66 THE BOOK OF HERBS 



hot, sharpe, biting taste. The Germans and other 

 Nations in times past used both the roote and seede 

 instead of Pepper to season their meates and brothes, 

 and found them as comfortable and warming." ^ Turner 

 mentions Lovage amongst his medical herbs and 

 Culpepper says: "It is an herb of the Sun, under the 

 sign Taurus. If Saturn offend the throat . . . this is 

 your cure." 



Mallow (Mnlva). 



With many a curve my banks I fret, 



By many a field and fallow 

 And many a fair by foreland set, 



With willow, weed and mallow. 



TAe Brook. — Tennyson. 



The spring is at the door. 



She bears a golden store, 

 Her maund with yellow daffodils runneth o'er. 



After her footsteps follow 



The mullein and the mallow. 

 She scatters golden powder on the sallow. 



Sprivg Song. — N. Hopper. 



Parkinson praises mallows both for beauty and virtue. 

 " The double ones, which for their Bravery are enter- 

 tained everywhere into every Countrywoman's garden. 

 The Venice Mallow is called Good-night-at-noone, 

 though the flowers close so quickly that you shall 

 hardly see a flower blowne up in the day-time after o 

 A.M." Some medical advice follows, in which " All sorts 

 of Mallowes" are praised. "Those that are of most 

 use are most common. The rest are but taken upon credit.''^ 

 The last remark comes quite casually, and apparently 

 those that were " but taken upon credit," would be 

 comprehended in the " all sorts " and administered 

 without hesitation. French Mallows {Malva crispa) is 



^ Parkinson. 



