HILARY TIDE. 13 



JAN. 13. St. Veronica, Virgin of Milan, a.d. 1497. 

 St. Kyndeyrn, bishop of Glascow in 6th century. 

 Octave of Epiphany. 



Jovi Statori. — Julian Cal. 



Obs. St. Veronica was born in a village near to Milan, in 

 Lombardy, of parents who subsisted by daily labour. In this city, 

 after evincing a great desire for solitude in reflection all her early 

 youth, she took the religious habit in the Augustine Convent of St. 

 Martha, where she exhibited a wonderful example of austerity and 

 vigilance, and was said to be a living model of the rule of her 

 order. 



Yew Tree Taxus baccata flowers. 



Wall Speedwell Veronica arvensis flowers. 



The Wall Speedwell being in some early years in flower on this 

 day, it would seem as if it had been so called after the saint above 

 recorded. Indeed the monks, friars, and vestals, of the religious 

 ages, being our first British botanists, the names of most popular 

 plants then known have received religious names, of which we shall 

 have more occasion to speak by and bye ; but whether Veronica be 

 or be not an exception to this mode of origin of names, we cannot 

 quite determine. 



The Yew Tree is now in flower ; its red berries are afterwards 

 well known to every observer. Yew trees, formerly spelled Eugh, 

 are natives of Britain : the wood was formerly used for making 

 bows, which has caused Spencer to say — 



"The Eugh obedient to the bender's will." — Fairy Quean. 



As the Cypress was the funereal tree of classical antiquity, and 

 shaded the urns of Pagan heroes, so the Yew has become the 

 favourite shelter for the tombs of Christians, and the largest and 

 oldest Yew trees are to be found in the churchyards and cemeteries 

 of modern Europe. 



C 



