172 The Mandrake. 



thought to possess the property of making childless wives become 

 mothers; and hence some suppose Rachel became so desirous 

 to possess the Mandrake that Reuben had found. The Greeks 

 were evidently acquainted with its dangerous properties, as is 

 shown by the names bestowed on it; that of Circium being de- 

 rived from Circe, a witch celebrated in fable for her knowledge 

 of magic and venomous herbs. The fables, originally intended 

 to instruct and caution the ignorant, were frequently so transformed 

 in the songs of poets as to lose their intention ; and they were 

 still more disguised by the.crafty, who imposed upon the credu- 

 lous through some pretended miraculous stories of antiquity. 

 Thus, we are told by old medical impostors, that when the Man- 

 drake was taken from the earth, it gave a dreadful shriek, and 

 struck the daring person with death who had the presumption to 

 dig it from its bed ; and therefore it was obtained by fastening 

 the root to the tail of a dog, who thus drew it from the ground, 

 and on whom the penalty descended. The Romans appear to 

 have been very superstitious as to the manner of taking up this 

 root. Pliny tells that those who undertook this oifice took par- 

 ticular attention to stand where the wind was at their back ; and 

 before they began to dig, they made three circles around the 

 plant with the edge of the sword, and then turning to the west, 

 proceeded to take it up. We are disposed to think this ceremo- 

 ny was first observed to prevent the too frequent use of so dan- 

 gerous a plant among the idolators of the early ages. In later 

 times, when the darkness of ignorance spread its wings over 

 Europe, this plant and its substitutes formed a profitable article 

 with the mountebank doctors of the early ages, when credulity 

 was at a sufficient height to believe that this root was a pre- 

 ventive against mischief and dangers of every kind. With this 

 belief the Germans formed little idols of the roots, to which they 

 gave the name of abrunes, which were regularly dressed every 

 day and consulted as oracles ; and their repute was such that 

 they were manufactured in great numbers and sold in cases. 

 They appear to have been brought over to England in this state, 

 during the time of Henry the Eighth, and met with ready pur- 

 chases, it being pretended that they would, with the assistance of 

 some mystic words, be able to increase whatever money was 

 placed near them ; and to give greater importance to these pre- 

 tended miracle workers, it was said that the roots of these plants 



