RUE. 145 



" Mustelaeque docent obsistere posse venenis 

 Mirifice rutam; comedunt quae primitus illam, 

 Cum pugnaturse sunt cum serpentibus atris." 



It has been thus translated by an old na- 

 turalist : 



" And weezels teach it can withstand strong poyson's 



spite, 

 Which, when they are about with serpents black to 



fight, 

 In wondrous sort do first of all, Rue nibble, eat, 



and bi v te." 



The ancients employed rue in many super- 

 stitious practices, and believed that, if stolen 

 from a neighbour's garden, it would prosper 

 better. 



Pliny says, rue is one of the best medici- 

 nal herbs, but the juice taken in quantities is 

 a poison, especially that drawn from the rue 

 which grew in Macedonia, about the river A li- 

 acmon, and in Galatia ; yet, says this author, 

 the juice of hemlock killeth the venomous 

 quality of it ; therefore the rue-gatherers 

 used to anoint their hands with it to prevent 

 blisters, which otherwise the rue caused. We 

 may conclude that the Romans cultivated 

 this herb to a great extent, as Pliny notices 

 further that those who gather rue will be 

 blistered, unless their hands are well gloved ; 



VOL. II. L 



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