146 pPanC Tsore, Iscge^/, and. T^ijric/', 



risen, would light him better than any torch. Meanwhile, the Asses, 

 feeling the Hemlock's power in their bodies, fell down on the public 

 road, being deprived of all motion and sensation. At length, about 

 midnight, the miller came to his Asses, and thinking them to be 

 asleep, lashed them vigorously. But they remained motionless, 

 and apparently dead. The miller, much frightened, now besought 

 assistance from the country-folks, but they were all of one opinion, 

 that the Asses were dead, and that they should be skinned the next 

 day, when the cause of such a sudden death could be inquired into. 

 " Come," said he, " if they are dead, why should I worry myself 

 about them — let them lie. We can do no good. Come, my friends, 

 let us return into the inn — to-morrow you will be my witnesses." 

 Meanwhile the skinners were called; and, after looking at the 

 Asses, one of them said, " Do you wish, miller, that we should take 

 their skins off; or would you be disposed, if we restored the beasts 

 to life, to give us a handsome reward ? You see they are quite in 

 our power. Say what you wish, and it shall be done, miller." 

 " Here is my hand," replied the miller, " and I pledge my word 

 that I will give you what you wish, if you restore them to life." 

 The skinner, smiling, caught hold of the whip, and lashing the 

 beasts with all his might, roused all from their lethargic condition. 

 The rustics were confounded. " O! you foolish fellows," said he, 

 "look at this herb (showing them some Hemlock), how profusely it 

 grows in this neighbourhood. Do you not know that Hemlock 

 causes Asses to fall into a profound sleep ? " The rustics, flocking 

 together under a Lime-tree, as rustics do, made there and then a 

 law that whosoever should discover, in field or garden, or anywhere 

 else, that noxious plant, he should pluck it quickly, in order that 

 men and beasts might be injured by it no more. 



The Bear has given its name to several English plants. The 

 Primula Auricula, on account of the shape of its leaves, is called Bear's 

 Ears; the Helleborus fcetidus, for a similar reason, is known as Bears 

 Foot; Meum athamanticum is Bear's-wort ; Allium ursimim, Bear's 

 Garlic; and Avctostaphylos uva ursi, Bear's Berry, or Bear's Bil- 

 berry ; the three last plants being favourite food of Bears. The 

 Acanthus used at one time to be called Bear's Breech, but the 

 name has for some unaccountable reason been transferred to the 

 Cow Parsnip, Heracleum Sphondylium. In Italy the name of Branca 

 orsina is given to the Acanthus. This plant was considered by 

 Dioscorides a cure for burns. Pliny says that Bear's grease had 

 the same property. De Gubernatis states that two Indian plants, 

 the Argyrcia avgentea and the Batatas paniculata, bear Sanscrit 

 names signifying " Odour pleasing to Bears." 



The Bull has given its name to some few plants. Tussilago 

 Farfara, generally called Coltsfoot, is also known as Bull's-Foot ; 

 Centaurea nigra is BuU's-weed ; Verbascum Thapsus is Bullock's 

 Lungwort, having been so denominated on account of its curative 

 powers, suggested, on the Doctrine of Signatures, by the similarity 



