THE VERBENA OFFICINALIS, OR VERVAIN. 29 



the plants which was dedicated to the Goddess of Beauty. Venus the 

 victorious wore a crown of Myrtle interwoven with Verbena. 



The Eomans continued the use of this plant in their sacred rites, 

 sweeping their temples and cleansing their altars with it, and sprink- 

 ling holy water with the branches. They also hallowed or purified 

 their houses with it to keep off evil spirits. Their ambassadors or 

 heralds at arms, wore crowns of it when they went to denounce war 

 or give defiance to their enemies ; and which is thus noticed by 

 Drayton : — 



" A wreath of Verbene heralds wear, 

 Amongst our garlands named, 

 Being sent that dreadful news to bear, 

 Offensive war proclaimed." 



Virgil mentions it as one of the charms then in use : — 



"^Bring running water, bind those altars round 

 With fillets, and with Vervain strew the ground." 



The Druids, both in Gaul and in Britain, regarded the Vervain 

 with the same veneration which they bestowed on the Misletoe, and 

 like the Magi of the East, they offered sacrifices to the earth before 

 they cut this plant in the spring, which was a ceremony of great pomp. 

 Pliny tells us that the Druids made use of it in casting lots, and in 

 drawing omens, and in other pretended magical arts : — 



" Dark superstition's whisper dread 

 Debarr'd the spot to vulgar tread ; 

 ' For there,' she said < did fays resort, 

 And satyrs hold their sylvan court, 

 By moonlight tread their mystic maze, 

 And blast the rash beholder's gaze.' " 



Walter Scott. 



The Druids held their power through the superstition of the people, 

 and as they were great pretenders to magic and divination, they ex- 

 cited the admiration, and took advantage of the ignorance and credu- 

 lity of mankind ; for by these arts they pretended to work miracles 

 and to exhibit astonishing appearances in nature, as well as to pene- 

 trate into the counsels of heaven. 



Divested of these pretended powers, there is no doubt but that the 

 Druids were better acquainted with the medicinal properties of herbs 

 than any other class of men in their day, since, their residences being 

 in the recesses of mountains, groves, and woods, where vegetable pro- 

 ductions were constantly courting their attention, it is natural to sup- 

 pose that they would in some measure become acquainted with the 

 qualities of plants in general. That the Druids of Gaul and Britain 

 applied themselves to this study, and made great use of herbs for 

 medical purposes, we have sufficient evidence, since we learn from 

 scattered hints in Pliny's Natural History, that they sometimes ex- 

 tracted the juice of herbs and plants, by bruising and steeping them in 

 cold water, and sometimes by infusion in wine ; that they made 

 potions and decoctions by boiling them in water ; and we learn also 



