Botany of the Borders. 331 
good work was marred by incursions of the Northmen, and 
latterly they were driven out of the district by the machina- 
tions of the Romish missionaries. That Church was a tho- 
roughly compact body, and its principles were antagonistic 
to the spirit of military violence which characterized those 
ages. Within its pale were preserved and cherished those 
precious remains of ancient literature, science, and art, which 
had been rescued from the havock of the inroads of the bar- 
barians. Within its bosom, in the various grades of the 
priesthood, were to be found men whose natures were too 
gentle to cope with the spirit of those iron times, and stern 
natures that had grown sick of the mortal strife. Great was 
its moral and social influence, for the rudest warrior re- 
spected the sanctity of the altar, and trembled at the church- 
man’s frown. Wells of medicinal repute, situated hard by 
the old. sacred groves, and whose virtues were attributed to 
some presiding deity, were dedicated to some favourite 
Saint ; and several plants were in like manner dedicated to 
the Virgin Mary. The fields of the monks exhibited a style 
of cultivation worthy of the practical students of Virgil and 
Columella, and the poor were fed at. a bountiful rate from 
their well-stored granges. The frequent fastings and absti- 
nence from animal food led to the introduction from foreign 
lands of plants that were both useful and grateful to the 
palate. The attention bestowed by the clergy in ministering 
to the ailments of their people, were in like manner favour- 
able to the progress of gardening. Previous to the ascen- 
dancy of the Church of Rome, in the physic garden of the 
Saxon age we find “ peppermint, rosemary, sage, rue, penny- 
royal, fenugreek, cummin, water-cress, cornflag roses, lov- 
age, fennel, tansy, white lilies, kidney-beans, and savory; 
corianders and poppy were grown in the kitchen garden.” 
At a later period, in monkish gardens might be seen “ blue- 
bells, bachelor-buttons, balm, daffodil, golden and silver-rod, 
honesty, lily of the valley, marigold, mint, narcissus, Solo- 
mon’s seal, southernwood, and Star of Bethlehem.” Our 
author gives a quotation to show that above three hundred 
species of “ medicinal plants were known to the monks and 
friars, and used by the religious orders in general for medi- 
