“ All in ye Merrie Month of May ” 
as a three-pronged fork, and then carefully devotes his 
attention to old Grundys wallow, Chickenwort and such 
small deer, leaving me the tall Sowthistles and the indomi- 
table Bishopweed. I think Sowthistles are particularly 
troublesome from a little playful way they have of breaking 
off sharp in one’s hand, leaving the root hard and fast in 
the ground, which, I think, goes down to the Antipodes. 
There is an old belief that, if properly invoked, they will 
lay bare hidden treasures. But the secret seems to be lost 
in these prosaic days. They are called Swine Thrissells 
here, and an old name for them was Hare’s Palace (French, 
Palais de Lievre; Ger. Hasenhaus) and Hare’s Lettice, from 
a fancy, chronicled by some bygone herbalist, “ that if the 
hare come under it he is sure no beast can harm hym.” 
In Topsell’s veracious Natural History, it is alleged that 
the Sowthistle is a cure for every disease a hare is liable to ; 
while Askham says, “ Yf a hare eate of this herb in somer 
when he is mad he shal be hole.” Now there would 
seem to be no beast so melancholy as the hare according to 
ancient sagacity. Water distilled from Sowthistles is an old 
cosmetic said to be good for the complexion, and the 
young tops in spring have been recommended as a dainty 
dish. I confess I have never yet tried this. There is 
further a pretty persuasion that Sowthistles were among the 
grass and herbs gathered for the Virgin’s bedding in the 
manger, whence it comes that they are sometimes used 
to deck the creches in Italy along with holly and moss. 
Chickweed or Chickenwort follows in the track of the 
white colonist, and in New Zealand the Maoris call it the 
“ Mark of the Paleface.” It has long been in repute as a 
barometer, for if fine weather is coming it opens, but if it 
closes, rain is in the air. It also has medicinal virtues. 
Here is a receipt, from my Queen Anne Herbal, of com- 
pound oil of chickweed, which should be most useful after 
a prolonged tussle with obstinate weeds : “ Take Green 
Chickweed, fresh Red Rose leaves, of each 2 handfuls ; Oil 
of Trotters 2 pounds. Boil till they are crisp and strain 
out. Repeat this boiling with fresh Chickweed, and red 
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