36 WILD FLOWERS. 



his very inmost heart, making its teachings ever 

 active agents in his conduct, in all his dealings with 

 his fellow men ; making it, as it aptly might be 

 made, a perpetual memento of all which constitutes 

 true charity; true, and God-like, love ! 



Were it so the sundew had, indeed, not been 

 created in vain : it had, indeed, done us " true ser- 

 vice." But it has other and more material uses, and 

 to these we must now turn our attention. In former 

 days it was used by thrifty dairy-maids for the purpose 

 of curdling milk, for it would appear I write, how- 

 ever, in perfect ignorance of the fact as if the more- 

 easily obtained stomach of a calf, which now forms 

 almost the only rennet used, were rather a modern 

 application, so many records are there of the different 

 plants formerly used in this way. The sundew is acrid 

 and caustic in its nature, and is said to burn away 

 warts and corns ; it was also much valued of yore 

 as a cosmetic ; I know not whether from any sup- 

 posed relationship to the celebrated may-dew, which 

 was once so carefully collected by maidens whose 

 lot was cast, perhaps, rather in the age of Roland 

 the Brave, than of him of the " Kalydor." We 

 must suppose, however, that it was applied with 

 considerable caution to the faces of these by-gone, 

 or would-be, beauties, as it is well known to possess 

 blistering qualities ; and in the days of Gerarde, 

 it was commonly used as a counter-irritant. This 

 quaint old author makes the sundew a vehicle in 

 which to convey a rather sly assertion of the com- 

 parative value of theory and practice, telling us, 

 that "the later physitiones haue thought it to be 



