132 OUR ROCK-GARDEN 



of fact ; that thousands of folk have imbibed decoc- 

 tions of borage seeking for an exhilaration that, if it 

 came, was vinous in its origin rather than boragic. 



The agrimony, the egremoine of Chaucer and 

 other old writers, may well occupy a corner some- 

 where, as its graceful vigour of growth, its terminal 

 spikes of small yellow blossoms, and the beauty of 

 its foliage give it full claim. It grows boldly 

 erect to a height of some two feet or more, and 

 is a perennial. The calyces harden as the plant 

 matures, and become covered with hooked bristles, 

 forming small burrs " which when they be ripe 

 doe catch hold upon people's garments," and 

 thus aid in the distribution of the plant. The 

 agrimony is decidedly astringent and tonic, and is 

 used in rustic pharmacy as a gargle for sore throats, 

 and a tea made from the leaves is commended as a 

 purifier of the blood. In former days the virtues 

 ascribed to it were much more numerous, so that by 

 the old writers it was called philanthropes, though 

 some prosaic souls in these latter days would have 

 us believe that a title so honourable had no such 

 origin, and that its love for mankind was only shown 

 in its clinging burrs as they attached themselves to 

 the rambler who brushed against it. One remedy, 

 or rather recipe, includes it in a mixture of pounded 

 frogs, human blood, and other choice ingredients as 

 a specific for internal haemorrhage, while another 

 authority declares that "the decoction or his pouder 



