7 6 



Thymus serpyllum — Thyme, wild thyme. Gaelic and Irish : 

 Jus mhic righ Bhreatainn, the plant belonging to the king of 

 Britain's son. This plant had the reputation of giving courage 

 and strength through its smell ; hence the English thyme (from 

 Greek : tfiytos, thymos, courage, strength — virtues which were 

 -essential to kings and princes in olden times). Highlanders take 

 an infusion of it to prevent disagreable dreams. Welsh : teim. 



c marjorana i , . , 



Origanum] , \ — Marjoram. Gaelic and Irish : ora- 



gan, the delight of the mountain. Greek : opos, oros. Gaelic : 

 ord, a mountain ; and Greek ydvos, ganos, joy. Gaelic : gain, 

 clapping of hands. Lus Mharsali, Marjorie's plant. Seathbhog, 

 the skin or hide softener (seathadh, a skin, a hide, and bog, soft). 

 "The dried leaves are used in fomentations, the essential oil is so 

 acrid that it may be considered as a caustic, and was formerly 

 used as such by furriers '' (Don). Welsh : y benrudd, ruddy- 

 headed. 



0. dictamnus — Dittany. The Gaelic and Irish name, lus a' 

 phiobaire — given in the dictionaries for " dittany " — is simply a 

 corruption of lus a' pheubair, the pepperwort, and was in all 

 probability applied to varieties of Lepidium as well as to Origanum 

 ■dictamni creti, whose fabulous qualities are described in Virgil's 

 1 2th '^-Eneid,' and in Cicero's ' De Natura Deorum.' 



Hyssopus officinalis — Common hyssop. Gaelic : isop. French: 

 hysope. German, isop. Italian : isopo (from the Hebrew name, 

 ■ezob, or Arabian, asaf. 



" Glan mi le h-teop, agus bithidh mi glan." 

 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. 



There have been great differences of opinion regarding the 

 plant meant by the hyssop of the Bible. The best authority, 

 Royle has come to the conclusion that it is the Capparis spinosa 

 •or capper plant. It grows best on barren soil, old wells, and 

 precipices. It is very bitter and pungent to the taste. 



Ajuga reptans — Bugle. Gaelic : meacan dubh fiadhain (Arm- 

 strong), the dusky wild plant. Welsh : glesyn y coed, wood-blue. 



Nepeta glechoma — Ground-ivy. Gaelic : iadh-shlat thalmh- 

 uinn, the ground-ivy. (See Hedera helix, and Bunium flexuo- 

 suni). Nathair-lus, the serpent-weed — it being supposed to be 



