THE YEW TREE. 



473 



ference of the trunk, close to the ground, was 

 thirteen feet and a half ; at seven feet it was 

 twelve and a half; and at thirteen feet, just under 

 the branches,' it was fifteen feet eight inches. 

 There were two principal branches, the one 

 twelve feet and the other ten feet in girth. The 

 first, after a length of eighteen inches, divided 

 into two arms, one eight feet and a half, and the 

 other seven feet ten. The other branch, soon 

 after its insertion, was parted into two, of five 

 feet and a half each. 



The Yew Tree, taxus haccata; dioscia, mona- 

 delphia, of Linnseus, (called taxiis, probably 



The Yew. 



from the Greek, which signifies swiftness, and 

 may allude to the velocity of an aiTOW shot from 

 a yew tree bow,) is a tree of no little celebrity, 

 both in the military and the superstitious history 

 of England. The common yew is a native of 

 Europe, of North America, and of the Japanese 

 isles. It used to be very plentiful in England 

 and Ireland, and probably also in Scotland. 

 CiEsar mentions it as having been abundant in 

 Gaul; and much of it is found in Ireland, 

 imbedded in the earth. The trunk and branches 

 grow very straight; the bark is cast annually; 

 the wood is red and veined; it is compact, hard, 

 and very elastic. It is, therefore, of great use 

 in every branch of the arts in which firm and 

 durable timber is required ; and, before the general 

 use of fire-arms, it was in high request for bows: 

 so much of it was required for the latter purpose, 

 that ships trading to Venice were obliged to bring 

 ten bow staves along with every butt of Malmsey. 

 The yew was also consecrated — a large tree, 

 or more, being in every churchyard; and they 

 were held sacred. Flood gates for ponds made 

 of it, are said to be of incredible duratioii. The 

 twigs and leaves of this tree eaten, even in very 

 small quantities, are certain death to horses and 

 cows; but deer, it is said, will crop them with 

 impunity; and sheep and goats, according to 

 Linnaus, eat them readily. Turkeys, peacocks, 

 and other poultry birds, eat both the leaves and 

 fi:uit with impunity. The leaves, if eaten by 

 man, are fatal; and the berries, if taken in any 

 quantity, are deleterious. In funeral processions 

 the branches were carried over the dead by 

 mourners, and thrown under the coffin in the 



grave. According to Ray, the yew being an ever- 

 green, was thus made typical of the immortality 

 of man. The following extract irom the ancient 

 laws of Wales wiU show the value that was there 

 set upon these trees, and also how the consecrated 

 yew of the priests had risen in value over the 

 reputed sacred misletoe of the Druids : — 



" A consecrated yew, its value is a pound. 

 "A misletoe branch, threescore pence. 

 "An oak, sixscore pence. 

 " Principal branch of an oak, thirty pence. 

 " A yew tree, (not consecrated) fifteen pence. 

 "A sweet apple, threescore pence. 

 " A sour apple, thirty pence. 



" A thorn tree, seven pence half penny. Every tree 

 after that, fourpence." 



By a statute made in the fifth year of Edward 

 IV., every Englishman, and Irishman dwelling 

 with Englishmen, was directed to have a bow of 

 his own height made of yew, wydi-lmzel, ash, or 

 awburne — that is, laburnum, which is still styled 

 "awbume saugh," or awburne wiUow, in many 

 parts of Scotland. His skiU in the use of the 

 long bow was the proud distinction of the English 

 yeoman, and it was his boast that none but an 

 Englishman could bend that powerful weapon. 

 It seems that there was a peculiar art in the 

 English use of this bow; for our archers did not 

 employ all their muscular strength in drawing 

 the string with the right hand, but thrust the 

 whole weight of the body into the horas of the 

 bow with the left. Chaucer describes his archer 

 as carrying "a mighty bowe;" and the "cloth- 

 yard shaft," which was discharged from this 

 engine, is often mentioned by our old poets and 

 chroniclers. The command of Richard III. at 

 the battle which was fatal to him, was this : 



"Draw archers, draw your arrows to the he;id." 



The bowmen were the chief reliance of the 

 English leaders in those bloody battles which 

 attended our unjust contests for the succession 

 to the crown of France. Some of these scenes 

 are graphically described by Froissart. 



In the account of the battle of Blanchetagne 

 (the passage of the Somme), just before Crecy, 

 Froissart says: "The Frenchmen defended so 

 well the passage at the issuing out of the water, 

 that they (the English) had much to do. The 

 Genoese did them great trouble with their cross- 

 bows. On the other side, the archers of England 

 shot so wholly together, that the Frenchmen 

 were fain to give place to the Englishmen." 



At Crecy — " There were of the Genoese cross- 

 bows about a fifteen thousand, but they were so 

 weary of going a-foot that day, a six leagues, 

 armed with their cross-bows, that they said to 

 their constables, ' We be not well ordered to fight 

 this day, for we be not in the case to do any 

 great deeds of arms; we have more need of rest.' 

 The words came to the Count d'Alen9on, who 

 said, 'A man is well at ease to be charged with 

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