5° 



V. officinale — Common speedwell. Gaelic and Irish : lus ere, 

 the dust-weed. Seamar chre (see Oxalis). 



V. anagallis — Water-speedwell. Irish : fualachtar, fjial, water, 

 the one that grows in the water. 



Euphrasia officinalis — Eyebright. Gaelic : his nan leac, the 

 hillside plant ; leac, a declivity. Soillseachd nan siiil, soillse na 

 sill (M'Donald), that which brightens the eye. Rein an ruisg 

 (Stuart), water for the eye. Glaii ruts, the eye-cleaner. Lightfoot 

 mentions that the Highlanders of Scotland make an infusion of 

 it in milk, and anoint the patient's eyes with a feather dipped in 

 it, as a cure for sore eyes. Irish : radharcain {radhairc), sense 

 of sight. Lin radharc {lin, the eye, wet), the eye wetter or washer. 

 Raeimin-radhairc {reim, power, authority), that which has power 

 over the sight. Roisniji, rosg, the eye, eyesight. Caoimin {caoimJi), 

 clean. Welsh : gloyiulys, the bright plant. ^Llysieuyn eufras, the 

 herb Euphrasia (from €v<f>paiV(o, cuphraino, to delight, from the 

 supposition of the plant curing blindness). Arnoldus de Villa 

 saith, " It has restored sight to them that have been blind a long 

 time before ; and if it were but as much used as it is neglected, 

 it would half spoil the spectacle trade " (Culpepper). 



Pedicularis sylvatica — Dwarf red rattle. Irish : lusan grolla. 



P. palustris — Louse-wort ; red rattle. Gaelic : lus riab/iach, 

 the brindled plant, possibly a contraction oi riabhdheargach (Irish), 

 red-streaked, a name which well describes the appearance of the 

 plant. Modhalan dearg, the red modest one. Lus na mial, 

 louse-wort, from the supposition that sheep that feed upon it 

 become covered with vermin. Baifine ghabliar, goat's milk, 

 from the idea that when goats feed on it they yield more milk. 

 Its beautiful pink flowers were used as a cosmetic, 



" Sail-chuach 's bainne ghabhar, , 

 Suadh ri t' aghaidh, 

 'S cha n' neil mac righ air an domhain, 

 Nach bj air do dheidh." 



Rub thy face with violet and goat's milk, 

 And there is no prince in the world 

 Who M^ill not follow thee. 



Rhinanthus crista-galli— The yellow rattle. Gaelic : modh- 

 alan bhuidhe, the yellow modest one. Bodach na claiginn. 

 Irish : boda7i na cloigin, the old man with the skulls. Claigeann 

 or (Irish) doigoin, a skull, from the skull-like appearance of its 

 inflated calyces. 



Scrophularia nodosa^ Figwort. Gaelic : lus nan cnapan, the 



