PLANT-LORE OF SHAKESPEARE 
349 
from its strong abiding smell; so St. Francis de Sales applied 
it: “To love in the midst of sweets, little children could do 
that ; but to love in the bitterness of Wormwood is a sure sign 
of our affectionate fidelity.” Not that the Wormwood was 
ever named Forget-me-Not, for that name was given to the 
Ground Pine (Ajuga chamoepitys ) on account of its unpleasant 
and long-enduring smell, until it was transferred to the Alyosotis 
(which then lost its old name of Mouse-ear), and the pretty 
legend was manufactured to account for the name. 
In England Wormwood has almost fallen into complete 
disuse; but in France it is largely used in the shape of 
Absinthe. As a garden plant, Tarragon, which is a species 
of Wormwood, will claim a place in every herb garden, and 
there are a few, such as A . sericea , A. cana , and A. alpina , 
which make pretty shrubs for the rockwork. 
