5° 



V. officinale — Common speedwell. Gaelic and Irish : Ins cr'e, 

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



V. anagallis — Water-speedwell. Irish : fualac/itar, fual, water, 

 the one that grows in the water. 



Euphrasia officinalis — Eyebright. Gaelic : /us nan ieac, the 

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

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

 (Stuart), water for the eye. Glati mis, 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 {rad/iairc), sense 

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

 Jiaei7niji-rad/iairc {reini, power, authority), that which has power 

 over the sight. Rois?iifi, rosg, the eye, eyesight. Caoimifi [caoimh), 

 clean. Welsh : gloywlys, the bright plant. 'Llysieuyn eiifras, the 

 herb Euphrasia (from evc^paivw, euphraino, 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 riahhach, 

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

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

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

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

 become covered with vermin. Bainne ghab/iar, 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 li t' agliaidh, 

 'S clia n' neil mac ligh air an domhaln, 

 xNachbi airdodlieidh." 



Rub thy face with violet and t^oat's milk, 

 And there is no prince in the world 

 Who will not follow thee. 



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

 alan b/iuid/ie, the yellow modest one. Bodach na claiginn. 

 Irish : bodan na doigin, the old man with the skulls. C/aigeann 

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

 inflated calyces. 



Scrophularia nodosa — Figwort. Gaelic : ins nan cnapan, the 



