242 OUR ROCK-GARDEN 



to make them puzzling to identify ; but, as the 

 fool's parsley has its three pendent bracts that serve 

 to differentiate it from its fellows, so the hemlock 

 has, as its distinction, its spotted stem, a series of 

 numerous irregular blotches of dull purple hue on 

 the general green ground. 



The name hemlock descends to us from Anglo- 

 Saxon days, heam or healm being in Anglo-Saxon 

 the word for straw, while leac 1 is a general name 

 for a plant ; the name was given to the plant from 

 its hollow stems. Gerard and other old writers 

 often spell the word as humlocke, 2 but this is but 

 one vagary the more in the excessively free treat- 

 ment that we find in almost all old spelling. 



Our forefathers believed in the remedial value of 

 the hemlock, though, considering that they believed 

 in the remedial qualities of almost everything else 

 with an equal sincerity, it is not so high a testi- 

 monial to the hemlock as would at first appear. 

 " The leaves bruised and laid to the brow are good 

 for their eyes that are red or swollen ; as also to 

 take a web growing in the eye : this is a tried 

 medicine. Take a small handful of this herb, and 



1 Thus Garlic, Anglo-Saxon gar a spear, and leac a plant, or 

 house-leek, the leac that we so often find growing on old 

 walls and cottage roofs in the country. 



* u But cursed speaking set out in the image of godly nes, 

 what is it elles than the poison of humlock myxed with wyne ? 

 So that the venome is more presently strong in that it is 

 myngled with a most holsome matter.'' UDALL. 



