184 COMMON VERVAIN. 



with them when they declare war, and to give 

 defiance unto our enemies. With this hearbe 

 the festivall table of Jupiter is wont to be 

 swept and cleansed with great solemnitie ; with 

 it our houses also be rubbed and hallowed for 

 to drive away ill spirits." 



Many persons noAv living can remember how 

 general a practice it was, some years since, to 

 hang a piece of Vervain around the neck of a 

 child to avert infection ; some believing it to 

 be an amulet or charm, others thinking it a 

 herb of powerful properties. Besides this, it 

 was taken medicinally, or worn to cure existing 

 disease, and was deemed efficacious in thirty 

 different complaints, in some of which it was 

 particularly recommended that it should be 

 tied round the neck with white ribbon. 



The Vervain is a slender plant, often two 

 feet high, with few leaves. These are rather 

 rough, and cut at the edges, and the flowers 

 are somewhat distant from each other. It 

 grows on waste places, especially near houses, 

 and blooms in July and August. It is the 

 only British species, and is not now believed 

 to possess any valuable medicinal properties. 



