“ All in ye Merrie Month of May ” 
throat when tied round the neck of the sufferer, is no- 
where. The Cabbage was introduced into England about 
1570; indeed, before then vegetables seem to have been 
little known ; but whether it was actually known on our 
Borderland then I do not know ; very likely, since Mary 
Queen of Scots seems to have tried to improve the Scotch 
dietary on her arrival from France, and introduced sundry 
vegetables in use in France — chicory and French sorrel, for 
instance. In Lettuce-beds an old belief declared evil 
spirits lurked. The Saxons called this plant Sleepwort. 
Lettuce, especially Wild Lettuce, is said to be a sovereign 
remedy in one respect, it “ resists the Poyson of the 
Spider.” ... I wonder what particular spider ; though, to 
be sure, all spiders are a little poisonous, yet English 
spiders I do not think are harmful to people of larger size 
than Tom Thumb, with whose sad duel with the spider we 
are familiar from our nursery days. It is recommended as 
salutary food, being cooling, for persons who are hot- 
tempered. Lettuce stewed in brown gravy is a very nice 
dish, not very commonly known, I think. Endive and 
purslane are powerful love-charms, and Gay talks of the 
“ Endive blue ” being used to deck graves along with 
Rosemary — Old Man as it is sometimes called ; I don’t 
know why. 
Beetroot and Cucumbers were reputed cures for hydro- 
phobia. The tall graceful Fennel has some curiously 
contradictory associations. The Greeks and Romans 
seem to have prized it, and crowned victorious gladiators 
with it. More modern folk deemed it unlucky, as there is 
an old saying, “ If you sow fennel, you sow sorrow.” It was 
dedicated to St. John, and was also credited with being a 
good tonic. The old-time monks appear to have used it 
largely ; no herbarium ever was without it. But the Leek 
is the King of the Kailyard; ever since the days of the 
Saxons it has been a valued inmate of all gardens, and 
even gave its name to the kitchen-garden, while the 
gardener was called the Leekward. Leeks and barley and 
milk make a very good sort of Scots broth, improved, I 
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