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GENTIAN. The Gentian [Gentiana) was so called after 



Gentius, King of Illyria, who first discovered the medicinal virtues 

 of this bitter plant. Gentius having imprisoned the ambassadors 

 sent to his court by the Romans, they invaded his kingdom, con- 

 quered it, and led the royal botanist and his family in triumph 

 through the streets of Rome. The old name of this flower was 

 Gentiana cniciata, and it was also called 5. Ladislai Regis herba, in 

 regard to which latter appellation, there is a curious legend: — 

 During the reign of King Ladislas, the whole of Hungary was 

 affiicted with the plague. Compassionating his unfortunate sub- 

 jecfts who were dying by thousands, the pious king pra^^ed that if 

 he shot an arrow into the air, the Almighty would vouchsafe to 

 guide it to the root of some herb that might be employed effica- 

 ciously in arresting the terrible plague. The king discharged an 

 arrow, and, in falhng, it cleft the root of the Cniciata (Gentian), 

 which was at once tried, and found to possess the most astonishing 

 curative powers when administered to sufferers from the plague. 



According to old Robert Turner, the herbalist. Gentian, or 



Felwort, "resists poisons, putrefacflion, and the pestilence, and 

 helps digestion; the powder of the dry roots helps bitings of mad 

 dogs and venomous beasts, opens the liver, and procures an 

 appetite. Wine, wherein the herb hath been steept, being drunk, 

 refreshes such as are over-wearied by travel, or are lame in their 

 joynts by cold or bad lodgings." Gerarde states that it is put into 

 counterpoisons," as into the composition named Theriaca diatessaron, 

 which ^tius calleth Mys^^nww, a mystery, or hid secret." Formerly 

 the names of Baldmoney and Baldmoyne were applied to the Fel- 

 wort or Gentian. (See Baldmoney and Feldwode.) Gentian is 



under the dominion of Mars. 



Geranium. — See Crane's Bill. 



Gill. — See Ivy. 



GILLIFLOW^ER.— The appellation of Gilliflower has been 

 applied, apparently as a kind of pet name, to all manner of plants. 

 Formerly the word was spelt gyllofer and gilofve, from the French 

 gifoflee and Italian garofalo, words derived from the Latin Caryo- 

 phyllum and Greek Kantophullon, a Clove, in allusion to the flower's 

 spicy odour. The name was originally given by the Italians to the 

 Carnation and plants of the Pink tribe, and was so used by Chaucer, 

 Spenser, and Shakspeare. Afterwards both writers and gardeners 

 bestowed the name on the Matthiola and Cheivantkiis. At the present 

 time the word has almost fallen out of use, but in books will be 

 found to be applied to the Clove Gilliflower, Dianthus Caryophyllus 

 (the true Gilliflower) ; the Marsh Gilliflower, or Ragged Robin 

 [Lychnis flos cuculi) ; Queen's, Rogue's, or Winter Gilliflower, the 

 Dame's Violet [Hesperis matronalis) ; Stock Gilliflower [Matthiola in- 

 cana) ; Wall Gilliflower [Cheiyanthus Cheiri) ; and Water Gilliflower 

 [Hottonia palustris). The Gilliflower is in old songs represented 



