THE FUMITORY. 91 



in England. The plant is there affirmed to be 

 "eogendered of a coarse fumosity rising from the 

 earth ;" and the process by which this fume takes 

 the form of the plant is thus in the most matter-of- 

 fact manner described : " This gross, or coarse fumo- 

 sity of the earth, windeth and wrieth about, and 

 by working of the air and sun is turned into this 

 herb/' The idea almost excels the "plastic" 

 theory of old geologists, and seems to have arisen 

 from the very sudden appearance of the plant in 

 rich and newly-ploughed lands where it has not 

 before been seen, which though only analogous to 

 other instances of certain plants occurring suddenly 

 in new localities, or under peculiar circumstances 

 -joined with the smoke-like smell it emits when 

 bruised, and with its exceedingly rapid growth, 

 might readily incline minds (to which the dreams of 

 the alchymist were as substantial realities), to re- 

 gard it as a something not quite coming within the 

 compass of the rules by which more ordinary plants 

 are governed ; and to represent it as rising from 

 a vapour, much in the way that the famous Polish 

 doctor, of Cracow, as we are informed by the French 

 physician, Joseph du Chesne Le Sieur de la Vio- 

 lette raised up plants from their ashes by means of 

 his chemical expertness. As, however, some of my 

 readers may not be acquainted with the doings of 

 these wonderful men, I cannot refrain from laying 

 before them the whole account, as related by Bayle, 

 who, in his dictionary, quotes from Gafiarel : be- 

 lieving that such amongst them as are inclined to 

 "poetise or moralise"" will thank me for drawing 



