352 
PLANT-LORE OF SHAKESPEARE 
in the water elf disease, then are the nails of his hand livid, 
and the eyes tearful, and he will look downwards. Give him 
this for a leechdom : Everthroat, cassuck, the netherward part 
of fane, a yew berry, lupin, helenium, a head of marsh mallow, 
fen, mint, dill, lily, attorlothe, pulegium, marrubium, dock, 
elder, fel terras, wormwood, strawberry leaves, consolida ; pour 
them over with ale, add holy water, sing this charm over them 
thrice [here follow some long charms which I need not extract]; 
these charms a man may sing over a wound ” (“ Leech Book,” 
iii. 63). 
I need say little of the uses of the Yew wood in furniture, 
nor of the many grand specimens of the tree which are 
scattered throughout the churchyards of England, except to 
say that “ the origin of planting Yew trees in churchyards is 
still a subject of considerable perplexity. As the Yew was of 
such great importance in war and field sports before the use of 
gunpowder was known, perhaps the parsons of parishes were 
required to see that the churchyard was capable of supplying 
bows to the males of each parish of proper age; but in this 
case we should scarcely have been left without some evidence 
on the matter. Others again state that the trees in question 
were intended solely to furnish branches for use on Palm 
Sunday 1 (see Palm, p. 206), while many suppose that the Yew 
was naturally selected for planting around churches on account 
of its emblematic character, as expressive of the solemnity of 
death, while, from its perennial verdure and long duration, 
it might be regarded as a pattern of immortality .”-—Penny 
Magazine, 1843. 
A good list of the largest and oldest Yews in England will 
be found in Loudon’s “ Arboretum.” 
The “dismal Yew” concludes the list of Shakespeare’s 
plants and the first part of my proposed subject; and while 
1 “For eucheson we have non Olyfe that bereth grene leves we takon 
in stede of hit Hew and Palmes wyth, and beroth abowte in procession, 
and so this day we callyn palme soonenday .”—Sermon for “ Dominica in 
ramis palmarumf Cotton MS. 
