Ladyday to Whitsunday 
as venomous as some of their tropical cousins ; yet who can 
forget the sad fate of Tom Thumb, slain by the spider’s 
“ poysonous breath ? ” 
April io. — This is the budding or opening month, 
Aprilio. The Saxons called it Oster monath, as it was the 
time of the feast-day of their goddess Eastre, whose name 
has clung to our Church festival of Easter. 
April 1 7. — We had a hail-shower the other day, but to 
our joy it did not lie long. The distant Cheviots looked 
to-day, with the stray patches of white, just as though the 
wandering shepherds had been hanging out their sarks to 
dry on the whin bushes. “ Broom thorney” was a quaint old 
English name, and an old Scots name was “ Carline spurs.” 
In this neighbourhood “ carline ” used to mean a witch as 
well as an old woman. It is from the Anglo-Saxon keorl , 
Icelandic karl, which still survives in English as “churl.” The 
addition of In made these words feminine. A Tom-cat 
used to be called a “ karl-cat,” which, I think, is rather nice. 
The kitchen-garden is quite gay now with its tufts of yellow 
narcissus — “ eggs and bacon ” some people call them, a name 
which has also been given to the Crow-toe and to the little 
wild Toadflax. There are also budding wallflowers. How 
much prettier was their old-time name of Cherisaunce, 
meaning “ comfort,” in Spenser’s day and Chaucer’s ! Blue 
forget-me-nots, white globe anemones are now flowering, and 
Solomon’s Seal (Sealwort), so called, it is said, because the 
markings on the root resemble a Solomon’s Seal, as the 
Arabs called a star with six points, often mentioned in 
Eastern fairy tales, especially the “Arabian Nights’ Enter- 
tainments.” It was also called Our Lady’s Signet, and 
Ladders to Heaven, and David’s Harp. There was an 
instrument called a “gliew ” in Anglo-Saxon days which was 
shaped like the Sealwort, with a lot of little bells. This 
is sometimes drawn in old monkish books as the harp 
David played before Saul. 
The Delphinium and Monk’s-hood clumps are rampant 
with green feathers, but as yet no flowers. I must try and 
get the Yellow Helmet flower. It is curious Monk’s-hood 
27 
