CHAPTER X. 



PLANTS AND PLANETS. 



THE old astrologers, who professed to read in the 

 stars and planets all about the affairs of this earth, 

 believed that an intimate relation subsisted between 

 plants and planets, perhaps owing to the fact that 

 there is but the difference of an e between them. 

 According to these worthy gentlemen every species 

 of plant was an unfailing specific for a certain number 

 of diseases. It is true that their arrangement of 

 maladies and medicine was purely theoretical, but 

 they worked by the doctrine of signatures that is, 

 every plant was supposed to bear a sign of its own 

 virtues. Thus, any plant which had heart-shaped 

 leaves would be " a singular good medicine for the 

 heart." But many plants do not possess leaves re- 

 sembling organs of the human body, still many pos- 

 sessed names which connected them therewith. Thus 

 the pretty little Eyebright, in all probability had its 

 name bestowed on account of its bright little flowers 

 peeping out like eyes from the dark background 

 afforded by its leaves. Enough that it is called 

 Eyebright it must therefore be good for the eyes. 

 Or if it had nothing in its name to connect it with 

 suffering members, there would certainly be some- 



