed a remedy. St. 

 Christopher has given his name to the Baneberry {Actcia spicata), 

 the Osmund Fern (Osmunda regalis), the Fleabane {Pulicayia dysen- 

 terica), and, according to old herbalists, to several other plants, 

 including Betonica officinalis, Vicia Cracca and Sepiiim, Gnaphalium 

 geymanicum, Spiraea tdmaria, two species of Wolf's Bane, &c. St. 

 George has numerous plants named after or dedicated to him. 

 In England his flower is the Harebell, but abroad the Peony 

 is generally called after him. His name is also bestowed on 

 the Lilium convallium. The Herb of St. George is the Valeriana 

 sativa ; his root, Dentaria major ; his Violet, Leucoium luteum ; his 

 fruit, Cucumis agrestis. In Asia Minor the tree of St. George is the 

 Carob. The Eryngiiim was dedicated to St. Francis under the 

 name of St. Francis's Thorn. Bunium jlexuosum, is St. Anthony's 

 nut — a pig-nut, because he is the patron of pigs ; and Scmcio 

 JacobcBa is St. James's Wort (the saint of horses and colts) — used 



* For further details of the rites of St John's Eve, see Part II., under the heads 

 "Fern," " IIlmp," and " Moss- Rose." 



