8 o 
PLANT-LORE OF SHAKESPEARE 
The Date is the well-known fruit of the Date Palm (.Phoenix 
dactylifera ), the most northern of the Palms. The Date Palm 
grows over the whole of Southern Europe, North Africa, and 
South-eastern Asia; but it is not probable that Shakespeare 
ever saw the tree, though Neckham speaks of it in the twelfth 
century, and Lyte describes it, and Gerard made many efforts 
to grow it: he tried to grow plants from the seed, “ the which 
I have planted many times in my garden, and have grown to 
the height of three foot, but the first frost hath nipped them in 
such sort that they perished, notwithstanding mine industrie by 
covering them, or what else I could do for their succour.” 
The fruit, however, was imported into England in very early 
times, and was called by the Anglo-Saxons Finger-Apples, a 
curious name, but easily explained as the translation of the 
Greek name for the fruit, ScxktvXol, which was also the origin of 
the word date, of which the olden form was dactylle. 1 
deab /Ren’s ffinoers. 
Oar cold maids do Dead Men’s Fingers call them. 
Hamlet , iv. 7, 172. 
See Long Purples. 
dewberries. 
Feed him with Apricocks and Dewberries. 
Midsummer Night's Dream, iii. 1, 169. 
The Dewberry (Rufrits ccesius ) is a handsome fruit, very like 
the Blackberry, but coming earlier. It has a peculiar sub-acid 
flavour, which is much admired by some, as it must have been 
by Titania, who joins it with such fruits as Apricots, Grapes, 
Figs and Mulberries. It may be readily distinguished from 
the Blackberry by the fruit being composed of a few larger 
drupes, and being covered with a glaucous bloom. 
1 l( A dactylle frute dactilis .”—Catholicon Anglicum. 
