126 THE BOOK OF HERBS 



old writers utter serious warnings against " divers rash 

 and overbold Apothecaries and other foolish women," 

 who gave indiscriminately the distilled water, or com- 

 position that is made of distilled wine in which flower 

 seeds have been steeped. Turner suggests using it 

 in a curious manner. " I judge that the flowers of 

 Lavander quilted in a cappe and dayly worne are good 

 for all diseases of the head that come of a cold cause and 

 that they comfort the braine very well." Dr Fernie says 

 it is of real use in a case of nervous headache. Lavender 

 used to be called Lavender Spike or Spike alone, and 

 French Lavender {L. Stachas) Stickadove or Cassidony, 

 sometimes turned by country people into Cast-me-down. 

 La petite Corheille tells us that the juice of Lavender is a 

 specific in cases of loss of speech and adds drily, " une 

 telle propriete suffirait pour rendre cette plante a jamais 

 precieuse." In Spain and Portugal it is used to strew 

 churches and it is burned in bonfires on St John's Day, 

 the day when all evil spirits are abroad. In some 

 countries it must still possess wonderful qualities ! 

 Tuscan peasants believe that it will prevent the Evil 

 Eye from hurting children. 



The pretty delicately-scented spikes of White Lavender 

 are less well known than they should be, but like many 

 other herbs they received more admiration in former days 

 as has been already said, at the close of the sixteenth 

 century, a literary guild was called after it. In the 

 Parliamentary Survey (November 1649) of the Manor 

 of Wimbledon, " Late parcel of the possessions of 

 Henrietta Maria, the relict and late Queen of Charles 

 Stuart, late King of England" — an exact inventory is 

 made of the house and grounds (in which forty-four 

 perches of land, called the Hartichoke Garden is named), 

 and among other things, " very great and large borders 

 of Rosemary, Rue and White Lavender and great 

 varietie of excellent herbs " are noticed. 



