216 SIMPLES AND SIMPLERS. 



basil, rosemary, fennel, tansy, spikenard, blessed thistle, 

 and saffron. No garden %vas considered j^roperly furnished 

 if it were wanting in any of the herbs that might be 

 required by the sick of the neighborhood. Flowers culti- 

 vated for their beauty were also the occupants of these 

 gardens ; roses, in particular, which were as needful in 

 their dispensation as the chief of the cordial herbs. 



The mints were held in great esteem by these charita- 

 ble dames. They paid special attention to spearmint, — 

 regarded as the mint of mints, — the smell of which was 

 believed to " corroborate the brain and increase and pre- 

 serve the memory," and it was venerated like one of the 

 holy herbs. Hardly less value was affixed to the basil, 

 once considered a " royal plant," on account of its ex- 

 cellent properties. It is remarkable that in the time of 

 the ancient Eomans the basil was believed to possess the 

 power of breeding serpents. Hence, when they sowed 

 the seeds of this plant they bestowed curses upon it, that 

 it might be dispossessed of its nefarious properties by their 

 maledictions. This notion did not descend to the English 

 people. By them and by our simplers it was cherished 

 for its sweet smell, which was " good for the heart and 

 the head " ; also for its " seed that cureth the infirmities 

 of the heart, and taketh away sorrowfulness wliich com- 

 eth of melancholy, and maketh a man merry and glad." 

 The sweet-marjoram, which still retains its poj^ularity as 

 a savory herb, was famous in these old gardens, and then 

 known as the celebrated " Dittany of Crete." At present 

 it is not used as a medicine in any form ; but the simplers 

 believed it to be efficacious in restoring the sense of smell 

 when it was lost, and it was noted for its vulnerary 

 powers. 



Many of the herbs of their dispensatory were formerly 

 dedicated to the Virgin or to some worshipful saint, and 

 were considered holy. Probably in some cases their sup- 



