650 The Zoologist — April, 1867. 



"As true as steel, as plantage to the moon 

 As sun to-day, as turtle to lier mate." 



Troilus a7id Cressida, Act iii. Scene 2. 



So in Spenser's ' Faerie Queene ' 



" And of fair Britomart ensample take 

 That was as trew in love as turtle to her make" 



Book III, Canto xi., 2. 



"Make," from the Anglo-Saxon "rnaca," signifies a companion or 

 mate, and occurs frequently in Spenser's works. 



" And followed her make like turtle chaste." 



Astrophel, 170. 



An enquiry into the meaning of the word " plantage," above 

 mentioned, leads to some curious information. "Plantage" is 

 probably for anything that is planted (Nare's ' Glossary,' &c, 4to, Lon- 

 don, 1822). Plants were supposed to improve as the moon increased, 

 and from an old book entitled ' The Profitable Art of Gardening,' by 

 Thos. Hill, the third edition of which was printed in 1579, we learn 

 that neither sowing, planting, nor grafting, was ever undertaken 

 without a scrupulous attention to the increase or waning of the moon. 

 Dryden does not appear to have understood the above passage, and 

 has accordingly altered it to " as true as flowing tides are to the 

 moon ;" but the meaning of the original words seems sufficiently clear, 

 and may be fully illustrated by the following quotation from R. Scott's 

 ' Discoverie of Witchcraft ' : — " The poore husbandman perceiveth that 

 the increase of the moone maketh plants fnitiful, so as in the full 

 moone they are in the best strength ; decaieing in the wane, and in the 

 conjunction do utterlic wither and vade." 



It is possible that particular reference may be had to the plant 

 "honesty" or "lunary' (Lunaria), which was so named from the 

 circular shape of its pod, which was thought to resemble the moon 

 (Luna), not only in its form but in its silvery brightness. The title of 

 " honesty " appears to have been given to it from the transparent 

 nature of the pod which discovers those seed-vessels that contain seed 

 from such as are barren or have shed their seed. We learn from 

 Chaucer that "honesty" (Lunaria) was one of the plants used in 

 incantations ; but he mentions it as " Lunarie." Drayton calls it 



" Lunary.' 1 '' 



" Then sprinkles she the juice of rue. 

 Willi nine drops of the midnight dew 



From Lunary distilling." 



Ngmphid. 



