THE HAZEL 61 



Kupvov (karyon), a nut. "Hazel" is said to come 

 from the Early English "hies," a behest, connected 

 with the German " heissen," to give orders, the 

 sceptre of authority among the simple chieftains of 

 a more primitive time having been a Hazel-wand. 



The wild Hazel has grown abundantly in Britain 

 since prehistoric times, and its nuts appear to 

 have formed part of the food of the Swiss lake- 

 dwellers. Both the Hazel and the Filbert were 

 cultivated by the Romans, who are said to have 

 given Scotland the Latinised name of Caledonia, 

 from Cal-Dun, the Hill of Hazel, whilst the Filbert 

 was called by them Nux Pontica, having been 

 brought originally from Pontus. Its modern name 

 is almost certainly a barbarous compound of 

 "feuille," a leaf, and "beard," referring to the long 

 cupule projecting beyond the nut ; but in very 

 early times a more poetical origin was found for 

 it. Phyllis, despairing at the prolonged absence 

 of Demophoon, put an end to her life, but, as 

 Gower tells us in his " Confessio Amantis " 



4i Phyllis in the same throwe 

 Was shape into a nutte-tree, 

 That alle men it might see ; 

 And after Phyllis, Philliberde 

 This tre was cleped in the yerde." 



Many of the old vocabularies allude to the same 

 fanciful etymology, and Spenser speaks of "Phillis' 

 philbert." 



Virgil states that Hazel- twigs were used to 

 bind the vines ; but that, the roots- of the nut- 

 tree being considered injurious to the vines from 



