250 THORNS AND THISTLES. [AugUSt, 



there is a fine piece of water, that might be dignified with the 

 name of a lake by a liberal describer, and which would be called 

 a tarn in Cumberland. 



The plants here consisted of those usually seen in marshy 

 places. The Buckbean, Menyanthes trifoliata, abounds in that 

 spot, but was now past its beauty. Like many other beauties, it 

 was born to blush unseen, and waste its beauty on the marshy air. 



This charming scenery is celebrated. We enjoyed the pleasing 

 views presented from several points, but we did not carry home 

 anything for the herbarium. But the place is well worth a visit, 

 and even its floral treasures may be more estimable than we sup- 

 posed them to be. 



The agrarial or colonial plants of Over are not numerous, 

 judging from the few cornfields we looked into. Chrysanthemum 

 segetum and Lychnis Githago were just beginning to flower. Ga- 

 leopsis Tetrahit and G. versicolor had not yet flowered. We were 

 too early for most of the cornfield plants. 



Cheshire is rather a grazing than an agrarial county : cheese, 

 not corn, is the staple produce. Hence much of the land is in 

 grass. This season grass was most abundant everywhere; stock 

 was wanted to eat it up; yet, judging from the grass of some 

 fields laid up for hay, and also by the rather light swathe on some 

 meadows which were then just mowed, the graziers of this part 

 of Cheshire are not entitled to the praise of being high cultiva- 

 tors. Their ambition is confined to the production of good 

 cheese, and they have the reputation of being well-to-do, a good 

 practical evidence of fair farming. 



Thus ended my Cheshire botanizing, and I hope the readers of 

 this rather long account of it will not say, " Great cry and little 

 wool." 



THOENS AND THISTLES, 



In the Parable of the Sower. 



Since Mr. Hind kindly replied to my note on this subject, I 

 have referred to a copy of the Bible, printed by Barker, date 

 1595, and there is a marginal note to the word translated 

 ' thorns,' as follows : — " Or rather this : ' And some fell among 

 thistles, and the thistles sprang up with it, and choked it.' " This 

 certainly favours the view I originally took of the passage, namely 



