184 
Ttxi aiit. 
Vervain. . ..Enchantment. 
Vervain was employed by the ancients in various 
kinds of divinations. They ascribed to it a thousand 
properties, and, among others, that of reconciling ene¬ 
mies. Whenever the Romans sent their heralds to offer 
peace or war to nations, one of them always carried a 
sprig of Vervain. The Druids, both in Gaul and Bri¬ 
tain, regarded the Vervain with the same veneration 
as the misletoe, and offered sacrifices to the earth be¬ 
fore they cut this plant in spring, which was a cere-* 
mony of great pomp. Though the Druids and their 
religion have passed away, the Vervain is still the plant 
of spells and enchantment. In the northern provinces 
of France, the shepherds gather it with ceremonies and 
words known only to themselves, and express its juices 
under certain phases of the moon. They insist that 
this plant enables them to cure their ailments, and to 
cast a spell on their daughters and cattle, by which 
they can make them conform to their wishes. 
Pd wake the spell that sleeps within an herb, 
And witch the lady till I know she’s mine. 
Peerbold. 
Her overpowering presence made you feel 
It would not be idolatry to kneel. 
