JUNE. 125 



records it in his " Britannia." The Roman 

 nettle was known to have been found growing 

 at Lidd, near Romney, and also in the streets 

 of Koniney. Julius Csesar landed at Eomney, 

 with his soldiers, and remained there for some 

 time, on which account the place is supposed to 

 have been called Eomania, of which its modern 

 name is a corruption. The old antiquary re- 

 lates, that " tlie soldiers brought some of the 

 nettle seed with them, and sowed it there for 

 their use, to rub and chafe their limbs, when, 

 throusli extreme cold, tliev should be stiff and 

 benumbed, being told, before they came from 

 home, that the climate of Britain was so cold, 

 that it was not to be endured, without some 

 friction to warm the'r blood." No plant, cer- 

 tainly, could better serve to chafe and warm 

 their limlis ; but how far the glow would be 

 pleasurable, even to the hardy Iloman soldiers, 

 must be questioned. 



Though the nettles are not favourite planU. 

 with country ramblers, yet they are far from 

 being useless. A decoction of nettle juice, 

 mingled with salt, will curdle milk, without im- 

 parting any disagreeable flavour ; the fibres of 

 the stems are manufactured into cloth, ropes, 

 and even ])aper. Some lovely kinds of butterfly 

 feed on the nettle ; the gay creature 



" Array'd 

 In crimson, azure, emerald, and gold. 

 With more niagniliccnce upon his wing — 

 His little wing — than ever graced tlierube 

 Gorgeous of royalty." 



Much use is made in Russia of the large 



