USES OF TANSY 265 



penabriall," and many other fragrant herbs. These 

 must surely have got terribly in the way, and when 

 crushed there would be no slight risk of being 

 thrown smartly down by them on the hard stone 

 floors that our ancestors affected. 



The tansy is bitter to the taste and tonic in its 

 operation. Opinions differ so widely on odours 

 that it will scarcely do to dogmatise, so we will 

 content ourselves with pointing out that to some 

 the plant is aromatic, while others would choose 

 a less kindly word to define their opinion. On 

 distillation the plant yields an essential oil, and it 

 would appear that it is to this it owes such active 

 medicinal properties as it possesses or is credited 

 with. Like many other herbs its fame has dwindled 

 in these latter days. Gerard and many other early 

 writers are loud in its praise, but whatever its 

 healing virtues our physicians now look elsewhere. 

 The tansy was also largely introduced as an ingre- 

 dient in omelettes and cakes in medical cookery, 

 while tansy-pudding was a favourite dish for 

 centuries. Cogan, in his " Haven of Health," 

 writes: " Tansy is much used amongst vs in 

 England about Easter, with fried eggs, not without 

 good cause, to purge away the fleame engendered 

 of fish in Lent season," while a much earlier 

 authority instructs us to 



" Breke egges in basyn, and swynge hem sone, 

 Do powder of peper therto anone, 



