OF SUNDRY HERBS 115 



or more. And yf the foresaid serpent be burned and the 

 ashes of it put in ye fyre, anone shall there be a rayne bowe 

 with an horible thunder. And yf ye aforesaide ashes be 

 put in a lampe, and be kindled, it shal appeare that all the 

 house is full of serpints and this hath been proved of men 

 of late tyme." The Boke of the Secrets of Albertus Magnus t 

 1560. 



" 'Tis a plant, indeed, with so many and wonderful pro- 

 perties as that the assiduous use of it is said to render men 

 immortal." John Evelyn, Acetaria, 1699. 



From time immemorial sage has been renowned for its 

 wonderful health-giving properties. The very name of the 

 plant, Salvia, means health, and the Arabians have a proverb 

 which was old in the days of Charlemagne : " How can a 

 man die who has Sage in his garden ? " The Chinese valued 

 this herb so highly that the Dutch in old days carried on a 

 profitable trade by exchanging sage for tea, and for one 

 pound of dried sage leaves the Chinese gave three pounds 

 of tea. The proper time of year to eat sage or to drink 

 sage tea is in spring, and formerly country folk used to 

 eat quantities of it with bread and butter or bread and 

 cheese. There is an old belief that where sage prospers 

 in a garden the woman rules, and another that the plant 

 flourishes or withers according to the prosperity of the 

 master of the house. Sage used to be held in such repute 

 that both bread and cheese were flavoured with it in the 

 making, and one herbal doctor even advocated its use 

 instead of tobacco. Red sage is rarely seen, but what a 

 handsome plant it is when well grown ! There are few 

 leaves more beautiful than its deep maroon-coloured ones, 

 especially in early spring when they contrast so well with 

 the tender green of the young shoots. Old-fashioned 

 country folk say that red sage never does well unless 

 the original slip were planted by some one with a " lucky 

 hand." 



Sir John Hill tells us he knew an old man who had some 

 special secret in preparing sage. " This," Sir John Hill 

 says, " remained upon my mind, and it brought into my 

 thoughts the mighty praises that had been written of sage, 



