178 THE BOOK OF HERBS 



of superstition. Vervain, Periwinkle, Sage, Mint, Valerian, 

 Ash and Basil are some of the plants chosen. " Tu n'y 

 ajouteras point I'Hysope, mais le Romarin " (Rosemary). 

 It is odd that Hyssop should be excluded, because it has 

 always been a special defence against powers of dark- 

 ness. In Palermo (again according to De Gubernatis), 

 on the day of St Mark, the priests mount a hill in pro- 

 cession and bless the surrounding country, and the 

 women gather quantities of the Hyssop growing about, 

 and take it home to keep away from their houses the 

 Evil Eye, and "toute autre influence magique." Rose- 

 mary is celebrated, from this point of view, as from 

 others. It was, say the Spaniards, one of the bushes 

 that gave shelter to the Virgin Mary in the flight into 

 Egypt, and it is still revered. Borrow, in " The Bible 

 in Spain," notices that, whereas in that country it is 

 Romero, the Pilgrim's Flower, in Portugal it is called 

 Alecrim, a word of Scandinavian origin (from Ellegren, 

 the Elfin plant), which was probably carried south by 

 the Vandals. Other authorities think that "Alecrim" 

 comes from the Arabians. The reference to Rose- 

 mary occurs in a delightful passage. Borrow was 

 staying at an inn, when one evening " in rushed 

 a wild-looking man mounted on a donkey. . . . 

 Around his sombrero, or shadowy hat, was tied a large 

 quantity of the herb, which in English is called Rose- 

 mary. . . . The man seemed frantic with terror, and 

 said that the witches had been pursuing him and hovering 

 over his head for the last two leagues." On making 

 inquiries, Borrow was told that the herb was " good 

 against witches and mischances on the road." He treats 

 this view with great scorn, but says : " I had no time to 

 argue against this superstition," and with charming naivete 

 admits that, notwithstanding his austerity, when, next 

 morning at departure, some sprigs of it were pressed 

 upon him by the man's wife for his protection, " I 



