SfanC "bore, Tscgc^/, anel Tsqric/". ^o^ 



wore a crown of Poplar-leaves, the outer portions of which were 

 turned black by the smoke of the infernal regions, whilst the innersur- 

 face was blanched by the perspiration from the hero's brow. At all 

 ceremonies and sacrifices to Hercules, his worshippers wore gar- 

 lands of Poplar-leaves, as did those who had triumphed in battle, 

 in commemoration of the demi-god's vicftory. Groves of Poplar- 

 trees were frequently planted and dedicated to Hercules. The 



White Poplar was also dedicated to Time, because its leaves were 

 constantly in motion, and, being dark on one side and light on 



the other, they were emblematic of night and day. Of the 



wood of this tree the Romans made bucklers, on account of 

 its lightness, and covered them with ox-hides: hence, Pliny says, 

 Popiilus apta scutis. The prophet Hosea is thought to have re- 

 ferred to the White Poplar when he accused the Children of Israel 

 ot sacrificing and burning incense under Poplars " because the 



shadow thereof is good" (Hosea iv.) The similarity of sound, in 



Latin and French, between the words for " Poplar " and " People " 

 seems to be the reason which has led to the tree being regarded as 

 a republican emblem. In the French Revolution of 1848, Poplars 

 were transplanted from gardens, and set up in the squares of Paris, 

 where they were glorified as Trees of Liberty, and hung with wreaths 

 of Everlasting Flowers. Napoleon III. had them all uprooted and 



burnt. Under the head of Aspen will be found several legends 



respe(5ting the quivering foliage of the Populiis tremula — the "Quig- 

 gen-epsy " of the good folk of Ulster. Mrs. Hemans, in her 

 ' Wood Walk,' thus alludes to one of these old traditions, in which 

 the Cross of Christ is represented as having been made of the 

 wood of this species of Poplar : — 



** Father. — Hast thou heard, my boy, 



The peasant's legend of that quivering tree ? 



" Child. — No, father; doth he say the fairies dance 

 Amidst its branches ? 



*' Father. — Oh ! a cause more deep. 

 More solemn far, the rustic doth assign 



To the strange restlessness of those wan leaves. 

 The Cross he deems — the blessed Cross, whereon 

 The meek Redeemer bow'd His head to death — 

 Was formed of Aspen wood ; and since that hour 



Through all its race the pale tree hath sent down. 

 A thrilling consciousness, a secret awe 



Making them tremulous, when not a breeze 

 Disturbs the airy Thistle-down, or shakes 



The light lines from the shining gossamer." 



Among the Highlanders, there is a tradition that the Cross of 

 Christ was made of the wood of the White Poplar, and throughout 

 Christendom there is a belief that the tree trembles and shivers 

 mystically in sympathy with the ancestral tree which became 



accursed. The Greeks regarded the Poplar as a funereal tree. 



In the funeral games at Rhodes, the victor was crowned with 



