FERNS OP GEEAT BRITAIN. 99 



the Diary of Henry Machyn, Merchant Taylor of London, 

 written in 1553, we read of a man who was placed in 

 the " pelere " for " selling potts of straberries, the whych 

 the pott was not alff fuUe but fylled with forne." 



The portion of the stem of the Brake just below the 

 surface of the earth is often dug up by country children, 

 and cut across, in order that they may see a figure 

 represented by the bundles of tubes and fibres which 

 lie among its cellular mass. Dark brown or black 

 markings may be observed among the whitish substance. 

 In some counties, as in parts of Kent, these marks are 

 fancied to represent the letters J C ; a fancy which 

 originated, doubtless, in those superstitious times when, 

 little as men knew of the open page of Nature, they 

 knew less still of the written page of God's word, and 

 when they imagined that Nature pointed to truths 

 taught only by revelation. In other places the mark- 

 ings are supposed to show the figure of an oak, and to 

 have first grown there in memory of the tree which gave 

 shelter to King Charles during his flight. An old 

 tradition is yet told that James, the unfortunate Duke 

 of Monmouth, after the battle of Sedgemoor, concealed 

 himself for some time successfully beneath the Bracken 

 boughs. One day, however, emerging in some degree 

 from his retreat, he sate down, and amused himself by 

 cutting some of the stems of the fern under which he 

 had slept on the past night. Some peasants who 

 noticed him were surprised to see a man clad in homely 

 garb Uke their own, with delicate white fingers, on one 

 of which glittered the diamond of a ring; and when, 

 soon after, the reward was offered for the apprehension 



