390 pPant "bore, Isege^/, ansl "bijnc/. 



adapted for Christmas time, and the following mediaeval carol sings 

 loudly the plant's praises : — 



" The most worthy she is in tovvne ; 



He that sayeth other do amysse ; 

 And worthy to bear the crowne : 

 Veni, coronaberis. 



" Ivy is soft and meke of speech, 



Ageynst all bale she is blysse; 

 Well is he that may hyre rech. 

 Veni, coronaberis. 



" Ivy is green, with coloure bright, 

 Ot all trees best she is, 

 And that I prove will now be right. 



Veni, coronaberis. 



" Ivy beryth berrys black, 



God graunt us all His blysse. 

 For there shall we nothing lack. 

 Vetii, coronaberis.^^ 



According to an old poem in the British Museum, however, Ivy 

 was considered by some good people only ht to ornament the 

 porches and outer passages of houses, but not the interior. 



*' Nay my nay, hyt shall not be I wis, 



Let Holly have the maystry, as the maner ys. 



Holly stoud in the hall, fayre to behold, 



Ivy stoud without the dore, she ys ful sore a-cold. 



Nay my nay. 



Corynibifer was a surname given to Bacchus, from his wearing a 

 crown of corymbi, or Ivy-berries. These berries were recommended 

 by old physicians as a remedy for the plague, and Pliny averred 

 that when taken before wine, they prevented its intoxicating effects. 



There is a popular tradition that an Ivy cup has the property 



of separating wine from water — the former soaking through, and 

 the latter remaining. An old writer remarks that those who are 

 troubled with the spleen shall find much ease by the continual 

 drinking out of a cup made of Ivy, so as the drink may stand some 

 time therein before it be drunk ; for, he adds, " Cato saith that 

 wine put into the Ivy cup will soak through it by reason of the 

 antipathy that is between them ; " this antipathy being so great 

 that a drunkard " will find his speediest cure if he drunk a draught 

 of the same wine wherein a handful of Ivy-leaves had been steeped." 



The ancient Scottish clan Gordon claim Ivy as their badge. 



Ivy is under the dominion of Saturn. It is considered to be 



exceedingly favourable to dream of the evergreen climber, por- 

 tending'i as it does, friendship, happiness, good fortune, honour, 

 riches, and success. 



Ground- Ivy is a name which was formerly applied to the 

 Periwinkle, and to the Ground Pine or Yellow Bugle (called till 

 the beginning of the present century the Forget-Me-Not), but 

 which was afterwards transferred to the Nepeta Glechoma, a plant 

 also known by the rustic names of Gill and Gill-by-the-ground, Hay- 



