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and as a salad until the 17th century, when celery, which it 
closely resembles in appearance, was introduced into England by 
the Italians, and caused it thus to go out of favour. 
The young leaves of the purple betony, as well as those of the 
hawthorn and the hazel, and the fronds of the hartstongue and 
other ferns, were, in their season, in constant use in the kitchen. 
Wild Parsley, still flourishing on the lower slopes of the Rocks, 
was used in the seasoning of broth, and Shakespeare mentions it 
as an ingredient for the stuffing of rabbits.* 
Sauces of all kinds were very popular amongst the poor, and 
the hermits would, therefore, have needed and gathered the acid 
leaves of the Sorrel, or the pungent ones of the Mint, to flavour 
their otherwise tasteless vegetables, whilst those of the Fennel 
would have found special favour to mingle with the boiled fish 
and to garnish the dishes on feast days. Fennel is another of 
the survivals from the hermits' herb-garden which remains 
vigorously established above the entrance to his cave, for its 
tall stems of bright yellow blossoms and deeply divided feathery 
leaves still add colour to the spot. Fennel was also largely used 
in stews to give flavour to the many dishes, together with such 
aromatic herbs as Marjoram, Yarrow, Basil Thyme, Sage, or 
Wild Clary and Vervain, which were boiled down and added as 
the taste of the cook suggested. The little yellow Stonecrop 
served its turn to be kept in pickle and eaten with oil and vinegar 
as a tasty savoury, and in this way many other uses might be 
recalled for the remaining herbs which still find in the 20th 
century a permanent home on St. Vincent's Rocks. 
It is interesting to note that the hermits of St. Vincent do not 
appear to have cultivated plants which were in those days deemed 
necessary for physic, but perhaps this is not to be wondered at 
when we recall the healthy spot they had chosen for their 
dwelling places. At the same time some of the culinary pot 
herbs already mentioned possessed medicinal qualities which 
would not be lost sight of when sailors or travellers needed help. 
Another site of an hermitage in the West of England is on 
the Steep Holm, where a chapel was established by a few hermits 
driven thither from Wales, and remained for many centuries. 
On a short visit to the island during the past year certain of the 
herbs which flourish on St. Vincent's Rocks were noticed about 
the ruins on the summit, and may be the last survivals of the 
monkish garden known to have existed somewhere on the island. 
The two plants associated with this garden that have not 
succeeded in surviving elsewhere are the entire-leaved Peony and 
the wild Leek, and this deserted island of the Severn Sea is now 
the only home for these plants which were constantly mentioned 
as worthy of cultivation in the physic gardens adjoining the 
* Taming of the Shrew, Act. iv. Sc. 4. 
I 
